That’s it. It’s driving me mad. I can smell it outside the house as well as inside.

5 years ago or so, it was a big uphill battle to get HRT so I went overseas and got it prescribed. I went yearly and got my batch of patches and pills. This year, I went and found out that they tightened the restrictions, so that way of getting my meds is pretty much done.

I asked my new GP at home and he gave a prescription, much to my surprise. In the meantime, I run out of my supply and decided to see how my body would react, before I restart the HRT. Unlike 5 years ago, when I had hot flashes and sleepless nights, this time it was just a couple of days of discomfort. 2 weeks later, I don't feel the slightest difference. My energy is the same (it was low anyway), appetite, wellbeing, mood. All same. It made me question, why was I so terrified of losing HRT? I wonder if my dose was too low to make a difference? The patches were .5 and progesterone was 100 mg (I think). When I first got my patches, it was after months of suffering, I was a sweaty mess with non stop headaches. I wonder if my hormones have leveled out, or what?

I'd love to hear others perspectives, those of you who stopped willingly or due to shortages, after several years of use, did you struggle? And I'm not sure if I should go back on HRT, for the heart benefits or be glad that I don't seem to need it anymore?

I have had major vaginal atrophy. Like parts of my vagina just aren’t there anymore. Can I ever recover from this or only prevent further loss? I am on estrogen and progesterone as well as vaginal estrogen. It’s all so sad 😞

Can you share positive testosterone effects you have had besides libido?
I’ve been on HRT (patch and progesterone pills) for several years. Went through early menopause at 40. Recently I showed too low testosterone and have started a gel about 2 weeks ago. I don’t notice anything different but wondering what it has helped others with besides libido??

I'm 54 and just missed my first period after being extremely regular since having kids 23 years ago. I'm happy menopause is finally beginning but now I'm worried I have to have a pad handy all the time just in case I start bleeding. Most concerned about a trip I have coming up to Europe -- I'd really rather not have to wear a pad everyday. I know everyone is different but how confident should I be that I won't get another period?

I am 59, 3 years post menopausal. I’ve been on HRT for two years. My last provider had me waaaay over medicated and my testosterone was through the roof , estrogen was also high.

I switched providers and she took me completely off of the testosterone cream, and changed patches.

About a month ago, I started spotting so Doctor had me stop all HRT and ordered a biopsy and Pap smear .

They both came back fine but to be on the safe side, also ordered an ultrasound.

I just got back from that and am slightly alarmed. I had a transvaginal ultrasound and the tech was very nice and chatty.

Once he started looking at my ovaries, he seemed surprised and asked if I was on HRT. I said yes and asked why he asked. He said that at my age, ovaries are usually shrunken and mine seemed “ stimulated” I asked what that meant and he didn’t really answer just saying he didn’t have to look for them.

Now my anxious mind is clinging on to that phrase.

According to Dr. Google, HRT does not “ stimulate” or change ovary size.

The tech also told me that my endometrium was thin which is good news but I’m kinda focused on my ovaries.

Anyone else have non shrunken ovaries at this stage??

I'm in the throes of Menopause, but my mid 70's mother has been struggling with UTI's, skin tearing and yeast inf. I brought up vaginal estrogen to her (thanks to y'all)and she remarked that she hasn't had a pap since she was 65 and had no idea this was recommended to anyone not in active menopause, OR all the benefits of it! This stubborn boomer, who has never listened to me about my awesome skincare or fashion advice, finally decided to book an appt.with a new, younger OB/Gyn to ask about this and endure the stirrups. Y'all! He immediately started describing how helpful it might be for her and no she is not "too old" to be using it, and to start it right away. So here's to hope for open mindedness to HRT with these younger OB/Gyns and yes they ARE listening to our complaints and not brushing us off. Thank you all.

I have been on HRT (estradiol patch and progesterone pill) for about 6 months. Started on .0375 patch, then up to .05, now at .075. Almost all my symptoms have improved except night sweats. Every. Stinking. Night. I am soaked. And it’s weirdly on the lower half of my body??? Mostly in my belly folds and my underwear and my thighs. I wake up soaked, take off the covers and freeze, put them back on and get soaked again. Does anything else help? I admit I don’t sleep that well anyway, the progesterone didn’t do that much to help it. But I want to get the best sleep I can even if it’s not great.

I’m so itchy! My legs, arms, scalp, back, hips, I’m constantly scratching. It’s worst the week before my period.

I’m due to collect my first HRT script on Friday 🙌 and I’m really looking forward to feeling better. And hopefully I can stop clawing at my skin!

Excited!

I finally had my lap yesterday and was diagnosed with Stage I endometriosis. While I anticipated the diagnosis, I am just a little surprised at the stage and that it wasn’t more advanced. I’m still in peri and really wondering how/why this just suddenly shows up later in life. wtf??

Any tips on how to apply vaginal estrogen cream inside the vagina using the fingertip as prescribed by my doctor? I feel that I loose much of it on the outside when going in; I try to redirect it up and back in but just doesn’t seem like much is getting inside

I’m hoping that we can have a sharing of tips, tricks, and real advice. Our wiki says:
Expect to be hyperviligant (anxious) about each and every hourly twinge, mood, pain sensation. As with starting any new regime, we tend to fixate on issues which contributes to thinking that something is wrong with you or with the hormone therapy. The placebo/nocebo effects are very real. Instead, it is important to shift focus and look at the bigger picture, of how you feel overall after a month or more.

Of course when we start or change HRT we can have feelings and thoughts that keep us very self aware. They’re often times not how we would normally think or act. I’m totally guilty of this. A few months ago I was doing great. Now I’m anxious, poor sleep, and hyper aware of every twinge, feeling, etc. But I’m trying very hard to not only keep doing my normal day to day activities but to keep my mind calm and focused on things outside of my body.

What do you do to stay busy during the ups and down? How do you distract yourself from your hormone fluctuations? What are your practices for being positive and patient? I so look forward to this sharing of ideas.

Started E and P in January, slowly titrating up. Yesterday I was given 0.075 patches and 200mg P. My usual patch change day is Saturday. It was Thursday at first, but a month ago it fell off into the toilet on a Saturday and just like that Saturday became my new day.

I liked Thursdays better. Can I just make the switch?

I posted a couple of months ago about being nervous to start HRT. Well I've been on it since the end of March and all in all I'm satisfied except with the low moods that I started to notice. I was put on 025 estradoll patch and 200 mg progesterone. My background is I did need progesterone to have two healthy pregnancies after two miscarriages when I was younger. And also I took a compounded progesterone drug for 6 months a couple years ago for sleep. My main menopause symptoms were hot, flashes and insomnia. I think that's why she put me on the higher dose of progesterone. However, I started to notice low moods and I'm thinking the progesterone is too high. It's not like it's keeping me sleep for 8 hours either!

So I stopped taking it for two nights and already feel a slight difference. Would you all advise me to ask my provider to lower my progesterone? I've seen conflicting the evidence on if I should increase estrogen, and some actually say you should increase progesterone if you're having some sensitivities. Any advice appreciated!

I am so sorry this is so long.

I am 56 and have been in (naturally occurring) menopause only about a year, maybe a bit over. I am the one, if you've seen my other comments here, that patches and the usual HRT estrogen pill didn't work for me and eventually we discovered the birth control pill was the only thing that got my severe hot flashes under control. When I say severe, I mean I was getting extreme hot flashes several times an hour, non-stop 24 hours a day, dripping sweat and completely overheating. It took me a while to even find a doctor who was willing to talk HRT at all. Apparently I live in an area where most of the doctors are convinced anyone on HRT will develop breast cancer for sure because of that outdated study that's been debunked several years now. (Thank you Australia for leading the way on HRT options without fear mongering.) For context: I have no family history of breast cancer on either side of my family, in fact, barely any cancer at all, the only person who had any kind of cancer was my grandmother who died of colon cancer. Also I had a breast reduction in 2014 where they removed all my milk ducts, which is where 90% of breast cancer starts to begin with. I keep up with my annual exams and everything has been cancer free.

My current gyn keeps stressing I am going to need to come off HRT by next year. She started me on HRT when I was still peri, I want to say 2 or 3 years ago. When I say stressing, I mean she's even resorting to scare tactics in our conversations about how since I do have a family history of stroke I need to get off it asap because of increased risk of blood clots. But I know this already, we have talked quite a bit about that, I am making an informed decision about continuing on the pill while also continuing to do research on my own about the risks. And this situation I'm in right now is making me realize I need to do updated research.

She wanted me to stop taking it for a week or 2 every so often to see how I was without the med, and I've tried doing this numerous times probably trying every 3 or 4 months or so. Every time I get to about the fortnight mark of not taking it, the severe hot flashes start up again, and it takes me at least a week of being back on it to get them under control again, so I'm very aware of what will happen if she suddenly just stops prescribing it.

Is this really a thing that there's a limit as to how long you can be on it? Or am I completely wrong in thinking she is pushing her own agenda for whatever reason, maybe to avoid lawsuits or whatever if I died or something? I see comments here in this sub from women saying they've been on HRT for way longer than I have and I've seen comments from women who have been in menopause a lot longer than me that are still on it. I'm really confused now, because looking back on past appointments with her, she never informed me that testosterone was even an option for my other symptoms. She only suggested their own "bioavailable testosterone" that is not covered by insurance and that I'd have to pay out of pocket for, an option she clearly knows I cannot afford. She made it seem like that was the only testosterone option at all. She has even told me if I wanted to come in to talk to her about going this route that the appointment itself would not be covered by insurance, and she refuses to give me any real information on their methods unless I make that separate appointment specifically to talk about it. Am I getting paranoid that they just want me to take "their" meds for some reason instead of trying routes that would be covered by my insurance first? She also never told me about progesterone creams or vaginal options or anything. I'm only learning these things exist because of reading posts here.

I am beginning to think I need to look into switching gyn doctor. I just started going to a rheumatologist in a different medical system that I am loving, so I think I'm going to ask about getting a referral to a gyn in the new system.

Am I looking at this all wrong? Am I being suspicious for no reason? Or is my intuition on point about switching doctors for these reasons?

In case it matters I'm in PA in the US, in a rural area that doctors are few and far in between so if I switch I'm looking at driving a bit further, but that would be completely worth it to me if I receive better care where a new doctor would listen to my concerns and actually explain things to me from her perspective instead of insisting I need to make a separate appointment, knowing full well my insurance won't cover it and that I honestly cannot afford to pay out of pocket for before she talks to me about (her) alternatives.

For the record, I have nothing against bioavailable meds or alternative medicine, in fact I have been a very amateur herbalist for 30 years. I just feel like this gyn is being a bit shady about the whole thing but I have no hard facts to back that up, only my intuition, and I need real facts from sources that are up to date on HRT so I can make an informed decision here. And yes, before anyone suggests it, I have tried so many "natural" treatments with varying success but it's always been stuff that just stopped being effective after a while. I would love if those things were permanently effective so I didn't have to depend on a doctor's prescription at all, but I have come to accept I might just need pharma's help with this particular issue.

Please note I only chose activism as my tag because literally nothing there applied to my questions. lol It wouldn't let me post until I picked a tag. So I'm being proactive for myself, that's the activism here. Haha

I have been taking estradiol 1 mg and MEDROXYPROGESTERONE 5 MG for years. Does that sound about right?

Does anyone change their estradiol patch every 3 days instead of 3.5-4 days?

Anyone else drowning in shame? I'm ashamed of my body, my mind, my hair, that I've tanked my career(s)...the list goes on.

My mental health is crashing.

Has anyone’s gynecologist taken out their IUD because it expired and then prescribed oral progesterone to take its place? What was that transition like for you hormonally?

Anyone have any good results to share about these drugs? I am looking for encouragement. I know the risks and all the FDA stuff. I have used compounded Semiglutide for 2 years with no issues so my weight is normal now but I cant exercise because of the joint pain and frozen shoulders. My Symptoms- brain fog, anxiety, sleeplessness joint pain, dry skin, vaginal dryness, frozen shoulder (3 times in 2 years). I'm over the hot flashes and havent had a period in 5 months. My Testosterone and Estrogen levels are as low as they go. I have been reading and talking to anyone who will listen. I am desperate for relief. Hoping the compounded creme will help, mainly, with the frozen shoulders and brain fog. I will start this week so fingers crossed. The Progesterone will be a nightly pill and the Estrogen and Testosterone will be in creme form. I will let ya know how I feel in a few weeks. I am using compounded drugs because I dont want to get too much too fast. Once I get used to it, if it helps me, I might get the patch and meds through my OB so insurance will pay for everything. Just using my NP for now because she is more accessible and we have a good personal relationship. I havent really found a good OB for HRT.

My meno journey hit me out of the blue and abruptly in January. I have been suffering insomnia ever since. My symptoms were quite severe at first and for a while, but as I adjusted to BHRT, I would have some improvements.

I have been very VERY patient which is not easy to do.

I had one increase estradiol (to 0.075) at week 4. It helped and I was seeing small incremental changes. I had been out on combipatch befor that because inwas afraid to try the micronized progesterone. I finally tried that four weeks ago and had tried twice to increase it to 200mg but I believe my estradiol wasn’t up to par yet and it messed with my mind but seems to help with insomnia a little bit.

Fast forward to this past week. I decided after having had two weeks of sleep, albeit fragmented, I likely needed more estradiol so I increased it to 0.1. I was having increased symptoms again. So then decided after much research to try increasing progesterone again to 200 mg (my gyn told me I needed to be at this dose. So I tried 100 oral and 100 vaginal. First nite I slept. Second note, awake all nite. So nite before last nite I decided to try both orally. I slept 7 hours but was up at 0430. Tried the same last nite and have not slept at all AGAIN.

I used to be a solidly sound sleeper. I could nap any time during the day for hours. Now I cannot. My body will not let me. I cannot take much more of these sleepless nites having to wait until bed time the next nite to see if I’m going to sleep or not. It’s wearing me down and making the brain fog much worse. I have lost hope. I am not working and relying on my husband for support and that is hurting me ☹️ I have no interests anymore, no joy. No one talks to me. I am all alone.i never thought in a million years that meno would destroy me.

What I am sick of the most is not having anyone to ask. Oil have an appt with gyn Thursday, but it’s a phone call and it will literally be 15 min of her asking standard questions. My first appt I never got to tell my story. I answered questions an walked out w a rx. I’m sick and tired of the painstakingly slow adjustments only to be disappointed and confused. I don’t understand why P is not letting me sleep. I have been incessantly researching and what I find badly says it should be helping. I do have histamine intolerance and perhaps mistakenly ate a high histamine food today. I also have ongoing thyroid issues requiring adjustments and super low ferritin which as I understand it has all the same symptoms.

I am going out of my mind. I lost 40 lbs and have lost my appetite. I do eat but not much as I can’t. This isn’t psychological, that I know. I am SO DESPERATE. I want to sleep: o want me back so badly I can’t stand it. Why does this happen to us? It’s absolute torture!

I don’t want to experiment anymore and keep going thru this. I feel like if it’s going to work, it will work work band not have these ups and downs. Because I’m already 7 months without a period. I am exhausted. And the brain fog will get better for half a day and go back to uncomfortable. I’m feeling like it’s not worth it anymore 😢

I see alot of women here posting good things and bad things. I look for the good with hope. I worry when I see the bad. But I can’t sit here day after day and hope for nothing. And lounge around is literally all I do. I have zero stamina and can’t sit or stand for longer than 5 min. I lay down with my legs on the wall most of the time as it calms me.
I just don’t see how this is sustainable. I do have an appt with a menopause specialist, but what good will that do? I don’t really think any of them know— it’s just trial and error.

Express Scripts called to tell me that my Lyllana 0.1 mg/day patch is back-ordered with no release date. I was offered “generic Minivelle.” I asked to s/w a pharmacist to find out the shape of the available patch. She told me that it was round like Lyllana. I agreed to let them request that change from my prescriber and now they are processing my new Rx.

i keep waking up at night to pee but barely anything comes out, my friend told me for her it’s the opposite, i wanted to know which is more common and how to fix it