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[Roadrunner]

Hello ladies.
Back again for some more MM wisdom please!
I've been using HRT since January 2016 aged 48 to manage symptoms - hot flushes, night sweats and insomnia,  baaaad vaginal dryness and anxiety. Meno hit me hard  and fast! I used Elleste Duet 1mg for 3 months but it made me headachey and didn't really control symptoms. I changed to Femoston 1/10 then to 2/10 in June 2016. This seemed to suit me well and in February 2017 I felt really good.
From March 2017 onwards this has been a very stressful year. Both work and home had been pretty full on and I also had a problem with my ear which ended in  an ENT appointment and an MRI scan which was all clear thankfully butI found it a scary thing to go through.
I've kept going since March although I've felt awful. The flushes night sweats and anxiety are all back and I'm sleeping really badly and back to needing to pee all the time   . Also the withdrawal bleeds are all over the place - one a month but any time of that month. I've been telling myself that the external stresses are not helping and once they calm down my system will settle again. Well the external stresses have calmed down but I'm still struggling! I have no health worries and work is less stressful. I've just had 2 lovely weeks in France but still have lots of symptoms that make me think I'm not absorbing the hormones  and so actually I'm now thinking that maybe I need to change the route of the HRT and try a trans dermal approach to get better control. What do you reckon? I'm just 50 now and want to keep on a sequi regime.
What do you think? Does it sound like poor absorption?
Thanks for any suggestions! 

[Annie0710]

I'm not familiar with femoston but if it's a good dose level and you've got symptoms then personally yes I'd say you're not absorbing

If you go patch route estradot are the smallest in size and very good adhesion x

[Hurdity]

Hi there - I agree with Annie0710 re possibly poor absorption and about the Estradot (which I have used for 10 years!). You would need a separate progestogen though - 3 choices: utrogestan ( which is progesterone), Provera or Mirena coil (which also gives contraception). Listed here: https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/to_progestogens.php

Hurdity x

[Mary G]

Roadrunner, I had the same problem with Angeliq - poor absorption and oestrogen levels far too low.  Since switching to Oestrogel, I have been able to easily get enough oestrogen into my system to eradicate all menopause symptoms.  I would definitely switch to a different regime and would recommend Oestrogel and Utrogestan used vaginally for fewer side effects. 

[Wrensong]

I continued to have symptoms whilst on Evorel Conti & poor absorption was suspected.  Tried a couple of other regimes but side effects too bad, so had to go back to the Evorel.  Oestradiol was finally tested a few weeks ago while back on Evorel Conti & the low level confirmed poor absorption.  So if you are still having symptoms I would suspect the same for you.  I seem to absorb better from Estradot patches, so if you are going transdermal these may be worth trying.  As Annie says, these are also tiny & stick very well.

[CLKD]

If you need to pee a lot maybe get treatment for vaginal atrophy? to see if you get relief from symptoms.

[Roadrunner]

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies.
You're all as lovely and knowledgeable as ever.
I'm glad there's a general consensus that it's probably an absorption problem, which is what I was thinking. When I'm stressed my poor digestive system seems to take a hit so I think that's what's been happening. As I said I keep thinking it will sort itself out. I thought I'd go with the give it three months to settle rule ... five months later and still feeling yukky. I didn't really enjoy my holiday which makes me so cross.
I'll have a chat with my GP.
Estradot patches sound like a winner! I'm not sure how I feel about having a visible reminder stuck to my bottom though 
I'm quite interested in trying oestrogel as it would probably fit in with my routine in the morning. Do you have to apply it at exactly the same time every day  (no weekend lie ins allowed?!)

So  as a bit of a newbie to transdermals
 with both of these options what happens with exercise and swimming ... and sun cream? Taking a tablet is sort of easier. But obviously no flipping good if it's not doing it's job.   

[Annie0710]

I didn't put suncream on my bum when I was using estradot on holiday lol

I'm using oestrogel now and I really love how you can adapt the dose, from trial and error I seem settled on 2.5 pumps.  I'm only on my 2nd can so haven't used it on holiday yet but I do it each morning, no set time.  Yesterday I put it on 7am, today was about 10.30.  It takes 5-10 mins to dry then I get dressed

[Mary G]

Roadrunner, if you have a lay in for a couple of hours or so and use the gel a bit later, it won't matter very much.  As Annie says, it dries very quickly and it is very easy to adjust the dose up or down as you need to.  I didn't like have a reminder of the patch either and find the gel absorbs very well too. 

[Wrensong]

Roadrunner - the patches are supposed to be OK with bathing & swimming, but I would just say that in common with other ladies posting, I had problems with supply of Estradot (75) earlier this year.  Manufacturer would only release one patch per patient at a time, so if script was for 3 months, had to keep going back to pharmacy asking them to reorder & as a very busy pharmacy it was obvious this was a bit of a pain for them.  They couldn't get supply from warehouse & had to ring manufacturer each time - this is a large chain pharmacy btw!  I asked my GP to prescribe just one month at a time (to make it easier for the pharmacy) but when the script arrived, it was made out for 3 months.   Also a bit inconvenient not to be able to get 3 months' supply at a time, if you live some way from the pharmacy - as I do - 15 miles!  So if the gel also appeals, I imagine this might sway your choice!  That said, I had no probs getting a single month's supply of Estradot 50 earlier this week from a pharmacy I rarely use (precisely because they often had probs getting several meds I routinely need).