Can't get Oestrogel dose right

[MagpiePi]

I was on 4 pumps of Oestrogel for ages and it controlled peri symptoms really well. (I have a mirena for progesterone.) I recently started getting disturbed sleep and mild night sweats again, so upped the dose to 5 pumps. This stopped the night sweats and disturbed sleep but I got tender breasts.

I have tried 4.5 pumps but the disturbed sleep returned almost straight away and although the night sweats were gone I felt quite hot. I've gone back up to 5 pumps and have tender breasts but good sleep again.

What do I do? Is it worth trying a different brand, or switching to patches, or do I need to find an exact dose between 4 and 5 pumps which will work? I don't know if this is to do with the white top oestrogel vs the old turquosie top product.

Four pumps of Oestrogel is the maximum recommended dose and any increase beyond this should be discussed with your doctor or menopause specialist.

Some women have reported return of some symptoms after using the different Oestrogel packaging, although the manufacturer has said the product is exactly the same. If you feel this is the case you could report it via the yellow card scheme.

Any change in dose should be given three months to work and then reviewed. Best thing to do would be to discuss options with your GP which might include switching to an estrogen patch or spray.

I’ve made an appointment with my GP and done a yellow card report.
I think the sore boobs was actually from a sports bra with not enough support, but I think it’s sensible to have a chat with the GP.

The old oestrogel bottle delivered a fairly consistent dose of 1.25g with each pump.

The new bottle seems to give anywhere between 0.95- 1.25, different every pump.
the only way to get an accurate dose is to use jewellery scales to weigh it. Bit of a faff for 4 pumps, I use the gel lid on top of the scales and pump it on top.

Now my dose is accurate again, all the returning symptoms have disappeared, thankfully, so to me it’s worth the extra time.

I’ve been on the old bottles for years on max 4 pumps. Been given the new bottles and all symptoms have returned. Any advice as doctors say they are same even though I’ve shown the difference in amount of gel each one pumps out.

@Donnaw1000 there is a large thread on the different bottles, there may be some
answers in there that my help x

Genius @LuckyCharmz 🌟

The patches only go up to 100 @MagpiePi which is 4 pumps but you can stick a few on in increments of 25 to see how you go.

You can get sore boobs for a while when you start oestrogel so I would expect it’s temporary and would go after a few months.