Anyone use hrt patches?

[NotDoris]

hello!
I'm new to this board and hope I can get some advice please!
I was just wondering about hrt patches and which ones are best in terms of sticking and size?
Thanks!

[ameliagrey]

Have you been prescribed them or are you asking as a "just in case" kind of question?

[Bellaciao]

I thought I would answer this question even though it is an old post, for anyone else who might be interested.

The smallest patches are Estradot (oestrogen only) which are very strong and stick well - I've been using them for over 5 years and can't recommend them highly enough.

If you have a womb you need to use a separate progesterone and I use the bio-identical Utrogestan.

Other patches such as Femseven sequi/conti or Evorel sequi/conti contain the (synthetic) progestin in with the oestrogen in the patch - and they are much larger. Femseven you change once a week, and Evorel twice - as with Estradot.

Hope this helps
Bellaciao

[avaleigh1991]

i have had nothing took away. i have had no periods for 2 or three years i have hot flushes bad mood swings. Iam just finished my first month of elleste duo 1mg but i have put on weight have pins and needels in my hands and feet and get bad cramps so what 2 try next

[Bellaciao]

Are you on the conti version ie you take the same tablets all the time? Or - have you been given the type with different tablets that is designed to give a monthly bleed?

It might be that you are experiencing side effects from the progestin that's in Elleste. Some women find they can tolerate the one that's in Femoston better - as it is closer to the one in our own bodies.

However most experts suggest taking a type of hRt for 3 months to see if side effects disappear as it sometimes takes this long for them to settle -especially if you haven;t had periods for that long - your body will be re-adjusting to having oestrogen (and progestin) again. However no point in suffering if it;s really bad.

Other than that maybe a patch would be the way to go.

Can't help with the weight issue - it seems different women experience this differently. The HRT I use gives me a cycle still even though I am post-meno. When I take the progesterone part of the HRT I definitley go up in weight due to fluid retention. If you are on continuous prog and it affects you like me this could cause the weight gain?

Also my boobs are definitley more substantial through taking the oestrogen. Before HRT they were getting a bit floppy but now are more like they were when i was younger - so I don't mind that!

Hope this helps.

[avaleigh1991]

ah thank you so much i feel a bit better now i think i will do the 3 months and see what happens. i have always had big boobs but now my belly is catching up. thank u

[avaleigh1991]

forgot 2 say i have white tabs then green ones. thanks again.

[Bellaciao]

Hi again avaleigh

If you are on Elleste duet with different tablets,then you might get a bleed, as the second lot contain the progestogen and this eventually causes a bleed in most women, although the dose is quite low so you may not. Usually you are put onto the conti type of HRT if you haven't had a period for 2-3 years though so is there a reason you have been put on these?

However at least with these you will be able to tell whether you feel different at different parts of the cycle - ie which tablets you are on. Perhaps keep a symptom diary over the next few weeks so you can see what's happening?

Bellaciao x

[avaleigh1991]

hi bellaciao yes you know what ur talking about im having a bleed and realy dont want it i dont no why he put me on these hes the doctor you just think they no what there doin but do they you have gave me more info thank you xx

[avaleigh1991]

my doctor still says 2 stay on them for the 3months my blood tests have come back and i have high cholesterol so i need to get that down xx its all good not x

[Bellaciao]

Hi avaleigh
I wonder why he says stay on the cyclical HRT? Did you by any chance have a scan of your uterus which maybe showed a thickened lining or have any slight bleeding in the last 2-3 years? Sounds odd to me but I don't know your history.

However one good thing about it (perhaps that's the reason!) as I said before is you will know whether you react badly to the progesterone ie if you feel much worse on those 2 weeks ( the green ones). If that doesn't settle then you would be put on a different tab maybe Femoston to see if any better.

If you are defo OK on the prog part, then you would be OK to take it continuously.

Having said that some women still get some form of side effects from continuous prog HRT eg bloating etc!

Sorry to hear about the cholesterol....

[Gerijrich]

hi help my patch keeps coming off - used three in four days - I have now secured the last one with tape - any tips would be good

[Weejen48]

Hi am new to this but would love advice am 40 and going through premature menopause I go to docs in a few days to talk about treatment and was thinking about the patches as there the least treatment to weight gain as I have weight issues and it's already creeping on with the menopause so was wondering if anyone else has had weight gain with the patches thanks

[pinkfrocks]

This is a zombie thread- maybe start your own thread to ask the question and you may get more replies- your question is about weight gain and HRT. (BTW there is no difference between any of the types of HRT and weight gain. HRT does not cause weight gain- it's due to a change in your metabolism around the time of the menopause and the answer is to eat less and do more exercise.