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[Charleyfarley]

Hi ladies…aaaah I needed a friend and I figured the only people that might understand may be you lovely bunch….

The Sequi patches are now in the bin and I’m more anxious than ever….

This week my health anxiety is out of control again. The reason I embarked on HRT in the first place was to see if the health anxiety might have been worse because of peri…I’m not sure

I was on a period at the weekend and on my estrogen Fortnite. Quite a light period and had a lovely NYE, followed by sex wirh my partner as period was so light. I drove home on NYD (3hr drive) and felt a flood..car seat ruined and the clots just kept coming. For the next 24hrs it was relentless, 2 super tampons an hr. I removed one of them and after it came out it was followed by what I can only describe as a huge plate of bloody jelly. My boobs were huge and sore. All in all it was flooded for 48hrs. I removed my patch and called the doctors. No meno specialist so went to see the nurse. I explained I was in HRT and the bleed. She asked if I could have been pregnant. Blindsided me. I’m nearly 46 and had to have IVF to have my daughter at 40. The nurse said it sounded very much like a miscarriage. She told me to go away and do a test. I asked if it was negative would she look at anything else more sinister for this kind of bleed. She said not if it was a one off which it was. I did a test and it was negative.

I just wanted to talk to her or ANYONE qualified about how it could be estrogen dominance maybe? Or the HRT? Or basically any kind of possibility’s. I was disappointed that as a peri 46 yr old woman the first presumption was that I was pregnant 🤯🤯 I understand someone with health anxiety is every GP/Nurse nitemare but she just wasn’t interested. I asked if it was possible that my breasts would be this big and sore if it the bleed was connected to any kind of sinister reason and she said no. But then I read that sometimes cancer in the downstairs area can cause breast pain.

The nurse has left it that I just see how I get on and any more big bleeds I am to go back.

I guess what I’m asking is, for a bleed where so much jelly/tissue just literally fell out of me together with the sore breasts, could this be estrogen dominance? I took the patch off on Tuesday, the bleed stopped almost straight away and my boobs are starting to calm down but still some twinges.

I’m staying away from any estrogen at the moment because it’s scared the life out of me.

I’m tearful and hyper vigilant at any feeling in either boob.

The other possibility is a fibroid but historically I’ve never had the sore boobs with a fibroid.

So sorry for the length of this 😢

I’m hoping to save some money and get some therapy for the health anxiety.

[joziel]

Unless you get anything else happening now, I'd assume it was just a reaction to the HRT.

The Sequi patches you are on, only come in 50mcg of estrogen. Really you could ask for a separate estrogen patch and utrogestan (progesterone) - which is better for your health anyway, because the progesterone is body identical. Unlike the synthetic progestin in the combined patches.

If you have a separate estrogen patch, you can start with 25 or even cut that in half and begin with 12.5. Women who are sensitive to estrogen do best with beginning on a low dose and gradually increasing.

I wouldn't avoid estrogen and HRT forevermore because the impact of zero estrogen and menopause on health is to increase the risk of many diseases....

[sheila99]

It's common in peri to have massive peaks and troughs of your own hormones so perhaps it's  combination of that and hrt. Starting on 25 might be a good move.

[Charleyfarley]

Thank you so much ladies 🙏

Would you be alarmed by any breast swelling/twinges whilst my body settles from whatever happened? Xx

[Penguin]

When my estrogen surges I get tender breasts, it all sounds very hormonal to me as does your bleed. I wonder also if the clots / jelly coming out was as a result of the blood starting to coagulation but being held back by the tampons. Also flooding is normal in peri too.
I would  agree with others it is just a reaction to the hrt / your own hormones.

[Charleyfarley]

Aaah Penguin you have no idea how much that helps thank u 🙏 my shoulders literally just relaxed ten fold 🤦‍♀️ thank you xx

[Charleyfarley]

just realised my boobs have been tender for nearly a month…I’m wondering if estrogen surges can last that long on sequi 😬😭

[CLKD]

As suggested in your other thread, this is probably a reaction to the HRT. 

[Nas]

Unless you get anything else happening now, I'd assume it was just a reaction to the HRT.

The Sequi patches you are on, only come in 50mcg of estrogen. Really you could ask for a separate estrogen patch and utrogestan (progesterone) - which is better for your health anyway, because the progesterone is body identical. Unlike the synthetic progestin in the combined patches.

If you have a separate estrogen patch, you can start with 25 or even cut that in half and begin with 12.5. Women who are sensitive to estrogen do best with beginning on a low dose and gradually increasing.

I wouldn't avoid estrogen and HRT forevermore because the impact of zero estrogen and menopause on health is to increase the risk of many diseases....

Joziel, I get what you are saying re: the importance of oestrogen for women and the role it can play during menopause to replace lost hormones. But, I do find it upsetting, when you say that the impact of zero oestrogen  during menopause, can increase the risk of many other diseases.

I am never to have oestrogen again, due to secondary breast cancer. My body is needing it desperately and I’m to find a way through without it. The thought of developing any further diseases, is frankly daunting!

[Charleyfarley]

Apologies for duplicating the post…I think because I had followed up with the appt at the docs and still had the breast tenderness I was starting to panic…apologies again x

[CLKD]

Turning that around: added oestrogen can protect bones and heart. 

[fiftyplus]

Sending virtual hugs your way charleyfarley you need them right now 

[Charleyfarley]

Sending virtual hugs your way charleyfarley you need them right now 

Thank you so kind 🙏 I’m gonna take it, I’m a blubbering wreck 🤦‍♀️♥️

[joziel]

"Joziel, I get what you are saying re: the importance of oestrogen for women and the role it can play during menopause to replace lost hormones. But, I do find it upsetting, when you say that the impact of zero oestrogen  during menopause, can increase the risk of many other diseases."

Nas, I'm really sorry that you can't have estrogen. I would be devastated if that were the case myself (and might even be one of the few women who insist on taking it anyway, since it's about an informed choice).

But - just because it's hard to hear something, doesn't mean it shouldn't be said. That would be taking science backwards somewhat. I don't write here only for you, but for the other women reading, many of which can take HRT but still don't. Only about 20% of women who could be taking HRT are taking it, because they are unreasonably afraid of it due to outdated studies like the WHI. For this reason, it's important to state over and over the benefits of HRT on health and the risks of *not* taking it.

I feel truly devastated for the minority of women who can't take it, but what would they have us do? Not talk about the benefits of HRT, because they don't like to hear that - and then many more women who could take it, don't - and suffer? I'll always promote the truth and where the science is - but I'm sorry that you can't take it.

[Nas]

Joziel, I fully appreciate that you are not writing purely for my benefit, as this is a public forum.

After menopause, when oestrogen is no longer made in the ovaries, I found out that it can instead, be made in the fatty tissues of the body (when enzymes change other hormones into oestrogen). Obviously the amount of oestrogen produced is far less than pre meno, but it seems that women are left with a tiny bit of oestrogen at least, rather than zero.

Maybe state which "diseases" women may be prone to developing, without HRT? That might encourage more women to instigate a conversation with their GP, re: the benefits of HRT, when requesting a prescription?

I don't think that it is just outdated reports which put women off taking HRT either. We know it can be a challenge to strike the right HRT balance; bleeding and a thickened womb lining for example, can also be alarming and put women off.

it's important to state over and over the benefits of HRT on health and the risks of *not* taking it.
Please state those risks. Yes there are great benefits to taking HRT, but we must also remember, that taking a holistic approach to menopause, is not a bad thing either. For many it is just another useful tool in the box, (and often a very important one).


 I would be devastated if that were the case myself (and might even be one of the few women who insist on taking it anyway, since it's about an informed choice).

It is indeed an informed choice, but depending on the reason you couldn't take HRT, you would have to find someone to prescribe it to you. You could not "insist" that you took it.