Estrogel and Intrarosa for Urinary incontinence. Anyone with experience ?

[Oscariana]

Hi - A HRT consultant put me on Estrogel ( 2 pumps a day) and an Intrarosa pessary x 3 per week, This is mainly to manage some brain fog issues ( period is fine - I'm 48) and my increased urinary urge incontinence which is now so bad that I cant exercise or even walk long distances - especially mid cycle. ( I have tried kegel training, the Emsella chair and pelvic physio before anyone suggests them ) I decided to start on 1.5 pumps and half a pessary just in case ... Well I'm exhausted! Could barely make it through the day yesterday. Fell asleep at 8.30Pm. Also I'm feeling very anxious, headache and have terrible cramps and bloating . The two nights I tried Intrarosa I noticed less backache and I'm urinating less. I've only been on it 5 days - I know it's early but as my mood was great before it's enough for me to consider stopping HRT. Or at least the Estrogel anyway. I've dropped to 1 pump today to see if it makes a difference but just keen to hear others experiences esp if Urinary issues were your main problem. Thanks.

There are various treatments for urge incontinence or frequency which are different to stress incontinence. Frequency can respond to estrogen but not so sure about 'the urge'. The NHS advises bladder training for urge incontinence (although that doesn't necessarily mean estrogen won't help as well.)

Have you had a full assessment of what's going on? It's just that if it's an uncontrollable 'urge' that's a bit different to stress incontinence (which is where exercise and physio can help.)

If you've been given estrogen you'll need to use a type of progesterone every month- have you been given that?

I've never experienced or heard of being tired on estrogen. But everyone is different.
Going straight onto 2 pumps isn't a good idea though. That's the standard dose but you could (or should) be using 1 pump to start with.

Hi - I have a mix of stress and urge incontinence, unfortunately. I saw a Urologist when living abroad, but he suggested mesh surgery, which I do not want (I have heard horror stories). Also spoke to my Gyno when living abroad about it and had lazer surgery (no improvement). Got passed from pillar to post with no solution. My most recent Dr suggested vaginal estrogen or testosterone as things get worse for me mid month onwards.
I have been given progesterone, yes, although this often makes incontinence worse (I'm not mid-month yet, so I can't say what will happen when I start that).
When I googled, I found that a few people reported feeling tired when using estrogen gel, especially those who are perimenopausal like me. Some people just seem to be intolerant to it but are fine on low dose patches. Im still investigating ...