Femseven Conti frequency

[gettinold]

Hi gals,

Sorry it's taken so long to do my question, I'm away from the UK at the moment and my Internet is a bit hit & miss

I've been on the Femseven patches for my first 12 weeks now and sometimes I catch them & have to replace it before the usual day (Wednesdays) the weird thing is, when I do that I feel better again, whereas the once a week, I seem to be ok on the Weds & Thursday but by Friday some of my symptoms start relapsing. It's as if I need a patch every other day? I have my docs appt next week for my first 3 month check up. Has anyone else felt the same? Can I use these ones every other day or does it have to week weekly ?

Thanks for any replies

GettinOld
Xx

[susan]

Hi
I don't think that you can use them every other day as one patch is supposed to release even amounts of oestrogen and progesterone on a daily basis over a period of seven days.

Also I think it takes a certain amount of hours after you put one on to reach the level where it releases the hormones evenly, so keep putting on a fresh one ironically may mean you actually get less hormones rather than more or the same.

I have had the odd one drop off on day five or six though and just put a new one on, some say you should go patchless for the odd day or two days, but if I do that although I don't get any hot flushes as such I just feel a bit hotter in general which I dislike.

I think I would stick with it for at least another three months as reckon a lot of these products take 9 months to a year to really get into your system. Especially if you want them to deal with emotional and mood issues as well as flushes, sweats, VA they are quicker on physical symptoms.

But if you aren't getting complete symptom relief at that point you might need more oestrogen. Unfortunately the only way you can get that is with a seperate 75mcg patch (femseven do one but i think estrodot are smaller) and a seperate progesterone.

The convenient combination products only come in 50 mcgs. but I find them so easy.

xxxx

[gettinold]

Hi there,

Thank you for that. I shall talk to my doc next week & see what occurs. I'm happy to try other things but I'm trying to only end up on tablets as a last resort, so your post has been very helpful, as I thought I was on the only patches.

Thanks again

G.O x

[susan]

Yes I tried two lots of tablets before I went on patches and TBH I prefer patches.

If you can make FemSeven Conti work for you I feel they are one of the better options out there.

Ive lost track of what age you are or more importantly i guess what stage in menopause you are.

In theory if you are a few years since you last saw a natural period like I am, 50 mcgs of oestrogen should be fine to cope with most menopause symtoms.

It's considered to be medium dose.

The thing I would check about is changeing the days etc

I'm pretty sure we should try and get them to last the full week as that is the way the manufacturers put the hormones in them to release slowly over the course of 7 days.

So it would be interesting to hear what a Doctor says about changing them early, or it they fall off on day five do we stay patchless for two days and still put them on the usual changeover day, or put a new one on straightaway.

Good Luck and let us know how you get on.

xxxx

[jacksfullofaces]

Ladies
I have heard that the patch can be a bit erractic in delivery so it is possible that it might need replacing earlier. I hasten to add that I have never used them but I have read about it.
Jacks

[susan]

I think you can tell from how you feel Jacks, something that each woman needs to monitor themselves.

If you feel pretty even and it's getting rid of all hot flushes, night sweats etc You are probably getting an even delivery of hormones over the 7 days, they are in the adhesive though so when they don't stick well there could be issues. I dont think it's a good idea to use tape over them as then you are not really sure if they are stuck.

The knack is probably to make sure it is stuck on well and as flat as possible with no creases. If they aren't stuck then no hormones.

There can be the odd buff batch as well, but that hasn't ahppened to me.

When women go onto seperates there seems to be a preferance for estradot as I beleive they are tiny & then they have the choice of either provera, utrogestan or a mirena coil.

If I needed contraception i would have given a mirena and estrodot a go, but I dont as DH got snipped, so it wasn't an issue for me.

I struggled with both of the tablet HRT's that I took as they flared my IBS.

xxxx

[gettinold]

Hi Susan,
I've not had a period since July 2011. I'm also quite complex as I've also had Pudendal Nerve Entrapment/Neuralgia which I've had seriously large needles and steroids pumped into me(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pudendal_nerve_entrapment) and Piriformis syndrome which I've had a Bottox Jab and I have to do physio at least 3 times a day/night for it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_syndrome) and slight Uterus prolapse (pelvic floor exercises are a no go because it causes extreme pain because of the Pudendal Nerve) . I've tried Vagifem which didn't help anything. My Femseven has stopped my very hot night/day/when I lay down, sweats , dreadful, hairloss, dodgy nails, bouts of uneccessary paranoid moments and bouts of tearfulness, extremely dry skin and is now trying to sort out the AV. Sadly my AV went to Urogenital Atrophy. Hence as fast as the Femseven tries to sort me, it doesn't appear strong enough. I usually change it on a Weds morning which is great as two hours later, I'm fine and continue to be fine until Friday morning. It's then downhill from there with the Atrophy. I'm due to see my doc this coming Monday for the first 3 month review on FemSeven. I will ask about other patches but I do feel that as I've gone so far, patches may not be the way forward for me. I know that all this didn't happen over night, therefore I don't expect it to cure over night but I've almost been suicidal trying to sort the Vaginal problems out. I'm also looking forward to getting a sex drive back. Besides all that, I'm fine i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa394/Cybe2005/smiley-happy065.gif [/IMG] Oh joys of being a post menopausal 52 year old!!

GO xxx

[jacksfullofaces]

Hi Gettingold
Have you had your thyroid function checked. We have thyroid receptors in the vagina and my hormones didn't work properly until I added thyroid hormones.
Jacks

[gettinold]

Hi ya,

Yep. Thyroid trouble runs in the family, so I get checked every year. Things are slowly trying to get on track. When I go to the docs tomorrow, I will ask about other patches and I'll see if I can have another thyroid test. Have to admit, I'm not experiencing thyroctic sign like my mum & her sister. We are a complex machine, so I will chat to the doc again on that one. Thank you for suggesting that.

GO xx

[susan]

Oct 20, 2012 19:35:45 GMT gettinold said:

Hi Susan,
I've not had a period since July 2011. I'm also quite complex as I've also had Pudendal Nerve Entrapment/Neuralgia which I've had seriously large needles and steroids pumped into me(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pudendal_nerve_entrapment) and Piriformis syndrome which I've had a Bottox Jab and I have to do physio at least 3 times a day/night for it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_syndrome) and slight Uterus prolapse (pelvic floor exercises are a no go because it causes extreme pain because of the Pudendal Nerve) . I've tried Vagifem which didn't help anything. My Femseven has stopped my very hot night/day/when I lay down, sweats , dreadful, hairloss, dodgy nails, bouts of uneccessary paranoid moments and bouts of tearfulness, extremely dry skin and is now trying to sort out the AV. Sadly my AV went to Urogenital Atrophy. Hence as fast as the Femseven tries to sort me, it doesn't appear strong enough. I usually change it on a Weds morning which is great as two hours later, I'm fine and continue to be fine until Friday morning. It's then downhill from there with the Atrophy. I'm due to see my doc this coming Monday for the first 3 month review on FemSeven. I will ask about other patches but I do feel that as I've gone so far, patches may not be the way forward for me. I know that all this didn't happen over night, therefore I don't expect it to cure over night but I've almost been suicidal trying to sort the Vaginal problems out. I'm also looking forward to getting a sex drive back. Besides all that, I'm fine i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa394/Cybe2005/smiley-happy065.gif

[/IMG] Oh joys of being a post menopausal 52 year old!!

GO xxx[/quote]

Hi Gettinold

Sorry to hear you have all these meno related conditions. I came late to HRT as was 53 when I started it. On reflection I had the peri from hell but just got on with it (what a numpty)

Cronic Vaginal Atrophy was one of the main reasons. I didn't realise lack of oestrogen could cause such pain & that it could lead to prolapse etc

I have needed systemic and topical to bring comfort to this area, plus it kicked my hot flushes into touch as well.

Both tablet HRT's I have taken gave me diarrhea, I do have IBS though and think it was acting as a trigger.

I started on kliofem 2mgs of oestrogen & she dropped me to femoston-conti 1mg oestrogen to see if that would stop the IBS it brought it down to ,2 or 3 times a week rather than the 7 or 8 times on the 2mgs So I put up with it for 15 months for the symptom relief, in the end I had enough of it & she said the days they upset my tum no point, as they would be rushing through me and no obsorbtion, so she gave in & let me have patches. (well I talked nice male GP who is clueless HRT into giving me them & then she could hardly stop prescribing after that lol).

The above is how I ended up on FemSeven Conti. I get good symptom relief so assume they are obsorbing well.

Why do you think patches may not be the way for you ? They do not go through the stomach and have no impact on the liver, that is why many prefer them.

Doctors give out pill HRT all the time because they cost a quarter of what patches cost. Most women initially have a battle to get HRT then once that hurdle is overcome have a further battle to get patches. I had to try 2 tablet HRT's first & have even managed to hit on a GP who isn't ine of the anti HRT pro AD brigade.

I did buy some Livial (tablet HRT) from a pharmacia in Spain & tried it myself in the summer, but my menopause is too strong or the livial is too weak. Flushes were back in a few days. I think it is better for women who are in the early part if post menopause.

I was trying to kick start my libido with it as it has a tiny bit of testosterone in it, Ironically considering my IBS Livial made me constipated.

I wonder if the reason you feel like you need a FemSeven everyday is more because you have just started on them than the product itself?

It could be worth sticking with them for full 3 months. You don't get more oestrogen by having a new one everyday, infact I think it takes a few hours to start working after you put one on, so if you use one everyday you will keep going through the inital three hours which may not be much help to you.

I do agree with you that it takes us some time to get into a bit of a hormonal mess so the cure takes a little while to work out, also trail and error on a lot of products to find the right one for us.

xxxx

[gettinold]

Hi Susan,
Firstly, I'm so sorry I've not been on recently. I've been very busy with work. I spend 2 monthly stints out in Germany and when I return to England, I have masses to catch up on. I've been getting a client prepared for a meeting with his Accountant so I've been buried in the computer doing reports etc... I've now come up for some air

Thank you for such a detailed and very useful and helpful reply. I'm sorry you had the trial and error too. I presume all us gals go through this!! Our body is such a complex machine and each one of us is so different. I'm glad you are getting sorted with all of yours now and the path is heading the right way for you. It's lovely that you are so prepared to share your journey along this rickety old road i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa394/Cybe2005/smiley-happy065.gif [/IMG]


Your advice on the patches is super. I went to the docs last Monday and he is a super GP and has now put me on the Everol Conti Patches. I started that last Friday, I used the second one on Monday and the next is tomorrow. However, today I've had a little brown and pink blood and period like feelings. I've not had a period since July 2011. I've read that this is possibly "Breakthrough Bleeding" which can occur in the early months. I had a similar thing on the Femseven when I'd caught and had to change 3 in the same week. It was only brown and nothing much. Today it has gone more fresh blood looking. I'm not sure if I should go back to the doc or at least phone and ask the receptionist or if I should just sit tight on it and go with breakthrough??

I have to admit, that I do feel much better with the patches and I'm very happy to carry on with them. I'm not a lover of pills at the best of times. Your reply put me at ease and happier about the patches.

As for your IBS with testosterone that must be a nuisance. My daughter has IBS and I totally understand the distress (sometimes) this can cause you. I had IBS symptoms when I first was diagnosed with Pudenedal Nerve problems. I have a Bran Fruit cake receipe which is great but not sure for genuine IBS sufferers. I will PM you the receipe and you can see if it's any good to you or not.

Sex drive is a complicated thing isn't it!! It's enough to give you a headache!! "Not tonight dear I've got a headache working on my labido"

Jacksfullofaces - I also spoke about my Thyroid. I was tested recently and I was OK on that front. Thank you for suggesting that. I didn't know about the receptors. Now I do

Thanks so much everyone for your help.

GO
xx

[susan]

Hi gettinold

No worries about only just coming back on, it's nice to hear that someone has lots of work.

Good luck with the Evorel, I hope they are good for you, two patches a week can be good as by day seven the FemSeven Contis can look a bit dog eared, but it hasn't impaired their effectiveness in my case.

I prefer patches to pills but might be a different story if I didn't have IBS.

If you find you keep having the annoying spotting even after several months (it's caused by the continuous progesterone) you can actually change to Evorel Sequi even if you are post menopause. I personally would give it six months to settle of its own accord if it isn't too bad.

Women who find they spot on continuous progesterone often prefer to have one short predictable bleed for a few days each month, rather than the never knowing when it is going to turn up spotting.

Thank you for he offer of the recipe I must admit though that I am not a great baker and don't really eat cake due to endlessly trying to control my meno tum, but having got the recipe it does sound really nice and even my limited culinary skills should be able to cope lol.

libido is a whole other topic in itself

xxxx