Bit underwhelmed on HRT. Any good supplements I can take too?

[GnarlyOldGoatDude]

Have been on HRT (gel and 2 weeks of Utrogestan) since November. Mainly for rubbish sleep, aches, and general rage/ anxiety.

Initially it maybe made me slightly more tolerant, but it feels like that’s worn off. Very heavy erratic bleeding, and painful boobs. I’ve had to start the mini pill to try and control the blood loss.

Are there any supplements/ vitamins you’d recommend? I’m usually a huge fan of medical treatment and machines that go beep, but right now I’m really tempted to just stop the HRT altogether

B12 often goes hand in hand and causes meno type symptoms of brain fog and irritability. This one is good, I think boots and Holland Barrett stock it

betteryou.com/products/boost-b12-oral-spray

@hidethetoaster thank you, will have a look!

I’ve always taken a general multivitamin (a bassetts one I think, will have to see what’s in it), plus evening primrose oil and high dose Vit D for the last couple of years

I hate to say it, but taking supplements is a waste of money. My consultant is anti supplements. If your diet is good, you don't need extra vitamins. In his words, they are just sent straight into the loo by your body.
Vit B12 is found in plenty of natural foods.www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/vitamin-b12-deficiency-anemia

Also evening primrose is not recommended for menopause. The RCOG did research on all of this and found it is ineffective. EPO is only recommended for breast pain when it's part of PMS or similar.

I don't know if you have thought about the other options such as yoga, mindfulness and meditation? And daily exercise? They can all be really helpful for emotional symptoms and sleep.

@JinglingHellsBells I take starflower oil. It makes a noticeable difference to the 12 utro days. It seems to stop the cramping and bloating. It was always effective for me for pmt when younger. 🙂

Vitamin b6, evening primrose oil, and agnus castus are good supplements for hormonal stuff

Magnesium has helped me enormously.

As a principle, it's best to do your own research on something like Google Scholar before buying anything. There are a lot of myths around supplements. And the vast majority of what people (not just here!) suggest can be found in a normal, healthy diet with lots of veg, fruit, meat, fish, dairy etc.

Most supplements and herbs are placebos. The efficacy rate is often 30-40% which is no higher than a placebo. For products to be effective they have to show a higher efficacy across a wide population.

There are a few exceptions where there may be some real benefits- black cohosh for flushes (but it can also be toxic in large amounts), St John's wort for low mood (but it can be dangerous if mixed with many other drugs) and EPO for breast pain.

Minerals like magnesium and all the vitamins are in foods.

Magnesium glycinate makes a difference to my sleep.
My diet, although healthy, could be better volume wise. I have a tiny appetite.
I started taking protein powered to help me with lifting weights. I cannot eat the volume of protein needed every day and I wasn’t eating much at all.
A very pleasant effect has been that my decade long hair loss stopped. Hair fall back to normal levels rather than I am going to go bald levels.
It was interesting when I went for a full blood test a few months ago that the only thing flagged up was a low protein marker.
The gp told me not to worry. I didn’t. But clearly it was linked to my hair loss.

@JinglingHellsBells yes the EPO was for breast pain/ cysts, I should have said. I had a painful cyst on mammo/ USS 2 years ago, and the EPO was recommended by a breast radiologist. It’s definitely helped with cyclical breast pain, but my boobs were super sore last week on HRT.

I’m NHS myself, so very into medication and not into homeopathy etc!

But am not loving the whole HRT experience TBH, so am just interested in exploring things that can work with it, as long as not too woo

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor what dose do you take?

@GnarlyOldGoatDude Go to the Women's Health Concern website- patient arm of the BMS- and there is a whole host of HRT alternatives.

However, having been on HRT for nearly 14 years with a brilliant meno gynae, I do know there are many variations on HRT that can be tweaked far over and above the standard regime (I've never been on the standard regime ever!)

It sounds as if your estrogen levels are too high and /or you are not getting on with Utrogestan very well.

I'm sure my consultant would suggest reducing the gel, or upping the Utrogestan ( to control the bleeding) OR offering another type - could be Femoston tablets ( very body-identical type) OR estrogen-only for longer than half the month to see if it's that or the Utrogestan that is not working well for you.

The trouble with all the standard regimes is that unless your GP is an expert, or you see someone who is, you can't vary the bog standard doses. There are alternatives within HRT without resorting to giving it up.

Thanks @JinglingHellsBells that’s v interesting and v helpful. My GP was happy to prescribe HRT, but it’s clearly not a specialist interest. They can’t get a Mirena in or I’d try that.

I’m just on 2 pumps of the gel at the moment.

I suppose I pushed for HRT for my original symptoms, but my blood tests weren’t diagnostic and oestrogen levels were still within the ok range in November. So I suspect you may be right about too much oestrogen.

I had been thinking about seeing one of the meno specialists, but had hoped that bog standard treatment might be enough for me and make me magically lovely…

@GnarlyOldGoatDude I'll PM you :)
When I first started on HRT I used 1 pump of gel and progestogen once every 3 months ( called long cycle.) That allowed me to see how I felt on estrogen only. (There is a tablet form of HRT that is 3-monthly.)

Thanks @JinglingHellsBells