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[Jennie A Holden]

Hi everyone please could somebody help as I cannot get to see my doctor until next week!!!. Basically been taking Ellesete Duet 1mg for 3 months now. The doctor put me on this one as I was 46 and I hadn't gone a full 12 months without a period (only .  At first I thought it was great, it got rid of my horrible night sweats and I started to feel better. Unfortunately over the last 2 months my PMT symtoms have become unbelievable I cant live with myself never mind my family, they are really suffering. The thing is I get the PMT feeling all the time I'm taking the white tablets I have 3 white tablets left and still have very tender boobs and PMT is horrible, weeping and flying off the handle at anything. I feel I've swapped my night sweats for a bucket load of other symtoms, symtoms that had disappeared when I didn't have a period for 8 months. Can canybody please explain whats happening, is this normal after 3 months, do I need to change HRT or will this always be the way as its the white tablets. Sorry for the ramble I just need to talk to sombody.  Thanks Jennie xx

[Mary G]

Welcome to MM!

Sorry to hear that you are having problems but it sounds familiar and very much like you could be intolerant to the progesterone component in your regime.  This is very common, many women struggle with progesterone and it is definitely the Achilles heel of HRT regimes.  Your medication contains norethisterone which is notorious for causing bad side effects - I can't go anywhere near it because of migraines.

You probably need to switch to another type of HRT so it might be worth looking in the treatment section of MM to get an idea of what is available.

I am on the Professor Studd regime (it's worth reading his website) which is Oestrogel/testosterone everyday and only a few days of Utrogestan (progesterone) each month and I have found that to be the best regime so far but I'm sure others will come along with other recommendations.

I hope I have pointed you in the right direction but please come back with more questions if you need to.

[Jennie A Holden]

Thanks for coming back to me and explaining things as I am clueless about this I just feel very confused at the min. I'll deffo have a read up on your suggestions and mention it to the doctor next week. Thanks so much xx

[Jennie A Holden]

Is the progesterone the green tablet

[dazned]

Yes it contains both estrogen and progesterone .

[Jennie A Holden]

So if I am prog intolerant but my doctor won't give me the conti HRT that means I have to have a period so does that mean HRT won't help me

[Hurdity]

Hi Jennie A Holden

 

I am a bit puzzled by your post - as I understand the white tablets are oestrogen only and the green tablets the combi ones. Women who are progesterone intolerant or intolerant of the synthetic progestogens in some HRT types (like norethisterone in your HRT tabs) would experience side effects on the combi types (the green ones?). Most women will experience normal pms for a few days after changing back to the oestrogen only ones. This is progesterone withdrawal as occurs in normal periods. However you should then feel OK again (on the oestrogen only tablets) after a few days once the prog has left your system. As norethisterone is a strong progestogen maybe you are experiencing greater pms/withdrawal from this than normal?

However if you are not post-menopausal then your own cycle will be coming into play - depending on how many periods you had skipped before starting HRT. HRT does not control your cycle - so your side effects could well be nothing to do with the HRT or at least only partly to do with it!

If you are still very much in peri-menopause then you mught want to either try a different HRT eg Femoston as the progestogen is better tolerated and less strong so you may not experience such bad pms, or alternatively try one of the HRT-like birth control pills ( Qlaira or Zoely) which will control your cycle. Alternatively as Mary G suggests go for separate oestrogen and progesterone. I use Estradot patches and progesterone (Utrogestan) and they have always worked fine for me - but in early peri-menopause you may be better off with something else.

Hurdity x

[Jennie A Holden]

Hi just come back from the Docs he agrees that I am intolerant of the green tablets that much so that it's lasting the full packet.
Before I went onto HRT I'd missed 5 months periods then had 3 in one month then went 8 months without a period but because I've not gone a full 12 months I can't go straight onto the conti.
Doctor has changed my HRT to Prempak-c 0.15mg he's given me 3 months to trial.
Hope this makes sence lol

[Hurdity]

Thanks for the update. Prempak is one of the more old-fashioned HRT types - although there will be thousands of women who happily take this, so good luck with it and do let us know how you get on

Hurdity x