While I try not to over-complicate things perhaps I am... so I need some help.
Ive posted here and there and referred sometimes to my issues but I think i need to pop it all down in one place so that I can follow the great advice given on here.
I'm 51, post meno for 5+ years. Been living most of the time in Switzerland but return to the UK and Spain regularly. Im currently in Spain.
With menopause came terrible hot sweats, insomnia, weight gain, zero libido and depression for many years. Usually I am a happy positive person.
I started BHRT earlier this year, starting with 2 pumps of Oestrogel and Utrogestan200 sequentially. I only did sequentially as the Utrogestan was advised as too high a dose to do continuously.
WOW - this changed things significantly! Almost within a week I was sleeping, no hot sweats and felt happier. However, I didn't welcome the bleeds and felt the pessaries and gel was laborious and messy.
So when i saw my GP last month we changed to Evorel Conti. I quickly found that I was bloating, losing hair (!) and getting headaches - I didn't like that the progesterone element wasn't BHRT and I read that my symptoms were common with this type of P. So we swapped again, to Estradem MX50 patch and Utrogestan100 continuous. The Utrogestan100 pessaries were much smaller and not so messy - so this seemed to suit me. We discussed the possibility of Testosterone for the Libido but my blood test revealed that I was borderline so she didnt want to prescribe T to me... which is SO annoying. My poor long suffering partner and I have had sex
once in around 3 years... I really feel like T is the missing piece of the puzzle.
Here are the issues I am now having.
MOODS
I am super moody! Snappy with my partner and can feel myself slipping into depression with negative dark thoughts. I read too much P can do this. But could it be i need more Estrogen? Is 1 Estroderm 50 patch equivalent to 2 pumps of Oestrogel??
ZERO LIBIDO
I am SOOOO unhappy about this... as suggested before, I guess all I can do is ask for a referral or just push my GP to prescribe it!
However.... I am in Spain. Can this be bought OTC? Someone did say they knew a lady in Alicante that could help? @suziq99? Was that you?
BLEEDINGThis has worried me... 2 weeks ago I started to bleed a very dark brown/black "old blood" and its
not stopped. There is no odour and no pain, however today I seem to have "period pains". Again could this be an imbalance of the patch/pessary? I am a little clueless as what would cause this.
Currently I don't have a Doc here in Spain (tho if anyone has any suggestions for one on the Costa Blanca?), but I am planning on seeing my GP again for a checkup when I return to the UK late November.
Advice and thoughts on all or any of these things are welcome!