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[Clovie]

Hello.

Firstly, I've not been on here for ages - but when I was on here before I got loads of very good advice from very knowledgeable people!   
Hello to anyone who remembers me! *waves*


Anyway, I just wanted to ask a question..

Do any ladies who are peri get their own periods as well as their withdrawal bleeds?
(Got myself into a bit of a state today, with seeing info on news about HRT.  )


A brief history -

At age 48(I think it was ?) got hot flushes, was still having periods but irregular, went to GP, got HRT, found I was intolerant of synthetic progesterone, was given 3 month of oestrogen then 1 withdrawal bleed, couldn't tolerate the prog at all  so finally got Utrogestan which was much better for me, so returned to 1 monthly withdrawal bleeding....

Then realised I was starting to have my OWN regular periods again as well as withdrawal bleeds, after couple of months spoke to my specialist doctor who didn't really answer my question when I asked 'do I have to take the utrogestan to bring on a withdrawal bleed if I am bleeding once a month anyway?'  She kind of said that no I didn't have to as the point of the utrogestan was to bring on a bleed to shed the lining, and I was shedding anyway.....

So, I now use the utrogestan only occasionally, just because I think I SHOULD rather than feeling I need it. It still makes me very depressed but I can cope with it every so often. This has gone on for a long time now........ and need to see a new GP (we've moved) to review my HRT and am afraid I will get taken off HRT.

Regarding having own periods as well as withdrawal? Surely I can't be alone?
I don't think I need the utrogestan to make me bleed but I need the oestrogen to stop the hot flushes and ease slightly my black depressive spells which I'd started to get beore I took it (bad PMT!!)

Anyone else like me? 

(I'm sorry this is all a bit garbled now I've read it back.....)

[Milamam]

Hello, Clovie,
Strangely I just had a very similar experience. I am on Femiston 2/10 for already 20 months or so, and perimenopausal, 45. In the past 3-4 months the bleeds became very close together, so much so that in October alone I had three . Last one was just 12 days from the start of the previous. My immediate thought was that, yes, my own hormones have reawakened, and me cycles are overriding the HRT, causing frequent bleeding.
I went to see my gynea who did thorough tests including a transvaginal ultrasound, and nothing abnormal was found (i.e cysts or fibroids). Lining was perfect. Hormone levels were normal. He didn't think the Femistone dose was too much - in oposite, he said that probably the progesterone was insufficient in the second 14 days. Great surprise to me, have to say!

So he has now prescribed additional 10 mg of Dydrogesterone ( the progestin in Femoston) to take from day 11 to 28 th. This is my first month to try this regime so I don't know how it will work out. Before that, in the past months, the insomnia , occasional night sweats and water retention have returned despite the HRT, so who knows, he might be right that prog has dropped. Since starting the double dose a week ago, I do sleep much better! This is a big plus!

In short, I am not quite sure what has caused these bleeds, but I tend to listen to my doctor for now, try and see. He has been right on many occasions in the past!

Hope this is helpful!
Milamam

[Clovie]

Thank you, Milamam 
Vey interesting input, much food for thought 

[Hurdity]

Hi Clovie

I've been meaning to write since seeing your posts but somehow it disappeared off the radar because there are so many threads but I haven't forgotten!

This is to say hi (I thought there was a waving smiley but can't seem to find one apart from thank-you!) and I remember you - from maybe 18 months ago now? Lovely to hear from you . I do hope you see this post as a week has passed since you wrote it....

I'm not sure I can help with your question because it is so difficult to know what's going on when women are peri-menopausal isn't it? I mean if you weren't on HRT the cycles would change, maybe become irregualr, stop and start and perhpas go through a few cycles of being regular again. HRT does complicate the issue.

The thing is if you are having regular periods as well as withdrawal bleeds but at a different time - isn't it possible to synchronise the cycles so that you hopefully only bleed once? This would mean you would need to take the utrogestan but two weeks before the anticipated bleed. Are you saying that now you've stopped the utro you are only bleeding once? I don't know enough about the amount of progesterone produced by the corpus luteum (the empty egg follicle) and whether it varies depending on the quality of the egg or whether it is so much that even if you take extra oestrogen you will get a good bleed without taking utro. If your specialist says this - ie no need, then presumably that's OK? If it were me I would perhaps be a bit worried about whether my lining was building up too much ie that maybe it wasn't all being shed?

I think it depends on what dose of oestrogen you are on and whether it is just a top up because you are perhaps early in peri-menopause, or whether it is a high dose?

I know that women on here do report having two bleeds sometimes when their own cycle breaks through but as I said aboive my answer to that would be to synchronise the cycles if you can.

Sorry that's not much help but just thinking aloud and also wanting to say hello!

Hurdity x

[Clovie]

Thank you, Hurdity! 

I've messaged you!