Advice on delaying bleed for a holiday

[HRTQuestion]

I'm on Oestrogel 2 pumps and currently Provera 10mg for 14 days (I normally take Utrogestan but couldn't get any last time).

I'm going on holiday in August and I've seen people on here talking about skipping the progesterone to avoid a bleed. Is it that simple or do I need to consider anything else? I usually start bleeding a day or two before my progesterone finishes if that makes any difference.

Bumping for anyone around please

I just did this. I swapped the weeks around so did 2 weeks progesterone and oestrogen, 4 weeks just oestrogen, then 2 weeks progesterone and oestrogen.

It shifted my period by 2 weeks. It worked well, but the eventual period was very heavy.

Thank you, that's interesting. I was a bit worried about skipping the progesterone completely but with your method I guess you're just taking it differently.

I'll look at my dates and see how I can make that work.

I do it all the time, I forget to take it or have to wait for stock etc. It is not a problem, just keep taking the oestrogen.

I am 52, 8 years post menopause, not a doctor.

@adriftabroad sorry not to reply sooner.

Do you do the same as @BirdChirp above, or something a bit different?

Thank you.

You can just extend your cycle.
Some women are on longer cycles long term, under medical supervision.

In peri, it's completely ok to (NICE gives this option) to have a 3-month cycle so extending yours by 2 weeks is fine.

And don't forget that in peri, NOT using HRT, women can go many weeks without a period.

OP I'm planning to do this next month also.

But I assumed I'd delay taking my utro by a fortnight, then take it and have a bleed and then take another 12 days of utro a week later to get back on track.

But maybe I could just skip this month entirely?🤔

GP was against it, even when I pointed out the NICE guidelines about longer cycles.

I think GPs are very cautious and it comes from lack of knowledge. The stats show that for women using only estrogen who have a womb (this used to happen in the US decades ago) 20% would have hyperplasia after 12 months. Out of those 20, a very few , something like 1-2% would have something cancerous or precancerous. I'm not for a moment suggesting anyone does anything silly, but a longer cycle of a few days or a couple of weeks is ok.

I agree that GPs are very cautious, and I understand why, but I get the impression that there's definitely plenty more scope in options than they tend to admit to (or know about).

Interesting to get the details of the NICE guidelines, thanks @JinglingSpringbells . I think I'll just delay my progesterone until I'm on holiday and time it so that I get the bleed shortly after I get back.

Really appreciate the knowledge on here, thanks all.

@HRTQuestion and @JinglingSpringbells i also appreciate all the support.

I absolutely wouldn't have got to this point without all your information on this forum.

🌺

Me too @Moredarkchocolateplease . I hardly ever post but I'm an avid follower of the menopause topic (among others!) and have learned so much.

@BirdChirp this is music to my ears! I’ve just started bleeding today (on sequential hrt utrogestan and oestrogel) and I’m in peri age 44. can you explain the order to try and delay my period by two weeks? Usually take utro day 15-26 what did you do? Do I take it later dates instead and stay on just oestrogel for longer? I’d be so happy if this could work as o have a holiday and Romance (sec) wwwkebd booked this yf snd lm going to be on or premenstrual for both! :’-(. I thought about trying to bring period early but have less control over that as my cycles are getting slightly longer on hrt. Thank you so much!

It didn't work for me. I increased my patch a fortnight before I would have take the utro and started bleeding with the increased endometrial lining. And my stomach got so swollen I took the utro.

In the end I also bled through most of my holiday!

Naproxen can do this. Ask your GP if you can have 4000mg of Naproxen. Take 2 (2000mg) day of and 2 next day and this will either stop the bleed or shorten and lighten it right down.

Naproxen comes in 250mg tablets maximum 4 a day so 1000g. Please don't take 4000g!

I am well past menopause so not sure if you would get breakthrough bleeding like other PPs. I'm not on your exact regime (though it is sequential), but in principle:

Work out whether you want your period before or after the holiday. If you only need to shift it by a few days it's potentially easier. 2 weeks just happened to work out well for me, and meant I didn't waste any pills.

For your medicine that contains progesterone I wouldn't mess around with them too much, you need a certain amount to eventually trigger your period. If you usually take it 14 days, you maybe have flex to take 12-15 days of tablets instead.

For your oestrogen only I'd say your can take as little as 10 days and as much as 28 days in a row.

ThNks @BirdChirp for coming back tk me, appreciate it! I think I will either take the progesterone later so it lasts longer abd pray no breakthrough bleeding or take extra pills Ie extend the time tsking progrsterone from 12 days to 16 as I have some spare tablets., wish me luck ! Can’t have an adults only sex holiday on your period can you!