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[mollymoo]

Hi, I'm thinking of asking my GP to change my current HRT Femoston conti 1/5 to Tridestra. Is the oestrogen in the Tridestra 2mg Estradiol valerate a medium dose. Feeling quite flat with break through flushes/sweats.
Any advice would be very welcome.
Thankyou Michelle x

[Mary G]

mollymoo, welcome to MM!

If you are feeling flat then it is probably safe to say that your current HRT regime is not working.  Having looked it up, it would appear to be quite a low dose of oestrogen and also being an oral preparation, probably not as effective as the transdermal types of HRT like the patches and gel. 

I don't know anything about Tridestra, has it been recommended to you?  It does contain a higher dose of oestrogen which you need if you are having breakthrough flushes and sweats so you could give it a try but personally, I would recommend the oestrogen gel or patches because from my experience they are more effective than the oral preparations.  It does mean you need to take a separate form of progesterone for several days each month, usually Utrogestan, which will provoke a bleed but many MM members find that this combination is more effective because it is bio identical and very similar to the hormones you produce yourself and it has fewer side effects. 

It might be worth discussing this with your GP.

[mollymoo]

Hello Mary G,
         Thankyou for your reply and yes i think your right it might be the right time to change HRT as the Femoston conti has been ok but i have felt quite flat whilst on it and my libido has complety gone . Im seeing my GP in the morning so will see if i can try a patch and utrogestan.
Many Thanks
Michelle x

[Hurdity]

Re libido - some women find that just increasing oestrogen helps to restore libido, whereas for others this may not work. Libido is thought to be partly due to testosterone - and levels of this horomone decrease gradually with time, not specifically at menopause. Unfortunately it is rarely tested on NHS unless you have had a total hysterectomy with ovary removal and there are no preparations on the market for women. Some of us have gone privately to obtain some though .

In addition some women find that continuous progestogens also have a dampening effect of libido - but you may find this not to be the case with Utrogestan as it is given at fairly low dose for continuous combined HRT (no bleed).

The disadvantage with Tridestra is often that women get breakthrough bleeding before the 3 months has elapsed but this may not happen in your case, if you haven't had a bleed for some years due to the endometrial ablation you mentioned in your other post.

Good luck with your GP and keep us posted!

Hurdity x

[mollymoo]

Again thankyou and i will post after my appointment in the morning.

[Sunnydays]

Hi Hurdity, do you mind me asking what the low dose is for utrogestan on a continuous regime? I thought that 100mg was the only dose they did?? I might have misinterpreted what you were saying.

[Hurdity]

Sorry Sunnydays - yes I was referring to the 100 mg - but some women find this wonderful and feel well on it, only feeling rough on the 200 mg dose, I have never tried it myself (100 mg dose) and also never orally so I can't comment!

How did you get on mollymoo?

Hurdity x

[mollymoo]

Hi Hurdity,
     I got on ok had a good chat about how flat I've been feeling on the conti  and have been given Tridestra to try. Im not sure how i will feel on a higher dose of oestrogen hopefully ok  but i think this is medium dose so should be alright only time will tell. My pharmacy have had to order this in so won't collect it now until saturday.
Is there any side affects to expect from going from combined to oestrogen only ?
Thanks Michelle x