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[Hurdity]

Hi maelynn

  from me too.

Re the progesterone - it is correct that you do not normally need to take extra progesterone when you have had your uterus removed - as the "balancing" is only necessary to maintain a pregnancy and if not that, to protect the womb from oestrogen stimulation as the others have said. Daisie - I don't know who told you that but do read on below as there may be some circumstances where it is needed. There is information on this website about it:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/aftermeno.php

Here it mentions the situation re endometriosis:

HRT using a combination of estrogen and progestogen (which is recommended when the uterus is still present), is often used after a hysterectomy if widespread endometriosis is found at the time of surgery.

Endometriosis is the presence of deposits of the lining of the uterus (endometrium) out with the uterus, e.g. on the bladder, bowel and other organs in the body. These deposits are sensitive to the hormones produced by the ovaries. After hysterectomy and removal of the ovaries, there have been reports of endometriotic deposits being stimulated following estrogen only HRT. It is thought that estrogen combined with progestogen HRT is less likely to cause stimulation of these deposits, although there is little scientific evidence to support this.
For further information on endometriosis, visit www.endo.org.uk and www.shetrust.org.uk

It also mentions the situation if you've had a sub-total hysterectomy ( ie cervix retained) and the possibility of having a trial of progesterone in case parts of the uterus were left, as I think someone mentioned earlier?

Sub-total hysterectomy

If the main part of the uterus has been removed but the cervix retained, it is currently uncertain whether HRT can be given in the form of estrogen only or estrogen combined with progestogen. The slight concern of using estrogen only, is that there may be some of the cells of the lining of the uterus in the cervical canal which could become thickened from the estrogen. This thickening can be prevented by adding in progestogen. To find out if progestogen is required, it may be suggested to use estrogen combined with cyclical progestogen for 3 months after your operation. If there is monthly bleeding in this time, it means that cells are present which are responding to the hormones so estrogen and progestogen should be used thereafter. (These hormones can however be given together continuously to avoid monthly bleeding). If there is no bleeding in the first 3 months, then estrogen can be given on its own thereafter.


Re your hypothyroidism - I presume you are having treatment for this although you don't mention this in your list of meds? if you are still peri-menopausal then you should have your thyroid levels tested regularly as there is some interaction between levels of thyroid and oestrogen although I don't fully understand this.

Hurdity x

[maelynn]

Oh yes Hurdity, I'm on thyroid hormone too. I just didn't mention it because it's not specifically for menopause.

[Michelle28]

I'm from the US, too, and as you probably know by now, we don't have good, informative women's-health web sites like those found in the UK. I did find one US menopause site several years ago (out of about less than a handful). While the writer had done her research and there was some useful info, the tone was mostly just "put a good face on it."
A few months ago I decided I needed to again look for some support through a web site or forum. I Googled "menopause," and found this site, which has been a great go-to on those days when I'm less than 100%.

[CLKD]

Browse round Michelle28 - make notes.  Join in!

[maelynn]

I'm glad we both found this site Michelle! I'm not sure where you are located exactly but in my area it's been hard to get adequate medical care. I've had to basically educate myself and then tell my doctor exactly what I wanted to try or I'd be stuck with the premarin pill. I also have to order my oestrogel online because the only estrogen my insurance will cover is the pill form which doesn't work for me at all. Luckily I've found a couple reputable pharmacies over the last few years when my health insurance changed to catastrophic coverage because of the health care reform. I basically haven't had health insurance to speak of since 2012. Estrogel here would cost me $600 dollars for a month supply but I get it for about $40 online. It's the same with vaginal estrogen too so I was looking at over a thousand dollars a month just to treat my menopausal issues alone! It's crazy
Not sure why I went off on that tangent but I guess sometimes you have to vent. I know no system is perfect but I admit I'm a little envious of our UK sister's health care system right now.

[babyjane]

Hello you two newbies.  thanks for the posts.  Perhaps we need to remember this next time we are complaining about our NHS 

[maelynn]

   I guess you could say we have an expensive vaginas!

I was surprised when my daughter came back from her European tour and told me how much easier it was to eat gluten free while in the UK (we have celiac). She also went to the doctor for free on someone's health card. A simple doctor's visit here is around $200.