shelley if you are not getting a bleed monthly despite taking progesterone, and your periods have been regular - it is possible that you did not ovulate that month. Once you are peri-menopausal then gaps start to appear and then you will be relying more on the oestrogen from the gel. Once you are post-menopausal - if you don't get a bleed on a particular regime ( and are taking progesterone) then the most likely explanation is that the womb lining has not built up enough to shed, rather than the progesterone is insufficient.
If you are feeling well generally - that's great! Some bloating on progesterone is par for the course for some women. If you can cope with this dose (V route) then personally I would carry on for a little while - so that when you do get a bleed it may well be more manageable ( were they heavy?). With your doc's approval, though, you might be able to reduce to 10 days per month if you continue to have no bleeds?
You don't need to increase oestrogen if you increase progesterone - but the other way round. The right dose of progesterone is crucial to protect the womb from over-thickening from stimulation by oestrogen. Some women find that they need to increase oestrogen when they increase a progestogen ( usually the synthetic types) to "drown out" the negative effects of the progestogen - but this is not absolutely necessary in the sense that there is no obvious safety issue.
HRT protects heart and bones for as long as you take it! The protective effect declines when you stop. Many women (like myself) take it post 60 to continue with this protection and also there are many women for whom some menopausal symptoms re-emerge after stopping, so quality of life is the predominant driving force behind continuation.
Glad you are sleeping better! That's brilliant! It totally zonks me out but then I sleep too heavily now anyway....
Hurdity x