HRT gel or patches?

[samantha69]

I am going through the menopause and am thinking of starting HRT but need some advice
thank you 🙏

I have the gel ……but my memory is so bad, I forget about it half the time! Thinking of asking for patches

Talk to your GP & take a look at the many websites for more information.

I use patches, find them great, easy to manage.

Thankyou I am really interested in if HRT makes a big difference?

I've tried gel, spray and patches. Patches by far the best. Change every 3-4 days. Easy.

I have gel and finding it fine to use.
I didn't really want a patch to stick on u less I really had to.

I felt the same but I had to use so much gel and didn't absorb v well.

Keep persevering: patches didn’t work for me - a blood test showed I wasn’t absorbing it for some reason. I switched to gel and got symptomatic relief very quickly. It took a while to get dosage right. It’s made a huge difference to me. Good luck !

I'm hoping for gel. I'm led to believe that tablets aren't good if you suffer from headaches/ migraines.

Gel looks simple, pop it on each night after the shower.

Didn't want patches as I have pets who sleep with me so there are risks to them from being near the patch over night. Gel is great for me I apply after I get out the shower each morning. It was just about getting into a routine.

Tablets for oestrogen aren't the go to these days. Transdermal much safer. Progesterone is usually utrogesten gel capsules.

Yes for me. Obviously depends on your symptoms & the severity.

Thank you all that's really useful

@samantha69
Massive difference to energy levels and joint pain. Sleep has been transformed.
Good luck!
(Patches)

Pretty sure this isn't a thing. I have patch on my bum and dog sleeps on bed.

I've used patches for years, much better than tablets as it goes straight into your blood stream rather than via your gut and you only have to remember to change them twice a week. I also use Vagifem which is a god send if you suffer from vaginal atrophy which I didnt know was a thing till I happened to be watching a Tiktok video out in Turkey and recognised my symptoms so rushed to the chemist to get some vagifem. (Turkey sell it over the counter and so do Boots in UK but its rebranded to Gina). My Doctor had kept treating me for UTIs but I knew this felt different. Was frequently weeing but also had a burning sensation inside my vagina and was very painful to the point I could barely sit down! Replens gel also helps with the symptoms.

Makes a big difference for most women. Don't get fobbed off with anti ds like some Dr's try to do! They won't help and also the studies done in the 70s that stated you'd be at greater risk of breast cancer were found to be flawed as they tested it on women mainly in their 70s who would have a higher rate of chance of getting breast cancer rather than women in their 40s/50s who tend to use HRT

@cleowasmycat absolutely is a thing induced signs of season in spayed cats and dogs and feminisation of male dogs and cats. Well recognised clinical syndrome seen a couple of cases my self causes are not washing hands after apply the gel/ moose or sharing the bed with an owner who wears patches. There have been other cases of discarded patches being chewed, swallowed and causing not only feminisation, but blockages too. Was discussing a case with a colleague only last week feminisation in a 7 year make neutered dachshund - he had swollen mammary glands.

I think there's a lot of personal preference and a bit of trial and error involved in finding what's right for you. I have a Mirena coil for the progesterone part and patches for the estrogen. I tried the gel but didn't get on with it at all. It made me feel absolutely dreadful. Patches are great for me.
I've never heard of the risk to pets. Surely the risk of transfer through contact is greater with the gel as it's covering a larger area of skin? With the patch, the estrogen is on the side that's in contact with your skin, not the side a pet or partner could come into contact with.

Patches are useless if you swim frequently, I'm happier with gel. I put it on my bedside table so I remember to put it on.

Im on gel and mirena coil- couldn’t be doing with periods any more!
I think the worst thing about gel is having to have large areas of skin exposed whole you are applying, which is not appealing when it’s cold!
HRT made a huge difference to my energy levels and stopped suicidal PMT episodes.

I didn't get on with the patches, had to use tape to keep them on and it left me with big black marks everywhere.

So much happier with gel - 3 pumps and it dries while I'm pottering in bathroom before bed

I swopped to patches some years ago as I do several long haul flights each year and the risk of DVT is less with patches. I find they work really well and I swim 3 or 4 times each week and have no problems.

Hi
I swim 4 x weekly and have had no problems with my patches and swimming.

I don't tolerate plasters well, they make me itchy, so I use the gel. Put it on after my morning shower, and it dries while I'm flossing, brushing etc. No bother at all.

The patches fell off after two swims for me. I resorted to putting wound dressings over the top to keep them on, but they look ugly and I got the black sticky bits from black clothes. It's horses for courses I suppose.