Might be a silly question but how do I know if my periods have stopped on HRT?

[Imfreezingcoldtoday]

Apologies if this is a silly question but how do I know if my periods have stopped if I’m still taking progesterone every 14 days?
I’m 55 nearly 56, I’ve been on HRT for about 7 years.

75mcg patches and 200mg progesterone for 14 days a month, when do I know if this needs to change from cyclic to constant?

I still get a withdrawal bleed after the progesterone, if I don’t take the progesterone then usually I don’t bleed however a couple of months ago from nowhere mid cycle I had a period.

The progesterone makes me feel absolutely awful so I do go a couple of months without taking it but then the withdrawal period is much heavier than usual.

I think I need to discuss it with a GP but trying to get an appointment for this is an absolute nightmare these days.

I ask this same question about my pill. I still take my pill. But if most of the time I don’t bleed. How do u know when I have stopped. Peoples answer to me is mostly u won’t know until you stop taking the pill and I won’t do that until I am 55 ( I am 50 now ). So I will just have to wait and see

If you’ve been on 7 years and are 56 you should go onto continuous. It will be deemed likely you would have stopped bleeding

you can have an ultrasound which can look at your ovaries. That will tell them if they are still functioning

The advice to me was to stop taking hormone therapy for a month, then get a blood test for FSH and other stuff. From that they can tell of you are still peri or fully post menopausal.

The progesterone is to prevent thickening to the lining of the uterus caused by oestrogen. This is why your bleed is heavier. My understanding was that if you take oestrogen, you have to have progesterone.

I stopped HRT for a while, and my periods had indeed stopped, although I did have one during my year off. I had to have a hysteroscopy before they restarted me, but all was fine, so I am back on HRT now, and on continuous combined. I am 59 and was only on HRT for the three years initially.

I am exactly the same age as you and had a whole palaver with the GP about this. Eventually they did a blood test which showed I was in menopause despite having periods and they switched me from an oral cyclical HRT to (at my request) progesterone capsules and oestrogen gel.

Only problem is they gave me the prescription as a cyclical one again - so 200mg progesterone for half the month and estrogen for half the month (with no direction of how much to use!) 🙄 Twice I tried to let them to change the prescription and both times they ignored so I just changed it to take 100mg every day plus 2 pumps of the gel every day, which I understood to be a typical dose. I’ve done this for the past two years now however, I’m still getting periods but twice a month! I don’t know what to change to make that stop, I feel well in myself and all the peri symptoms disappeared so I’ve just put up with it but in all honesty I want that to stop without stopping my HRT. Any advice anyone?

@Imfreezingcoldtoday I still get a withdrawal bleed after the progesterone, if I don’t take the progesterone then usually I don’t bleed however a couple of months ago from nowhere mid cycle I had a period.

Can you explain a bit more? Are you not taking progesterone every month?

The progesterone is to counteract the growth-effect estrogen has on your womb lining. If you don't take it regularly, you risk your womb lining thickening. Long term if the lining becomes thicker and thicker it can become cancerous.

There are some women who are allowed to take progesterone less often (with medical guidance) than once a month but they have a scan at least once a year (usually privately.)

If you are bleeding outside of the HRT monthly cycle, you should see your GP and they should arrange for a scan. That's caused breakthrough bleeding and your lining is coming away possibly as it's become thick.

The other point is that at almost 57, you can use a bleed-free HRT.
It's suggested for women over 54.
Your GP ought to prescribe that. Just ask?

The only way to sort this is to use HRT on a cycle.

Blood tests are useless.
I had one at 51 and it showed post menopausal and yet I wasn't or 2 more years. (It wasn't done re. HRT just at an initial appt with general gynae stuff.)

Your 2 bleeds a month are you own periods (peri) because 100mgs Utrogestan doesn't control your cycle - when you have your OWN estrogen + HRT estrogen.

Go back to 12 days on progesterone each month.

Thank you for responding @JinglingSpringbells I’ll soon be 56 I must surely be menopausal by now? Even if I’m not and it was just misleading blood tests, I understood the advice once you were 55 was to move to continuous even if you were still getting periods?

I didn't know your age when I posted.

Yes,usually at 56 you could use continuous.

But none of this is set in stone. It has to be tailored to the individual.
I'm years older than you and prefer sequential - use it with a consultant's guidance.

The OP's point was different because it seems she's not using progesterone every cycle (or maybe I've read that wrongly.)

Yes, you're right. My saying it's similar to me was regarding age and being prescribed cyclical (but choosing to adapt it to continuous myself) but also the constant periods and wondering if they'll ever stop. I do appreciate that she hasn't changed to a continuous so apologise for any confusion.

I will go back and speak to the GP but genuinely feel they haven't got a clue what they are doing and they certainly don't have a menopause specialist to have a proper discussion with unfortunately. Do you go to a private specialist? I'm wondering if that might be the thing to do now.

I'm much younger and was definitely still perimenopause but couldn't cope with the starting/ stopping utrogestan so switched to continuous which menopause specialist was fine with. I now have a mirena coil.

I'm under endocrinology and on a high amount of oestrogen (200mcg). Endocrinologist view is that i will only need this high dose to deal with the peaks and troughs of perimenopause, and then can titrate down to a low dose for bone and heart protection, but it will just be a case of experimenting.

I came off the pill at 46 after a breakup and have not had a period since and it has been two years now. I still can only assume that is me done but I dont know. Its all very confusing and my gp is very wishy washy about it.

I have a mirena so no periods since 2010. I have no idea how you know for sure. Either way I think at this point can switch to continuous.