What to expect when requesting hrt, and do patches stay on in water?

[AlocasiaPolly]

I'm ringing yhe GP tomorrow to discuss perimenopause symptoms and request hrt. It's something I should have done ages ago, but have kept putting off, although I don't really know why.
Aside from cycle and symptom questions what else will they ask? Do patches stay on when swimming/aqua aerobics several times a week?

The patches are a bit variable.

don’t put them at the edge of a swimsuit as they definitely come off then. I found it best to do under fabric.

When I started the conversation, the first thing they did was send me to have a blood test to confirm that I was peri/menopausal, so that took a couple of weeks to come through before the actual consultation and prescribing happened. Just so you know.

I swim 4 or 5 times a week and use everol patches (I’ve used different types) I renew them twice a week and they never ever come off. I also often shower several times a day due to doing work that means I need to shower.
Noe of the other patches worked half as well.
I don’t do anything special when I put my new patch on. I just put it on.

They're not supposed to do that anymore. They should prescribe based on symptoms rather than insisting on a blood test first.

The patches are grand, but you should avoid steaming hot baths / jacuzzi etc. I didn't realise that at first, and definitely felt a bit "off" due to the eostragen dump.

My GP was lovely, I told her my symptoms, told her I'd done research and was happy with the risk / benefits, and she prescribed.

Hi op. I cant advise on what to ask for as my GP suggested it to me when I was 44!

But the patches do stay on. You change them twice a week anyway so I rarely swim more than twice per patch. They did fine on holiday too in and out of the pool. I use Evorel 100 so mine are pretty big.

And I put mine on my bum, I lean over so it's taut and that way it doesn't get wrinkles.

Pretty much this. I don't take the old glue off either, just whack the next patch on on the other side of my bum.

I swim quite a bit so went for gel instead of patches. Very easy to use and very happy with it.

Is your bum not a patchwork of residual glue covered in fluff? 😄

Thanks for this, I love a boiling bath, so this is definitely worth knowing.

Since using Tegaderm over my patches I've never had an issue.

Does the gel have both oestrogen and progesterone? How do you measure how much to use?

I swim/do aqua several times a week. When I told the GP that they said much better to go for the gel. You just use the required number of pumps a day.

Should have said, gel is just oestrogen.

Not usually., just oestrogen. I get my progesterone from a mirena coil.

I have the gel now. Just oestrogen. It comes out in “pumps” which are metered. Progesterone is tablets with funny rules about food.

This might help answer some of your questions https://menopausesupport.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Menopause-Support-Booklet-V2.pdf

You’re just not supposed to take the tablets too soon after food as it can increase absorption- that’s the only rule. It’s best to take last thing at night anyway as they can make you sleepy.

I asked for my appointment to be with a GP who specialises in menopause. She was great. I kicked off by saying I wanted to explore HRT. Told her my symptoms. She agreed. From my reading my understanding was that transdermal oestrogen and micronised progesterone taken orally was probably the best approach. She agreed.

She gave me the option of gel, spray or patches. I didn't like the idea of patches as they just feel like a bit of a 'hi I'm menopausal" marker (not that I would think it about anyone else, just the idea makes me feel self conscious. So I opted for the gel. I apply it in before getting dressed every day. Progesterone is a tablet in the evening. Two weeks on, two weeks off because I still have periods.

Too soon to tell if if is working, but the whole thing was surprisingly easy. Ten minute appointment, no bother, back in three months to review.

That's very useful info! I sauna a lot, as well as swimming, and that was never mentioned in my appointment. (Didn't actually make a difference as I had other reasons for choosing gel over patch anyway, but would have been better to know.)

I mean you can probably see where the last couple of patches were on each side. But who cares?!

Thank you to everyone, my phone call was only ten minutes, very straightforward, and hrt prescribed. After discussing swimming and other exercise I decided on oestrogen gel and progesterone tablets.
I don't know why I built this up to be such a big thing in my mind (maybe because I'm perimenopausal 😂), I wish I'd had the conversation months ago. Cheers to hopefully feeling better in the next few months.

I have loads of baths, hot tubs and I swim all the time in the sea. Patches have never come off and I've never had an 'oestrogen dump'

Sorry, just saw you've already decided!