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[willotty]

Hello,
This is my first time on here, so please excuse me if I have posted in the wrong place or something!
I am 54 and have been using Oestrogel & the Mirena coil for the last year or so for HRT. A month ago, I had my ovaries & tubes removed due to cysts, and have now been given the combined Evorel Conti 50 patches (I have just stuck on the 2nd patch). I am definitely noticing a decrease in oestrogen levels in my body since my op (so I think that my ovaries were probably still producing some), as previous symptoms e.g. low libido, vaginal dryness, dry eyes etc, have returned, so I am just wondering whether I have gone from a higher dose to a lower dose by switching, along with a reduction after the removal of my ovaries too. Does anyone else have experience of this? Or does anyone know how to compare the two doses? Thank you very much.

[CarrieM]

Hi Willotty, From what i've read it is difficult to compare the 2 types - how much Oestrogel are you taking? Hopefully someone will come along who has tried both and can give you a comparison. I'm currently on the Evorel 75 and feel that is quite a high dose (for me at least).
How did you find the Mirena?
Hope you get a more helpful response and manage to sort it.
Carrie xx

[willotty]

Hi Carrie,
I was taking 2 pumps of the Oestrogel, one on each leg, once a day. I got on really well with the mirena (apart from the fitting it bit, that was awful!) -  this was my third one, but had started breakthrough bleeding over the last year or so, which is what led to the investigations and finding the cysts. So whilst I was having my op, they took the Mirena out as they thought that might be causing the problems, & then my GP recommended a combined patch rather than having to do gel and now oral progesterone. She said that tehy were about comparable, but with the reduction from my ovaries going too, I can't help thinking I've taken quite a dip! I have also been feeling a bit 'flat' and anxious again, after a year or so of feeling much better.

[CarrieM]

That's interesting about the mirena, my menopause nurse wants me to have one but i'm a bit scared! lol
I wonder if it will take your body a while to adjust to the patch and for it to build up in your system? I certainly found a combined patch was very convenient, but then i found that as i was further past menopause it didn't work as well for me.
I hope someone comes along soon who is more knowledgable than me. A lot of ladies have tried many different types.
I feel for you though, I'm currently messing about with my regime, and i think it takes over your mind so its all you think about lol ( with me at least!) xx

[willotty]

Oh, bless you - I hope you get yours sorted too. The Mirena was very good the first couple of times, but with the bleeding/cysts etc, I just thought I'd try something else.

[Hurdity]

Hi willotty

 

That does sound like a low dose of oestrogen to me - for someone who has had ovaries removed as you will have been plunged into surgical menopause. I'm in my mid 60's and this is the dose I've been on for 10 years (officially) although unofficially I have a higher dose of 62.5 mcg - and I still have my ovaries.

When you had the op did they have a look at your uterus lining having been on the Mirena? I don't know enough about it to know how it's use could relate to cysts. As you were also using gel it is unlikely to have caused atrophy of the womb lining ( which can cause spotting/bleeding).

Personally I would want to be on a little higher dose of oestrogen with no ovaries - even if you were post-menopausal. The only way to do this is to have separate oestrogen and progestogen as you had before - there are two other oral progestogens although some of us use Utrogestan ( progesterone) vaginally.

If you are suffering with vaginal dryness be sure to get a prescription for local oestrogen in addition to the HRT as this targets oestrogen to ewhere it is needed. Many of us need local oestrogen as well as systemic HRT.

The info is all under Treatments (above tabs) and HRT preparations.

Hurdity x

[willotty]

Thank you so much Hurdity,
Yes, I had a hysteroscopy at the same time as the womb lining was slightly thickened, and all results came back Ok, so that was a relief. I do wonder whether to just go back to the gel..is the dose of progesterone you talk about comparable to what I was getting from the Mirena, do you know? And the GP mentioned something about transdermal being slightly better than oral treatments, as then they don't  have to go through the liver, so I think that's what put me off the tablets a bit

willotty x