Yes, the fact that I'm not bleeding (and don't have sore boobs or any other high estrogen symptoms) and I'm on 12 pumps of gel makes me feel like I'm just not getting my estrogen up there.... The bloods I have in 2 weeks will be interesting.
I don't think this can just be 'low' estrogen though, because I've been on the desogestrel POP for about 10 years before starting HRT (due to endometriosis) and that suppresses your estrogen to be relatively low. So my body is used to having low-ish estrogen. I think it has to be the fluctuations which are happening without the usual cycle and rhythm they used to have earlier in life.
The symptoms are very weird: Heart beating hard and loud at night. Inner tremors, worst at night and during sleep (sometimes wake me up). Hands going numb in my sleep just when they are lying on my chest (like when you sleep in a weird position and they go totally numb and dead, except I'm not sleeping in a weird position). Feet are freezing cold, it can take about 2 hours with an electric blanket on my feet before they warm up enough for me to go to sleep. Something very weird with circulation going on... Hypnic jerks every time I begin to fall asleep, startling me awake again. Startling with anxiety to normal household noises as I'm trying to drift off. It's been going on for 2 years now. I've investigated sooo much.
It all began 3 weeks AFTER I started HRT and stopped the desogestrel POP I'd been on for 10 years. My ovaries woke up and really really ached for months and started firing sharp stabby pains - all that stopped after a few months. (Stupid doctor I was seeing said 'but how do you know it's your ovaries? can you feel them?'. ERRR... YES!) But all this wasn't part of my low estrogen symptoms before starting HRT. Those were all the classic symptoms. And I've tried stopping HRT for 6 months but it wouldn't go away. It's really depressing and I just have to take it one night at a time.
My one hope is that these bloods show my estrogen is still too low and there's a chance that if I get it up, it will get better....