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[jedigirl]

I too would love to know if my oestrogen levels are too high and how you find out. I'm finding just after my period I feel nauseous and anxious and generally yucky, then things tend to level out.  Is it just the fluctuation of hormones or because my oestrogen levels are rising again. I'm so confused as I went to Femoston 2/10 from 1/10 because I didn't feel well on 1/10, had a few good weeks and feel horrible again now. Have i made things worse going to the higher dose? This is the pits 

[Millykin]

Jedigirl
It is horrible trying to get balance right, I'm on Femoston 1:10 since April and have had 2-3 periods and up and down feelings, I was going to up my dose to 2/10 and GP suggested it too but I decided not to thought I would leave it till I really needed it, I was even going to ask her if could have the one with continuous progesterone cause I feel better on the grey tablets but I'm 44 and that's for post meno lol so I know she wouldn't give me it,
X

[jedigirl]

Millykin its so tricky isn't it? I started on femseven patches last august which were OK but kept getting rashes underneath and problems with them sticking. When I swapped to femoston the doc put me on 1/10 which is lower than I was on with the patches  he said they always start with that dose but didn't feel right on it and had no period at all so upped to 2/10 a month ago. Had a slight period this month and had been feeling okay till the last few days. If only the docs could give you some better advice, they seem to know so little about meno. I hate feeling this way, just want to feel normal! Thanks for reply X

[Rowan]

Symptoms of too much estrogen ( original question)


The symptoms listed below, as well as many others, often arise when estrogen overstimulates both the brain and body. All of these symptoms are exacerbated by stress of all kinds.

 Many women in their thirties and early forties find that they experience moderate to severe symptoms of estrogen dominance as they approach perimenopause.

Decreased sex drive Irregular or otherwise abnormal menstrual periods Bloating (water retention) Breast swelling and tenderness Fibrocystic breasts Headaches (especially premenstrually) Mood swings (most often irritability and depression) Weight and/or fat gain (particularly around the abdomen and hips) Cold hands and feet (a symptom of thyroid dysfunction) Hair loss Thyroid dysfunction Sluggish metabolism Foggy thinking, memory loss Fatigue Trouble sleeping/insomnia PMS Estrogen dominance has also been linked to allergies, autoimmune disorders, breast cancer, uterine cancer, infertility, ovarian cysts, and increased blood clotting, and is also associated with acceleration of the aging process.

from http://www.drnorthrup.com/estrogen-dominance/#sthash.HawGZZjQ.dpuf

Using HRT while still having periods even intermittently is very tricky as there can be surges of your own hormones added to the mix causing side effects.

Over riding your own hormone production and shutting down activity with a low dose birth control may get better results if you can get your GP to agree. 

I have always thought that HRT works much better once ovaries have settled and the brain has given up trying to induce them to work, just my own thoughts of cause.

[jedigirl]

Thanks for the reply silverlady,
i have to say i'm even more confused i have some but not all of those symptoms, and i thought hrt was beneficial for early menopause to protect bones and heart? I dont like being on hrt at all but am squaring it with myself by knowing its protecting me for later. The doctor has never mentioned birth control. More food for thought.

[Briony]

Thanks Silverlady. Really useful post. It fits in with what my GP has said to me about switching to a low dose birth control pill aimed at people during peri menopause. Pixiegirl's consultant recommended Qlaira, but my concern is this has four phases within the month ... so would I still suffer with the side effects of fluctuating levels? Last two years have been hideous, HRT has helped a little but still at a point where I struggle to function 'normally' far too often, affecting work in particular. Am petrified of switching to Qlaira and things getting even worse  . B x

[Rowan]

Once you come off HRT you lose the protection of HRT for bones and you begin to lose bone as if you had not been on HRT.

Its best to use other ways to protect bones and heart besides relying on HRT alone.

[Hurdity]

Hi jedigirl

There is a really interesting paper published (or promoted) around World Menopause Day entitled Prevention of Diseases After Menopause. The abstract is here
http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/13697137.2014.933411'src=recsys&

Not sure if the full text is available free any more - I printed it off.

Oestrogen is key in helping to prevent many chronic diseases, as well as diet and lifestyle. A key point in the abstract is that "For healthy women aged 50-59 years, oestrogen therapy decreases coronorary heart disease and all cause mortality".

Re Qlaira - the good thing about this contraceptive pill is that the oestrogen in it is more or less bioidentical - ie contains estradiol valerate which is converetd to estradiol in the body. The downside if you are progesterone intolerant, is that the progestogen is taken for 21 days of the 4 week cycle and is quite a high dose. There could still be a pre-menstrual phase during the last 4 days when oestrogen is reduced ( for 2 days) and then stopped (2 days) and after stopping the progestogen (maye give usual pmt withdrawal symptoms). The number of days for mood changes may well be less according to their blurb though. I would have though it might be worth a try because it is in effect a form of HRT. here is the product info:https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/21700

It is best to use HRT and other methods ( ie diet, lifestyle, exercise) to help protect bones and heart and this is what the paper I referred to above was aiming to promote - many lifestyle factors are important to maintain health as we age - stop smoking, reduce alcohol, take more exercise, keep weight down, eat a healthy diet etc

Jedigirl - if you are post-menopausal then you won't need contraception, but if you are peri and at your age you do, so that might be worth looking at?

Hurdity x

[jedigirl]

Thanks Hurdity, you are a Godsend! I feel quite tearful to see how often you reply to peoples concerns. I'm 45 and perimenopause but hubby has had the snip so don't use contraception. I'm anxious about swapping from Femoston at the mo as already on third type of hrt and felt so awful before i was on it, feel i should stick with it for a bit at least. It might be a consideration for future though.

[donnacrichton]

Hi I am also un the same position as yourself. i am 42 and after numerous hrts U am  on 5 pumps of estrogel per day. At my last appointment my consultant mentioned the oral contraceptive pill. I was confused as to why this hadn't been thought if before. I am worried if there would be a difficult transition. I have already had the ovaries shut down and would be interested to see if this has worked for anyone  x

[Hurdity]

Do you get a monthly bleed donna or take a progestogen continuously?

Hurdity x

[Dandelion]

I've been taking evorel and have gradually moved up to 75mcg, which is working 70-80% for my flushes.
It's great to go out and to not flush most days, and only the occasional sweating in bed.
I do sleep with the window open and I have stopped using my fan.
The higher up in dose evorel I went the less flushes i got.
I am peri, I think, started flushing at 42yrs of age, but didnt start hrt till 47, flushes got more hot this last two years, first an increase in 2013, then last autum, another increase.
Dunno, maybe my periods have stoppped, I cant tell.

[Hurdity]

Hey Dandelion - so pleased to hear your flushes have reduced considerably and you are feeling much better! Long may it last! 

Hurdity x

[donnacrichton]

Hi hurdity I don't get a monthly bleed as have marina fitted but have only stopped bleeding a month ago. Saw your reply on the other post thank you hoping to hear from consultant today x

[Hurdity]

Hi again donna

I can't understand why your consultant would recommend the combined contraceptive pill when you have a Mirena as it would give you too much progestogen, and tablet HRT doesn't tend to be absorbed as well as transdermal methods - especially patches. Perhpas s/he was going to suggest removing the Mirena. However I thought the CP was designed to suppress ovulation and I thought you had this doneanyway? Maybe the medication (for shutting down the ovaries) that you had is reversible?

Hurdity x