buffy, really you need to experiment and see if you feel better. Being afraid to try things will just leave you where you are...
By the way, on 6 pumps of gel my estradiol was at 334pmol. On TWELVE pumps of gel (double the dosage), my estradiol was at 328pmol. That's right, I wasn't absorbing any more of it. That's with a pump on my butt cheek and 5 pumps on my thigh (all around it and not overlapping) on each side.
Like you, my doctor wants to get me higher, around 500-650pmol at least, to see if that helps improve symptoms. I am having a phone consult on Monday with my Newson doctor to switch - probably to Sandrena. If that doesn't work, we will have to use oral. Many women need higher levels to have their symptoms controlled. Most HRT is designed to bring women just over the minimal amount to give some protection to bones and other body parts - which often doesn't hit the spot for a lot of us.
If I'd been afraid to try increasing (by the way, I also have a history of endometriosis and had a lap for it in 2013) I just wouldn't be making fast enough progress. I'd be fannying around on 6.5 pumps or 7 pumps or something. Of course you shouldn't change a dose more rapidly than every 4-6 weeks but if you are not optimal, you do need to have the courage to try things out...