should I reduce my Oestrogen gel to one pump a day?

[Peanut31]

Hi

I’m after some advice.

I am peri menopausal and I started HRT in June 2022.

This was after a long list of symptoms.

I have an underactive thyroid and Hashimotos. I am a member on the thyroid forum and I keep check of my levels myself, so I know what im doing with regards that.

I’m under the NHS with my HRT but, I also see a private menopausal clinic as extra backup.

I take testosterone provided by the private clinic, I only take 0.5ml three times a week as wanted to take this slowly, and just had a blood test to see my testosterone levels (waiting on results)

I take progesterone for fourteen days then break for fourteen days.

I’ve experiencing terrible vaginal atrophy, looking back this has been going on for a year or so before starting HRT.

I was having thrush, needing to go to the toilet all the time. I had a scan on my bladder, urine samples dropped off, thrush treatment and antibiotics and nothing helped. The scan showed I don’t empty my bladder fully, but nothing else.

My GP agreed to start me on vagifem as I was given Ovestin, but that didn’t help.

For the first two weeks of taking it daily this helped brilliant. However, after cutting it down to three a week, I got symptoms back. I can’t stop taking it everyday as if I do my symptoms are unbearable. I used YES moisturiser internally and externally too.

As said my symptoms are manageable on vagifem but not gone.

My question is I’m not feeling great to be honest, completely flat, fed up.

My boobs have increased in size and even even bigger now on vagifem, and I’ve gained weight, which I absolutely hate with no reasoning why. They say if on the right dosage of HRT you should’ve gain weight, Well it appears I’m not one of those.

I don’t eat gluten , I do intermittent fasting (have done for years) I eat healthy with the odd treat, but I stick to freshly prepared cooked meals, chicken, fish, vegetables. My only other down fall is the occasionally diet drink.

I’m wondering if I’m on too much oestrogel at the moment with being peri menopausal and should drop down to one pump a day instead of two. As in less is more.

I’m due a zoom call with my clinic soon but every time you speak to them it costs money.

Any advice or experience would be greatly appreciated.

Best wishes

Peanut31

[Amber-sky]

Hi Peanut31

When I started vagifem last year the GP said take it daily for two weeks then reduce to twice a week. Where as the private meno clinic suggested daily for three weeks and then reduce to three or two times per week. I think that extra week of taking it continuously is the key and certainly worked for me. I now just take it twice a week.

I think it unlikely that vagifem would be having an effect on the rest of your body as it is only supposed to work locally.

You could try reducing down to two pumps of the gel anyway and see how you feel on that. If symptoms return (flushes etc..) then go back up to two. I take about one and a half pumps and find that about right for me.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[Peanut31 in reply to Amber-sky]

Hi Amber-sky

Thank you so much for your reply.

It’s a lot quieter on this forum than the thyroid one.

I’m going to give the one pump a go and see how I feel, I’m wondering if like my thyroid journey, it will be a case of tweaking my HRT and playing around with the gel dosage, it’s what suits us all individually.

I’ll stick with my daily dosage of vagifem like you say and see how I feel.

Take care

Peanut31

[Amber-sky in reply to Peanut31]

Hi there - we have a similar journey as I have only just been diagnosed with hashimoto thyroiditis and have a goitre. Private endocrinologist has just forwarded letter and prescription to GP who hasn’t been very helpful to date so I hope to feel better when I start Levothyroxine. If you need more HRT advice then I can recommend the menopause matters forum which is super busy. menopausematters.co.uk/

Take care

[Peanut31 in reply to Amber-sky]

Hi

I’ve already a member of that forum, thank you for telling me though.

If you don’t get on with levo, pop over to the thyroid forum. Many people including myself self medicate with NDT.

It took ages to get my dosage right, but levo alone didn’t help. I now take a mixture of the two, levo and NDT.

Good luck.

Peanut31

[Amber-sky]

Thank you for the info on NDT Peanut and I’m sure I will need the thyroid forum in the future. I thought sorting out my HRT was (and continues to be) tricky but the thyroid journey is looking far more complex!

[Belle76]

it could be you may need to up your dose rather than go down maybe up your dosage to 3 for 3 months and see how you get on. HRT doesn’t make you gain weight.

[M33R4]

Hi Peanut31 - is it purely the vaginal atrophy you wish to sort out then?

[Peanut31 in reply to M33R4]

Hi

I’m on vagifem, but had to revert back to daily dosage, instead of three to four times a week.

I’ve cut down on my oestrogen gel as feel a lot better for it. Interestingly I’ve managed to lose some weight and my boobs have decreased since dropping my dosage down.

Best wishes

Peanut31

[M33R4 in reply to Peanut31]

Whenever my oestrogen dose was too high I would get sore enlarged boobs, my hips would also get thicker, I would bleed heavily. When I dropped my dose, those would sort themselves out.

[Peanut31 in reply to M33R4]

Thank you for your reply.

Did you spot any side effect with progesterone?

Best wishes

Peanut31

[M33R4 in reply to Peanut31]

I really looked forward to taking it as it gave me such a good sleep sleep😃- which is hard to come by when you're menopausal. It made me bleed, as it's designed to do, although I found the bleeding would last too long, unlike a regular period.

[Lizzo30]

Why not try DHEA instead of testosterone ?

I have read that DHEA can turn into estrogen but that has never been my experience I take 5 mg every morning and it definitely turns into testosterone

[Belle76]

sounds like you may need to up your dose rather than reduce it you are getting symptoms because you have lower oestrogen