Estrogen considering decreasing from 50 to 25 mcg

[ElliePhant28]

Has anybody done this? I use a weekly 50 patch and mirena. My symptoms were (only) headaches, I don’t flush, don’t have problems sleeping etc.

I feel like my breasts feel quite full and period- like swollen on 50 mcg, so am wondering if I should reduce the dose or use half a patch to see if it has any impact on bringing back the headaches. There’s history of osteoporosis in our family so don't want to completely stop.

Estradot do a 37.5 dose too.

Have you asked your GP for a DEXA scan? You should if there is a family history. With that info you can make an informed decision.
Bones respond more to more estrogen but at the moment you don' t know what your bones are like. You can also pay for a private scan if you want to and can afford it.

How long have you been taking it? My boobs were large and painful for a good 3-4 months. They have not decreased in size, sadly, but I no longer feel like I am long overdue feeding a baby and are just "normal".

I’d also say how long have you been taking it? I had to change from gel to spray to patches and tried them all again before I found one to suit and the gel was the worst for this, I looked and felt pregnant and my breasts arrived in a room 5 minutes before I did, so, so painful and that never went away. Patches (50) took a few months to settle- awful pain and swelling for the first 12 weeks (I was on MN looking it up too) but the pain completely dropped around 4- 6 months on patches. Now a year on I get little to no pain, although they can still feel a bit heavy from time to time, usually correlates with swollen abdomen- feels like ovulation, so assume peak oestrogen time (not that I am ovulating!) but everyone is different so hope you can find what works best for you.

I’ve been on HRT for years, possibly since 21/22, can’t remember the exact date I started. I now feel like my breasts are constantly at peak ovulation point. I don’t know how to describe it.

Any dose of estrogen will help to protect your bones. But more is better if you have already have bone loss.

But you really do need to know how they are now.
If your mum had severe osteoporosis you should be eligible for a DEXA scan but your GP isn't going to suggest this- you need to ask.

Ideally you should have a bone density scan now to get a baseline. If you have bone loss, and you reduce the estrogen dose, there should be another scan in 2-3 years to see if there is any change.

I'm saying this from personal experience - using HRT for both symptoms and bone loss, through a private consultant.

You could also try changing from a patch to estrogen gel. It's easier to adjust the dose. 1 pump is around a 25mcg patch and 2 pumps= 50mcg patch BUT you can use 1/2 a pump, meaning you go halfway between.

You might want to think also about the Mirena- some women have the sore boob experience with it . It may not be the estrogen itself but the Mirena adding to the issue.

Thanks jingling. I’ve been on Mirena for about 8 years, was on it way before the estrodot due to very heavy periods in my 40s. I know I need to speak to my GP but I find them a bit useless unless I know exactly what to say/ask for.
thanks for the tips.