Back on HRT and getting brown discharge now

[TheOldWiseOne]

I am 59, back on HRT for about 5 weeks now - still working out what is the correct dose with the gel. Doc says if your nipples hurt then it is too much. I was on 2 shots gel morning and 1 shot evening but am getting small amounts of brown discharge ( similar to what you get when you are peri menopausal ) - does this mean that I am getting too much HRT?

Previously I was on HRT pills and have not had any discharge for over 5 years.

I know I should check with the doc but was just wondering if this had happened to anyone else. Thank you.

[pinkfrocks]

What are you using as well as the gel? You ought to be taking progestogens every few weeks to bring on a withdrawal bleed- unless you have had a hysterectomy...?

[TheOldWiseOne]

I have Utrogestan 100 once a day as well..

[TheOldWiseOne]

and I have just remembered that I was not supposed to take it on days 1, 2 and 3 of the month...and I did....oops this type of HRT is all new to me...

[pinkfrocks]

ah- that's why then! There is often a problem with the absorption of Utrogestan. If the levels in your blood dip, that is when you may get bleeding- just like a withdrawal bleed on a sequential cycle. If it becomes a nuisance then you can change to 200mgs for 10 days each cycle or even every 6-8 weeks which some women do- but this is usually under the advice of a consultant because they like to do a scan now and then ( once a year or so) to check the lining isn't getting too thick.

You might also like to drop the gel down to 2 pumps a day- that is the normal starting dose.

[pinkfrocks]

Taking it on days 1-3 won't have made any difference- in f act it ought to have stopped the spotting rather than caused it.

It might take a few cycles to settle down.

[TheOldWiseOne]

Thank you again. I am under a lot of stress right now with other family issues and it seems at times that you put everyone before yourself.

[pinkfrocks]

If the spotting doesn't settle in around 3 months then you can go back to sequential- there is no 'rule' that at 59 or whenever you have to use continuous HRT . I have chosen to have a cycle with bleeding- not that I enjoy the periods but because I don't feel well on daily Utrogestan- I had spotting like you did and a constant headache as the levels kept dipping.