hrt after hyst for endo

In 2/06 I had a TAH w/BSO for stage 4 endometriosis. I'm 41yo and really want the benefits of natural HRT. My surgeon says "no way" on the Estrogen because it may stimulate "microscopic implants on the bowel that are always present even though not visualized in surgery." Well, she prescribed Estring but the darn thing doesn't fit. My vagina is way too short - it barely stays inside and is just not comfortable. Has anyone else been told no on the estrogen after having hyst for endo? I'm currently taking the prescription strength of natural progesterone, but I want the bone and other protection of estrogen (not the least of these being my vagina and bladder!). Anyone have experience with this? What have your docs suggested? Thanks, Jean

Hi Jean!

I have read that some doctors will allow estrogen after a period of time, usually 3 to 6 months. It gives the endo a chance to die off. Prescribing progesterone is also common. It sounds like your doctor is looking out for you! I know there are Sisters who have had endo who eventually resume taking estrogen and don't have the return of endo. I hope they will reply to share their stories.

In the meantime, I wanted to reply to let you know there are a lot of other options for vaginal estrogen which could work for you. I have experience using Vagifem and also a compounded vaginal estrogen cream. Vagifem is a tiny estrogen tablet which is inserted into the vagina with its own disposable applicator. It's neat, easy and there is no mess. The cream I used was also good, but especially during the first two weeks when it had to be inserted each night, it got a little messy.

There are other options to treat vaginal dryness and you can read about them in this link to the article called Vaginal Dryness.

I hope this helps!

s

Hi Jean

I also had my hysterectomy for Endometriosis. As (((April Dawn))) mentioned, many women use estrogen even if they have had endo. Estrogen can stimulate any remaining implants that were not removed at the time of the surgery which is why some doctors have women wait for 3-6 months. This allows time for the endo to starve off.

My doctor had me wait for 3 months before starting estrogen and then I was given the go ahead to use it. My current doctor has me use progesterone cream with my estrogen since progesterone inhibits the growth of endo.

It has been 3 1/2 years since my surgery and so far I have not had any return of my endo pain.

Here is a link to the resources section on Endometriosis.
Endometriosis resources

It might be a good idea to browse through the articles about endo and HRT and print off some that you can take to your doctor.
Hopefully they will be open to starting you on a low dose estrogen after a few months have past.