Hello - need help deciding which hormone therapy to use

I have not been on this site for so long, and I so miss and need my sisters. I had a hysterectomy in March of 2009, so a little over a year ago and I am still adjusting. I started taking hormones, but then stoped because I thought I could do without them. HAHAHA Well my hot flashes are coming back, I did good for about 6 months, but slowly they are coming back, and I am sooooo tired. I can't decide which ones I want to take, the doctor said I can chose between two different ones, Estradiol and Premarin. I do not know which is better, or which will help me. I don't see why taking Premarin will help, sine I don't have a uterus, and it has pregesterone in it. Why is the one things so hard for women, have to be so complicated? We go through the hardest thing in our life, and now we have to deal with hot flashes, mood swings, and all the other crap that comes along with menopause. Why?? I guess I just thought the hysterectomy would fix everything, it did fix the pain, and months of bleeding, but now I have a whole new set of problems. Well this is whats going on so far, any suggestions?? I hope you are all doing well, and adjusting to our new life!



Nichole

Hi Nichole!

There are a lot of estrogen choices--your doctor offered just two. Estradiol is bio-identical estrogen while Premarin is a conjugated estrogen. Neither of them contain any progesterone. Maybe you are confusing Premarin with Prempro, which is a combination of conjugated estrogen and Provera, a synthetic progesterone.

It's impossible to say which one is better for you since what works well for some of us may not work well at all for you. If you can get some samples from your doctor to try before committing to a prescription, that would be great! If not, research both and decide which you would like to try first. You can always change doses or switch to another type of estrogen if the first attempt isn't the right match. It's important to give each hormone therapy a chance to work before changing to something else. It takes time for hormone therapy to reach optimal levels.

My personal preference is to use bio-identical hormones. To me it makes sense to put back into my body something that is made to duplicate the hormones that my ovaries made. Many Sisters on this site use the bio-identical hormones but there are many who use Premarin and they are happy with their choice as well. Other members do better on the other available types of estrogen. So, while it's not a one size fits all deal, that actually can be a good thing in that we have a big variety of choices. If one doesn't work, there are plenty of others to try.

Many of us do benefit from using progesterone as a part of our hormone therapy even though we no longer have a uterus. While it's a necessity for those using estrogen who have an intact uterus, we don't have to use it after a hysterectomy. That's not to say that we can't use it or won't benefit from it, though.

There are articles about estrogen, progesterone and about many other hormone topics in this link: Hormone Jungle Articles. I hope browsing there will help with your decision.

Let us know what you decide to try, okay?

I live in a small town and Bi-identicle ones are not avalibale to me. I'm taking premerin .3 mg and So far I notice a big difference. Headaches have eased...night sweats and hot flashes are better. Still early yet. Hoping the headaches will GO away.

Compound is available to me, but I don't have insurance, so that makes it hard. I am just so lost, my insurance should kick in on the 19th, so hopefully ill get some answers then.

Estradiol is available thru most of the low cost prescription plans at major pharmacies, usually costs around $4 per month. Estradiol is bio identical, so if cost is an issue it is certainly an option.

Hi there, I am 4 weeks out from a TAH and started on the Estraderm patches 5 days after surgery....no hot flashes....loving it....perhaps it could work for you also!!!!

I have been on the estradiol 2mg before, and it did work, but I am concerned with the weight gain and inability to lose weight. I was wanting to try something with estrogen and progesterone. When I was PG with all 3 of my kids, my progesterone levels were low and I had to take supplements for the first 3 months, and I would always drop tons of weight. So I'm wandering if that is not the case now. I know I don't have a uterus but I think it could still effect me. Tanks for the advice, I can't wait to back to my doctor.