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[Treehouse1]

Good Morning All
I am 56 years of age, and had an early menopause.
I started Hrt at 39 and finished at 50 on the advice of my doctor.
I cant say hrt particularly suited me...i seemed to have a reaction to pregesterone.
For the last two years of hrt i was given a bio identical progesterone...utrogestan...and even that didnt suit me. It gave me horrible migraines.

Two years before i stopped hrt i developed vulvodynia, which has frankly ruined my life, took away my career...basically destroyed me such was the severity.
I was givem vagifem which has helped but not cured.


Soooo, meanwhile , am now 56....6 years off hrt
I Wake up 5 times a night with sweats
I have less during the day now, amd they are manageable.

I have been referred to a specialist for vulvodynia who said it might be worth trying hrt again.
My doc thinks not...as only recommends i stay on it(if i go back on) for 4 years....and i will be back to square 1 again when i come off it.

Specialist has prescribed evorol continuous.
She rather sternly warned me that I WILL have side effects, but not to bother contacting her for at least 3 months if i do, as i should expect them.

As i have been hanging on by a thread, i dont know whether its worth it.
I have read you can cut these patches up into little pieces to try, but the pharmacist says no.

I is no exaggeration to say I am near the edge of a cliff - on the one hand these could push me over, on the other could they put me back on the path?

Any insight welcome.x

[Kathleen]

Hello Treehouse 1

I am so sorry you are having these problems, my heart goes out to you.

I am sure other ladies will be along to advise you but I was told by several doctors that the matrix design of the patches meant that they could be cut up. This is something I did regularly when using them and I know other forum members do the same thing. Btw it seems  bizarre to me that your doctor took you off HRT at age 50 when that is the time most women hit the menopause and begin taking it.

Wishing you well and take care.

K.

[3isenough]

If you are post menopause do you still need the progesterone? I am at the start of this and similarly can’t tolerate even utrogestan. I was hoping that by 50+ I could stop the progesterone part!

[Katejo]

Hello Treehouse 1

I am so sorry you are having these problems, my heart goes out to you.

I am sure other ladies will be along to advise you but I was told by several doctors that the matrix design of the patches meant that they could be cut up. This is something I did regularly when using them and I know other forum members do the same thing. Btw it seems  bizarre to me that your doctor took you off HRT at age 50 when that is the time most women hit the menopause and begin taking it.

Wishing you well and take care.

K.

I was prescribed half patches by the meno clinic when I first started. The benefits didn't start fully until I moved to full patches but I am considering dropping back to half ones again to see if it stops the monthly slight bleed.

[Treehouse1]

Thanks for replies so far.
3isenough....yes you have to have progesterone to protect womb lining from thickening...even post menopause.

Cutting up may be worth trying then.
I cant afford to make my situation any worse , so am really nervous of this, on the other hand, if it makes my life better?
I have read also that this hrt can cause anxiety...so am anxious about that too!
X

[CLKD]

Your GP is talking crap.  One can take HRT for Life if necessary and certainly vaginal atrophy treatment can be used 4ever.  Which bit of HRT don't they get 

Right, off soap box!    ......

Put the product name into the search box here and see what pops up from those who have tried it.  Make notes.

Have you been offered vaginal atrophy treatment ever?  As oestrogen levels drop so the body may become dry: inside and out including the vaginal area.  Do read the threads and see if this fits your symptoms.  If so, ring your GP Surgery and ask for appropriate treatment ;-).

If you still have a womb you require progesterone, however, some ladies do struggle with it.  You could read Dr Louise Newsom's [?] web-site for advice, as some find a long oestrogen treatment and a shorter progesterone cycle helps, the womb needs 2 B scanned to check the lining thickness.  I am sure that someone who has knowledge about this will be along with more info..

Why suffer if something helps?  As for anxiety, there are dedicated medications which may ease your symptoms until you find an HRT that helps.

[racjen]

You can most definitely cut patches up - I've been doing this for years and so have many others on this forum. In my experience pharmacists are often more knowledgable about drugs than GPs, so I'm surprised you got this unhelpful response.

Unfortunately I've found that Evorel (and estrogen in general), although helpful for depression, does cause anxiety if the dose is too high and I've found it very difficult to get it right. I also couldn't tolerate Utrogestan (again this isn't unusual) - I've found Provera better, it's not bio identical but it is one of the gentler ones.

You can only know by trying, and if it has bad results just stop. It could make a big difference. Good luck!

[SueLW]

If you are post menopause do you still need the progesterone? I am at the start of this and similarly can’t tolerate even utrogestan. I was hoping that by 50+ I could stop the progesterone part!

Absolutely not! You must take progesterone or a progestin with your oestrogen for as long as you take the oestrogen unless you have had a hysterectomy or have a Mirena coil in the womb. 

Try something different.  Ask to try the Mirena coil.  I love it for HRT.  Once it's in it takes a couple of months to settle down and then you forget it.