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.

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...?

I have Utrogestan 100 once a day as well..

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.