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[Mogster71]

Hello ladies
I hope you are all safe and coping well with life at the moment. Can I pick your brains please?

I wrote this thread in April about moving to Evorel Sequi

https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,57892.msg818272.html#msg818272

In a nutshell, ever since I've been using the patches, every month except one I have started my period a week before the progesterone finishes. I have reported it to my doctor but he is not worried at all and as it happens the same week each month I have carried on for 6 months now, and largely everything has been better under control; I have energy, less headaches etc. But this month, since word go from starting the oestrogen my VA has flared up, my boobs are achey and sore and I have just started my period the day before even going on to the progesterone patch bit...

I sent a message to the surgery this morning to report it in, as I wasn't sure whether I needed to carry on with the patches as I am doing (i.e. start the progesterone) or go straight back to oestrogen and try to synch things... asked for a phone call, since I didn't want to take up a valuable appointment, and got a curt message saying to carry on as normal, if I try to change things I'll mess it up even more. I wonder how he would feel about having 3 periods in 6 weeks 

Can anybody shed any light on this, could it be my own period coming through, if so it's the first time it's ever happened, or do you think I have too much or too little of one hormone? The VA is settling down now but it put a dampener on a weekend away with my OH. I guess if I have a full period now I may not have much of one when I should, whenever that will be.... I am loath to contact the surgery to discuss my options as although he was lovely when we first moved there and promised to help me through whatever it took, whenever we speak on the phone I get the impression he thinks I'm a pain.
xx

[Mogster71]

*bump*

I've now been bleeding since 12 October (coming up 3 weeks) which is wildly different from anything else I've experienced in HRT since I started it over 3 years ago. Have spoken to my GP, luckily a female doctor rang me who seems pretty clued up. She did agree it's unusual, and has referred me for an ultrasound to check my womb lining thickness, as I did have a very small fibroid when this was last done in 2019.

I am a bit worried I must admit She has suggested that if things carry on then I can either continue with the sequential but just have a bleed every 3 months; or I can go on to a continuous regime. That seems to be where a lot of ladies struggle. Some positive input on people moving to continuous would be really helpful!!

Can anyone give me an idea why I may be bleeding like this please? Am I having too much progesterone or not enough oestrogen? Could it be my final ta-daaa moment from my own cycle? I have felt like I'm permanently in the "first day of my period" zone for the last 3 weeks; bit of an upset tum, mild period pain, sore boobs etc.

TIA
xx

[Hurdity]

Hi Mogster - sorry to hear about your ongoing bleeding.

I'm not sure where you are in menopause - how old you are and where in meno you were when you started hRT?

As you say it could be your own natural cycle coming through (if you haven't ovulated for some time) - the fact that you suddenly had sore boobs is an indication of this potentially?

Alternatively it could be abnormal bleeding - and only further investigation can determine this. If it's proper bleeding then it won't be insufficient oestrogen (doubtful) although an overthinned lining can cause ulceration and bleeding - maybe a different type of bleeding? Otherwise it could be insufficient progesterone relative to the oestrogen but also as you say if you had a fibroid - these can also cause bleeding and can grow in the presence of oestrogen, though my small one did not grow even though I've been taking HRT for many years, so will also depend on dosage.

All the best with you investigations and hope you manage to get it sorted so the bleeding stops

Hurdity x

[Mogster71]

Hi Hurdity (bless you for replying, I hoped you'd be about xx)

I started HRT in peri in mid 2018 - 2 different low dose tablets first, then settled on Femiston 2/10 but although I felt great for about a year, my dreaded headaches started creeping back in and I asked for patches. Fortunately Evorel Sequi again helped me out of a hole but this is a real "different" blip!

Normal cycle is a bleed in the second week of progesterone patches, meaning I'm normally done by the time I start the oestrogen again. This period came out of nowhere 2 days before I was due to start the 2 weeks of  progesterone, and I'm still bleeding into week one of the oestrogen, so coming up 3 weeks.

The only time I've ever had sore boobs with HRT was when I first started on the tablets, I might get them the odd day but nothing major. The tests they did a couple of years ago were both an internal and external ultrasound and my womb lining was normal. They detected both this time and the time before (which I believe was 2 years previous) a very tiny fibroid (think fingernail size). I can't recall whether this had changed in size between the 2 scans.

I turned 50 a couple of weeks ago so this has been a PITA since then!! Happy half century - boom 

The bleeding is quite heavy at times, as in normal period colour and heaviness; last week I woke up to nothing and thought it had gone but it came back with a vengeance later that morning.

I'm really hoping there's nothing wrong, it's taken such a long time to feel well and find something that suits me in the main. One question though, if I have gone through my menopause naturally in the last few months and HRT has masked it, could this cause the bleeding (eg me adding in more than I need?).

Thanks again Hurdity x