What should happen to periods on the combined patch?

[Mustardfan]

I was on sequential patches for a while, and a few months ago switched to the combined patch (Evorel Conti). I am now getting a period every three weeks. The period lasts for a week. I’m mid fifities. Is this normal? I thought I was going to stop having periods?

I was still having periods on EVOREL conti, but now I'm on EVOREL 75 with a mirena coil, because the periods were horribly painful and explosive. Might be worth asking about that if you can. It's been very helpful.

Why don't GPs explain all of this? Some seem to prescribe drugs without going through how they work.

Changing to continuous usually means up to 6 months of irregular bleeding. (This may be on the leaflet in the box if there is one.)

https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/postmeno.php

This link explains it well.

If you change to continuous too soon (when your own periods haven't stopped for 12 months) your own periods may continue. There's been a trend lately for GPs to offer continuous too early.

I’ve just finished my first month of Evorel conti and I am so fed up of the bleeding - have bled every day for a month. I know it’s listed in the side effects but it’s so bloody annoying. Will give it one more month - the thought of this going on for 6 months is too much

Thanks for the explanation. My GP said I had been taking the HRT sequentially for two years, and that carrying it on for any longer led to greater risk. I can’t remember now what the risk was, problems with the endometrium I think (maybe cancer). I suppose if you’re on the sequential one, your periods don’t stop?

I don’t think I want to increase my dose, but do you know if there’s a higher dose of the conti patches? I’m having some symptoms, eg feeling hot at night.

The bleeds you have on sequential are not your own periods. They are withdrawal bleeds created by the HRT cycle of estrogen + 12 days progesterone.

If you start continuous too soon it usually won't control your own periods if you were still going to have them so you could bleed at irregular times.

So the '2 year rule' isn't correct. see the link .

GPs seem a bit obsessed with the 'risk' of sequential. They either don't know or don't discuss the risk of continuous, which is a higher risk of breast cancer.

They ought to mention this and give women the whole picture so they can make a choice.

I think 50mcgs is the highest combined patch. If you wanted a higher dose it would be estrogen only (patch or gel) and Utrogestan.