Should I just give up HRT

[humblesims]

I've been on HRT now for about 2 years and had stopped periods for about 3 or 4 years before I went on it. Thought I could get through without HRT but symptoms were getting really bad (mostly anxiety and mood).
Now on oestrogel and utrogestan.
For the first 12 months it was great, really helpful and I felt 100% better. But then I had a bleed and the GP put me on the recommended fast track procedure which took about 6 weeks and all was fine so I went back on HRT in July last year. Since then I have been bleeding on and off every three weeks or so for about a week at a time. Heavy bleeding with cramps etc etc. Went back to the GP to ask if the mirena coil might be the answer but I am too old for that and it's not appropriate. His suggestion was to up the oestragel from 2 to 3 pumps a night for a couple of months to see if that helps. I've been doing that for one month and for that month I have been bleeding heavily with cramps for 2 and a half weeks (with a weeks break in the middle). Today I feel like crap and think I will just have to stop altogether and deal with the awful menopause symptoms I was suffering with originally. My GP isnt very helpful, I dont think. He did suggest that I might want to go on the mini pill and have the bleeding more regular but to be honest, the choice of having 'periods' with cramping etc again or the menopause symptoms seems ...I dunno, I'm just so fed up with it all. I cant believe I am 58 yrs old (tomorrow!) and I am still dealing with this shit. 😪

Hi OP, if you can persuade your GP to give you a mirena prescription, I collected mine and took it to a private GP for fitting.

So the device was NHS and I paid £200 for the fitting. And the private fitting was fantastic, much less painful and I was made to lie on the bed for 20mins afterwards, not shoved out the door!

And I bet the private GP will be happy to fit one for you.

You aren't too old for a Mirena! I had one fitted in January and I'll be 60 this year. However, I've bled continuously since then so I'm going to have it removed (and also because without taking Utrogestan I barely sleep).

I hope your new regime works!

I was given a Mirena coil to stop thickening of the endometrium and post menopausal bleeding. The progesterone helps keep the womb lining thin. Your GP doesn’t have a clue!

It sounds luke you need an increase in progesterone.

I have had lots of bleeding. My Utrogestan was doubled, then tripled. I was then prescribed Provera and I'm now on 30mg daily to try to stop it. All prescribed by a menopause specialist. She told me that 10 or 20 mg is the dose to stop bleeding.

Thanks for the update. I hope it helps but if not there are other options.

I think you should push for the coil too

Thanks for all the great advice everyone and @JinglingSpringbells . I cant believe how tricky it all is and how unhelpful the GP service is regarding this. It does seem counter intuitive to up the oestrogen and not the progesterone. As for the coil, I went online and looked at my patient record to check what he had actually said , and he wrote that he'd advised against it which is not what I remember but it is good know that it is an option still. I wish I could afford to go private but its not really an option right now. I also wish there was someone at the GP practice that I could talk to who knows what they are talking about instead of having to consult a bunch of (very helpful) strangers on the internet. I also didnt realise how many other women are experiencing the same problem. I realise now that I need to do much more research myself rather than just blindly trusting the GP. Thanks again.