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[Arnaudin]

Hi. I'm just wondering if there's anyone who's gone through the same as I'm experiencing.

I'm 50. About 12 months ago I came off the combined pill after many years. It was awful! I started piling on the weight and had other symptoms such as irritability, bloatedness and anxiety; I felt like I had constant PMS. After 3 months I went back on the pill, not because I needed birth control, but because I understood my hormones had gone haywire and wanted them back under control!

Once things had stabilised (which they did very quickly), my doctor suggested that given my age I should replace the combined pill with HRT. I started on 1mg and all seemed ok for a few months, but now I'm back to where I started with constant PMS symptoms and looking 7 months pregnant despite training 3 times a week and eating very healthily. I'm despairing. I've just had my dosage increased to 2mg, and although it's only been a few weeks, I'm not getting the miraculous turnaround I had with the combined pill. I am so fed up I am running out of patience with the ‘trial and error' element.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? I am even considering paying for a private hormone test to establish what's going on, thinking maybe with these results it'd be easier to fine tune what I need with less delay. Does anyone have experience in having done this? With what results? Any thoughts would be gratefully received! Thanks

[Alicess]

Hi Arnoudin, I've been on the pill for 34 years. When I was 48 a gynecologist prescribed HRT. It put me straight into menopause with all the symptoms known to mankind. I'm 52 now, tried every HRT available, even as high as 400 mg patches....it only made my symptoms worse.

Ethinylestradiol, the oestrogen in BCP's is far more potent than HRT and surpresses FSH. If you stop taking the BCP your FSH will go up.
Ethinylestradiol raises SHBG dramatically and SHBG binds testosterone and to a lesser extend estrogen. Ethinylestradiol itself is not bound by SHBG so remains available. That's also quite a big difference compared to HRT.
If you stop the pill your SHBG will remain high for a few months, a year or sometimes forever. Binding your testosterone and estrogen and the oestrogen in HRT ( again; to a lesser extend) so there will be less available for your body to use.

I think the above may explain why you have all these symptoms

If you want to do a blood test you have to do it before you start the pill. As I understand it the pill will suppress your own hormones whereas HRT adds to your own hormones. You could do a blood test for SHBG, your total testosterone and free testosterone. And maybe oestrogen too?

I hope I have given you some clearity!

[Arnaudin]

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to reply. I have to admit, I had to read your reply a couple of times; the possibilities of what's going on in is even more complicated than I'd thought! 😣

Did you manage to sort out your symptoms in the end? Was that through having blood tests/having them interpreted by a doctor? Was that through the NHS/private?

Thanks.

[Alicess]

Yes, I know, it's very complicated and my explanation a bit clinical. Unfortunately the pill doesn't work for me anymore nor does HRT . So I didn't sort my symptoms (yet, I hope). But I was on BCP's from the age of 14 so my hormonal system might be suppressed for to long.as I'm told and also from a very young age. I' m a rare case so please don't be alarmed by my experience.
I live in the Netherlands so not familiar with NHS or private in the UK. Can you go to your GP, explane your situation and ask for tests? It can give you some insight.
Oral bioidentical oestrogen is poorly absorbed, you could try the transdermal HRT like patches or oestrogel and Urtogestan or a Mirena coil.if you want to stay on bioidentical. Or go by symptoms and if the pill suited you than you could choose to go back on them. I know many don't approve taking a BCP when you are above a certain age but if your body is used to the hormones like the pill provides it could be that bioidentical hormones are just not enough for you.

[dangermouse]

Wow, I love that detailed explanation about the FSH, it makes sense (when you can get your menopausal head around it!).

Some women's hormones are just so volatile in peri and the pill works well and then even that can't control it. HRT
is too weak to suppress the cycle (unless you take mega doses via a private doc) so it can make things worse.

Oestrogen can remain much much higher (surges or constant) in late peri and for early meno for some (particularly if anxiety is rife) so it can come down to the pill, mega dose HRT or getting to the root of the problem with nutrition to mitigate against the volatility. The latter also pays off in the long term.

[Arnaudin]

Thanks Alicess. It is all rather frustrating. I actually seem to have now developed thrush since going on the higher dose of hrt!! I have got a phone appointment with the doctor later. At this stage, I'm so fed up I'm just going to request to go back on the pill!! Maybe try some rejigging of options later down the line. I hope you get things sorted too x

[Alicess]

Good luck! I hope you will get things under control soon. I would like to know how you are faring, maybe it can give me some clues too :-)