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[margaret]

Hi Ladies,

How long does it take for HRT to get out of your system x

[Dancinggirl]

Hi and welcome margaret
It's not a question of HRT getting out of your system.  You do store some oestrogen and when you start taking HRT it can take some time to build up in the system and take effect but if you are post menopausal once you stop HRT the oestrogen level will drop quite quickly and bottom out over a few weeks.  Your body still produces a very small amount of oestrogen post meno.  My understanding is: if you don't use HRT, then through peri meno the oestrogen levels will fluctuate and gradually lessen until your periods stop - you then enter post meno and your oestrogen levels will bottom out between 1-2 years after that.  If you have taken HRT well into post meno then the drop can be far quicker when you cease to take HRT - some ladies report flushes and night sweats returning within days.  You could have a blood test to show your oestrogen level.
Did you have to come off HRT for medical reasons?  What stage of your meno are you at?
HRT is the natural way to maintain hormone levels and once you come off your body is simply on it's own and what you are left with is only what your body can produce and that will often only be a very small amount. 
If you can be a little more specific about what you need to know we can help you more. DG x

[margaret]

Hi Dancinggirl,

Thank you for your reply,  I started the perimenopause when I was 52, two years ago.   I didn't have a period for 4 months, after that I started to get night sweats, insomnia, anxiety depression and just feeling terrible.  The doctor put me on 2mg Elleste Duet Combi, I felt fantastic everything great health wise.  At Christmas went for my check-up and the nurse changed me to Elleste Duet Solo, I was fine until the end of March then I started to get terrible headaches with auras, pains in my limbs and I'm really tired, when I went back she said my blood pressure had gone to 170 over 80 and took me off the HRT I'm still feeling terrible and wonder if it will ever end I'm going back on Wednesday and I don't know what to do x

[Sarah2]

Hi there
For a start, I think you need more 'expert' advice than what is given by a nurse. All respect to nurses but they are not  doctors and they are not gynaecologists. They will work by the 'rule book' without deviating!


But why were you put on different dose anyway?  Elleste Solo is oestrogen only and for women who have had a hysterectomy or who take a separate progestogen-do you fit into this category?

You really have had very poor treatment- there is no way anyone should just come off HRT overnight- it's supposed to be a slow withdrawal over 3 months or longer. This just shows how little the nurse knows.

According to my gynae who has written a book on meno, HRT rarely ( if ever) is a cause of high BP.  So you need to address why you now have high BP- which may be totally unrelated to taking HRT.

The other thing is that one reading of your BP is rarely accurate. When I've taken mine at home ( my parents have a machine for their own use) it's always much lower than when the nurse etc does it- due to 'white coat' effect.

They ought to get you to take your BP every day for 2 weeks at home with a loaned machine to see what the readings are.

On the other question, a friend of mine was told by her gynae that it takes around 3 months for HRT to leave your system.

Please go back to the dr and see a dr not a nurse, and if they can't help with anything useful, ask for a referral to a gynae interested in menopause. You don't have to put up with all of this and you are really being fobbed off, with no real treatment plan, from what you have said.

[margaret]

Thanks Sarah2, for your reply,

I will make an appointment with the doctor  next week, I saw my doctor at first but she said to just see the nurse after that.  I don't think the menopause is high on their agenda at our surgery. x

[Sarah2]

What are you taking now? There is Elleste Duet ( with a progestogen) and Elleste Solo( just oestrogen).

[margaret]

Hi Sarah2,

I made a mistake, I'm taking Elleste Duet Conti, I think I've been reading that much stuff over the past few days I've got myself confused, which doesn't take much these days! x

[sweettooth]

Hi Margaret, as far as i know estrogen can keep good blood pressure but i think its the progestogen (synthetic progesterone) element that can raise it in some women.  Patches are probably more suitable.  You would need the advice of a good meno clinic.  I stopped my hrt a while back and it took about 2 weeks for the unwanted symptoms to arrive so i ended up going back on a very low dose estrogen patch and fortunately i dont need progesterone!

Good luck x

[Sarah2]

Not to worry!

I wonder why they have put you on a conti regime? Usually it' s for women who are over 54 or have not had a period for 12 months- is that you?
It may well be the daily dose of progestogen that is making you feel ill.
Several of us here who are post meno choose to have a cycle, with a bleed, so it's not impossible for you to ask for that if it might help. It's not what most GPs would suggest, as they tend to be very conservative, but if it's a choice of feeling rotten on daily progestogens then it's one other option.

[Dancinggirl]

Hi margaret
I agree with much of what the others have recommended.  Definitely see the doctor & ask for a referral to a gynae or meno clinic.  HRT generally protects the heart and will often keep blood pressure down.  The source of your raised blood pressure needs to be investigated and possibly mild beta blockers may be necessary - these can help with anxiety as well.  If you went cold turkey from HRT then the big drop in oestrogen level can throw your body out quite badly - it is usually recommended to come off HRT gradually over a few weeks or months.
Keep us posted .  Good luck  DG x

[margaret]

Hi Ladies,

Just to give you an update, I've been off HRT now since the 2nd April, I've been having a few night sweats but nothing too bad, I still feel a bit out of sorts because I don't think the HRT I was on in  December was agreeing with me, terrible headaches and aching limbs, they seem to be easing off a little bit now, my blood pressure is still a bit high 150 over 82.  I'm going to wait until July to have it checked again, by this time the HRT should be out of my system, I think this might have been causing it.  x

[Hurdity]

Hi margaret

Thanks for the update.

Just to clarify - and really agreeing with what the others have said - it is important to recognise there are several elements to HRT - the oestrogen, the progestogen and the mode of delivery ie tablet, or transdermal (patch or gel).

You don't need to stop HRT because you experience side effects from one particular type - ideally you should be advised to try a different type so that you can find out what suits you. For example transdermal HRT might be preferable ( doesn't have to go through the liver), or as has been said - the continuous progestogen (in Elleste Duet conti) - which is norethisterone - might have been making you feel ill.

If you would like any advice on what type to try do ask and please don't be disheartened because this one doesn't work!

There is a lot of information about the different types on this site ( menu on left).

I sympathise re the blood pressue and I presume you are doing all you can to reduce it naturally - through diet, weight loss, exercise etc as recommended? This is what it say on this site about high BP and HRT:

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/atoz.php#GlossH

Blood pressure should be measured and, if high, should be controlled prior to starting HRT. Blood pressure measurement should be repeated 3 months after starting HRT and is then usually checked at annual review. There is a very small risk of conjugated equine estrogens causing a rise in blood pressure which resolves on cessation of treatment. In the presence of controlled hypertension, HRT is unlikely to worsen control; some recommend using transdermal (patch or gel) HRT.
Sage should be used with caution if hypertensive and St.John's Wort should be used with caution if taking antihypertensive therapy.

I think you'll find there are other women on here with high BP and taking HRT....

Hurdity x

[Suzyq]

Actually hrt (estradot) has reduced my blood pressure to the point where I have reduced my medication. As sarah2 said, one reading doesn't mean anything and your readings were not worryingly high. Your nurse was over-reacting! If you wish to have a break from hrt, that's a different matter but you may well find that your bp rises without it! Mine was!