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[Jenlou]

Hello

I was hoping there may be someone on who here who can offer some advice or point me in the right direction.

I had my ovaries and tubes removed in early August due to borderline tumors.  As I am 42 and relatively young for the procedure I promised my consultant I would go on HRT.  As I am still breastfeeding a toddler (turned 2 last w/e) I was worried that I would have to stop straight away but my consultant said I can go on a low dose as it would be replicating my own hormones due to the b/f.

So here I am a week and a bit after starting femoston 1/10mg and I am not necessarily noticing any difference in myself as of yet, but I am wondering about my son.  He only feeds twice a day mostly for comfort but his stomach has become increasingly upset.  Without going into detail, it is really unpleasant and very unusual for him.  He isn't really eating much but what he does is going through him.  Could this be a result of the HRT or is it just coincidence?

I rang my GP surgery and they were clueless so I shall ring my gyny-oncology nurse tomorrow.  I have a follow up with the hospital next week but I have tried googling and cant find any real info on B/f and HRT.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[Taz2]

Hi Jenlou - I just wanted to welcome you to the forum really as, as you say, it is really difficult to find out anything to do with this. I think your best bet is to ring the nurse tomorrow. Let us know how you get on. The only info I can find is of the effect that oestrogen can have on your milk supply. I can't find anything about the effect on a two year old's digestion. I wonder whether patch HRT would be kinder?

Taz x 

[Jenlou]

Thanks so much for replying. I am finding it all a bit overwhelming really and feel like I should have done more research. I thought the surgery was the hard bit but in the end it was the easy part.

I will ring the nurse tomorrow. He has had a bottle tonight but its the early morning feed he demands most. I just am glad we got this far but as he is my last baby (no.4) I wanted to give up when he was ready 

Thanks again.

[CLKD]

welcome.  You may like to hop over to the 'daisy' web-site and post the query - details here somewhere or do a 'search' - they support ladies with 'early menopause' : or to the 'ovacome' web-site where they discuss in the main, ovarian cancers.  They too might be able to advise.

Is he craving comfort from the breast or does he need the sustenance?  Would it be better to wean him but let him suckle?  I know a lady who was continuing to breast feeding her 5 year old, she had fed her 3 kids until they went to School, more for comfort although it kept the milk 'in' .  They had meal times too I might add 

[Cassie]

I have to agree with Baldric, I cannot imagine that the hormones would be healthy for him, different if they are your own ones but added HRT mmm not so sure, I would wean him what about a pacifier/dummy? My daughter had one till she was 4 I know it sounds bizarre but it really comforted her she is now grown up and still remembers the comfort she got from it at night and she did not end up going to school with it nor having skew teeth.

[Jenlou]

Thanks for the website suggestions CLKD. Ovacome looks like it might be useful.

I have spoken with the nurse from the gyny oncology team and she has suggested stopping taking the HRT and talking to my consultant next week. I wouldn't have started the pills if he hadn't said they were safe but it feels like there is no one who I can ask to clarify. As I now don't have any ovaries at all the idea was to replace what my body would have been doing naturally at a low level. My GP seemed to think that femoston was a good one to try.

I hadn't intended to get further than 2 with the feeding (my other three kids only fed til around 12 months) but thinking I had to give up, then being told I didn't have to, then this is all very confusing emotionally. He only wants it for comfort but I may have to wean him from his early morning feed then have another go at HRT.

Thanks all.

[Snoooze]

Hi Jenlou,

If your Consultant said it was safe then I would believe him. I was on some very strong antibiotics after the birth of one of my children and was told it was safe to breastfeed through it. A lot of advice leaflets will say 'consult your Dr if pregnant or breastfeeding'. There were quite a few times when I breastfed that I would be taking tablets that said that but my Dr/Midwife/Health Visitor always advised it was OK.

It could just be your child has picked up a bug. There are quite a few stomach bugs going around at present so it maybe is conincidental.

[dahliagirl]

I think it should be ok if the consultant says.  The only reason that you do not get combined oral contraceptives after birth is that it dries up the milk supply for some women, so they give you pop instead.  HRT is a lot different from the COC which have large amounts of progestogens and a strong oestrogen to shut your cycle down.