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[Chi chi]

What are tender boobs generally a sign of? Too much or not enough of something? Mine have been tender for a little while now but I've not had this before since starting HRT, only had it years ago while on cerazette.

Thanks 

[Joyce]

It does settle down. I've got same tenderness just now & using starflower capsules. GP told me a while back to find one with around 250GLA. Mine are slightly less. I've used in the past for same reason after restarting HRT. After a while I was fine & no longer needed the capsules.

[Chi chi]

Thanks cubagirl 

[Mary G]

Cerazette is a synthetic progestin only pill which would definitely give me enlarged and painful breasts. 

What type of HRT are you taking now?  I can only speak for myself here but I only get this problem with synthetic progestins.

[Hurdity]

Sore and tender boobs can be due to increasing progesterone or oestrogen - and generally settles after a while although I think it is more likely not to settle with progestogens including progesterone? I always got painful lumpy boobs in the second half of my cycle.

Something will be increasing - but hopefully it will settle!

Hurdity x

[Chi chi]

I'm currently using 4 pumps of oestrogel per day plus testim daily. Im not sure why all of a sudden they've started to hurt? Nothing's changed? 

[Mary G]

Chi chi, that's a high dose of Oestrogel, I use just two pumps every day, did Professor Studd prescribe this for you?

Are you taking any progesterone?  If not, it is rather baffling but some women get breast pain when they take oestrogen only. 
 

[Chi chi]

Yes prof studd prescribed it, I take utrogestan like every other month for 5/7 days as I'm prog intolerant 

[Mary G]

Chi chi, that's interesting.  Sorry to ask more questions but you say you take Utrogestan for 5-7 days every other month, what dose and how i.e. vaginally or orally?  Are you taking it at the moment?  If so, that would explain your breast pain, I get breast pain with Utrogestan if I take it orally but not if I take it vaginally.  I also see Professor Studd and I am also severely progesterone intolerant and he prescribed 100mg of Utrogestan for 7 days each month and I take it vaginally.

[Chi chi]

That's ok Mary G ask away! I take 100mg usually vaginally. When I first went to see prof studd (over a yr ago now)  he prescribed exactly the same as you but i just couldn't do the 7 days, it makes me so low and depressed  it also takes me ages to recover from this so this is why I don't take it every month. He's actually told me to skip it a few times so my mood could improve. Ive always had a bleed every couple of months. I'm not taking utro at the moment but I've not long had a bleed due to stopping the BCP which I was trying. He always suggests the mirena as did Annie Evans when I saw her but I'm too scared 

[Mary G]

Chi chi, if you have recently been taking the BCP then it could explain why you had breast pain.  Synthetic progestins have a very long half life and stay in your system for a long time.  Like you, I am severely intolerant to all types of synthetic progestins (and Utrogestan to a lesser extent), they give me silent migraines (migraine aura without headache) and once I had a migraine attack 18 days after taking my last tablet it so that just shows how long it stays in your system - synthetic progestins are the sole cause of my migraines so there was no other underlying reason.

You are lucky to be able to go for two months without bleeding.  I have tried the long cycle but I always get what is called breakthrough bleeding after about 5 weeks but in my case, it is more like an elongated period because I never have any sporadic spotting or random breakthrough bleeding, it all comes out in one go like a period.  I have now given up on trying to go for the long cycle and now stick to the 7 days Utrogestan every month. 

By the way, what did Professor Studd say about your only taking 100mg Utrogestan for 5-7 days every other month, did he say it would be fine as long as you have uterine scans?  Before I changed to the split gel dose (one pump every 12 hours), I ditched out on the Utrogestan after a few days on several occasions because I had a migraine and couldn't face taking any more but I still had a normal 5 day period with the same quantity of blood.  I had a scan afterwards and all was OK but I now stick to the 7 days which seems to be OK so far with the new regime.
 

[Chi chi]

He knows I don't take the utro every month, I also tried provera but I didn't get on too well with that either    he's never mentioned or offered me scans?
At one point he basically told me there was nothing more he could do for me in terms of treatment except a hysterectomy, I don't feel ready for that plus I'm terrified of feeling worse with no hormones at all ! I know I would need to replace them but it still scares me  if I could be 100% sure that my low moods and anxiety etc were because of my hormones then I'd bite his hand off.

I've since been to see Annie Evans who is lovely btw, she also suggested a hysterectomy but said there are a few things we could try first such as the bcp, mirena or medication to shut down my own hormones so I could see how I'd be.
I've tried yaz and qlaira and didn't do well on either of them and had to stop. I'm supposed to be trying the Mirena as I had one years ago and was ok except for constant spotting which Annie says can be stopped by using oestrogel/sandrena, emotionally I was fine though, even trying this again scares me 
Everything scares me at the moment as I don't want to feel any worse than I already do 
I had a bleed a couple of weeks ago so I feel I'm ok for the next month while I try and figure out what I'm going to do next??

I suffer with daily headaches (not migraines) and strangely while I was trying yaz I didn't have any?
I always had a bleed after taking the utro for 5 days so I didn't worry about missing the 2 days

[Mary G]

Chi chi, I think we are very similar.  Professor Studd also suggested a hysterectomy to me but I am scared of (a) going into hospital because I have never been admitted to hospital before and (b) having a general anthesthetic because I have never had one of those either.  I have never been pregnant so therefore all this stuff is new to me and apart from contraception, the menopause is the first medical thing I have ever had to face.

That said, deep down, I know that Professor Studd is right and I think I would feel much better if I had a hysterectomy and then just used the oestrogel and testosterone for the rest of my life - job done.  It is just a matter of facing it.

I didn't get on with the Mirena because of my severe intolerance to synthetic progestins and even a minute amount of it getting into my system is enough to trigger the silent migraines so I can understand your reluctance to try it again.  Before menopause, the Mirena did not give me migraines but it did cause low mood and enlarged and painful breasts.

I doubt you would feel better with no hormones at all, it is probably a matter of getting the right balance which takes time.  Have your tried taking vitamin B supplements?  My B12 was low and since taking the supplements, blood tests confirm it is now within the normal range - there is a link between B12 and headaches/migraines.  It's not a cure all but it might help.

I know how you feel, it's a difficult one with no easy answers.  Progesterone (or should I say synthetic progestins and bio identical progesterone) is the achilles heel of HRT and no form currently available is really cutting it.  I was never intolerant to my own progesterone so there is clearly something in these preparations that is not right.  The only way to really combat progesterone intolerance is to have a hysterectomy or limit its use as much as possible, neither of which are fantastic options.  It's about time someone came up with a better option or at least lower doses and better delivery methods for the existing products.

[Niamh]

Chi chi I hope you don't mind ive pmed you as I spotted a post of yours about your woes and that you're seeing Prof Studd, so am I! I'm having really problems getting my regime right. I'm prog intolerant but ok on the utro in the main but struggling with the ostrogel dose. He prescribed 3 for me and I find it makes me wired, jittery, can't sleep so I reduced to 2. He wants me to put it back up which I did yesterday but got all the same symptoms. Do you know why he gave you 4 have you had any issues with it? I find him quite hard to deal with and feel like I'm on a roller coaster still with a great few weeks then rubbish again, he's a bit dismissive tho x

[Chi chi]

Hi Niamh I've pm'd you