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[Helena]

Hi there

I wonder if anyone has had experience of bleeding for a long time on a Conti prep then it stopping. I know it can take up to 6 months supposedly to settle down but I've had light bleeding and some period pains for 6 weeks continually. I was put on Kliovance because I'd not had a period for 8 months and only every 6 months for a year before that. GP said it'd be ok to do this even though it wasn't a full year since a period as my periods had been so sparse. If I thought it'd settle I'd persevere as in every other way it suits me great and no other side effects but not sure how long to give it. Would appreciate any other experiences ladies have had with regards to this.

Thanks
Helena

[Dancinggirl]

Hi Helena and welcome MM - you are in the right place to get plenty of help and advice with so many ladies with varying experiences.  It is quite normal to get breakthrough bleeding with conti HRTs - almost continuously - for up to six months. Hopefully you will find the bleeding will become less and less over the next few weeks and there can be the odd bit of spotting after that which is often fine as well.
How are you finding the Kliovance? Has it dealt with the meno symptoms well?
Tell us a bit about yourself - age, meno history  etc. so we can offer better support.
DG x

[Hurdity]

Hi Helena

  from me too.

As Dancinggirl says this is very common and especially if you were not post-menopausal to start with. You might want to consider going onto a cyclical preparation when you would at least get a predictable monthly bleed most of the time. This is what I did at the same stage as you. It took a while to get used to bleeding again regularly but you seem to be there already and it might help you to stop!

Hurdity x

[Helena]

Hi ladies and thanks so much  for this reassuring and helpful feedback.

My history in brief...I am 49 and been peri menopausal for about 2 years. I'd put up with the lightheaded spells and joint stiffness etc as this happened sort of insidiously and I wasn't fully aware how bad it had got or that it was due to menopause. Latterly however I suffered with painful tendinitis in various places and still didn't put that down to menopause. The last straw was when rhinitis set in, it was horrendous, maybe an unusual symptom but incredibly debilitating as it was quite severe! I hadn't even known menopause could cause that! I'd had no major hot flushes but temperature regulation gone bonkers too. After putting things together and realising it was all due to being peri menopausal I decided to try HRT after a couple of recommendations. Day 1 on Kliovance and wow... it sorted me out completely after a short time! Temperature control normal again, stiffness disappeared and I felt amazing! Even things I'd had for most of my life that I had no idea were due to hormones changed;I'd suffered with dry eyes for many years and they cleared up, and this may be too much information but I didn't need to use deodorants any more after feeling I couldn't step out the house without, again for many years. I'd also often experienced strange sensations of floor coming up to meet me, only very mildly and got used to it so never questioned it, but that went too! So all in all I was delighted. Actually I had an ovary and fallopian tube removed (benign cyst) when I was 20 and had always had short cycles, having periods every 23 days which I have since learnt could have been due to low oestrogen so I wonder if I'd always had some low level symptoms.

The bleeding is the only problem! However along with it comes sometimes horrible period type pains which also give me an upset stomach. When it's been a bad day for that, like today, I really think about whether to swap. The next day I think I should persevere as it's been so good otherwise. I'd be prepared to try cyclical but the main thing I'm bothered about is change over to that or another Conti. Do you know if I would have to take something to stop bleeding first or if I'd need a break before swapping? As this HRT has otherwise agreed with me I'm also nervous as I know people can have difficult side effects and I've been very lucky to have had none apart from this! I also wondered about gel and pessaries as this may be a better way for me to to tolerate progesterone. I'm trying to learn fast but new to all this and feel quite daunted!

Thanks ladies
Helena

[Taz2]

Hi Helena - I tried Kliovance for six months and bled for the entire time and also, like you, had horrible stomach cramps and upset stomach. I swapped to patches which got rid of the period pains and stomach upset but I still bled for most of the time. In the end I went back to sequi patches which gave me a controlled bleed once a month - hardly noticed them after the initial three months. When I swapped from one to the other I haven't had to take anything to stop the bleeding. It sorted itself out.

I can't advise on the gel as I've not used that but someone will be along soon who can help.

Taz x 

[Helena]

Thanks Taz

That's good to hear that bleeding sorted itself out when you went to sequi. I'm really thinking that may be the way forwards. What Sequi did you change to? My GP is great, happy to accept what she doesn't know and willing to research and learn. She recommended this site. I'm getting bit too hung up on not wanting to change as Kliovance been otherwise so great, but I'm sure I can get another one to suit me too.

Great to be on the forum x

[Hurdity]

Hi Helena

If you like Kliovance then the equivalent cyclical preparation is Novofem or Elleste Duet (1 mg) which contain the same progestin as Kliovance (norethisterone). Femoston contains a progestin moree closely related to our own progesterone and many women prefer this.

I do think you shouldn't be on a conti if you are still peri-menopausal. No point in changing to another conti because norethisterone is very powerful in thinning the lining so if you are still bleeding then chaning to another conti won't make much difference.

Re when to start - depends on what your doc says re the bleeding - but probably you would be able to start straight away because if you are bleeding continuously you don't know where your cycle is anyway.

All the preparations are listed on the green menu to the left (click on the sub tabs below for the info eg peri-menopause etc)
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/treatment.php

The other alternative is to think about a Mirena coil which eventually stops periods - it delivers a (synthetic) progestogen) straight to the womb. Some women swear by it, others experience side effects. However if you are OK with taking norethisterone ( in the Kliovance) it may well work for you. Again there is often some bleeding initially but periods then generally tail off. Then you could use whatever form of oestrogen you wanted - pills, patch or gel, and adjust the dose according to your symptoms. it has the advantage of being a contraceptive too. Here is the info (scroll down)
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/to_progestogens.php

Hope this helps

Hurdity x