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[meg1970]

Hi gals,

I'm seeking info on a problem I'm having with taking bioidentical hormones (BIH). I've been prescribed BIH here in Australia after seeking them out to deal with awful hot-flushes / insomnia which started at 47 years old. Testing has since confirmed I've been through menopause and based on that I was put on an oestrogen / progesterone mix mid 2018. While the BIH definitely sorted out the night sweats, unfortunately on the twice daily dose I was taking, it was causing me to wake up with dried blood in my nose every morning and also get sometimes bruising on my feet which was quite concerning. My doctor had me checked out for the DVT genes and I was all clear there.  She's also told me that my dose is quite low and a third of what some of her patients are on.

Initially we just reduced the dose to approx 1 per day and sometimes 2 x and that was ok. However now the hot flushes have started creeping in during the day and I don't seem to be able to hit the "sweet spot" of taking enough to stop the flushes but low enough to stop the blood in nose issue. My doctor told me that she has never heard of this happening before which is of course always the LAST thing you want to hear! My overall health is very good in all other areas and I look after myself pretty well (although fair amount of stress at this midlife time).

I'm wondering if anybody else has experienced these symptoms or what they might be about? Life had become completely unmanageable with all the menopause symptoms prior to starting these hormones and I want to find answers so I don't have to stop them entirely.

Also to confirm - it's dried blood in the nose, not actually nose bleeds.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can share any insights / advice.

Meg

[Hurdity]

Hi Meg1970

 

Sorry I can't help with the dried blood issue but important to get this checked out with regular doctor. However it should not be a side effect of HRT at all. Have you had complete blood tests re the bruising and to look at blood factors to see if there is something amiss here?

Also to say that BHRT - which is what you are taking - is not recommended medically here in UK ( I don't think it's recommended in Oz either) so it is far better to go to a regular doc or gynae whoever you see over there - and get the same hormones but in properly regulated brands and doses so that you can take the right balance to deal with your symptoms. Here we are:
https://www.menopause.org.au/health-info/fact-sheets/bioidentical-hormone-therapy

BHRT practitioners are not regulated and their hormone preparations not regulated for efficacy and dosing.

This website and forum is run by an NHS gynae and the medical establishment here in UK recommend body-identical hormones (which in fact are bio-identical but just not compounded) ie oestrogen in the form of estradiol (as a tablet, patch or gel) along with progesterone.

Do have a look at the website of the Australasian Menopause Society where you will find all sorts of info relevant to your country although the principles are unversal in western cultures at least! https://www.menopause.org.au/

Hope you manage to get some answers but do think about getting some "proper" HRT for your menopausal symptoms - and let us know how you get on!

Hurdity x