Been on HRT for 9 months suddenly hot flushes are back - anyone else? Suggestions?

[iknowimcoming]

Started HRT in March (ugestron and Sandrena gel) and saw improvements quickly, within 2 weeks hot flushes vanished (hurrah) had mirena put in in July as gp said it would be easier for me (I have adhd and was on the non-daily progesterone as still had a random period every 9 months or so) I said I was concerned about mirena as had it once before and it gave me permanent pmt (nearly divorced) but gp reassured me it would be easy to balance hormones by adjusting the oestrogen gel so cracked on. Have definitely been more irritated since and was building up to private blood tests to try and improve things (haven't got round to it yet). Now in the last 3 weeks have had the odd hot flush started off just being my face but they are becoming more frequent 4-6 times a day/night and more like the all-over hot feeling I used to get (although still not quite as bad as they were) and starting to disturb my sleep again

Just wondered if this is common and if anyone else has had it what improved it please?

OP please don't pay money for tests. They are not necessary. I've been told this by my consultant (private) who could offer me tests costing £thousands, but they say they are not necessary.

The reason is that your hormones change by the hour and even on HRT they vary according to when you used the estrogen, how many hours since, etc.

You probably just need a little bit more gel. Give that a try first.

@Woofie7 You recommend a brand of tests, but also say that two drs you know (of) don't recommend them. And there is a reason for that :)

Or ask your doctor to up your progesterone ( utrogestron)

@Woofie7 Why do you suggest the OP increases her progesterone? She can't, as she has a Mirena. She used to use Utrogestan.

@iknowimcoming Sandrena comes as a 0.5mgs sachet and a 1mgs.

If you are on 0.5 that a tiny dose and you may need more.

@iknowimcoming just speak to the nurse who does HRT reviews at your surgery.

My dose has been increased twice in the last 3 years due to hot flushes restarting. It’s never been an issue to sort it.

Thanks - yes I thought the last thing I'd need to do is increase the progesterone I've always been told it's the oestrogen that fixes the flushes

I'm on the 1.0mg Sandrena gel sachets (1 per day) atm, but I will message my gp and try and get an appt - thanks all!

@Woofie7 My HRT is not on the NHS.

Dried wee tests do not work. I'm sorry that women are being 'sold ' this as it's a waste of money.

From looking at your links, the tests are not really for menopause but for profiles of minerals etc.

The only test used for menopause is the FSH test which is used in women under 45 to diagnose early menopause. NICE advises not to use it in women of normal peri-meno age as it is unreliable.

Obviously, having a healthy diet which will maximise nutrients is great, but I'm not sure why a test is needed for an HRT dose which is what the OP asks.

If these tests were valid they would be offered privately by menopause consultants in the UK (most of whom work privately as well as NHS) and the British Menopause Society would suggest them.

The dr you see is not a menopause specialist, (she has no formal training in menopause hormones) but she focuses mainly on skin . acne and facial appearance. I'm disturbed that she suggested increasing progesterone as a remedy for flushes, as progesterone increases body temperature and also reduces the benefits of estrogen on flushes. Many women are told to increase estrogen during the days they are on progesterone.

Obviously, it's good you feel your symptoms are better.

I found that symptoms came back after a while. I went from Evorel 50 patches to Evorel 75. I'm now on 100 and feel great so I'm hoping it stays stable now. Good luck.