HRT nausea

[BlueVelvetine]

Hi all, I started HRT (Oestrogel/Oestrodose) almost 3 weeks ago. I started on 1 pump then increased it to two after 1 week. I have been really nauseous since starting HRT, with dry retching (sorry tmi) every morning. I had hyperemesis gravidarum in pregnancy and this feels quite similar. Has anyone else had this? Does it settle? Really struggling as I have hormonal shaking/trembling too so getting very fed up/low about it all. My sleep is yet to improve and I was considering increasing gel by another half pump next week but don’t know if this will make things worse? Any advice, tips on how to manage would be appreciated. Thanks for reading.

Bump

I had nausea when I was upped to 5 pumps from 4, felt to me very much like my pregnancy nausea and I guess it would make sense being as how we are flooded with oestrogen during pregnancy. Yours is low to have this reaction but maybe it’s the condition you had or that you aren’t that low? I have no science to support you but it certainly makes sense, good luck and try to persevere, it can take a couple of weeks to settle

Thanks @pinkrabbits39 I really appreciate you replying. I should have mentioned that I’m currently on the Utrogestan phase so unsure if that’s making things worse. GP has prescribed cyclizine to help with nausea. This seems to be helping but this morning my heart is pounding and I’m extremely shaky. There doesn’t seem to be an end to all this. I was wondering also if anyone has any experience of patch v’s Oestrogel? Would this offer a drip feed of oestrogen instead of a surge of it twice a day? Sorry for all the questions but GP is clueless and I can’t get an appointment with a meno specialist for weeks. Thanks.

I had to stop Oestrogel (2 pumps) because I felt horrendous - like jet lag and morning sickness and completely shattered. I also wondered about patch - got some (estrodot 50) but don’t dare try as it Oestrogel made me incapable of functioning for a week

I also had dizziness and a weird stomach ache (neither of which were pre existing)

I haven’t been on oestrogen for HRT but have taken both patches (estrodot and Evorel) and tablets (progynova) for IVF. Tablets make me very nauseous and sensitive to smell (hungover with jet lag is the perfect description) but for me there’s no side effects from patches.

(Currently in a long stretch of induced/medical menopause for IVF and feeling every grim side effect which is why I’m poking around the menopause boards, sorry).

@Dhcdjsjfkcske that’s the perfect description! It’s awful isn’t it? The cyclizine took the edge off but I have been shaking awfully today which is why I’m thinking patch may work better. So difficult finding the right balance.
Aw @Porridgeislife everything crossed for you xx

I had this when I started HRT Oestrogel and found it calms down. I’ve been taking it for about 11 weeks now and feel much better - side effects have subsided.

My body doesn’t seem to like changes of hormone levels so when I was in the Utrogestan phase I felt awful again, got used to it by the end of the cycle, then awful again once I’d stopped taking it. I’ve now got the Mirena Coil and it seems to have put me on a much more even keel so less side effects.

I asked a similar question about reducing/increasing pumps on here when I was at about the 2/3 week stage of starting. I was told to keep with the dose I had as it’s early days rather than keep increasing doses. If you did increase, I’d do it in half pumps rather than full and keep a note of how you feel and side effects.

This is interesting to me bec I had bad morning sickness each pregnancy. I kind of wigged out when I tried The Pill once, too, I just felt awful. Only managed 3 days on it.

Hey ladies, hope you’re all doing ok.

@gegs73 this is really interesting as I’m considering the mirena coil also. Currently using Utrogestan vaginally (started on 200mg but felt quite awful so reduced to 100mg) still have 3 days left). I’m using 2 pumps of Oestrogel (am & pm) but I’m still having a lot of anxiety/agitation and wondering if I should increase? Can I ask how long the nausea lasted when you increased? Also, has your mood been ok on the mirena coil?

@lljkk I think a lot of us experience hormonal nausea. It’s awful isn’t it? Are you considering HRT?

@BlueVelvetine - whenever I increased/changed doses including the Utrogestan phase on and off it, I’d feel sick, generally off, dizzy, carpal tunnel symptoms and tingly for 5 days then the side effects reduced. I have slowly felt better with peri symptoms over the 11 weeks but increased after feeling better for a couple of weeks then feeling worse again.

My main symptoms with peri are extreme tiredness and brain fog. I improved this a decent amount with the lower dose (2 pumps), but found that increasing by .5 of a pump has helped further. I don’t feel perfect but 90% better than I did at the start. Again side effects (not extreme) lasted about 5 days.

The Mirena has been amazing for me. I put it off once before I actually got it but I’m so glad I did. Again about 5/6 days of side effects including headache, acne (not lots) and dizzy but now that’s all gone. It didn’t seem to affect my mood but I don’t have problems with depression or mood swings etc so I’m maybe not prone to that. I’m just really pleased to avoid the Utrogestan as I would have felt terrible half the month.