Worried about oestrogen gel transfer risk to my young child

[DappledOliveGroves]

Prompted by the other thread on oestrogen gel. I’ve been predicted gel by my GP for
peri, alongside a Mirena. The coil is being fitted later this month and GP advised to start using the gel after that.

Despite my prescription being ready to collect, I’ve put off doing so as I’m worried about the risks of transfer to my 4-year old. It didn’t occur to me when I said I’d prefer to gel to tablets, but then read about examples of toddlers entering premature puberty as a result of inadvertent exposure and have been worrying ever since.

DD often co-sleeps and in the summer I’m wearing only a vest and pants in bed, so what would the risks be if I applied the gel to my inner thighs and she hopped into my bed later? I’m planning to apply the gel in the morning, but still worrying about her ending up with it being transferred to her somehow.

Can anyone put my mind at rest? Should I ask for tablets instead?

It’s only an issue if it’s unabsorbed. You need to let it dry completely and then there is no issue. I think the guidance says 60 minutes to be sure. But if it’s on your inner thighs then that’s not going to be an area going near her anyway.

I mean, the risk must be absolutely minimal, wash your hands and you should be fine. But if not, what about the patch?

Tablets come with additional risks that trans dermal application avoids.

I put it straight onto my forearm and use the other forearm to rub it in, no need to hand-wash, it dries in less than 2 mins. It might take 60 mins to absorb into you but It won't transfer to anyone else once dry, so just 2mins avoiding contact

@Hohofortherobbers That's not what the guidance says.
It says that you need to allow an hour of no contact with anyone else after application.

I left a link in the previous thread to a science research paper on this.

The study concludes that physical contact following application of estradiol gel can lead to skin contamination. Therefore, it is recommended that patients avoid skin exposure for at least 60 min after applying estradiol gel and refrain from physical contact with others, especially infants, children, individuals with breast cancer or other sex hormone-dependent tumors, and pets to minimize the risk of estradiol transfer.

It would worry me too OP.

The chances of a toddler entering premature puberty because of it is probably almost zero but over the next decade or so I don’t think the cumulative impact of the potential environmental exposure is insignificant.

You're overthinking this @DappledOliveGroves

Gel will be non-transferable after an hour so by the middle of the night it's almost a day since application.

If it really worries you, why not wear other nightwear, like PJs, so your legs are covered?

I've just started hrt and my feed is similarly being targeted by daily express style scaremongering on this. Just let it absorb and make sure you keep the bottle out of reach.

What 'feed' is this?
I don't do social media other than MN so I'm not aware of any of this.

For me it's Facebook. Which I only use for recipe groups but my phone was with me at my hrt appointment so it knows now and will forever haunt me with scare stories and subtly interject other propaganda in there. Joke is on Facebook though because I only want that recipe for a good casserole.

So your phone is monitoring your appts? It might track where you are but not who you're talking to.

Is it not more likely that FB algorithms know your age, habits etc and the adverts are around that?

IME ads definitely link to recent conversations I have had. It's always eavesdropping.

What about doing the gel at a different time of day and even different part of your body so it's even less likely to impact your daughter?

I shall try and work out what areas she’s the least likely to touch. Given her propensity for lying on me, over me etc, throughout the night, then I shall apply in the morning and in obscure areas!

TBH I think you need to address what is anxiety.

If you apply gel in the morning there is no way you will transfer it to anyone at night.

Also, if your child is wearing PJs how would it get on her skin?

How do you think women having sex deal with it? It can affect men if it's transferred so the way to use it is not less than an hour before intimacy.

I apply mine in the morning to my inner thighs after I have showered. It is definitely touch dry in 2 minutes but I wait the recommended 5 minutes before putting on clothes. Mine states it can be applied to inner thighs or the arms and nowhere else.

My leaflet says it should be fully absorbed in one hour so no showering for 1 hour after application. If you apply it in the morning your thighs will probably be covered by clothing unless you wear mini skirts or short shorts.

I have come across one case where someone's husband had a hormone panel and his estradiol level was abnormally high - that person was using gel and the man's hormones were normal when he got another test after being away from home for a few weeks.

That's just one anecdotal case but I don't believe there has been any research looking into transfer between intimate or household contacts during long term use.

As I sleep alone and my kids are older it wouldn't be a concern for me, but I personally prefer the convenience and reliability of oral estradiol.

The difference in thrombotic risk is numerically miniscule and not clinically significant in healthy women. Certainly not worth the mess, faff and absorption issues that plague transdermal formulations.

There is this research study which I posted on the other thread about application.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12185294/

The upside of transdermal is the dose can be changed very easily and in small amounts- 1 pump and then half a pump etc, up to 4 daily.

That gives women freedom to change up or down according to efficacy without having to request a new prescription.

You probably know that women over 60 do have to change from oral estrogen as the risk does increase from that age.