I’m a 53 year old woman who has been taking HRT since the age of 28 due to early menopause. After years of taking Prempak C, when i reached 50 i asked my GP if i could have a pill that does not create a monthly bleed, so my GP prescribed Elleste Duet, I no longer wanted a monthly bleed as i felt i had reached the age of the natural menopause anyway.
I swapped to Elleste Duet in June 2017 and noticed after about 9 months of taking the bill that my hair seemed to be shedding more than usual. Over the following months it was progressively getting worst. I wasn’t sure what the cause was but someone suggested it may be the HRT. After reading various forums online many people claimed that whilst taking that particular HRT they had significant hair loss.
I decided to just stop taking the pill, then i started to notice my joints were really sore and tender especially my hands. My hands would just get really hot and it was so uncomfortable. Again I didn’t associate it with the HRT and was convinced i was getting arthritis, so I saw a specialist and after various tests he couldn’t find any signs of arthritis and suggested it may be menopause related. So I decided to see another specialist who deals with hormones and HRT and she prescribed more medication that I ever imagined I would need.
I am now taking, Progesterone orally(recently changed to Ugestoron, Viginal pessary), Everol 75mg (recently increased from 45mg), Vagifem, Vitamins, Omega, D3, DHEA, coenzyme and Glucosamine. Been taking this concoction since February 2020 and as well as my hair still falling out I have lost about 40 – 50 % of the volumn, I now have acne... The specialist i saw changed my Progesterone to Ugestoron believing this may be the cause, i've only been taking this for a month so not sure if this will help or not. I spoke to the specialist again and she suggested i see a dermatologist... Help!! I'm at my wits end