Night sweats continuing despite oestrogen gel and reasonable blood test result. At wits end!

[largeprintagathachristie]

I got a private blood test as the GP wasn't interesting in why I'm continuing to get drenching night sweats despite four pumps of gel per day. (two in the morning, two at night.) My only thought was maybe I wasn't absorbing it.

Oestradiol blood test - and yes, I know they're not a great indicator but it was better than nothing - came back at 433 pmol/l.

I've tried tracking different scenarios, and sometimes think I've cracked it. I had four nights of no sweats when I applied the gel to my inner arm rather than inner thighs. Hurray, I thought! Sorted! But no. Back to the sweats.

Same when I tried the gel on my stomach. No sweats that night. Hurray, I thought! Sorted! Next nights have had drenching sweats despite the same gel application.

Any thoughts gratefully received. I do think these are hormonal sweats rather than an indicator of something more serious. I'm 54. I don't really know where to go next with this.

A friend now in her eighties recommended sage supplements to deal with this and hot flushes. I haven’t needed it yet, so cannot verify, but they seem pretty benign so probably worth a try.

I do have sage tablets somewhere- never took them regularly enough to ascertain whether they were doing anything

I found changing to a wool duvet helped immensely - regulated my temperature better. If it's any help, mine were appaling and they've just gone now - will get a night sweat once in a blue moon now and I'm 57 and no longer on HRT (I'd like to still be on it).

How cool is your bedroom OP? I realise that hormonal sweats and room temp are not necessarily correlated, but I have three windows open, two fans, a wool duvet and I'm on HRT and I still have nights where I sweat a lot, but I find any one of those things not being the case means a much worse night. I do find British homes though really bad for hotness and stuffiness once the weather gets warmer - and it has been pretty warm recently (although less so at night).

My friend was struggling like you and went to a private menopause clinic and found she wasn’t absorbing the gel at all and 2 months in is on something totally different like a spray and her GP now prescribes it for her

Does it track with your cycle?

Not much help but most of my friends on hrt still get the sweats. I also did. I actually felt it was down to the fluctuating hormones as was still having periods.

I had to come off due to Bc and am on by tamoxifen. The sweats were ridiculous for a few months but settled. I used lots of approaches people who have hormone driven cancer use:

Massages, acupuncture, evening primrose oil, eating lots of phytoestrogens (evidence shows no harm and if anything could be helpful), breathing exercises, cbt. Anti depressants do actually help sweats too.

The breathing exercises are Butyeko breathing. There are some specific ones for flashes and sleep but mainly through your nose and getting your breath rate as slow as possible (most smart watches have this now and my garmin has exercises in built to follow.)

Strangely I find resistance training helps - I think more muscles help with insulin issues.

I still go through phases but find a few things from my tool box above help to ease them

How are your iron levels? Since I re-started ferrous sulphate, I've been a lot better with this.

No cycle anymore - I’m a couple of years out from that

I had horrific sweats for a while. On a recommendation here I started to use the menopause vitamin supplements from Sainsburys which contain Soya Isoflavones, which have been a game changer.

Ah, interesting. My flat has a weird set up where the only thing you can open in the bedroom are patio doors (there are otherwise no windows). And it’s ground floor, so having bedroom patio doors open at night does make me think of potential axe murderers.

each summer I think of buying a fan but haven’t to date. Would be something extra to try

Ah, I think I saw that recc, too, but had forgotten about it. I will be passing a Sainsbury’s today, handily

If HRT isn't working, sage will do nothing.

Sorry but most of those supplements do nothing.
The response rate is 40% placebo, and other positive responses are usually natural decline/ variation in symptoms.

The phytoestrogens in soy are a tiny percentage of the amount in HRT.

HRT is the only scinetifically proven treatment for night sweats. Don't waste your money.

There are some women who do not absorb estrogen through the skin.
You may be one of them.

You could try tablet form or patches (but they might be the same as gel.)
There is no reason not to try tablets.

One of the UK's foremost menopause consultants says that tablets are fine for women who have no additional clot risk.

One of the better ones is Femoston as it's body identical.

Might be wroth trying?

I’m on Femoston and it keeps the night sweats at bay for me.

But as with pp I have to keep my bedroom very well ventilated. I have 4 windows open year round (DH moans that he’s freezing but he can just put on a jumper!), and have a natural fibre mattress (hemp), and pure cotton bedding. Thin pure cotton nightdresses. I very seldom turn the radiator on in my bedroom, and never ever at night. I like it artic in there!

In that case, I would definitely get a fan. If I had to sleep with no windows open I'd be a sodden mess. Like @MotherofPearl above I have a DH who complains it's freezing - in fact he's decamped to the spare room where he can have the heating on. I cannot cope with ANY heating on in the bedroom, ever, even on the coldest winter night!