Hi, I'm 52 and started HRT 6 weeks ago. I didn't really want to take HRT but have had increasing problems over the last two years with sleep, night sweats, irregular periods (sometimes as much as 3 months apart, sometimes 3 weeks apart) and some anxiety, mainly due to sleep deprivation I think. When I initially saw the doctor I was prescribe Elleste Duet which I only stuck with for 13 days as it gave me a really upset stomach and seemed to increase my night sweats. I went back to GP and having read a lot of helpful advice on this Forum, I asked for Oestrogel and Utrogestan. I'm taking 2 pumps of Oestrogel every night and 2 x 100 Utrogestan pills orally for 12 days per month. The night sweats improved massively at first and I was sleeping well for the first time in years. However, now on my second month and on day 7/12 of the Utrogestan and it's making me feel like a total zombie and I'm waking up at 4am/5am with hot sweats. I have to drag myself out of bed and feel really tired and can't concentrate. The other thing is since I've been on this regime my hair seems to be falling out more, it's thinned a lot over the last 7 years anyway. I'm not sure whether the hair loss is anything to do with the HRT and whether I should consider upping my Oestrogel or asking to go on a long cycle (think I read on here that some people only take the Utrogestan every three months?). My GP did stress that taking the Utrogestan was important to protect against womb cancer. Thanks for reading this far and thanks for all the advice on here. I just wish HRT didn't seem to be so hit and miss, I was hoping for a small miracle but I guess my own hormones are still doing their thing as well. I really thought I would get through the menopause on my own and I'm considering coming off it, especially now with the hair loss. But I know it can take at least 3 months to settle and might need tweaking so sticking with it for now.
One other thing, I found a fantastic treatment guide document for GPs which helped my sleep deprived brain understand HRT options a bit better. I took it along with me to the GP and she looked at it and made a note of it, saying that it was an excellent guide and she wished her NHS trust had one. I'm not sure how to attach a link correctly but if anyone's interested, search for 'HRT formulary and treatment guidance Oxfordshire' and it should come up.