I had a rare (first since the start of pandemic) face-to-face appointment with a GP I'd spoken to a couple of times on the phone before but never seen. I went in to talk to him about ongoing heart palpitations which I've had for years now but are really bad at the moment (and have been investigated over the last 4 years, nothing is showing up as worrying) ... he'd had me on a low dose beta blocker for them before but that was just a month's worth, I don't think it made a difference, and he said 'well, since I see you've already expressed an interest in trying HRT and it's almost certain they're down to oestrogen depletion, let's just do that' ... and I came out, somewhat stunned, with a script for HRT in my sticky mitts! 
The background to this is that I've had various peri symptoms for at least 3-4 years. I'm now nearly 49, and I've been trying to talk to my own GP (who is extremely anti-HRT) about HRT for years. She has always trotted out stuff that I KNOW isn't right (you've had a migraine aura (twice!) without the headache so you can never have HRT as it'll increase your stroke risk, you can only take HRT for 3 years so you mustn't start too soon, etc) but she seems to be on indefinite leave and yet another GP had expressed a tentative opinion a year ago that 'maybe you could try a trial of HRT' (and then I got Covid and wanted to get that out of my system). So all this was on my notes, I assume, and to this new GP it really wasn't a big issue. I said firmly that yes please, I WOULD like to start it but wanted an oestrogen gel not oral, he tried to locate a pump, gave up and prescribed sachets of Sandrena 0.5mg gel and Utrogestan progesterone (which I gather is micronised and yam-based and that this is Good?) at 100mg.
It's the dosing that's foxing me. He said, just rub the gel into your thigh or lower belly in the mornings, let it dry etc, and start with one 0.5mg sachet and gradually build up to 3-4 sachets daily. He also suggested I might like to have a higher or lower dose depending on how I feel (not sure about that). It's the progesterone I'm confused over. It's the lower dose of Utrogestan I believe, 100mg, one daily - to be taken on days 1-25 of my cycle.
I'd already explained that, while I'm still menstruating, my cycle length can vary from between 18 to 58 days and I'm currently on about day 37 of what seems to be a longer than 'normal' cycle. So it makes sense to take the progesterone from day one of bleeding because that's a definite point I can measure from - but right now it could be weeks before my cycle starts again! I'm very frustrated - I would like to get on with the gel but not sure if I'm meant to just start it and then bring in the progesterone when I start my cycle. Or, given the HRT will sort of 'create' my cycles (??) does this matter, should I just start with both of them?
Also, from reading on here I gather that 25 days of progesterone per cycle seems like a lot. It's definitely the 100mg dose daily but I'm seeing women here being told 12 or 14 days.
So my questions are:
first, can I just start with the gel right now and not worry about the progesterone until I start bleeding? What it that's weeks and weeks away? Or do I take both together from the onset?
second- does taking 100mg Utrogestan for 25 days of cycle seem excessive?
I emailed the practice to ask that these questions be forwarded to him but no reply. Now it's the weekend. I was prescribed on Monday. 