Stomach pain/oestrogen gel

[NaughtipussMaximus]

Hello wise ones. Hoping someone can help me with a possible side effect from my oestrogen gel, or at least reassure me!

I’m on a pretty high dose of oestrogen gel (sandrena sachets) and wasn’t feeling much benefit until I spoke to my consultant again in November and discovered I hadn’t been applying it correctly (I’d been rubbing it over a large surface area until it all sunk in, instead of a small area and allowing it to dry). Anyway, after I started doing it properly I soon felt a lot better BUT since then I’ve developed really bad stomach pains. I was already having some reflux issues that have plagued me for years and these have worsened this month, but a newer development is tummy cramps, especially after eating. NOT period pain type cramps. It says on the leaflet that tummy pain is a common side effect but I’m not sure if it means period pain type cramps or actual stomach pains?.

I’ve spoken my GP who’s sent me for blood tests to see if I have a h pylori infection (thinking it may be an ulcer) but I couldn’t get a nurse’s appointment until early January. After I’d been applying the gel correctly for a month, my consultant requested I have a blood test to make sure I’m now absorbing enough oestrogen, and I just got those result today - serum oestrodial was 2400 pmol/L which seems a bit high to me.

I have massive health anxiety so am convinced I have stomach cancer even though my GP totally reassured me about this. So please if you think it might be that, don’t say anything! I don’t want to think more about that aspect of it. Please just can anyone tell me if they had similar side effects to high dose oestrogen and also if that level of oestrodial is particularly high? Thanks!

Actually they do have something like that, I haven’t used it before so I’d forgotten about it! Thanks for the reminder, I’ll log in and try to work out what I have to do to sign up.

So, an update. 5 days in to the lower hrt dose (and double omeprazole dose) and my stomach pain is almost entirely gone. But yesterday I was very snappy and impatient with DS and DH, and today I’m exhausted with brain fog. Bone tired, like I haven’t been for weeks. I feel like crying! Either stomach pain or horrible menopause symptoms.

Has it settled at all yet, NaughtipussMaximus? I hope so- that brink of tears feeling is just awful.

@NaughtipussMaximus

So, an update. 5 days in to the lower hrt dose (and double omeprazole dose) and my stomach pain is almost entirely gone. But yesterday I was very snappy and impatient with DS and DH, and today I’m exhausted with brain fog. Bone tired, like I haven’t been for weeks. I feel like crying! Either stomach pain or horrible menopause symptoms.

Maybe now your stomach issues are under control, you should slowly increase the estrogen again. It sounds as if the two are not necessarily related; ideally you should have taken the Lap, and then reduced the hrt if you still had tummy issues.

@NaughtipussMaximus I had this. Exactly.

In my opinion it is not to do with the HRT it is a fairly common side effect of menopause. If anything HRT will help.

Since my early menopause, (I have since read so many threads on here too), I developed hideous stomach pain and terrible acid reflux. i went to hospital and it was a hiatus hernia and I was prescribed omazeropole.

Of course, they weren't interested in my periods stopping at 43 though! It took this board to help put two and two together.

No doubt that it works brilliantly, but I am not keen on taking meds every day, so I take it when I get a flare up and it takes 24 hours to go, tops. I then carry on taking it for a few weeks and stop when the pain has completely died down.

I can't drink wine any more either so I stick to vodka and tonic

I really wouldn't drop the dose of HRT, IME it will make the gastro problems worse, especially if you are feeling down again.

I went through all this! Take the Omazeropole, take the HRT, avoid citrussy things and see the doctor in the New Year.

At one point 2 years ago I thought I was dying! I hobbled to the pharmacy in pain, immediately given high dose of Omazeropole and Paracetemol (NOT Ibuprofen) and was fine within a day.

I am not a doctor, but you sound exactly like me, 7 years ago. JHB has also suggested hiatus hernia and she is usually 100% right about these things You just manage it, you can't really cure it (I don't think)

Goo Luck and Happy Christmas!

@JinglingHellsBells yes, that’s my plan. I agree in ideal conditions I’d have tried one or the other separately but I was desperate for relief in time for Xmas! I’m going to give it a few more days to settle then try increasing the oestrogen again. After a tired and grumpy day yesterday, I have felt much better today, so maybe I was just having a bad day.

@BillieSpain I don’t think it’s just menopause symptoms as it definitely coincided with the increased hrt dose - if it were cause by menopause, surely it would have got better with higher oestrogen, not worse? And it’s been much improved since dropping the hrt dose a little lower. Plus I’m on a very high dose of oestrogen as it is.

I do accept it could be coincidental though. Correlation does not equal causation!

@NaughtipussMaximus I just think its got better because of the omazeropole, I honestly do. I still get this pain usually about twice a year, even though I am also on 3mg oestrogel, I just keep a supply of omazeropole on stand by.

Before I took HRT I had to take Omazeropole every single day!

I think I am correct in saying that I was told 'you were born with the hernia' I think the menopause exagerates the symptoms. I never knew I had one! I had NEVER had gastric reflux/acid etc in my life.

Either way, you can get it all checked in the New Year, I am positive it is nothing serious if the pain is already getting better!

It could well be the omeprazol helping! It’ll be a while before I can speak to anyone from the menopause clinic so ill just have to and juggle the meds myself in the meantime. You’re right, I do feel pretty reassured that it’s nothing very sinister though, which is a relief.

Just a quick update on this in case anyone is suffering from the same issues. My sypmtoms have pretty much gone now - I dropped to 2mg of gel per day (instead of 3mg) and increased the omeprazole (to 4 doses per day). I've gradually been able to drop down the omeprazole back to one dose per day without recurrance of my GI symptoms. This morning I finally got a letter from my menopause consultant in which she said that my oestradiol was high, and advised that I should immediately drop to 2mg oestrogen gel per day as it could indeed be the cause of the GI symptoms (and also oddly can lead to a recurrence of flushes/hot sweats - whe knew? Premature menopause, the gift that keeps on giving.)

So... if you're on a high dose of oestrogen gel and getting a lot of stomach pain, it could be the gel so discuss with your consultant!

Very interesting to read your comment. I had hysterectomy last November. On 4 pumps per day of oestrogel. Started getting bad stomach pains in august. Went private and had every test known to man, blood tests, scans, cameras. Absolutely nothing wrong with me! I have come to 2 conclusions… 1 The menopause makes us a little paranoid, so we have to try to be a bit more logical about things. 2. Probably the 4 pumps of Oestrogel is doing it, because let’s face it, it actually says on the warnings it can cause stomach pain! But I’m loath to reduce the number of pumps, because it’s helping so much with other things, like energy, positivity, hair thickness! I guess we all have to be a little more like our Grandmothers and try to just get on with it…atleast that’s what I’m thinking… so good luck!