HRT

[Millymorg1]

Hi, I'm 49 years old and I've just started Elleste duet conti 5 days ago as I've not had a period in over 12 months and having various menopausal symptoms, fuzzy head , disturbed sleep, soreness when having sex. Since starting the HRT tablets I feel horrible , really bloated, bad tummy cramps and back ache , feel like a period is about to arrive. Has any body else felt like this on elleste duet conti as I beginning to think it's just not worth feeling like this and put up with my previous menopausal symptoms.
Thanks.

Just quickly as I'm short of time....

but my personal advice is to start HRT on a sequi regime to save your body having to adjust to 2 hormones daily. Using conti straight off, you never know if the estrogen dose is too high or too low and if the type of progestogen in it is not the right one for you. It's a bit like wearing a dress when you really need to get the skirt the right fit and the top the right fit, separately!

You are quite young anyway for conti- they say 12 months with no period (which you are) OR over age 54. But at 49 you still may have more of your own hormones sloshing around because you are younger than the average meno age of 52.

There is no reason to use conti HRT - sequi is fine. I'm in my 60s, used HRT for almost 10 years and don't use conti- tried it and it made me tired and headachy.

Lots of women swear by Femoston or you could try a sequi patch.

Dryness and soreness - sex. Ask your GP for vaginal estrogen as well. (Ovestin or Vagifem.) Using systemic HRT sometimes isn't enough to reach the bits and can take months to have any effect. Don't accept any nonsense about you can't have both- you can and millions of us do!

Elleste conti didn't work for me.. .had a continual bleed for a month. Been on elleste duet for 8 years and about to move on to Conti patches

I have tried a few and find Livial, [Tibolone ] is the best ,women on this never want to go off it, google Tibolone
Also Vagifem for dryness ,

Tibolone is not a usual type of HRT - it s a synthetic compound of steroids. Often it's prescribed for women who don't want estrogen to reactivate endometriosis. It does carry a higher risk of stroke and it's not recommended for long term use. www.cochrane.org/CD008536/MENSTR_short-term-and-long-term-effects-tibolone-postmenopausal-women

I have just turned 50, no periods for 2 years. GP prescribed femostom cont 0.5/2.5 as I was suffering with hot flushes, feeling ‘strange’ prior to flush coming on, poor sleep and night sweats. This vastly improved within days of starting HRT, been on now for 6 weeks, slight bleed 2 weeks in but nothing since. Hopefully it’ll continue this way, good luck