Why am I suddenly getting periods every 2 weeks? (On HRT)

[moonfacebaby]

I’ll be ringing the doctors tomorrow to check this out, but was wondering if anyone else has suffered with the same thing?

I’ve been on evorel sequi for over a year now. I’m 48, peri-menopausal and needed it due to mood swings, night sweats, irregular periods, joint pain, dizziness, rage etc..

No problems so far and then I’m on my third 2 weekly bleed. I’m due to swap to evorel conti and utrogestan tablets next as I can’t get hold of sequi.

Did you get moved onto something else? Or is this be expected?

Thanks

I don't know sorry, but why aren't you just swapping to conti and 50? That's literally the same as sequi which is a combination of the two.

@NoHardSell...I’m not sure, to be honest. I was just told by the pharmacist that they were struggling to get hold of the patches, so I rang the doctors and their pharmacist said she’d prescribe me these. I’ll query it tomorrow

Bit confused @moonfacebaby.
Have you had a regular withdrawal bleed each month with Evorel sequi?
And now you are having a bleed every 2 weeks?

My guess is the dose is too low to control your own cycles which are breaking through.

However, you can't use conti as that's for women 12 months post menopause.

And if you DID you conti, you don't take Utrogestan as well. Conti HRT gives you the progesterone part anyway.

Did you mishear?

It would only make sense to use Utrogestan is you were being given an estrogen-only patch to go with it.

That's also interesting
Is it supposed to control your bleeds, like the pill? Mine never has, they just run at their usual 30 day cycle which means I end up tweaking the conti/50 to keep in sync

Good point about the utrogestan, but op can take conti x 8 patches then alternate with 50 x 80 patches as that is what is in a box of sequi

@NotHardSell
Confusing...are you on conti or sequi? In your first post you said sequi and last post conti.

Sorry but your regime sounds out of kilter.

You either take sequi, or conti, but you ought not to tweak anything- what does that mean?

You don't use utrogestan at all unless you are using estrogen only - either as a pill, patch or gel.

Sequi is estrogen daily and a progesterone for 12 days per 28 days.
Conti is estrogen and a progesterone every day.

It's a bit unclear what you are on, but in peri it ought to be sequi or you will get breakthrough periods.

If you get a pack of sequi you'll know what I mean. They get a box and put 4 (sorry I thought it was 8 but it's 4 of each) patches from the conti range and 4 patches from the evorel 50 range in and then label the box 'sequi'
Logically if the op can't find sequi and has been prescribed conti plus something else, she could make the something else evorel 50 and ..voila ...she has recreated sequi in the comfort of her own home. She just needs to be able to count, unlike me upthread, and take four from each and put them in a line starting with 50, as per the box.

@JinglingHellsBells my mistake about the patches - it’s Evorel 50 that I’m supposed to start with the utrogestan tablets. Am I ok to take these if I’m still having irregular periods?

I do have a period on the sequi - it’s not always that regular though. Back in April, I had a period that seemed to go on forever - a good 2 weeks, and this is very unusual for me. So I guess it appears that things are going very haywire?

Do you know what the doctors are likely to change with my HRT?

All too complicated two people saying different things for this time of the morning! :)

Yes @moonfacebaby an estrogen patch plus utrogestan for 12 days per month is fine.

If you are having a longer bleed that means you are producing your own estrogen still ( on top of what's in the patch) and there is not enough progesterone to control it.

Don't worry- it will prob settle down.

It's all so interesting!

So if sequi stops being effective, what's the next step after sequi?

I use conti plus 50 to make my own sequi, as they came back in stock months before sequi. No idea why everyone didn't just do that instead of messing round with new formulations (if sequi was working for them). It's just branding. Sequi is back now though so your pharmacist should be able to track some down.

Oh, the earlier point about tweaking it. I like it to run in sync with my periods, but if I change them so it restarts every 28 days rather than my 30 day cycle then I end up with the oestrogen only and progesterone + oestrogen ones running at different times to my natural cycle. 3 periods puts it a week out, by 6 periods it's 12 days out etc

@JinglingHellsBells..thanks for the advice

Sequi should never stop being effective.

I have been on sequi for 12 years, starting when I was almost through peri (had 2 periods on it) then rest post meno.

The only reason sequi might not work some months is if you are having your own periods in between for a while but this usually settles down sometimes with a different formulation with more progesterone (or mirena coil.)

@NoHardSell I think you are making your regime over-complicated. You need to stick to the regime as it's marketed and eventually your own periods will fall into the pattern of the patches.