Hi SooTee
Sorry to hear about your difficulties with HRT. What were your periods doing before you started the tablets first of all - when the doc said you hadn't had a period for a year - was that before you started HRT?
The thing is and especially with tablets it seems, women can experience side effects from the progestogen part ( ie the second lot - the combi tabs), which is why it's often better to start off on a cycle - as you did initially - and have a withdrawal bleed, so that at least you can find a product that suits you. If you find one that's OK then you can try taking it on a conti basis.
Here are all the products for perimenopause ( cyclical and give a withdarwal bleed):
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/perimeno.phpThese are for post-meno - continuous combined:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/postmeno.phpWhy the doc gave you a conti version of the one that made you feel bad I don't know! Also Femoston and Elleste comntain the same oestrogen (estradiol) but different progestogen. The one in Femoston is better tolerated.
Many women on cylical HRT have pms symtptosm for a few days after swapping back to the oestrogen only tablets - and this is probably what you felt so you clearly tolerate this one pretty well i think.
Unfortunately Femoston conti is not available in a 2 mg dose which you really need at your age, andnor is the progestogen available separately!
If I were you I would ask to go back to a cycle for the time being until you settle on a type that works for you - so maybe go back to Femoston again (how long did you try this for?) - 3 months is recommended to try each type so that your bosy gets used to it.
Alternatively you could go for a separate oestrogen (as a tablet, patch or gel) and progestogen - micronised progesterone (Utrogestan) which is bio-identical to the progesterone in our bodies or Provera.
Another possibilty is to take Femoston conti 1 mg to starrt with and see how you do and then see if the doc will double this up for you or prescribe this together with the ultra Low Dose to give 1.5 mg estradiol?
All the oestrogen only and progesterone only HRT types are listed here
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/treatafter.php and here
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/postmeno.php.
I have used the consultation service with Dr Currie and it was money well spent!
Hope this helps
Hurdity x