I came off HRt for a break last autumn. I am 58 and the nurse at the GP practise I saw thought I should see how I coped without HRT for a while. During the winter I was OK but this long, hot and humid summer has been challenging. I am seriously thinking of going back on HRT.
Re: seeing your GP on the 9th. If you can get the letter to her so she can at least read it on the day you have your appointment that would be good. Could you hand it in yourself on Monday?
If you go to the appointment in a positive frame of mind and emphasise your need to get some decent sleep without waking in terrible sweats all the time, hopefully she will listen to your problems and be open to Dr. Curries suggestion. Simply ask her if she will let you try the patches to see if they work better for you.
Sometimes we need to handle our doctors with care - they are human with fragile egos so we need to be careful they don't feel the patient is demanding something that they don't think is right or makes them look ill-informed.
Good luck. Dg x
Hi DG
Sorry that you are having problems yourself with meno.
I decided that I will write a note and give the doctor it to read at my appointment. I wil also take along a print of Dr Currie's email.
I have written a note out, but I am struggling not to make my own doctor look ill informed.
Below is a copy of the email from Dr Currie, and below that is a copy of the note I have prepared so far. If you can think of anything I can add, I will welcome the suggestions.
Dr Curries emailThank-you for your question and I am sorry that you are having these
problems.
There is a huge variation in how much estrogen we absorb from the bowel
from tablet HRT, and then how quickly we break it down--some women just
do not get enough estrogen into the system from tablets to control the
symptoms. Therefore if no help from Femoston 2/10, would agree that
patches would be better. With a history of migraine, patches anyway are
preferred rather than tablets so migraine is NOT a reason NOT to use
patches, instead, migraine is a reason to use patches! --sometimes the
daily fluctuation of hormone levels from tablets can worsen migraine
while patches tend to provide a smooth level of hormone more directly
into the system.
Evorel sequi would give a medium dose estrogen and contains progestogen
for the 2nd half of the pack, leading to a monthly bleed.
Regarding other investigation, suggest checking that thyroid function is
oK, unless it has been checked recently.
I hope that this is helpful.
Best wishes
Heather
My note
I recently asked to try the HRT patches as an alternative method of delivery, as my meno symptoms have made my life a misery for the past year, but Dr ***** refused them because of my migraine auras.
I was desperate for some advice and have been in contact with Dr Heather Currie NHS consultant Gynae at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary. She is also Chairman of the British Menopause Society, and Director of Menopausematters, a famous British menopause site which many British GP's direct their patients to.
In exchange for a fee (which goes towards site maintenance costs) Dr Currie answers women's questions by email.
I've got a copy of her email in my bag.
She says tablet hrt can worsen migraine due to the fluctuation in oestrogen levels and that patches are best for it as they give a smoother level.
She also says some women on tablets don't abosrb enough oestrogen from their bowel to stop their symptoms.The doctors appointment i have on Thursday is only ten minutes long. Somehow I felt more demanding handing in a letter before thursday's appointment, as my doctor is very busy.
I just hope she believes the email is actually from Dr Currie, and that she does not put up a wall without reading my note.
She is the doctor who said that I would just have to go through menopause. She is also the doctor who I told I am scared to try norethisterone.
I will give evorel a go, and hope it doesn't make me feel horrible like some women on here.
I feel it would be too much to ask again for the utrogestan/micronised progesterone, as none of the doctors found it in their book.
Maybe the evorel doesn't work, I will email dr currie again regarding utrogestan, but surely I cannot be that unlucky, given the lack of luck i have had so far with hrt and meno.