Side effects of oestrogen

[Hopewhite]

hi i hope you're all doing well and keeping strong and whatever stage you are in this journey xx.

I've just started Oestrogen in preparation for FET yesterday, today has been my second full day 3 tablets a day. I've got awful headaches like something is crushing my head, feeling more tired than normal and I also got night sweats last night. This is only day 2!!, Is this normal? would be helpful to hear from other experiences and advice, I'm trying to work out whether this would get better or I should brace myself for more surprises ahead!

Also I cannot stop thinking that this is only to suit my clinic that doesn't work on weekends, my preference was a natural cycle but they said they wouldn't do those because of the risk of happening on a weekend. I'm not moaning, but genuinely concerned , why do we have to put our bodies through something that may have further consequences just for the sake of convenience. Also I didn't have any tests whatsoever apart from the scan prior to start this, how do they even know how much oestrogen do i need??. I guess i'm really looking for some reassurance and someone to tell me don't worry all those hormones won't do any harm...

we are going through IVF mainly due to MF, i was told i have polycystic ovaries, but never been diagnosed with PCOs, I used to have exact 30 day cycles prior to starting 1st treatment in May this year, I'm healthy weight and never used any hormonal methods of contraception at all, one of my main worries is what if I end up more messed up than I started!

I guess some of these feelings could also be driven by the psychological stress of having to put our hearts through this all over again, with loads of hope but no guarantees xx

many thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge, sending you all tons of good luck ! xx

[WillowPark]

Sorry you are feeling so rubbish on the estrogen. The headaches are unfortunately normal. Mine settled down after 48 hours to nothing the first time and a dull thud the second. So are the night sweats and the fatigue... I had crazy dreams too for the first week or so, but I was just happy to be sleeping! It is alot to put your body through, as is everything with IVF. I haven't had any scans on my FETs until about day 11 or 12. Then both times that is the only scan I've had before transfer. I quite liked it being so much less involved. It felt less stressful not running up and down to the clinic. Hopefully your headaches subside and you feel better in the morning x

[Hopewhite in reply to WillowPark]

Hi Willowpark thank you so much for sharing your experience, glad to hear this is normal, hopefully it will settle down , I wasn’t expecting this as everyone kept saying this was kinder than stims , maybe I was too naive haha I did have a crazy dream last night 😂.

I hope you’re doing well in your journey, sending you loads of hope and good luck !

[WillowPark in reply to Hopewhite]

Honestly my experience is that it is overall much kinder than stims/full cycle! I did my last cycle in September and already had forgotten about how bad the headache was to begin with! I quite enjoyed the entertaining dreams though 🤣 Hopefully you feel better soon 🙂 We are currently in a break cycle before our third FET starts in November. Fingers crossed you will have some positive news to share before our next transfer!

[Hopewhite in reply to WillowPark]

Hi thanks for the good wishes, I just couldn’t believe the headaches, today I followed the advice and drank loads more water , it has made a bit of a difference so hopefully my body is getting used to it ! I didn’t know the dreams were a thing but had quite a weird one last night , I think I definitely prefer the dreams to the night sweats, I’ll see what I get tonight 🤞🏼😂. All the best of luck for you I hope you’re third time lucky 🍀🤞🏼, November is not far now xx

[HedgehogMad]

I'm on 2nd day of oestrogen too and have a horrid headache I think for a lot of people it tends to get better with time, I hope so anyway! I've had 5 natural FETs and definitely prefer them but my clinic suggested trying a medicated one as we've had so many failures. I don't think it affects the outcome though which one you do. We have male factor and I went through all the feelings you describe, and that's why I requested natural (our clinic gave us the choice). I'm surprised your clinic don't offer it at all, we did it and were just told there would be a risk of it being cancelled if ovulation occurred on a certain day. As far as I know, being on these hormones won't affect your natural cycles afterward. Sending lots of luck your way 🤞 xxx

[Hopewhite in reply to HedgehogMad]

Hi Hedgehogmad thank you for taking the time to respond and for the reassurance , very sorry to read about your tough journey so far, I hope this is your lucky time (and mine) 🤞🏼. Glad to read I’m not crazy having these thoughts haha, we are doing nhs self funded but they don’t do natural at all, it was on the price list but when I asked they said they didn’t do it because they can’t control it and it may fall on a non working day. I hope the headaches go away soon, and the rest of the prep. days go smoothly x, all the best of luck with your transfer xx

[Me_and_Sparkle]

From my experience it’s totally normal and will get better by day 3-5.. good luck with the FET X

[Hopewhite in reply to Me_and_Sparkle]

Thank you very much , glad to read is normal! I hope you’re doing well in your journey, sending you loads of hope and luck your way xx

[Me_and_Sparkle in reply to Hopewhite]

Thank you so much. I’ve been really lucky so far. I remember struggling a lot with the meds. Estrogen was debilitating and progesterone made me so tired and gave me headaches as well. But all worth it in the end ❤️

[Hopewhite in reply to Me_and_Sparkle]

Ahh congratulations I love reading happy stories ! I hope your pregnancy is going smoothly and baby is growing well and healthy xx ( sorry if I jumped to wrong conclusions)

[Me_and_Sparkle in reply to Hopewhite]

Not at all! I don’t like saying it too much until the baby is out as the worrying never ends!! I still don’t believe it myself 😅 I’m 13.5 weeks so it’s definitely a journey x

[Hopewhite in reply to Me_and_Sparkle]

I fully get you! i think going through this process creates a "bit" of trauma, but hopefully the baby is healthy and growing well, and with a little bit more time you'll get to relax and enjoy it a bit more. All the best of luck xx

[MrsOrangejuice]

I had a miserable time on the 3x oestrogen - crushing headaches, dizziness, nausea... my lining to too thick and uneven so my clinic said I could reduce to 1 a day - maybe an option if your lining's ok when you get scanned? The clinics don't take into account individual levels and sensitivities and just seem to put everyone on 3 a day. I felt better when I reduced and when I started on progesterone, and I think the body can sometimes get used to the meds x

[Hopewhite in reply to MrsOrangejuice]

Hi MrsOrangejuice, I hope you’re doing well and pregnancy is going smoothly for you xx

Thank you for sharing your experience, I’m sorry to read that you had such a tough time with the oestrogen but it helps as a warning. My clinic wouldn’t do scan until 10 days after so I’m hoping this settles soon ! , I honestly wonder how do they know what my body needs without any recent tests, all my blood tests are at least 18 months old now (done by Gap before referring), from memory the fertility clinic only did amh in May before starting the treatment, hopefully my memory is wrong 😂

Thanks again for sharing this , I hope your baby is growing well and healthy and you’re enjoying the pregnancy xx

[MrsOrangejuice in reply to Hopewhite]

Thanks you so much for your we'll wishes - I feel absolutely awful with sickness but that's a good sign and I know I will worry if I start to feel better (can't win!) I think it was probably about 10 days that they scanned me too - and it was a horrible 10 days, but just had to get through it unfortunately. I said to the nurse how bad I was feeling and she said the oestrogen tablets are 'evil', so it's definitely a common reaction and it would be good to be warned!

I hope you're one of the ones that get used to them and everything settles down, but if not and your lining's ok, maybe see if they're happy for you to reduce the dose a bit - when you hopefully get your BFP, then according my consultant progesterone is the most important hormone anyway x

[Hopewhite in reply to MrsOrangejuice]

oh poor thing!! I hope you recover soon from sickness they say that after 1st trimester it gets better, hopefully not long to go and you can enjoy after that. Have you tried the ginger shots? they helped me a little bit xx,

Thanks for explaining I'll definitely raise it with them if this continues, I just couldn't believe how quickly the tablets created mayhem so needed reassurance from other's to explain this to myself haha

Thank you again for the good wishes and advice!

[Comfortingsoul]

I've been on oestrogen for a week or so now, FET tomorrow. Honestly this first couple of days are awful, nobody warns you 😂🫠 but it gets better! I still get hot flushes and the occasional heavy head but nothing like those first two days! Drink drink drink is my advice- 2.5ltrs a day if you can. Also, I’d just trust the clinic re meds etc they have done this over and over again. I’m in the same boat (have PO but not diagnosed with the disorder) and my understanding is we have too many follicles and not enough hormone to mature any eggs naturally? So I’m actually feeling really positive that I’m being given all the hormone I need to do this 🤞🏼🥰 wishing you the best of luck xx

[Hopewhite in reply to Comfortingsoul]

Hi comfortingsoul thank you for sharing your experience, all the best of luck for your transfer tomorrow, I hope it all goes perfectly and your dream comes true !!

Honestly no one warns you!, I even asked the nurse because they didn’t mention any potential side effects like with the stims, and her answer was ‘no, nothing’ 😂, I mean I know it’s nothing serious but I was too naive thinking surely it cannot be this so soon, my husband even dared to tell me it definitely couldn’t be it in 2 days ahha. It helps to read from other’s experience, I’ll drink more water today !!

You’re right I need to trust more but it definitely doesn’t feel very scientific that everyone is put on a standard dosage without doing any tests. I did ovulate on my own before starting treatment and that’s why I wanted a natural FET but they don’t do them. But you’re right, like you say if it’s controlled there’s a positive too as hopefully less things can go wrong xx

Sending you loads of good luck for tomorrow xx

[Comfortingsoul in reply to Hopewhite]

Your husband is brave 😂

I ovulated too but I don’t think that guarantees a mature egg? I could be wrong! I’ve researched lots and asked many of questions but it’s a minefield isn’t it!

I think they face a standard dose that kinda ‘fits most’ then they adapt it as required.

Yes absolutely drink lotsss and lotsss of water! You’ll be feeling better in a day or two, then you must need to stay cool 😂

Take good care xx

[Hopewhite in reply to Comfortingsoul]

brave man indeed, at least now I now have evidence to support my claims haha

It is a minefield indeed, in our case the consultant basically said you don't have much time to find out root causes on the MF, he sort of hinted i was ok and pushed us directly into IVF , so i guess now we'll never know 😂. Just in case it's me, I've cut out gluten, reduced sugars, etc...

thank you again for the advice , fingers crossed it will settle ! All the best of luck for tomorrow, try to relax as much as you can today , perhaps do a little something that brings you joy xx !!

[Doodlebug23]

Hi, I was put on 2 a day for my test cycle, but it was upped to 3 a day after the scan. For all my transfers - fresh medicated, FET natural, FET medicated, and this 4th one which is fresh medicated, I have always been on 2 a day week 1 then upped to 3 a day.

My clinic wanted to try natural to see if it worked after my 1st transfer which was medicated, but still got BFN so now it’s my choice. Personally I prefer medicated as it feels much more controlled and a lot less scans etc. x

[Hopewhite in reply to Doodlebug23]

Hi dooblebug, hope you're doing ok? thank you for sharing this, it sounds like a kinder and more sensible approach to up dosage rather than going full blast to start !

Thanks for sharing your experience on the different types of FET, this will be the first FET for me (after fresh in May). I think there's definitely a positive side to it and hopefully less margin for error xx

all the best of luck for your journey, i hope you're relaxing and embryo is sticking comfortably!! xx

[Doodlebug23 in reply to Hopewhite]

Hi, I’m ok thanks, just trying to relax and not stress. I only had 3 embryos from first cycle, but got 7 from second. Hopefully this will be my second and last fresh.

Thankyou, I’m trying to think positive 🍯

[Hopewhite in reply to Doodlebug23]

Glad to hear you’re feeling well, keep up the positivity, no matter the outcome it will make the wait more pleasant xx I do hope this is the lucky one for you x

[mumma_in_the_making]

I must be quite lucky. I've been on oestrogen for a week now and although I have had some niggling headaches I've mostly been alright. Wild dreams but then I have them anyway so not sure if it is the mediation or just my brain! I find drinking water usually helps with the headaches. Good luck with your transfer. Mine is planned for a week tomorrow and the wait is killing me x

[Hopewhite in reply to mumma_in_the_making]

hi mumma in the making, thank you for sharing this!!, glad it hasn't been as bad for you, the wild dreams is a funny thing , i think I must have dreamt about a movie or something , it definitely wasn't me but this person kept being accused of murdering someone and she kept saying it wasn't her...absolute nonsense 😂. I'm a bit better today I've actively made an effort to drink more water!

Thank you for your good wishes, likewise i hope everything goes perfectly for you, just be kind to yourself and take one day at a time, 1 week will go very quickly, just try to relax and perhaps do nice plans to help you as distraction xx