Can you just stop taking hrt ?

[cleo333]

I’ve been in hrt for sometime now and I’m always bleeding on and off , I’ve had clear biopsies and changes of dose but no difference . I’m waiting to see gyne but it’s a 2 yr wait but I’m so utterly fed up
, can I just stop taking it or do I need to wean off ? The gp said it was my choice but to stay on until I see gyne but I’m flooding again and feel crap

Yes I stopped overnight and had no ill effects. Similar reasons.

I stopped overnight too. No ill effects, I actually felt better

Thank you . I’m so fed up of it , see no benefit ( might regret this if I start flushing and not sleeping again ) just bleeding and hidious period pain . I’ve told the gp and am on a 2 year wait for gyne - how rubbish is that

I also just stopped. I had tried various different types and nothing made me feel better. I’ve been off it now for a while and no issues. I’m sorry you’re having trouble with it at the moment.

I did and vertigo and migraines returned.

Are you on gel/patch and oral progesterone? Taking the progesterone daily or for half the month? I'm SO sick of the monthly bleeding and switched to the daily progesterone as apparently that should eliminate it. It mostly hasn't and I too am wondering whether to stop. But I don't want to lose the benefits! I'm 54. What regime are you on OP?

I went from pills and oestrogen gels to a Mirena and gels. And that stopped the on off bleeding. In early 50s. Then had a series of changes in breast tissue and the breast clinic asked me to come off the oestrogen so they could monitor it better. I’ve been off it for 3 years now, still have the Mirena, and honestly it’s been fine. I’d been on hrt since I was about 42. I occasionally have a hot flush but the night sweats and anxiety and rage have all gone.

The clinic said just go back on it if symptoms were too much to handle but they haven’t been.

If your periods are the problem, think about the Mirena coil. It has completely stopped my periods. I was getting really painful periods almost every three weeks!

Can you explain more what's going on?

Is HRT making you have heaver and more frequent periods or were these happening anyway pre-HRT?

What types and doses have you tried?

Why did you go onto HRT- what were you hoping it would help?

Most bleeding can be sorted with a change of type and dose.

ive bled more on hrt and now heavy again as was before my periods virtually stopped . I went on hrt 2 years because I wasn’t sleeping and vaginal atrophy but the bleeding is now awful I’ve had enough they can’t seem to get the dose right and gyne are useless - 2 yr wait !!!

im scared to have a coil as I’ve had 2 biopsy’s and nearly hit the roof and the atrophy is sore at times too

I stopped dead, but I’d only been taking it a few months. Felt much better without it! It’s not right for everyone, despite what Davina/ the Newsom folks would have you believe!

Heavy bleeding is usually directly linked to how much estrogen you're using and how much progesterone.

You ought to be advised to reduce the estrogen (not sure what you're using- gel/patch/tablet?) and /or increase the progesterone (you can take 300mgs x 14 days per cycle.) Or try something different to Utrogestan, like Norethisterone taken as a tablet.

Can you say what does you're using?

Have you tried Vagifem or other vaginal oestrogen for atrophy? If you could get that improved then a Mirena could be an option. Is a few minutes of discomfort worse than what you are going through now?

It did take about 6 months for bleeding/spotting to stop with mine, but that was an unusually long time, and I’ve been fine for the last 3years.

I did but I was menopausal and in my late 50's.I had been getting so much optic migraine on HRT .I had always suffered with Migraine with Aura since puberty but it had tailed off after pregnancy with only a few attacks year in the interim, However on HRT i was having attacks up to three times a week I first came off oestrogen and continued on progesterone only for sleep benefits (advice of gynaecologist) but after a brief period without migraine they came back with vengeance .I was on holidays at the time so just stopped and in the past nine months have had no migraine ,no bloating ,my weight has remained stable .I had also been put on Bisprolol for irregular heartbeat .My heartbeat is now normal and im off the tablets .HRT was definitely not for me and I feel so much better off it .

im taking a 75 Evorel patch and 200 progesterone

Hi I stopped taking HRT 6 weeks ago after being on it for 2 and a half years. I don't feel any different really.

I haven't stopped taking my HRT but wanted to add my two pennyworth as @JinglingSpringbells said about reducing estrogen or increasing progesterone. I managed to see a gynecologist and he said the same advice. I checked the dose on the HRT patches I used to use and the two pumps of gel gives a MUCH higher dose of estrogen compared to progesterone.
So instead of stopping I'm reducing to one pump and seeing how it goes for a month or two. Been advised to get mirena coil rather than do this but I also would rather not.

Is that 200mgs daily or 14 days a month?

Why does your GP not change you to a different type of progesterone?

Utrogestan is known for being less effective in some women compared to Norethisterone.

Have you had patches with it before?

Have you tried dropping to a 50mcg patch?

Are you post menopausal? it doesn't sound as if you were when you started HRT.

I'm not sure if you're using sequential or a combined continuous regime. if it's a combined continuous, you should be over 54 or with no periods for a year before using this sort. Has anyone suggested the reason for the bleeding is you're not post meno ? If you aren't you will still have your own estrogen and the progesterone isn't enough to control the womb lining.

@QuickFetchTheCoffee 2 pumps of gel is the same as a 50mcg patch. 1 pump of gel is the same as a 25mcg patch.
It's when the dose goes up to 3/4 pumps of gel or a 75/100 patch that there's sometimes a need to increase Utrogestan.

I did the same when I had excessive bleeding. I didn’t want the Mirena either. Reduced 1 pump (3 to 2) and took progesterone for the full 14 days (instead of 12) and that seems to have fixed the problem. A bit much on the other side now as I have had no bleeding this month! But yes, the first step is to balance the E and P.

I stopped abruptly, HRT helped with flushes and sweats but my mood became v low which I think was partly the progesterone (plus winter and personal circumstances changing). I've been off HRT for 2 months now and feel better than I did on it. I had a period, first in over 6 months shortly after stopping but could be coincidence, they were already infrequent before I started HRT.

Have you decided what to do? I'm in the same position re bleeding, but have had gynae investigations which are clear. I'm worried that if I stop the hrt my symptoms will come back, but the bleeding makes me so miserable