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[MJP75]

Hello everyone,

I was hoping to get some advice on some of my horrendous symptoms and have some things clarified for me by people who have been through this.

So I started HRT around 18 months ago. Early on in the treatment there were a few hiccups in terms of certain treatments appearing to mess with my thyroid medication and cause some funny labs so it wasn’t until around 12 months ago that I really got moving forward with it.

I use:

Estradot Patch 37.5
Utrogestan tablets as a pessary
Testosterone transdermal cream
DHEA 5mg daily

Whilst the treatment has helped with certain aspects (I’ve managed to lose some weight and feel like I’ve got more of a feminine shape back) the main symptom which caused me to start HRT in the first place is still very prominent and destroying my life…. The depression. It can get so severe when at its worst that I just want to give up on life.

Every 27ish days I get a day or 2 at the most where I get a break from the depression. It’s like a day out of jail, where I make plans for the future and make contact with friends and family. However this good day or 2 is shortly followed by the most horrendous day depression wise where my body also feels 100 years old. After that subsides it’s followed by the remainder of the month being extremely flat and fatigued, until the cycle starts again with the good day or 2. Always around a 27 ish day pattern.

When I first told the HRT specialist about the day or 2 out of “jail” he immediately said it sounds like low testosterone. Sure enough my labs came back showing testosterone and DHEA levels barely detectable. Also Estradiol and Progesterone very low also.

So over time I’ve ended up on the above treatment, slowly increasing the testosterone alongside the other treatments. However, I still have these truly awful times with depression amongst 1 or 2 better days.

Most recent labs:

Estradiol: 180.2pmol/L
Testosterone: 0.5nmol/L (range 0.7-3.50)
(I use 4 pumps of cream a day at the moment and still end up below the range)

I’m so confused as to what causes my symptoms but it surely has to be menopause related if I get 1 or 2 days of relief bang on time every month?

Also, should my hormones and mind still cycle in this way if I’ve gone through the menopause? I haven’t had a period in years now.

Does this 1 or 2 good days sound like a testosterone thing to you?

When I tried the next Estradot patch up (50.0) it was like I’d gone wild, extremely scary rollercoaster and after a couple of days I couldn’t hack it and had to go back down to 37.5.

Today I’ve tried cutting 1/4 of the 37.5 patch off in an attempt to see if a little less Estradiol helps at all, I guess it will take a few days to judge if that’s helping or not.

Any help or advice would mean a lot. I have a 6 year old Daughter and I’m completely missing her childhood and most of the time I struggle to cope with her. My Husband does everything he can but his job involves going away for a few days at a time.

Thanks

[BohoChick]

I would like to follow this for replies also as - while our situation isn't exactly the same - I feel your pain.

I may have missed it (if so, I apologize) - but did you say whether you're taking your HRT sequentially (i.e. having a bleed) or continuously (not having a bleed)?

I was just wondering - if you're taking it sequentially - your constant low mood and depression could be related to a particular time in your sequential rhythm.  If the good days are as clockwork as you say - you should be able to pinpoint the cause.

[AndieKC]

Hi MJP75
On the subject of estrogen, some women don’t absorb well from patches, so gel gets better results - Estrogel. I was one of those women. Stable estrogen absorption was needed was stabilising some of the symptoms you describe. Would you be able to ask your Dr for estrogel instead of patches? Also in younger years women need higher estrogen doses, so good absorption is crucial for that.

I don't want to comment on the other issues as i don’t know about those but good luck, hope you get your dose and combination right.

Xx