Am I being stupid???

Well, my gyn/onc prescribed estratest fs and I don't want to take it. He didn't even want to really talk about my symptoms. In a way, I don't blame him, he is a surgeon and his expertise is not HRT.

I have read many posts and it seems that there is a lot to be taken into consideration. I hate this try and see approach with no logic behind it. I have also looked up info on compounding pharmacies and even printed off an extensive questionnaire. It appears that my lifestyle definately has an impact amongst other things.

My gut is telling me that the estratest may not be right for me. My worst sympstoms are extreme moodyness, joint aches, dry eyes and legs, extreme fatigue, and vaginal dryness and itchyness.

I am not even having night sweats anymore and never had hot flashes. I am 38.

I don't have another doctor because I only moved back here 6 months ago. I don't even know where to begin to find a doctor who will be open minded and take the time withe me. Besides I am still under the care of my surgeon. I go back in 3 months.

Should I just take the estratest and wait and see?

Please help, I am getting really frustrated and haven't even barely ventured into the jungle.

I had the same problem with Estratest and I quit taking it. Of course I should say that I informed my doctor that it wasn't working and I should also say that I researched what was working well for other women here on this site. I took my list of symptoms, concerns, and requests for what I wanted to my doctor and he was happy to listen. He tried to get me to use what he had there at the office but I stuck to my plan and got what I thought would work well for me. So far so good. I'm still on what I asked for and doing well at this time. I know that my needs may change in time but for now everything is fine.
I obtained the VDot and a prescription for compounded testosterone cream 1%. I had thought that the bio-identical route would work well for me due to the fact that I had many of the same symptoms with Estratest that I had on bcp's only worse. Synthetic hormones just aren't for me. Many people do well on Estratest and say that in time the side effects will subside. Ultimately it's up to you.
I hope that you find something that works for you. Remember to give anything you start time and to start out on the lowest dose that will work to releive your symptoms. Maybe even the half dose of Estratest would work better.
s and best wishes

Clarisse,
It is your body and you have the right to have a say in what you put in it. I really can't tell you what to do about the Estratest. My suggestion would be to find a doctor who is willing to work with you and listen to you. Alot of us have found that the gyns that did our surgery weren't really up on hrt and have looked elsewhere. That doesn't mean that you still can't see the gyn that did your surgery. I still see mine, but he does not handle my hormonal issues.

Perhaps you could locate a Compounding pharmacy near you and give them a call. They may be able to recommend a doctor who is knowledgeable about hormones. This site www.iacprx.org has a pharmacy locator.

Good luck!