HRT ‘Withdrawal bleeds’ present same as periods

[mumandmumber]

On sequential HRT & I’m coming to learn that ‘withdrawal bleeds’ can present essentially the same as a period in terms of the usual accompanying symptoms?
PMT, tender breasts, small clots, period pains etc.
Perhaps I am naive or uneducated but I had always assumed a withdrawal bleed would just be a straight forward light bleed and bleed alone!
Also, I’m learning that these withdrawal bleeds don’t necessarily come regularly?!
Are they not called ‘periods’ simply because the assumption is that they arent necessarily the result of an unfertilised egg?

I have had 'normal periods' some months on HRT (the last one was when I was in hospital for a surgery & a right nuisance) & other months just light shedding of old brown blood. The nurse told me the normal periods might lighten over time.

If you ever use the Pill OP and had a bleed each month, when you had a Pill break, this is kind-of the same
.
The bleed is to prevent the womb lining growing and growing (which estrogen makes it do.)

You won't have a normal period on sequential HRT because the HRT resets a natural, or dwindling natural cycle into an HRT cycle.

And yes, you may well get all the symptoms of PMS because HRT is simply replacing your own hormones with estrogen and progesterone.

You should find the bleed settles into a pattern- mine usually start anywhere from 2 -4 days after the last Utrogestan. Sometimes a day of spotting before the last tablet.

If you're in early peri and hadn't missed any cycles prior to HRT, you may get a bleed outside this pattern and that's where your own cycle is still strong and breaking through. This will stop eventually.

They aren't periods because women can carry on with sequential HRT long after their own periods stop and the bleed is only there because of using HRT.

Thanks @JinglingSpringbells That’s really clear.
I am in peri, but was still have fairly regular periods. I am now 10 months into HRT and definitely had some of my own cycle breaking through here and there, plus ‘withdrawal bleed’ usually before finishing the progesterone, though it feels like its working its way to the end of the progesterone days, and this month, no sign of a bleed yet and finished progesterone last night so perhaps the HRT has finally taken over and set the cycle.

But i have been feeling like I’m about to come on for about a week, so hence the question re symptoms! It feels like its really drags on and I just want to move past the PMS bit.

Just came back to update. After 10 months of quite random bleeds since starting HRT - I finally fell into regular pattern of bleeds start 2-3 days after finishing progesterone - that last about 5 months - and currently on day 8 of a period (a light one) that started on day 6
of progesterone.
Is this normal? It’s really annoying..! I did get checked over and scanned back in May and gynae said all
looks normal bar mild adeno.