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[Katty]

Day 12 on HRT and no side effects as yet. Maybe they will come as it builds. So far I feel my quality of sleep has improved and just in the last couple of days I feel like I am moving around more freely. Getting out of a chair used to hurt. I felt like a stuck hinge. Now I feel I move more fluidly. Still dry and itchy around vagina and anus but it's easing. I was applying cream yesterday and suddenly noticed things felt different. The outer lips feel a little fuller. Before they felt thin and papery. I hope things continue to go well and I don't find it starts to go wrong when the hormone levels have built up over the first 3 months. So far so good

[Hurdity]

Great news Katty and thanks for the update for us! Don't go looking for side effects - some women never get any!! Let's hope this is the case with you . Glad your "bits" seem to be improving but do not hesitate to ask for Vagifem or Estriol cream if you need extra local oestrogen - it really doesn't double up hormones, just targets it locally where it is needed with minimal systemic absorption - you may be fine without it though, for the time being at least.

Hurdity x

[linz57]

Katty, the blood pressure issue is a bit chicken and egg really.  When I stopped using HRT for a year, my blood pressure was raised (but not overly high) and has reverted back to normal since resuming HRT.  My mother and aunt both developed high blood pressure post menopause and I think there is a link between things like raised blood pressure and higher cholesterol (also significantly higher for me when not using HRT) when oestrogen levels are low.

So it's a difficult one.  How about seeing a menopause/HRT specialist?

I think you could do well on Livial (Tibolone) when you do eventually get to it.  I've never used it myself but if you want a continuous combined, bleed free regime then it could be a good one to go for because it doesn't contain progesterone and should have fewer side effects.  Also, I read that the BC risks are the same for tibolone as oestrogen only HRT so that is an added bonus.

Re the blood pressure, I have found   my cholesterol and blood pressure are both lower when taking hrt and last week I read somewhere that estrogen takes the cholesterol from the blood and moves it to the bile duct ( I may be wrong with the bile duct but I remember it definite!y mentioned bile) and this is why a lot of women who take hrt get gall bladder trouble.

I had always been led to be!ieve that hrt actually raised blood pressure

[Katty]

I am just so surprised at how quickly my downstairs bits changed. I thought it would take a couple of months at least. I really never realised how much fullness I'd lost down there until the oestrogen kicked in. I still take a while to get to sleep but once I do the quality of sleep is soooo much better. All i can think is that I must have been so depleted in oestrogen that once I had some the difference was marked.

[Katty]

Interesting point about the gall bladder above. Something to watch I expect.