Hi Sarai
I've been busy for a few days and missed your post. The main point is that continuous combined HRT (whether patch, pill or gel +progestogen) like the one you have been given, entails taking a progestogen the whole time as edelweiss said, so personally in your position I would actually start with a cyclical HRT (which is a bit closer to the natural cycle although not exactly) because the oestrogen dose is constant). This way you would be able to gauge whether you were OK on the oestrogen only part and how your experience of HRT changed (or not) as you went onto the Evorel conti patches (which would be the second two weeks of the month), and then back to the oestrogen only.
I would strongly recommend Evorel sequi - if this is the type you are going to try - which does just this.
Re your other point - I did look up about Evorel conti and I think it is alone amongst the continuous combined HRT types to say it is suitable when a woman has been 18 months without periods. Pretty well all the others I looked at give 12 months and this is the yardstick for deciding that a woman is post-menopausal. Maybe there us less breakthrough bleeding and spotting on this particular HRT once a woman has been 18 months period free? It can't do you any harm if you are not 18 months post-meno though!
Hurdity x