Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[warwick01]

Morning All

Been awake all night thinking about my struggle with this meno journey.

Has anyone ever been on too high Oestrogen HRT if so what are the symptoms???

Also - what is a normal blood range whilst on HRT??

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

[Briony]

I asked my GP the same question - answer was "very often the same as low estrogen" which didn't help me at all!  I think it depends on the person too. For example, I know I feel nauseous when my estrogen is low, but others get this with higher estrogen.

I don't know if it's medically true or not, but I often think the 'speed of fluctuation', especially in peri menopause, can be as problematic as the actual level itself (high or low), if that makes sense? (Perhaps this is why a lot of people cope fine with the pill, even though many contain a very high dose of estrogen in them?). I think that's why I often suffer at the end of my period when levels start rising quickly.

Such a minefield all this hormone business, isn't it?                   x

[Joyce]

When I was on too high a dose, I felt shaky with lots of palpitations.

Not sure if HRT dosage affects it too much. I'm around 130/78 & was told it was fine for someone my age, which is 58.

[donnacrichton]

I would also like some help with this not sure what I am. Been upped to 5 pumps of estrogel. Had palpitations and flushes not sure what my levels are. Ovaries already shut down so not  any of my own. Tingling in scalp and chills anyone else on this level? They have said possibly oral contraceptive pill if estrogel doesn't work. Age 42 x

[Briony]

Hi Donnacrichton
Yep, I think I am on your level - tingling in scalp, and a number of other places, plus chills, were what first took me to my doctor. I too am 42. Did get palpitations but (fingers crossed) the HRT has eased that. I have random nausea and extreme fatigue too. Initially I thought I had high estrogen (especially with nausea as it was like morning sickness) but my estrogen was only 40 pmol/L when measured (not that this means much as levels are constantly fluctuating!) x

[donnacrichton]

My hormones been taken out the equation and still flushing right now just eating dinner. Scared to up it again incase its too high. Hate being a woman had no idea how bad this would be

[Briony]

Big hugs to you, must be so hard when you've already had your hormones suppressed. Knowing how high contraceptive estrogen is, I guess it would be hard to 'OD' -especially if doc has prescribed that much; that said, 5 pumps seems to be more than what most people take? Perhaps your doc suggested that cos you have zero hormones of your own? Maybe it would be worth calling your doc to double check? X

[donnacrichton]

He advised for my age 42 the estrogen I was getting was very small compared to what I would have naturally as I have none of my own in my system now. Get nervous of any change now. It's scary as other people only need 1or 2 pumps.

[Briony]

My doc said the same thing - that at 42 our bodies need/expect so much more estrogen than a decade later; but when you're feeling anxious already, upping it isn't as easy as the docs make it sound! Good luck xxx

[PoF]

Sorry about these worries.   I am certainly no doctor, but if it helps to reassure DonnaCrichton, I have premature ovarian failure too.  4 years ago I tried some donor egg ivf cycles - all the did was result in a miscarriage .... that's all over now and we adopted and am very happy etc etc with our adopted little boy.

But what I am getting round to saying is, when doing the donor egg ivf cycle, I had to go on an HRT preparation (they use these in donor egg ivf) and I was on FOUR TIMES the usual daily dose for an 'ordinary woman'.  This means that every single day for a few weeks I was doing, in theory, an 'overdose' of 4 times the recommended limit every day ... and I felt no side effects at all, perhaps maybe a little mild nausea at first.

It's a different context I know, but I read on the packet of my current HRT patches that 'overdosing' (or perceiving to have too high a dose)   is unlikely to cause harm.

I hear your pain and worry - I see this in myself too.   I tend to get so wound up about every little tiny thing, every body sign, have great anxiety and panic  about the HRT I take etc etc    Also, if it helps to rationalise things, during pregnancy oestrogen gets higher and we consider 'pregnancy symptoms' as benign (although never been pregnant so maybe I can't say anything about that!!)

what I find hard is, the 'mental acceptance' of the hormone thing .... I feel uneasy just having to take HRT at my age, since 42 - constantly worry about it and of course that only fuels my panic, and then I get uptight about every bodily sign, which fuels the panic again and so it goes on!

At the early menopause clinic I originally attended in Harrow nr London, they spoke of oestrogen as if it were the elixir of life!!

We must have courage to plod on forwards!

[donnacrichton]

I am very lucky I had my girls by then I was 38. I am glad you got your little boy. It runs in my family so both my girls are away. I do get anxious very easily nowadays. I get panicky when people say one or two doses work it doesn't touch mine. Its really reassuring to here of someone else. My consultant now calls me his challenging case lol. Palpitations are an issue just now but not sure to up or down or leave alone until it settles so confusing,

[Briony]

PoF - thank you for a really uplifting post. I am 42 and we're in the very early stages of adoption. You have reminded me that there is a light beyond all this hormonal maelstrom! X

[donnacrichton]

Hi Briony hope everything goes well with the adoption process. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in hormones we forget to be thankful for what we have. I have to keep reminding myself my consultant has people with a lot more problems than I have sometimes you just need someone to tell you it will be alright xx

[Hurdity]

Me too Briony - wishing you all the best with your adoption.

Re the oestrogen levels issue raised by the OP - here is the table of reference ranges:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estradiol (scroll down for the table).

The most important things to realise is firstly the blood levels are a range and most of us will fall somewhere between the upper and lower limits, and secondly during the natural menstrual cycle our own levels will vary according to where we are in the cycle.

The difficult thing with HRT is that most preparations aim to give a constant level of oestrogen - the average over the menstrual cycle - but not at the highest level - known as the pre-ovulatory peak.  When pregnant we also have extremely high levels of progesterone (as well as oestrogen) and other hormones which are working together to maintain the pregnancy. Replacing just one hormone - estradiol - externally cannot completely replicate the delicate balance of hormones that exist in our bodies normally which is why there can be odd side effects at high doses.

Personally I think it might be over-stimulating to experience levels as high as the peak levels all the time - but I don't know what this is like! I would certainly like mine to be higher than they are - but do not want the increased (duration and dose of) progesterone and bleeding that necessarily will have to go with it!

Hurdity x

[Briony]

Thanks to you both for your kind wishes - really appreciated. By coincidence, Hurdity, we are with DCC too! X