What type of HRT to try?

[LawdAMercy]

Im 44 with achy joints, brain fog, sometimes hard to get to sleep at night and awful crankiness at some parts my cycle. Having periods but these have got lighter and cycle irregular.

Totally confused about what HRT to ask for! GP wants me on progesterone coil but put off by possibility of weight gain and lower libido than I all ready have.

what should I be asking for from the GP? My experience is that I need to go in and advocate for myself and not just accept the first thing they tell me.

TIA

I like Oestrogel as it’s easier to increases doses if you need to than the patches. It’s quite personal though so you might end up changing at some point anyway, you won’t really know what works best until you try it.

I have the Mirena coil, it works well for me as I didn’t get on with body identical progesterone tablets. However if I could of tolerated them that’s what I’d of taken for ease. FWIW Mirena didn’t affect my weight or libido.

It is really confusing! And everyone is different. I spent several years on oral combined pill Kliofem but GPs start to get bit antsy as you get older because it's better to be on a gel or patch.

I agree about trying Oestrogel first because it's flexible re dosage.

Progesterone - the 'gold standard' as far as lots of HCPs are concerned is the 'body identical' Utrogestan but like the PP above it made me feel rotten (anxious, depressed) both orally or vaginally. It is worth trying because some love it, but it isn't for everyone. I get on better with a 'synthetic' progesterone.

I used to have a Mirena for contraception and would have loved to have kept this for the progesterone part of HRT. I had it for 15 years and got on well with it but I currently don't have one because three healthcare professionals could not get the last one in because my uterus is so retroverted. Like Utrogestan, it has a lower risk profile than other progestogens. I didn't have mood or weight gain problems on it. Currently thinking about seeing if I can try again with it.

So ATM I have one of the other- synthetic- progesterones - Noriday, which is norethisterone - and I get on well with that. It's the 'mini-pill' but can also be used as part of HRT.

Whatever you do about systemic HRT, also think about topical oestrogen to prevent urogenital problems - pessary and/or cream for your vagina and vulva. I got atrophy despite being of HRT and it crept up on me - slowly, then fast.