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[Pixielilac]

I am 54, and not had a period for 2 and a half years. I was told I could not have HRT by my doctor as I have rheumatoid arthritis. After seeing my rheumatologist he said there is no reason I shouldn't have HRT.
So my doctor still refused HRT and insisted on blood tests to check my imflammatory markers, these show up if you do have R.A.
Bloods did show imflammatory markers, but apparently not too high so now I have an ‘imflammatory arthritis' not rheumatoid. I also have osteoarthritis in my spine, neck and hips.
So to get to the point, after a long battle with my doc and him offering me anti depressants as I was strugglng with this damn menopause without HRT, and various fob offs and me sitting in his office begging for HRT he reluctantly prescribed Elleste Duet Conti.
All was fine when I started it in April, but 6 weeks ago I bled for a month and 3 days. I went back to my doc who said ‘Well Pixie, this is what happens when you put hormones back in your body, loads of women come off HRT because they bleed again, all HRT is the same, you'll bleed on them all' (is this true?) to which I replied ‘well surely you can try me on another one' So he said give it a month see if it settles down.
It hasn't, and the hot sweats are back worse than ever.
Another visit to the doc and he said it obviously isn't workng for me and not to take it for 2 weeks so he can be sure it is out of my system before he puts me on something else.
Has anyone else tried Elleste Duet Conti and it's not worked for them and what did you get put on instead?
Thanks so much for reading my very long post.

[Dancinggirl]

Hi and welcome to mm
What a horrid and ill informed GP.
NO you don't bleed with all hrts - what planet is he on? 
Find another GP if you can.
You could do an email consultation about this to Dr Currie(costs £25) which you could then discuss with a GP. DrCurrie is an eminent gynae and she founded this site - she and other specialist gynaes are trying to improve the treatment of menopause and doing training for GPs. Perhaps your GP needs some training? He is certainly not up to speed.
I would suggest you try a sequential
Hrt that would give a predictable bleed each month. Many women stick with sequential well into post meno as it's often easier to tolerate than conti hrt regimes.
I would have thought that hrt would help your joints - better bone density and more collegian could be so beneficial.
Why not try Femoston 1/10 - look under TREATMENTs on this site to see your options. I personally found the Mirena with Oestrogel was my best hrt regime and around 60% of women don't get any bleeding with the Mirena.
Keep posting. DG x

[Dotty]

Your doctor is wrong!!!!!

Bleeding is to be expected in first 6 months of any hrt and it is only after this time that it becomes a worry.

I was on Elleste Duet Conti for 3 months after being on Kliovance for a month before this. I bled at the 3 month point on Elleste Duet Conti (hadn't had a period for 3 years ). It was a heavy bleed and very painful. It has a strong progesterone in it which doesn't suit everyone.

After 3 months I changed to Oestrogel and Utrogestan and haven't bled at all. I've been taking it for 7 months. So your gp is wrong again .... hrts are not all the same!

See another doctor xxx

[Pixielilac]

Thankyou for your replies.  I have asked to change my doctor but can’t according to receptionists.
It’s not just the sweats, the anxiety, low mood, atrophic vagina, aches and fatigue and my doctor really doesn’t seem to want me to have HRT.  I am
wondering if next week after the 2 weeks he is going to come up with some excuse that I can’t have it.
I argued and basically fought for HRT for 18 months, after I hadn’t had a period for a year, so for 18 months it’s been a battle to get the HRT.
But my daughter has said I am very jittery and panicky on it, which I didn’t think I was.
In the last 18 months/2 years before I got HRT I had tried everything from Boots and Holland and Barrett, and ordered meds off the internet.

[Tempest]

Estrogen is the 'stimulating' hormone, which can indeed make women jittery and panicky if it's too high or not in balance. xxxxx

[aspie65]

Pixielilac I would print off all the relevant parts from NICE on HRT as it will support your arguments. If NICE and the NHS support the use of HRT he will have to listen.

https://www.nice.org.uk/news/article/women-with-symptoms-of-menopause-should-not-suffer-in-silence

Good luck.

[Pixielilac]

Thankyou for your replies, I will print these off, he just doesn't seem to know what he is on about with menopause and HRT.

[sheila99]

If you don't get anywhere with your GP I would ask to be referred to a menopause clinic.

[Pixielilac]

Thankyou, I didn't know there are menopause clinics.