Feeling worse after starting HRT, should I give it time?

[Sleepy21]

I keep posting on here as having adjustment issues with medication - I started HRT 14 days ago mainly due to symptoms of brain fog, tiredness, shortening cycles (22-25 days) and low mood - I also had 3 UTIs and dry feelings down below since February having never experienced them before. I have used the oestrogen cream for that and it seems to have helped. I’ve been taking one pump of oestrogen and am due to start the progesterone tomorrow. To make it more complicated I started taking ferrous sulphate (now Ferrograd c) at the same time. Since starting both I’ve had lots of digestive discomfort, cramps and loose stools - I’ve reduced the iron to every other day but it doesn’t seem to be helping. My ovulation cycle was more painful this month - I always get a little discomfort but it was definitely worse, and the last 2 days and nights I’ve had lots of hot flushes which is not a symptom I was having. Also bouts of extreme tiredness during the day along with slight lightheaded feeling. It’s hard for me to know which one is making me feel worse - the HRT or Iron. My question is, at 43, I wonder if I have been a bit too quick to start HRT and maybe my body doesn’t quite need it yet. I have felt overall worse these last 2 weeks and feel like I can cope better feeling the way I was before. I am wondering if I should stop after this cycle, or if I should give it more time to settle? I would ask the GP if I could continue with the cream. Would welcome anyone’s thoughts and experiences, and thanks so much for reading my long post! x

This was me. I felt much worse after starting. It took 4/5 weeks to have a positive impact. I have just turned 44. I started due to symptoms such as thrush, low mood, heavy periods with short cycles.

I am now 3 months in and I feel much better. In the first few weeks my mood dropped lower and I felt exhausted.

Hopefully you start to feel better soon x

It will be the iron upsetting your stomach the most, but if you're taking progesterone tablets on top they may also be causing discomfort. I would stop the iron while the HRT settles then reintroduce it.

Thanks - I haven’t yet started the progesterone, due to start tomorrow for day 15-26 of cycle and feeling nervous about what symptoms I may have from it!

I forgot to add that another reason I started HRT was that the luteal phase has been horrible for me for ages - it’s when I was feeling so tired, getting the UTI’s and the worst moods so was hoping it would provide some relief! When I start my period and up until ovulation is the only time I feel ‘normal’ despite periods being heavy and sometimes painful

This was similar to me. Also, ive seen lots if negative comments about progesterone and the negative impacts. It has been fine for me.

Ask your doctor for a different type of iron tablet. They start you off with the cheap ones that cause digestive issues because some people can tolerate them.
HRT is also one of those medications that involves a bit of trial and error. Keep going with it for a few more weeks and see how you get on. There will be plenty of other options to try until you find what works best for you.
For lots of women a small amount of testosterone really boosts your energy and makes you feel better, but some doctors are hesitant to prescribe it. Consider asking for a referral to a menopause specialist.
Good luck and keep at it, you'll find something that makes you feel wonderful again.

Thank you - that’s really reassuring - I was getting nervous about my first dose tomorrow!

Thank you very much - yes, I think I’ll ask about other iron options - I changed from ferrous sulphate to ferragrad C a few days ago but it’s not made a difference so far. I’ll persist a bit longer with the HRT - I had to persist to get it so I think I should give it a fair chance - I suppose it was a bit naive of me to think it would be an overnight miracle with zero side effects!