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[puppylove]

Hi, New member, often check here for advice, never posted but feel as though I am trying all an not quite getting it right.

Sorry for the long post.

I am 50 but realised I must have been going through the menopause for sometime, it certainly explains a few things. I might point out though that my older sister who had had 3 children (I have none) does not seem to have any menopause symptoms, still has periods, always cold, never sweating!

Was around 8 month period free when I first went to the doctors to ask for hrt and after he tried to put me off, but I insisted, I was put on Femoston (cyclical) 1/10 and later 2/10. Sweats stopped, did not notice difference in weight, all my aliments such as rashes including around my eye which I had 3 different prescription creams for all disappeared, fabulous. But did notice low mood and tiredness, lack of interest in sex, but I suppose that was kind of normal for me.
I also noticed my hair and skin were drier but for someone who suffered greasy skin and hair all their life I liked this, for the first time in what seemed like years I could go out in the morning without washing my hair because it was not greasy or scraggy at the bottom from sweating. Looking back the only time I woke up with nice hair was on holiday in an air conditioned room, even if I don't feel as though I was sweating in the night my hair around my neck said otherwise in the morning.

About a year ago I asked a different doctor (lady doctor) in the practice of it there was any work around tablets to miss a period for holiday purposes, she said no but asked if I had thought obout conti, she contacted the gynaecology at the hospital and they agreed I could go on Femoston Conti 0.5/2.5, straight away felt sweatier hair got greasy again and some of the itches came back, waited out the obligatory 3 months before going on 1/5.
I want to point out previously I always suffered sore breasts and water retention prior to my periods and when I tried to come off the pill a couple of times I had a to put up with this for months to get back to normal, every time I changed hrt or doses I had this all over again.
Typically at the end of the 3 months on 0.5/2.5 I effortlessly lost weight, nearly a stone, did not change anything so I think it was my hormones balancing? When I went on to 1/5 I instantly put on weight so I hoped it would do the same...... it didn't. Was not quite there for controlling sweats and general skin complains so doctor tried me on Indivina 1/2, if I am honest I did not give it much more than a month when I went back to the doctor to say symptoms were going backwards, I did not think there was enough estrogen as I faired better on femoston 2/10, he suggested I doubled up the does to be the equivalent the the higher dose of Indivina. My skin badly flared up red and raw, upset stomach and more weight gain.

Doctor then tried me on Elleste Duet Conti as I thought I needed higher estrogen but the norethisterone progesterone was horrible and despite trying for a few weeks could not get past the sore breasts stage and sweats go worse! without even speaking to the doctor reverted back to femoston 1/5 and even at that it has taken nearly 3 weeks to start to calm down.
Spoke to the doctor again and asked if he could ask the gynaecology if it was possible to add some estrogen to my femoston, finally today he has come back with two options from the hospital, estrogen gel and Mirena which I really don't want or patches.
Given my lack of success with norethisterone in Elleste I refused Evorel Conti but can see it is a higher dose, and he is prescribing me FemSeven Conti.

I'm just tired of trying to get it right, finally have a holiday coming up in 2 weeks and don't know if I want to try the patches or stick with the not quite right femoston 1/5, scared of side effects, scared of more weight gain these last few trials have added but it might be perfect for me? Anyone have success on FemSeven Conti?

Does anyone know how the estrogen in FemSeven Conti compares to Femoston Conti?
I am tempted to get a private consultation but don't know where to start, it is harder that we have only telephone consultations with my doctor, who is telling me hrt generally does not cause weight gain but I know my body.

Has anyone gone private? what does it cost, where do I look? I am in central Scotland so may have to be remote.

If anyone has managed to get to the bottom of my long post I would appreciate any advice.
Thank you

[Taz2]

Hi puppylove. Has anyone mentioned utrogestan to you for the progesterone content? Also, you seem young to be on a conti HRT as you were not post menopausal when you started and only 50. Just thought I'd mention that.

Sorry not a more in depth reply but I'm waiting at the vets and just been called! Will be back on later.

Taz x 

[CLKD]

Oh not the Vets 

Well puppylove - I would ask for a referral to a Menopause Clinic.  Some Gynaes simply don't know enough about HRT but at least your GP and the Consultant he is in contact with are trying to find something that might suit especially in these times of lack of face2face visits..  Although U have had lots of suggestions, do you feel supported?

Some HRT can cause weight gain in some women.  MayB put the names of the products suggested into the search box on the Forum 2 C what pops up.  Make notes ;-).  Sometimes the search box doesn't work on some gadgets .........

Let us know how you get on with the search.

[puppylove]

Hi Taz2 & CLKD,

Thank you for your replies so far, hope everything goes well at the vets.

I did put the suggestion of separate, estrogen and progeterone to the doctor after reading about it here, he said this type of forum was good, I think I am just disappointed with what came back from the hospital as patches or the coil. I just feel like I don't want to do the rounds of trying something new, giving 3 months of my life to trails to be no better off. I did ask to get referred to a menopause clinic but he suggested I speak to the family planning nurse, she was on holiday and then unbookable for at least a month which is why I asked the doctor to speak to the hospital.
It was the other doctor on the advice of gynaecology at the hospital who put me on conti over a year ago.

That said now I look back I have had symptoms for years but presumed because my older sister had not started even peri symptoms, she still has regular periods, I was just generally rubbish health, I only had a couple of periods over two years and was 7 months since my last when I first went on sequential.

Because patches and tablets are such different levels I don't know how they compare.
I am torn between hopefully getting this sorted out or sticking with femoston longer to see if there is more improvement over time.

[jillydoll]

Hi Puppylove.

I was on femseven patches, I liked them, BUT, at the time I was suffering so badly I probably didn’t give them long enough, I was impatient and came off them and went onto Femoston conti, which I did persevere with, starting off on the 0.5 and steadily increasing to 2mg. ( with ups and downs in between,) either I felt like it was too much, or too little. After one meltdown I had, I increased after getting the ok from the GP, to 2mg, which helped at the time enormously. I stayed on that for months, eventually finding it was pushing me over the edge, it made me feel depressed, I suppose, looking back, it all built up in my system and was too much. So…….I now take 1mg one day, 2mg the next. And so on. This works for me.  I could just drop down to 1 1/2mg per day, but I won’t. This is the best for me. The progesterone seems to be ok with me too, so although potentially there could be another regime out there for me that would work even better and take away all the niggly symptoms I have left, I won’t . It just seems too much hard work for me to find out. I’m on a relatively even keel, so I think why would I upset that now, after all the hard work I’ve put in.
You with me? 😁
I still get anxiety sometimes, but nothing like before when I was trying to find a regime. I still get tearful sometimes, but, it’s manageable. And I’m sure, hrt isn’t a complete cure. Not really. Not for everyone. A lucky few yes.
Femoston conti did take a while to kick in tho. But then, maybe my symptoms were really bad and needed time for it to build up in my system. 🤷🏼‍♀️
It’s been a rough time, but I’m so glad I gave the hrt time to work. I had sore breasts occasionally, but found when I dropped down it went away. I also gained weight, a bit, not much, but now that’s gone too. I’m now back to the weight I’ve always been. One side effect I get really often is headaches. But paracetamol sort that little problem out. In the great scheme of things, a headache is the least of my problems.
Don’t know if this helps you, just thought I’d say, and I hope you get some success with hrt too.

I wish you all the luck in the world, it really is a horrible time for us.

Xx

[puppylove]

Hi jillydoll,

Thank you for the reply, when you said you were suffering on femseven patches was that related to the patches or just where you were feeling in general.

With the Femoston conti how is your doctor prescribing 2mg are you taking the two doses 1/5 and a single dose the next?  This is what I think I need as I did well on 2/10 sequential but maybe just a little too far with the dry hair/skin, this was what I asked the doctor if it was possible to add to my 1/5 with extra estrogene.

After being so keen to get something new and only 2 1/2 weeks to holidays I don't know if I should just wait it out
 with femoston conti and hope things settle down to a reasonable level, as I said I did try it last year for over 3 months and did not feel it was quite right but in retrospect maybe it was just because I had been on sequi 2/10 previously. Or should I give the patches a go it might be perfect for me 

I would like a more expert opinion, a doctor with more knowledge or maybe I'm being impatient.

[jillydoll]

Hi Puppylove.    Yes, dr prescribing 2mg, I double up one day, then a single dose the next. Etc……..( thought I’d get that wrote down first, I’m crap at explaining things.) 

At the time I was on femseven patches, I was really quite bad.
I think we all think as soon as we go on hrt, it’s an instant fix, but it isn’t. So maybe I was impatient, and after reading about Femoston conti, how the progesterone is gentle, I asked for those instead. Or, maybe it was the femseven making me worse. Who knows. 🤷🏼‍♀️
I knew I was getting some kind of relief with the lower dose of Femoston, but not enough, so I asked if I could double up, at first my GP said no. But I explained that I’d read you could. She contacted someone, who agreed I could. So, that was the start of my 2mg. ..
But like I said, eventually it got too much, made me really depressed, and when I eventually sussed it out, ( because when your living it, sometimes it takes a while for the penny to drop, know what I mean?). I dropped back down to 1mg, waited for the effects to wear off, then decided to take 2mg every other day.
I’ve been like that now for about 12 months. It keeps everything at bay, and I can function, which for me, considering how bad I was, is a success. 

The only trouble with adding extra oestrogen into the mix is it causes bleeding. It out balances the progesterone and causes bleeding, which then in turn, has to be investigated. I know this because I used sandrena gel,  added in with the Femoston, and I bled for days on end. Painful too. Gladly, after a scan, I was ok. So just be careful. 👍

It’s a mine field, one suits one person perfectly, but not for another. 🤷🏼‍♀️. Go with your gut.
I did find I had a really bad stomach with Femoston. It has now settled. Would I have had that with the femseven? Who bloody knows. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Sorry I can’t help you. It’s just try each one and find out. Unfortunately.
As being impatient, don’t beat yourself up, when we feel so bad, we want it sorted ASAP.
So it’s your call really, and I hope you get it sorted quickly.

Xxxx

[CLKD]

The thing is that many forget: is that the body doesn't get where it is suddenly unless surgically induced menopause.  So it stands to reason that HRT or ADs will take a while for the body to build up so that we feel benefit.  4 me with ADs it took 3-4 months B4 I realised that I was feeling better.

Let us know how you get on.

[puppylove]

Hi Jillydoll,

Spoke to the doctor again yesterday, it is such a hassle getting to speak to anyone these days, used the potential delay to all of the patches coming in as an excuse.
Told him what you said and given I go on holiday in 2 weeks did not want to try the patches until I came back, he deliberated a little but I pointed out you take 2/10 for 14 days on sequi and I am a chunky girl, I'm tall and a large build, I would love to say athletic but at the moment a little rounder on the tummy!
So he has agreed I could try it for a month and see how I get on, I'm really pleased especially going to a hot country, just been for a dog walk this morning with my older (and absolutely NO meno symptoms yet!) sister, she was cold, her hands were like ice and I was clammy!

Thank you for your help, hopefully this will help, took 2 this morning and although not as hot today still sunny I'm a little cool xx

[CLKD]

Enjoy your holiday !