Night sweat/oestrogel/own cycle break through?

[Clawdeen]

Am perimenopausal and have been on various types of HRT or combined pill for the past year. Still having regular periods so the gynae I saw recommended a contraceptive pill (Zoely) to override my cycle and ease symptoms ( dreadful night sweats). All good but after couple of months I suffered bad migraines so my GP stopped it immediately due to risk of stroke.

Have been on oestrogel and utrogestan since and all mostly ok. However around Xmas I had 10 days of horrendous night sweats at the end of my cycle ( waking 5+ times a night totally drenched). GP recommended upping the oestrogel to 4 pumps ( I was on 3). This cycle has been worse- have now had night sweats for over 2.5 weeks. Usually the sweats stop with my period but that finished just over a week ago.

Bizarrely my period has just started again this evening- I'm guessing this is my natural cycle and last week was the withdrawal bleed and I'm somehow out of sync? So should I count day 1 as today ( rather than last week)? I'm totally confused as to when to start the utrogestan ( normally day 15 but counting from when?).
Any suggestions re night sweats? I am so floored/exhausted; I'm really struggling to function and it's had a huge impact on my mood.

Many thanks

Oh poor you!
It won't really matter when you start the Utro if your own cycle is breaking through but might be best to start it counting today as Day 1, Or some people do the 1st of each month and let it all reset itself as far as poss.

Maybe you should reduce the gel to 2 pumps and see how that goes. 4 pumps does't seem to help you. Are you still quite young?

I'd go back to 2 pumps for a few weeks and see if it's any better.

Thanks Polly (and a huge thanks for all your posts in general which I've scoured the past year- so v helpful).

I've always been on 3 pumps (until the last couple of weeks). I've severe osteopenia and the gynae said I needed the extra oestrogen. I'm 44. I think perimenopause started at 40/41 but my GP would not take it at all seriously as I was 'too young' and still having regular periods. Grr. It's been a battle but thanks to info here, a change in GP and a private gynae appt, I finally got HRT.

I've got small(ish) children and am really not coping with the lack of sleep from the night sweats. I seem to have gone straight from the sleeplessness of the baby/toddler stage to this!

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I will count this as day 1 with the hope I get back in sync and the night sweats decrease. I can resign myself to a few days per cycle but not weeks on end of it! I've cut out caffeine and alcohol and do a fair amount of exercise. I've tried to reduce sugar although tricky with being so tired. I just want to sleep and wake up dry!

Are the night sweats coinciding with the Utro phase? I find I get very hot at night during my Utro phase. I agree that you may need 3 pumps for treatment of osteopenia, although 2 pumps is also the prescribed minimum dose for treatment of osteoporosis. (FWIW I had severe osteopenia and have had a great improvement with 2 pumps, plus exercise, plus diet.)

If your sweats are coinciding with the Utro, you may be able to stretch your cycle to 5 weeks instead of 4 (check with your consultant) to see if it helps.

PM me if you want and I'm happy to share a bit more off here.

Thanks so much Polly.

I've had to dig out my diary as the lack of sleep has made me so forgetful.

The night sweats seem to start on the last couple of days of the utrogestan phase and then continue until day 2/3 of the bleed, somewhere between 7-10 days. When I first started on this regime, I was only getting sweats 2 or 3 nights before the bleed, so it's definitely been increasing over time.

This last cycle started the same but carried on beyond the bleed- so I'm on day 14 of i count from the start of that and about to start the utrogestan phase. As I said, I've just had another bleed ( v brief in the end-1.5 days) which started on day 12. So should I class this as day 1?

Sorry if I'm repeating myself, my mind is so foggy. I'm just desperate to sleep!

Will PM you too. Many thanks