Hi Canadalife
Firstly - I wondered what you meant by position of the patch giving you breast tenderness? I presume you are applying it to the lower trunk as directed and not the upper body or anywhere near the breasts? Some areas of the body give higher absoprtion - apparently with oestrogen patches one study I read said absorption was highest on the thin skin on lower abdomen below waist ie tummy - and less than the buttock area. It's best to be consistent to give yourself a consistent oestrogen dose - I have always used butt cheek for mine (alternating).
Sadly many women do not find HRT impvoes libido and progestogens ( which you are taking continuously) can have a contradictory effect. Progesterone itself ( the bio-identcial type - as in utrogestan) will usually have a dampening effect on libido, as will some of the synthetic progestogens. However some women find that the testosterone derived progestogens (of which norethisterone - found in Evorel conti - is one) actually help with libido.
I can see how difficult it must be to take progesterone when you are also struggling with hypothyroid and presumably coming out of the constant fatigue phase? If you were prescribed progesterone all the time then I can see that could have continuous undesirable effects due to the high doses needed to ensure enough gets to the uterus to keep the lining thin.
The fact that your doc suggests a long cycle is great though!!! My doc is happy for me to do this - and is the best of all worlds. The only thing is you would need to arrive at a cycle length that minimised the progesterone and also meant your bleed was not too heavy.
I have been on a long cycle for approx 7 years just under and have varied from 6-8 weeks. However for most of this I've been on 50 mcg patch although about a year ago I increased to 62.5 (by judicious snipping) as I also take testosterone and didn't want to become T dominant. I use vag Utro too. I make sure my vag tissues are well plumped up before starting the utro in the hope ( no research to justify this) that systemic absorption (of prog) will be minimised, as it is for oestrogen when vag tissues are plumped up - and hopefully most goes to the uterus where it is needed. I use daily vagifem in the week leading up to Utro and keep it up twice weekly for the duration. if you don't have vagifem then hot foot it to doc and get some.
When I take utro I take 200 mg vaginally for 12 days and that sorts out the lining fine (for me) and my doc is happy with that.
Hope this helps and yes you have my sympathy trying to work it all out - but the aim is to arrive at a regime that makes you feel well for most of the time - or more of the time than if you were not on it. I've been doing this for 11 years and feel i have reached a good compromise. Now in mid 60's!
Re the sex - well inserting utro up your nether regions every night can hardly be conducive to sex! Hence a cycle would be better (but you would have to contend with a bleed!). My libido only improved with the addition of testosterone and is now fine - or rather libido is more or less the same but response is completely restored
Hope this helps and you can work something out so that you feel better
Hurdity x
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Topic: Total HRT muddle.....all help welcome... (Read 1271 times)