No more Micronor

[Bluebell66]

The only contraceptive pill I have ever tolerated, Micronor, has been discontinued and I am now down to my last month. I am extremely reluctant to swap to Noriday, the recommended alternative as it does not get very good reviews.

I am 51 years old with extremely erratic periods and am on Oestrogel and Provera as HRT.

I suppose what I want to know is what to do about contraception and do I still really need it at this stage in my life. The coil isn't an option. I know the advice is to continue to use contraception for a year after your last period, but what in reality, are the chances of me becoming pregnant at my age with very erratic periods, sometimes with months in between. Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

TIA

Wow that's a lot of progestogen you are taking - from the mini pill and HRT. If you really want to continue like this then from what I can see Noriday contains excatly the same dose of exactly the same progestogen (350 mcg norethisterone) so I am surprised women report much difference.

If you want to have HRT and contraception and don't want to use the coil then there are CCP types Qlaira and Zoely that contain the same oestrogen as HRT - but I think the cut off age is 50.

Contraception - you won't know where you are in menopause as you have been taking the POP unless you stop this and the HRT for 12 months. This is what it says about prgenancy rates and age on Menopause Matters (natural pregnancies after age 50 are rare). It doesn't say when to stop if taking HRT.

Thanks Lulu. I only take Provera every other month for 10 days maximum.

I actually took the last Micronor a week ago and can't believe how much better I feel without it.

I am surprised that women who tolerate Micronor can't tolerate Noriday as it's the same type of progesterone.

Because of how much better I feel mentally, I've decided this morning I'm going to give up on hormonal contraceptives - back to the drawing board I suppose. Everything I've read says natural pregnancy is extremely rare at this age, but not impossible.

Thanks again for you help.