PMS/PMDD + HRT (Novofem) = still a mess

[Notawittyname]

I am now 41 and before my second child at 34 I had no hormone issues apart from acne. After 2nd child I have had various symptoms that I eventually worked out were hormone related to the 2 weeks prior to period. Anxiety, depression, insomnia, tiredness, rage, brain fog, night sweats etc. Anti-depressants helped a little but going back to a different GP recently we talked around peri-menopause and due to the brain fog, anxiety, night sweats she suggested to try HRT.
The first 2 weeks of HRT (Novofem) were amazing. I felt calm, more like me but since then it isn't so great. The weeks on the hormone mix I get awful skin and then the PMS symptoms come back with a vengeance. I have just finshed my second pill set and the last week has been horrendous. Rage, anxiety, lack of focus at work so I literally couldn't write an email without forgetting what I was doing or switching to another task, generally feel awful.

Any ideas on where to go next? I have a Dr appointment next week but don't know whether i need to stop HRT, try a different one, is this a hormone senstivity thing and not peri or something else. I am so tired and my work is really gone downhill to the point I want to quit.

I suffered badly from PMS/PMDD and have found that the Mirena coil with estrogen patches has really worked for me. The rage and anxiety have disappeared. Worth talking to your doctor about? I think there was a good podcast about PMDD on the Louise Newsom/Balance site.

@WhereAreWeNow Thank you! I will ask about that. Do you think it was the localised progesterone that helped rather than having it everywhere in your body? I did read about progesterone intolerance and that ticked a few boxes. It is so confusing as the symptoms of too much, too little and all the hormones are the same.

I'm similar OP, except a lifelong (well, adult life) PMS sufferer. HRT just brings it back. Last month I switched to Utrogestan tablets vaginally (I wear Everol patches month round) and it seemed better - however too soon to tell I guess. Some women are just intolerant of progesterone, whether their own or the body identical drug - something to do with hormone receptors I believe.

Generally speaking, the advice is to try any HRT regime for 3-6 months to see if it settles in, alas that means a degree of suffering. Its shit.

Was it synthetic, progestin, or progesterone?

I think there may be associated depression etc with progestin.

I don't know @Notawittyname . I was really anxious about having the Mirena fitted because I was convinced I'm sensitive to progesterone and that it would trigger worse PMDD symptoms but I'd be stuck with it and wouldn't be able to get it removed quickly. I've been really lucky though. It's had quite the opposite effect. My anxiety, depression and anger symptoms all subsided almost immediately. I started to feel symptoms creeping back after a few months so increased estrogen dose and that did the trick.
The coil has also stopped my periods too which is a bonus as they were extremely heavy, long and painful.
I don't think there's a magic solution that works for everyone but this is working for me.
Good luck. PMDD is totally miserable.

Thank you @Summerhillsquare . I'm sorry you've had this for much longer than me. Hope your Utrogestan works for you.

Thank you. I do feel like a bit of a human guinea pig sometimes. There's just so little research into women's health that we are scrabbling around like this.

Hi guys. I started oestrogen patches two days ago for my PMDD and I am in anxiety hell. I’ve had to force myself not to rip it off in the hope it subsides because I do feel like it’s probably a ride it out kind of deal. Does anyone have advice? Will it get better?
like the lady said above - I do feel like a human Guinea pig.

I have been on HRT for years and noticed an improvement in my mood when changing to taking Utrogestan vaginally, alongside the usual patches. I’ve recently switched to continuous HRT so still getting used to that but the thing that has made a life changing difference to my suspected PMDD is a daily antihistamine tablet (Fexofenadine). If I forget to take it I really know about it, but then within an hour of taking it I’m a different person (dreadful low mood and anxiety gone).