Oestrogen way too high perimenopause

[124totland]

I’m 44 the doctor has given me hrt. I don’t think I’m in peri yet. They won’t give me blood tests. I had a private one and the oestrodiol is so high it’s off the chart! I am very scared now.

Thanks guys. I will keep going. I just felt so grotty for so long and I just am impatient to feel better. I have always been so incredibly fit and healthy and now I’m a fat mess 😂

Finger prick test results are not reliable if you are using gel or patches. So please ignore that blood tests result.

Impact of HRT isn’t immediate but if there is no difference a couple of months in ask to try a higher dose of the gel. Or try patches.

there are differences- I get on well with Estradot patches but less so with Everol. One is soy derived and one is yam even though end hormone is the same.

Thank you. I was so very worried

Two pumps of gel twice a day is a very high dose. The usual starting dose is two pumps once a day ( in the morning). Are you sure you should be using it twice a day?

Also , fingerprick tests are notoriously unreliable for measuring oestrogen. Can only really trust a venous test result. So I wouldn't rely on that result.

Probably talking bobbins here but I tried hrt for 3 months and came off it. It didn't settle down for me, I felt wired, hyper and my migraines increased massively. Very much not myself.

The main symptoms which I was experiencing were around sleep and anxiety at that stage and as I was 48 I pushed my gp to prescribe although she was a little wary.

When I stopped things settled quickly for me. Luckily for me my sleep issues responded well to magnesium supplements so they have receded and my anxiety is better with more sleep.

My gps view is that I'm just not there yet. I am almost 50 now but periods still regular, no hot flushes or brain fog, mostly well in myself. My mother menopaused late as did my grandma so no real surprise I'm still only having the mild early peri symptoms. My gp is ready and willing with a prescription when I need it but we just don't think based upon symptoms that's quite yet.

This is me of course and my experience only but sharing because I was expecting hrt to be an immediate cure all for any potential peri symptoms once I hit 45 and it just was too early.

The starting dose is 1 or 2 pumps a day @124totland

Why are you on 4 pumps a day?

The ideal way is to start with 1 pump and gradually increase after a week or so to 2 pumps.

2 pumps is what most women use unless it's not enough.

I have been advised to take my oral progesterone on an empty stomach otherwise it can cause indigestion.

Have you thought about having a mirena coil instead of taking it orally?

I was on 4 pumps of Oestrogel and started getting peri symptoms again. They changed where it was manufactured, I think, and although they swear they didn’t change the ingredients, a lot of women found that it wasn’t working as well as it used to. I changed to patches (everodot) and everything is ok again.

Whatever you use, you do have to give it a while. It only takes a week or so for me to notice a difference. It is so worth it when it is right though!

have been advised to take my oral progesterone on an empty stomach otherwise it can cause indigestion.

The leaflet in the pack says take on an empty stomach.

This is to reduce any possible side effects because taking it with food doubles its effectiveness (but in some women they may experience slightly more side effects like sedation.) It's nothing to do with indigestion.

Only going on what the gp told me!

My GP gave me HRT (sequential patches) a couple of years ago - I was exhausted, brain fog, horrific headaches. Periods a bit irregular (generally more frequent) and no obvious reasons for any of my symptoms. It didn't help me massively other than my periods becoming more regular but I went with the peri diagnosis. After about 12-18 months my periods became a bit of mess, loads of spotting and mid-cycle bleeding, cycle length all over the place. My mood was horrific and I was completely exhausted. I went back to GP and she suggested changing my HRT and possibly adding in testosterone. After a few months of increasing the dose I wasn't feeling any better. She did a blood test to check my oestrogen before prescribing testosterone (as if insufficient the testosterone is just converted to oestrogen). My levels were very high (about 5x the upper normal range) so no issue with absorption. My SHBG level was also very high. My testosterone and FAI were normal too so not lacking in T. She didn't seemed concerned with this and was going to go ahead with prescribing testosterone. I declined and just stopped taking all HRT. I no longer have all the irregular bleeding so I'm pretty convinced I didn't need it. I still have the original symptoms but GP doesn't seem interested in anything other than HRT as a mid-40s woman. I am wondering if I am oestrogen dominant and just need progesterone.
It's true that testing oestrogen levels are unreliable as a diagnosis for menopause because they fluctuate, but once you are on HRT they can be used to check absorption/dosage etc.

I was expecting hrt to be an immediate cure all for any potential peri symptoms once I hit 45 and it just was too early.

what @myladyjane said. So many of us have tried HRT and found it probably wasn’t the right time. I was on 4 pumps of gel at one point and I too had the bloating so severe I thought I had some advanced cancer, which triggered anxiety. I also had nausea and felt super wired. I’d already had a very obvious bad reaction to progesterone, but it was the oestrogen latterly. I was still having a regular bleed, with normal period pains that never changed, which eventually made me think it was HRT too soon if my body could naturally keep the cycle going (still is now, where friends of the same age have long stopped) and certainly too much. My body and mental health all felt so much better once I came off HRT (for a second time) so it may be that it’s the wrong time @124totland but potentially still the right treatment for the future?

Just want to say that progesterone dips long before oestrogen and in other countries they just prescribe natural progesterone in peri. As that helps with sleep and anxiety and fluctuating oestrogen.

I have no idea why they don’t do that in the UK. It seems really silly. Mirena coil is synthetic progesterone and not good for the body. I also think the progesterone tablets are probably way too much for some women. Different stages need different amounts. I’ve had good success with the prescribed progesterone cream and I get that from a specialist GP. I took the stronger progesterone before and I was too emotional. I think too much of any hormone sends us over the edge. Hope this helps someone.