I have been in surgical menopause for six years now. I have been using the estrogen patch (Vivelle dot .1) since my surgery and have had no problems with hot flashes. However, for the past 8 months I having been getting hot flashes every now and then. Is this normal? When I mentioned it to my doctor, he just said I was already taking the highest dose the patch comes in and didn't like the idea of me using the oral kind.
I remember that prior to starting treatment in Sept 09, I read somewhere that being post menopause would be a negative strike against me but I still opted to NOT take estrogen. I have been in surgical menopause since 1996, I took estrogen for 10 years and then quit because of the increased chance of breast cancer after taking estrogen so many years. I finished treatment (without taking estrogen since 2006) and I achieved SVR.
I had a total hysterectomy this year because of a borderline mucinous tumor. I started straight away on an estrogen patch (I'm 32). I was told it was fine for me and there would be more health risks to be not taking it - osteoprosis, heart disease, vaginal atrophy etc. My tumor grew like mad when I was pregnant (it caused a miscarriage at 23 weeks :-( so I'm thinking progestrone is high in pregnancy isn't it or is estrogen high too?
I would like to take estrogen to help the menopause symptoms still driving me crazy one year after surgery and chemo for ovarian cancer stage 2c - I also had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy as I have a history of breast cancer in my family - I have heard the HRT can increase the incidence of OC but I am wondering if an estrogen patch would be safe as I have had my ovaries, uterus, tubes, cervix, and breasts removed surgically.
Mayfly, It is so hard to say if the patch of Vivelle caused the weight gain. This is such a complicated subject. I am wondering if your body was making Estrogen in the form of Estrone (which is the 'menopause' estrogen that is made as a by-product from the fat in our system... and this fat is what causes the fat around our middle section so that it is readily available for use by the body since women's bodies crave estrogen)...
FSH is high after menopause and low in the reproductive years. For the most part, it has an inverse relationship to estrogen level. Since you do not have ovaries and do not take estrogen, it makes sense that your FSH is high.
I also do not have ovaries but I take estrogen. When my estrogen level gets rather high, my FSH is low (in the range of a menstruating woman). When my estrogen is on the lower side, my FSH rises.
I was on the 1mg patch of Vivelle for years before I switched and tried other estrogen combos.... back to Vivelle for me. I get a dull headache now and then if I forget to change my patch. For me the bad headaches were related to menopause... of course, you will check out this pain with the doctors... but do the research on the hormonal front and see what you think.
The reason I like Vliet's book so much, for one thing, is that she gives ideas of doses...
Postmenopausal bleeding, timing of meds& 15mm lining
by iatrofears, less than a minute
Hi my last period was 11/2011 so i guess as of 11/2012 i started menopause. March 2013 i started climara patch& progesterone but since the patch gave me hives i was only partially compliant. Also i'd forget to take the progesterone sometimes.
Tests:
1.Ultrasound 8/2012( before true 'menopause' began because only 8 months of no periods not 12).
The endometrium thickness 7.
Hi! I've been in menopause for over a 1 1/2, I'm 54 and all of a sudden I am having shortness of breath, went to the ER had EKG and all the other work ups for cardio and respiratory. Am a okay. The only thing I have done is up my estrogen patch from 0.025 to 0.0375 due to panic attacks. I am also taking progesterone (compound pharmacy) . When this started I went back down to 0.025 patch. This has all happened in the past month. Anyone have any advice.
It isn`t a yeast infection.It is menopause related,I am sure.I am just not sure if it will heal on it`s own.I am using a cortisone cream 2x a day.I was given the prescription a year ago and I used it for 3 months.It helped with the dryness,itchiness and thinning of the skin in the area.I was not dealing with an open lesion though.
Hi- My doctor told me that the latest school of thought is women need estrogen replacement only. He said this actually reduces breast cancer risks and tends to make heart healthier. the estrogen-progesterone combo is now thought to increase breast cancer risks and be unhealthy for the female heart.
I had my tubes and ovaries out last Thursday, and personally I plan on not taking any hormones unless I develop symptoms i can not deal with.
More and more physicians who know anything at all about HRT or BHRT (Bioidentical HRT) do not recommend the type of estrogen that is in Birth Control pills for menopausal use. The difference between a bioidentical estrogen patch such as Climara or Vivelle (one made from soy and one from yams but bioidentical in the body to what we once made naturally) is so huge that they should not even be in the same classification.
I have been going thru menopause for 1 1/2 yrs, I was put om premilin .
My recovery went well, except that my stomach muscles were sore (I had an open bikini cut), but now my incision no longer hurts. My concern is that I have been placed on the estrogen patch since one week after the surgery. I started having headaches, pains under my arms, and my feet started swelling more than usual. The doctor asked me to cut the patch in half, still changing it twice a week.
I understand your fear as I never want to take any HRT when the times comes as I have been on them for 7 yrs for Endometriosis and just recently came off it.
Sleeping is the hard thing. I have that issue as well. Have you tried Valarian before?
Anyways these are just my suggestions as I am not a doctor just a person who has dealt with major hormone issues since I was 15. I am 34 now.
s body is different so what delivery route (pill, patch, gel, vaginal ring) and dosage works for one may not work for another. But the generic Estrace works well for me and is a $4/$10 prescription (without insurance).
Hope this helps and I hope you can find something that helps you quickly. Hysterectomy can also affect thyroid function so just something to keep in mind as you may want to have a thyroid panel done at some point.
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