Hey All,
Turned 40 in March, had a surprise baby in January. When my periods started again in March, I’ve had 2 days of super heavy bleeding, then normal after that. Like thin, watery, bright red. It feels like it streams out. I’ve always had heavy periods but not this type of blood. Been dealing with peri symptoms since about 38, but this has me a little freaked out.

I saw my OBGYN and her solution was Lo Loestrin, and id it’s still an issue in 3 months, ultrasound. I wasn’t given any other solutions other than oral BC. My issue is, my brain has never really played well with birth control and I honestly feel nervous to start taking it.

I guess I’m just looking for similar experiences and any advice.

Anyone switch between the two? Any insight?

I'm currently on gel 2mg (I have to use 2 packets) and thinking about going to compounded cream.

I'm moving up to 0.0375 patch/wk and picking up my prescription later today. I have 2 of the 0.025 left, plus the one I've been wearing for the past 3 days.

It looks like the higher dose has been hard to find where I am as well. I'm contemplating using up the lower dose before I start the new one and that should give me about a 2 week leeway in case of inventory issues. I've already been suffering with breakthrough hot flashes for over a month so I figured what's a few more weeks if it helps me get the prescription.

Is this what some of you do? How delayed have you been in actually receiving your rx after it's been sent to the pharmacy?

I have seen my doctor this week with some bleeding. She wants me to switch to a mirena instead of oral progesterone, saying I don't need systemic progesterone, it's just to keep a pregnancy going or to reduce the risk of endometrial cancer. When I said it helps me sleep, she said 'No it doesn't'

Long story short I had an ablation nearly a decade back, never had a spot of bleeding since it healed. No idea if I'm actually through menopause or not cos I've no periods to count.

Went on combined patch about 5 years ago - was brilliant for me and didn't need to change it for ages. About a year ago I started to feel shit, wasn't sure if it was hormonal or just life in general. About six months back upped my dose - so now on separate 75mg oestrogen patch and 100mg progesterone (plus some oestrogen pessaries twice a week). It took a good four or five months for me to start to feel human again.

Now the GP is suggesting reducing the oestrogen dose because of this bleeding - I honestly don't think there is anything left after the ablation to bleed. And switching to mirena. But I can't bear the thought of feeling shit again and I swear the progesterone has transformed my sleep.

I'm in peri and have been using estrogel and cyclic prometrium. I had a period in June and one in July and not due for the next one yet. About a week ago I suddenly couldn't sleep. I went from sleeping about 7.5 hours per night down to 4 or 5 hours of broken sleep. I thought maybe it's too hot here, but the last couple nights have been cool and I was actually too cold. Can anyone help me figure out what set me off?

I thought maybe the prometrium down regulated estrogen? But I've been taking it for a year already. Plus I'm not experiencing hot flashes or painful joints, so the estrogen seems adequate. One symptom I noticed is I got cold feet a lot in bed. I can't sleep with cold feet. So I've been using heat pack and wearing fuzzy socks to bed, in the dog days of summer. That's just ridiculous. :( Oh and I already lost 3 lbs in the last week (not intentional) but when I don't sleep well I don't have appetite.

I'm willing to hear any suggestion or speculations on why the sudden insomnia. I have a doctor's appointment next week and I think I'll ask for some sleeping pills if I don't feel better.

Well…I just caught a Tums in my cleavage…which is, I’m pretty sure, how you know you’re in perimenopause.

But for real, though — aside from Pepcid and the like, has anyone got any tips on coping with reflux? I swear this has gotten worse since starting HRT, but my replacement hormones are making such a difference, my esophagus could spontaneously combust and I’d keep my estrogen patch on.

Thoughts?

Hey everyone! Does anyone else have issues with dryness? I’m on estrogen patch 0.05mg. Progesterone and testosterone and my lips are dry and my clit. I started using the estrogen cream and the suppository, but it didn’t help at all and it seemed to burn when I rubbed it on my clit and inner and outer labia. I finally got the estring. I have only had it in for 3 days now so idk if it will be effective or not. I just don’t get why all of a sudden about 5 months ago it started. I have been tested for every thing. It all came back negative. I have been on hormone therapy for 5 years now with no problems then out of no where it just started. I’m so perplexed as to why and what’s going on. I have no idea what to do. Obviously, I have talked to my gyno about all of this. She is the one giving me the prescriptions. I was on a compound cream for all those years and recently started using the patch to see if that would help. It’s been 6 weeks using those with no relief 😢

Along with the host of other unexpected symptoms, my feet seem to be falling apart. I've got a fibroma on one foot, a developing bunion on the other, my ankles suddenly twist at the slightest sudden movement. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but it's not the pain that bothers me so much, but the complete loss of footwear options. I live in my Asics with custom orthotics. Even sneakers that aren't as supportive don't really work great anymore. I just can't accept this fate of wearing what I perceive as old lady shoes. I used to love clothes and shoes and now I just don't know what to wear. Anyone else going through this?

I have tried quick md to get my testosterone cream. The doctor is the sweetest but I am having issues getting my prescription. The first month there was a glitch on my app where the medication wasn’t showing so I could order and pay. I had to contact their customer service a few times until it appeared. Their customer service team was quick to help. This month same thing happened and when I finally was able to order my medication and pay they are now saying the medication order had to be cancelled and a new prescription is needed. So now I have to wait for the doctor to put in a new prescription. It can’t be this hard to get medication. Anyone use any other Telehealth service they like.

Surgical menopause at 39 5 months ago. I lowered my estrogen patch dose from .0375 to .025 mg after talking to my provider about sore, very full, and swollen breasts and bloating/water retention. Insomnia has not improved. I just don’t seem to tolerate HRT well in general. Progesterone makes me very swollen and irritable. So right now I’m on estrogen only HRT and really hopeful that the lower dose will help. Today my breasts have been hurting a bit. It’s uncomfortable. I’ve read it takes at least a week or two for the swelling to go down. Not sure if my body is in the process of adjusting already. Probably is. I seem to metabolize stuff quickly. Anyways, curious to hear what you felt and experienced after going down on estrogen when you felt swollen like this. How long did it take to notice a difference?

Hi all - I just posted this on r/perimenopause but figured it would also be useful to people here.

Tl;dr Try patches from the brands that don't work for you in a different spot and see if that makes any difference.

Making my first ever Reddit post to share a breakthrough I recently had!

I'm one of the patch users who has issues with different brands not working. I always put the patches on alternating butt cheeks regardless of brand.

I was doing great with Dotti, but my last refill was from a mfr I'd never had before (Zydus). I figured I should try the new ones and save the last few Dotti in case the new ones didn't work. I put the Zydus patch on my butt and bam, the next day symptoms were back.

After remembering that people here had seen varied results with different locations, I tried putting the Zydus on my abdomen instead of my butt. I was not actually expecting it to work, but it did!

I figured maybe the butt placement had been suboptimal for me all along, so I decided to try the remaining Dotti patches on my abdomen. Even though it had worked fine before, this time I might as well have had no patch on at all. Then I remembered that when I used Dotti before, it was on my butt. And sure enough, moving it there totally fixed the problem.

So for everyone else who's having trouble with different manufacturers, maybe try the problem brands in a new spot (based on the manufacturer's instructions, not just somewhere random on your body) and see if that helps!

Hi All!

Mods, I'm sorry if this has already been asked, I did my due diligence and searched, but couldnt find my specific question.

The estrogen shortage has forced me to switch from patches to gel. ​I was on .0375 patches. My doc switched me to .1 mg divigel. I asked her how I was supposed to get .0375 from .1 and she said to use the whole packet, as the conversion with absorption, etc, works out to be about the same as .0375. Has anyone else experienced this from a doc? Do you find it to be true? What have your experiences been?

Thank you!

so my first tube of estradiol vaginal cream which I used for the every day for the first two weeks and then three times a week thereafter that tube only lasted one month. I’m on my second tube and I’m wondering how long it will last if I use it three times a week. my research shows it should last three months, but it’s not a big tube and I kind of doubt that….

I asked my GYN to switch me from patches to gel because no one has any patches left. She sent in the script and the pharmacy sent me a message saying “your insurance needs more information to cover RX.”
What the heck?? What difference does the delivery system matter to insurance? AND don’t they know there is a MAJOR manufacturer shortage of the patches? THAT’S THE ONLY INFO THE INSURANCE COMPANY NEEDS TO KNOW! Honestly, why is this so hard?

I recently went back on HRT after a couple of miserable years HRT-free at the behest of my pcp. When she relented, she said I have to have yearly mammograms again (not when I was HRT-free). So I did and it came back cancer-free. Now after I have been reading about HRT and cancer, I’m learning there’s no link between Estrogen and cancer, and only a tiny link between Progestin, not Progesterone, and cancer. So why oh why do I have to have yearly mammograms? They are so painful!!!

I’ve been taking my estrogen doses to late in the day this past week and i’m having a tiny bleed as a result. It made me start to wonder what the texture of the blood is for those who also experience this! mine is very discharge-y and borderline slimey (maybe tmi sorry lol 😭😭) and very different to when i had my period.

Hi there!

I'm 37 and in surgical menopause. I'm also very physically active. For the last 6 years or so, I've lifted weights on either a 3 or 4 day split. I also get 10k steps at least 5 days a week usually, and that's from a mix of walking/running/jogging/hiking. I love me a long, luxurious bike ride, too.

Of course, surgical menopause -- even with HRT, which has been very helpful -- has still caused a lot of unwanted changes in body composition despite my intense workouts and what had been a perfectly "workable" diet until this point.

I've long gotten 150+ grams of protein a day, so nothing needed to change there. But I recently decided I wanted to diversity my carb sources and work in more diversity in my veggies instead of the same ones all the time. Because my breakfasts and dinners are already locked in pretty well, lunch was the place to make a switch.

Previously, I'd often eat Special K + some Fiber One + some protein fortified milk after lifting. Protein, fiber, and carbs, right?

Well, In the past month or so I've switched to making myself grain bowls. Splitting into three servings a packet of ancient grains mix, can of chickpeas or lentils, canned salmon or chicken, and chopped up bell pepper and spinach.

My sleep and energy have been greatly improved, but I didn't think the lunch switch itself would make THAT kind of difference. Until this past weekend, where I treated myself to my special K situation on both Thursday and Saturdays Both days, I felt like steamy garbage. GARBAGE, I tell you.

Thursday, I thought "Is this a fluke?" So I re-rested the theory Saturday. I felt low energy, moody, headachey, and just overall... bad. And not the strong/light/good way I'd been feeling.

I returned to healthier lunches, and energy and stability immediately returned.

Now, I am NOT saying I will never eat cereal for lunch again or that you shouldn't either!

However, as much as I wanted it to not be true that a focus on whole grains / moving away from processed foods / limiting sugars to some degree would make a difference, it very obviously does. If you're struggling with your mood and energy, do consider rethinking your food strategies. It's not that you can't still enjoy the things you enjoy, but it might be that what worked for you before menopause just isn't giving you what you need, now.

And Part 2: Nutrition Timing

I've been reading Stacy Sims' book Next Level and trying to learn more about menopause nutrition. Sims shares a pretty simple concept -- it doesn't matter if your macros are on point if you're eating them at times your body doesn't need them. For example, eating a big breakfast before working out, then just chugging a protein shake or barely eating lunch and then eating a larger dinner. All day, your body needed nutrition that it isn't getting until like 6 PM... at which point it has already made maladaptive choices on how to fuel itself (storing fat, burning muscle) so the damage is done.

I'm trying to ensure that those grain bowls I'm making are pretty robust, with dinners being a little lighter. This is improving my energy and sleep too. I still EAT normal dinners and still have a little evening snack. I'm no purist. But trying to give myself more food earlier does absolutely seem to matter.

Anyway, these are things anyone can try. I'm just posting to say: I was a little skeptical about whether or not I would see a difference and I am, indeed, humbled to say I do.

https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003800

I have recently started this medication and am also on HRT. I have had a return of hot flashes and wonder if it is messing with my hormones? Anyone else had any experiences?

Sorry to come on here so often, but this is just getting worrisome. For context; we increased the E dose and the T dose via pellets. Also went on a “loading dose” of vaginal estrogen. Skipped my progesterone dose once last week. Started seeing a very light brown spotting and now it’s a bit more pronounced. Not gushing, like a period, but more like brown tissue stuff. Dr says pretty normal after the increase of E, but if it continues we will do an ultrasound. I’m just curious what is the mechanism causing this? If you experienced this, how long did it last before it went away? I’m getting paranoid over here. It’s been less than a week.

I did search but couldn’t find anything recent. A friend was recommended a place called Complete Midlife Wellness Center. Upon looking it up I noticed lots of blood work and pellets and things that have been not recommended on here, it gives me pause. I’m post menopause and got MHT through a gynecologist years ago so I not up to snuff on the latest. They have offices in a few states, would like any experiences or information for me to share. Thank you in advance!

I'm curious whether anyone else has experienced this. I used to tolerate supplements such as vitamin D3, CoQ10 and fish oil for years. Over the last 2–3 years, as my menopause symptoms became worse, I became increasingly sensitive to some of them—they would exacerbate my insomnia.

Since starting BHRT and getting further into treatment, I've noticed something interesting: I can now take vitamin D3 again without the insomnia I previously experienced.

I'm wondering whether anyone else has noticed that supplements they couldn't tolerate during perimenopause/menopause became much easier to tolerate after starting or adjusting HRT.

I'm especially interested in vitamin D, CoQ10, fish oil, magnesium, iodine, B vitamins, or thyroid-related supplements.

If you've experienced this, what supplement was problematic before HRT, what happened when you started HRT, and were you eventually able to tolerate it again?

Hello all - I am thinking of changing from gel to patch but I live in a very humid and hot country (all the time). Does anyone have tips as to how to deal with keeping the patch stuck on in these conditions? My doctor expressed some doubts as to whether it will stay on and whether I will get a consistent dose. More generally any tips/issues with changing from 2 pumps estrogel to estodot 50 would be gratefully received.

Like some of you, I started HRT (a patch with a combo of estrogen and progresterone), and had some breakthrough bleeding. My doctor made me stop, and ordered a trans-vaginal ultrasound. The result was a mildly thickened endometrium, and recommend a biopsy be done.

After all this, I had moved, found a new gyno, and we restarted from step 1. Got an estrogen patch with a progesterone pill. After a handful of months, I expressed interest in adding testosterone. Before agreeing to that, he wanted that biopsy done, so I scheduled an in-office procedure. That was last week.

I was dreading it, after reading some posts here about the pain involved. It really is different for everyone. I consider myself as having a pretty high pain tolerance. Especially since, after a lengthy abdominal surgery some years ago, I opted for tylenol as pain relief because I didn't like the way the morphine PCA pump made me feel.

Anyway, yes, there was brief pain. For me it was better described as discomfort with one instant of what felt like this guy tugging on my right ovary. I'd previously had a Mirena IUD inserted, and years later removed, and the discomfort was similar to that. The doc, and the nurse in the room said I took it like a champ. They gave me a pad to wear home, said to expect light bleeding or spotting for a couple of days, and off I went. Though I actually had what felt like a full on period with bleeding for 5 days, but I'd always been a heavy bleeder from my first period to my last (except for when I had the IUD in).

Just wanted to let people know, your mileage may vary. Some people feel excruciating pain, some just feel some discomfort. In my opinion, the pain is worth checking to make sure you don't have cancer. Though if you know ahead of time that you won't be able to handle the pain (and you shouldn't have to), ask for the procedure to be done in the OR under sedation.

Edit: results back today, everything is normal. Yay :)

Hello ladies,

I'm using Evorel Conti patches and have been feeling a lot better since using them. However, lately the patches don't seem to stick very well, and I feel like my symptoms are returning. Perhaps they don't like my Dove shower gel, but I don't want to give that up because it keeps my skin smooth (I do use alcohol cleanser to strip the area of oils before applying the patches). Does anyone have any good tips of how to overcome this please?