How do you if your periods have stopped if you're on HRT?

[LonelyFlans]

I had been on cyclical HRT (the patches that are 2w of oestrogen & 2w of oestrogen & progesterone) until January.

I came off the HRT to have some (unrelated) tests in January (still waiting for these tests, but that's a different issue).

I'm feeling pretty rough again (most of perimenopause symptoms) and decided to restart HRT a couple of months ago, on the first day of my next period. But my period never arrived.

It's now been 3 months without a period. I know I can just restart HRT, but what I'd like to know is:

• if I restart the cyclical HRT will that give me a period/breakthrough bleed?
• if it does, how will i know when my periods have stopped for good?
• I understand that once periods have stopped I can be prescribed continuous HRT, is there any harm in taking cyclical HRT rather than continuous HRT at that point?

Any advice would be great - thanks

• if I restart the cyclical HRT will that give me a period/breakthrough bleed?

Usually although up to 1 in 4 women don't have withdrawal bleeds.

• if it does, how will i know when my periods have stopped for good?

You won't! The only way is to stop HRT for a long time and you'd be post meno if no period for 12 months.

• I understand that once periods have stopped I can be prescribed continuous HRT, is there any harm in taking cyclical HRT rather than continuous HRT at that point?

None at all. Cyclical HRT is safer than continuous as it has a lower risk of breast cancer. It's a choice to move onto continuous although most GPs don't seem to appreciate this and tend to switch a lot of women over without discussing preferences or the pros and cons.

Thanks that's really helpful

I recently switched to continuous as could not stand having periods at 54 still and so heavy was drained and the higher dose of utrogesterone for 2 weeks on/off was killing me as sensitive to my own progesterone so flooding my body with it was awful, was like a zombie and so low and could not function. So a pharmacist told me if I was on hrt for more than a year can change to continuous as it would balance out my hormones as the surge was awful, so spoke to doctor and she agreed and the first few months did bleed twice a month and spotting but has settled down and it is much better on the lower dose nightly of 1 tablet which I take vaginally as has less side effects so for me personally prefer continuous. Hope you get sorted as it is a minefield.