Hi Nanakim - it is well documented that women on conti HRT can bleed for the first six months. Sometimes only spotting or breakthrough bleeding but often bleeding for the whole time - that's what happened to me. It usually settles after six months but sometimes can go on for longer. It is a perfectly normal side effect of conti HRT so I'm not sure why your GP didn't know this although we do find from time to time that we have to educate our GPs
This is from the patient information leaflet for Evorel Conti
"How Evorel Conti works
Evorel Conti is known as ‘continuous combined' HRT. This is because both
hormones in the patch are released all the time.
Evorel Conti patches replace the oestrogen that is normally released by the
ovaries. However, in women who still have a womb, taking an oestrogen
hormone regularly may cause the lining of your womb to build up and get
thicker.
• This means it is necessary to add a progestogen hormone to the
oestrogen
• This helps shed the lining of the womb and stop any problems happening
Most women do not have a regular monthly period with Evorel Conti.
However, bleeding or spotting does often occur in the first few months until
treatment settles down"
and this from the FemSeven leaflet
"The most frequent side effects may occur very commonly (in more
than 1 in 10 people):
skin irritation at the site of application (disappeared 2 or 3 days after
patch removal);
breast tenderness;
bleeding or spotting. "
You may find that the FemSeven patches don't stick quite so well as the Evorel so remember to hold them firmly down with the palm of your hand for the right amount of time as the hormones are in the adhesive so you need a good contact to receive the full dose. I bled on all of the conti HRTs I tried and in the end went back to sequi so that I at least knew when to expect the bleed.
Taz x
