r/femaleHRT

I started HRT about a month ago and see no difference. I am 61, experiencing hot flashes, bloating and mood swings. Foods I typically enjoyed in the past do not taste the same, carbs and sweets are the only foods that make me full. I I’ve gained 50 pounds in 5 years and see no sign of it letting up. My gyno prescribed progesterone and an estrogen patch. My psychiatrist also prescribed Wellbutrin. Has anyone been prescribed any or all of these and see any change? I’m do disgusted with myself.

The FDA doesn't even register the complete shortage of HRT Estradiol treatments like the Dotti patches. They have a database of drug shortages and nothing is listed!!! Please report, convince your health care provider to report, convince your friends in desperate need of these meds to report and REPOST! Click here to report your specitic brand and dosage by searching "estra". They even made the search tool almost impossible to use and the site is not formatted for iPhones... https://cdernextgenportal.fda.gov/publicportal/s/dsm-submission

Hi everyone! Second year in , on the Abigale estradiol and norethindrone tabs (1mg/.5 mg). I’m feeling better mentally but due to a rough patch w my significant other , I’ve been tearful on and off. Today I went for a haircut and highlights, and i felt so overwhelmed by the questions (“do you want cool or warm, bright or light, rooted or not”) that I teared up (the questions came after I showed a pic of the color and cut I wanted). And when the stylist saw that I teared up, she said she needed to check on something and went to (what I suppose was) the back room , leaving me there for around 7 minutes, which felt like a long time. When she returned she said she wouldn’t do my hair bc I made her feel uncomfortable. I totally understand her perspective, bc who wants to risk a client being unhappy! But at the same time, I felt humiliated and let down. I have never experienced something like this and I’m wondering if this is gonna be the norm going forward. Thanks in advance for letting me share!

My posts keep getting deleted because apparently I’m not allowed to even mention labs? LOL Reddit is ridiculous, but I’ll try again, as I’m hoping to have some insight from others before my next appointment.

has anyone switched from cyclical to continuous bioidentical progesterone in peri? Can you share your experiences?

I am turning 40 this week. I am healthy overall, use TRT, 50mg oral progesterone & a cream days 15-bleed, vaginal estriol 4 days per week (waiting on an estradiol cream to add to it) & pregnenolone 3 days/wk. My cycles are shortening like crazy. I know this is normal in peri but some cycles are like 17 days & I don’t even start the P until day 15. And my usable iron is fine but ferritin is declining, which I think is connected to the bleeding every 2-3 weeks.

I see my HRT dr soon and am considering trying continuous P and potentially bioidentical E injections. I am nervous about the E because I have MCAS.

I’d love any insight, especially from women who use TRT as well. The TRT group is usually helpful but deleted my post and told me this belongs here so 🤷🏻‍♀️ Reddit rules are excessive.

So I’m annoyed at this point. I was on 0.25 estrodial patch and 100mgs progesterone. Bumped up to 0.0375 for a while then now at 0.05. Ugh the belly bloating is insane. If I go back down to 0.025 where I have no bloat then I get tired and brain fog is terrible. Omg idk what to do. If I go back
Down the my lady bits get dry. I have the cream I can use but….. I even work
Out and can’t loose the weight. Anyone else and if so what did you do.

I'm hoping someone here might know...is there any place to donate unopened estradiol patches? I forgot to cancel my auto shipment after switching doses and I'm stuck with 3 months worth of 0.05 that I can't return 😞 I know there are shortages so I don't just want to toss these.

I switched back to 0.0375 and that's the same dose all the women I know are on! What are the odds lol

I'm just starting out, 0.025 and twice a week. I want to take full advantage of getting sleep. I think 2x per week is ridiculous, as there are an odd number of days in a week. Seems so arbitrary not having a proper dosing calendar. I feel like a new patch every 3 days, makes the most sense. Or do I just go with Fridays and Tuesday?

Thoughts?

The E patch troughs are tough on me. I’m considering changing delivery method to E Cyp. I already inject T Cyp every 3 days. Has anyone made this change?

Hello! Anyone else out there tried applying their estradiol vaginal cream to their face? My dermatologist said I could try it but no real research has been done to confirm any actual benefits. I’m gonna go for it but curious to hear some peer reviews!

Can y’all share the way you felt when your T levels were too high? I have been on HRT for almost a year. I just received my 6wk bloodwork back and my FSH level was really low and T level was the highest it’s ever been(231) I would think with a higher T I would have more energy and higher libido but that isn’t that case in fact I feel less motivated in all areas and just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience?🩷

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Apparently it takes 8-12 weeks to see the full effect of HRT. I am about 9 weeks in. Been on a low dose of estradiol (.0375). Tried .05 for 5 days and had to go down due to depression, anxiety, and insomnia. .0375 seems to be agreeing with me for the most part, but I’m noticing some weight gain, especially around breast and buttocks/thighs. I am slightly emotional. Insomnia is not great. I’m almost wondering if I should go down to .25 but not really certain how long to wait to do that or if it’s a good idea. For reference, I’m taking 2.5 mg progestin to help keep endometriosis away. How long is it advised to wait to make changes?

I am a 36F who recently had microadenoma removal but having a though recovery.
I am having night sweats, chest pain like someone is chasing me from sleep, low BP, dizziness and fatigue.
My endo started me on 15mg of HC but it wears out between 2-4am because I wake up like I was chased, hot, sweaty and weak. She drew labs and it was "normal" acth 20 and cortisol 10.6. I told her I don’t feel good so she thought I was perimenopausal.
She drew another lab because my last dose of HC was noon the day before for an 0800 appointment. My new labs are acth 18, cortisol 6.4 insulin 18.8 and estrogen 30 via quest diagnosis.
Endo is suggesting weaning me off steroid and starting me in HRT. OB doesn’t believe I’m I in perimenopause and is suggesting birth control but I don’t like the way it makes me feel. Endo isn’t willing to order the HRT like she suggested.
My life is very uncomfortable. I’m fatigued, emotional and cant even go to the gym because little speed walk causes my HR to be in the 130’s and I get dizzy.

Hi all. I am wondering if anyone has experienced switching from standard birth control to Hormone replacement therapy like the estrogen patch and progesterone? Ive been on birth control continously for 13 yrs. Skip period and everything. Recently been experiencing what I believe is perimenopause symptoms. I spoke to a urogynecologist who told me to help fix my libido I should come off of my birth control and speak to my gynecologist about hormone replacement therapy. So I decided to come off my birth control while waiting for my appointment and sent my body into a tailspin. I gave myself a 4-day migraine and I'm still experiencing anxiety and hot flashes even though I resumed my birth control. I go in two days to see my gynecologist to speak about the hormone replacement therapy but my question is with it being so bad coming off of the birth control I'm curious as anyone successfully transitioned from birth control to hormone replacement therapy? If yes did you have you need debilitating symptoms? Any insight I would greatly appreciate.

I’ve been on HRT (patch + daily progesterone ) for just under a year. I’ve seen a lot of benefits (sleep, skin, brain fog etc.). However, I have gained between 15-20ish lbs since starting it. Dr says that’s “just normal with perimenopause” and I’m saying no it’s not. Weight was never a concern until I started HRT. It’s all in my hips and midsection. Butt & boobs are huge, bloated all the time now, and my belly which was effortlessly flat prior to HRT is now equivalent to 3 months pregnant. Has anyone else experienced this? I’m thinking I should stop the HRT but don’t want to lose the good skin and sleep and mood! Help!

I'm almost 40, I've been suffering for a year and a half but these past 2 months have been CRIPPLING. I am losing my entire life. I can barely function. I might have to quit working. I finally got the Dr to prescribe me HRT estradiol gel but its OUT OF STOCK. Not sure when I'll actually get to try it. I'm so desperate to feel better. This is not living! Anyone else have to wait for their HRT gel in US? If so, how long?!

So today was injection day and I forgot to prime my injection needle after switching from the drawing needle (to push until a tiny bit of medicine is visible before injection)

Should I be worried or am I fine! I just worry a lot about injections and stuff really because I’m naturally an overthinking 🥲🥲

This was an IM injection by the way!

Hello! Im 39 and finally had a hysterectomy in March (kept my ovaries). Unfortunately, my perimenopause symptoms (which were present prior to surgery) have gotten pretty intense in the months following surgery. My doc started me a low dose estrogen patch.. for the first few weeks of my cycle (I still get phantom ovulation pain and light menstrual cramps like clock work) it felt like someone turned the lights and I was thrilled! However, I started getting crampy the second half of my “cycle” and my doc added in micro progesterone.. just like in the past, the progesterone is awful for me (awful mood swings, water retention and constipation).
So my question is- has anyone with endometriosis been successful with estrogen only HRT post hysterectomy??
I’m feeling very discouraged like I can’t win ..

I’m having a bit of a wobbly day and could really use some support or shared experiences. I’ve tried everything my GP can prescribe apart from the Mirena, and I’m now waiting to see a specialist — I’ve been told I should hear something before 8th September. I started on Evorel Sequi patches and felt awful on them, so my GP switched me to oestrogen gel with micronised progesterone because I’d heard it was usually better tolerated. It took me a while to settle on the gel, but once I did it really helped with anxiety spikes and hot flashes. Everything went downhill again when I introduced the progesterone two weeks later. I tried for over a month, felt terrible, and was back and forth to the doctor. She then suggested taking 100mg nightly while I wait for the specialist, but I haven’t been able to tolerate the lower dose either. My GP said I can stop everything if I need to, but I’m scared to stop the gel because it’s helping so much with the anxiety spikes and hot flashes. I’m worried everything will come flooding back and I’ll have to start again from scratch. At the same time, I don’t know how long you can safely go without progesterone, and I don’t want to put myself at risk while I wait for proper guidance. I’m not looking for medical instructions — just hoping to hear from anyone who’s been through something similar, struggled with progesterone, or had to pause part of their HRT while waiting for specialist input. Any reassurance or experiences would be really appreciated. x