Hi everyone,
Finally some sun here in Herts thank goodness. It really helps. I hope you have some wherever you are.
I have just been looking at my cycle and can see that after ovulation my mood starts to drop slightly before going down further in the 7 days I take progesterone and then crashing out two days after stopping it.
It almost feels like PMDD which I didn't have before peri. I am hoping testosterone will help when added to my 4 pumps of Estrogel and 7 days of 100 mgs of utrogestan vaginally.
If it doesn't do you think a hysterectomy is a possibility? Of course it sounds drastic but if it means a better quality of life and the ability to live without dreading almost two weeks of every cycle it would be wel. worth it.
Does the NHS ever do a hysterectomy for cases like mine (PMS, PND and real difficulties in peri)? Also do people usually feel better after if they've had it for hormonal depression and anxiety?
Thank you, I have looked through some older posts but haven't quite found an answer.
With much love to all the beautiful and amazing women sharing this difficult journey. I wish I could meet you! Xxx
Sorry to hear about your ongoing symptoms even with HRT. However I doubt whether hysterectomy would be indicated for symptoms that may well be partly due to the HRT itself. Do you know what your natural cycle is doing or what was it doing before you started hRT? It is difficult to know how much is due to your natural hormones and how much to do with what you are adding or a combination of both.
Ideally the 4 pumps of oestrogen should be preventing the oestrogen crashes which are charactersitic of PMDD as you won't be getting the massive surges and falls - that is the point of HRT. At high enough doses ( a la Studd) your own cycle should be suppressed which would also eliminate the hormonal crashes.
The crash 2 days after stopping progesterone sounds very much like progesterone withdrawal - and may be low mood, tension, headache etc - like the PMS just before a period rather than for the whole of the cycle. There is nothing that can be done about this if you are also sensitive to progesterone itself but it isvery short-lived! If you are unable to cope for the whole time while you are taking progesterone and severely depressed and not able to function - then this might be an indication for hysterectomy - but after trying to suppress your cycle in other ways like Taz suggests.
Not sure how old you are but if under 50 have you thought of the CCP - one of the gentler types that is similar to HRT (QLAIRA or ZOELY)?
It's not necessary to eat during the night but a light snack before you go to bed will help blood sugar levels. I read somewhere they are at their highest during the latter part of the night anyway! Think I recall correctly?
Hope you manage to work something out for the best - do let us know.
Hurdity x
