Is there anyone in the UK who can tell me how to get these natural hormone replacements? Do we buy them - get a referral from the GP - go to a complementary therapist?
You can probably tell I'm new here! Having a completely horrible time and will try anything...
Thank you ALL at PowerSurge, wherever you may be. You are all such a comfort to me.

Hi, I.ve just joined up after browsing this fantastic site. Like you I am on the search for bioidentical hormones in the UK. I think we have to order from a compounding Pharmacy in the US and then produce a doctor's presciption. My GP is unlikely to cooperate but I have seen a private doctor who specialises in nutritional medicine who is willing to write me one. He is based in Crawley, Sussex. I'll let you know if I am succesful!

Many thanks for your info. Yes, please let me know how you get on and then I can follow your example! It's all a bit complicated in this country isn't it...

It sure is! however, there is an option you could consider if your GP will cooperate. Estroderm MX is an oestrodial patch which is bioidentical, which GPs here will prescribe. Unfortunately, they tend to reserve it for women who have had a hysterectomy, because estrogen alone can build up the lining of the uterus and they tend to prefer combined HRT that has synthetic progestogens rather than a bioavailable progesterone for menopausal women with an intact uterus. I persuaded my GP to prescribe it with Crinone progesterone gel (usually used for infertility -8% is used for infertility and 4% for menopause but I think there is a problem with getting the 4%, so I used the 8% but half the dose (this is a vaginal cream with prefilled applicators)
I know this sounds really complicated and a complete faff, but doctors won't prescribe the Estroderm patch without some form of progesterone, my GP wouldn't agree to my getting my own natural progesterone to use with the Estroderm, so I have filled the presription (Estroderm and Crinone Gel) but use natural progesterone that I have sourced myself. GP is unaware - I'm happy and she is happy. While I try and track down TriEst cream, I'm using the Estraderm patch with natural progesterone cream rubbed in the skin as per instructions. The natural progesterone is much more readily available and can be ordered on the web or try the National Progesterone Advisory Service. Let me know if you need more info or contact telephone no.
I'm 47 and had perimenopausal symptoms for 5 years and am now fully menopausal. I have controlled a lot of my symptoms through nutrition and supplements with great success (which has led me to studying for a degree in Nutritional therapy which I'm 2/3 through) its all very exciting and yes I believe with knowledge and wisdom we can get our lives back and feel better than ever!

Wow, you are one savvy lady! I feel motivated to do a search on the web now (no motivation for anything at all lately!) I have recently descended into the chocolate eating comfort zone...doesn't help does it!
I might even try talking to my GP although I don't hold out much hope. I won't be going to the woman GP as she is a complete dragon. Perhaps she's menopausal...

Please keep me updated, at least I know which direction to go in now. Thanks.

Hi

I replied to another post you were in, and I have sent you a pm.

I have found a doctor in London who prescribes bioidenticals and I have a lot of information, reply or pm if you still need this information.

I myself am on Hormonin and Utrogestan (3 types of Estrogen and cyclical progesterone) and when I first went into the pharmacy for my firsst prescription I was dizzy and in tears. The pharmacist said "I have been dispensing for this doctor for some time now and I see women coming in on their uppers, then, after 3 months you can see a new woman; then they come in here like racehorses!!! I went out and cried a bit more!!!

Hi All

Hrafandot,
I would love to know more about this Dr -please reply here or PM me. I want to be like a racehorse (it'll be the first time, have more of a Shetland Pony build)!

Nutrishanna,
I admire you taking charge of your life by studying nutrition - a very valuable skill at any life stage.

Peribelle
I hope things are a little better for you now.

Domino

Hi fellow UKites

This bio-identical thread is just what I needed - I asked my GP about them this week and he went all weird and said he had never heard of them and I ought to be careful what I am taking?

The NHS are woefully inadequate in my area of the country on menopause - no support, zip........my GP wont refer me to a gynae consultant or do any bone density tests even though I keep asking. We have a new support group just started today which is great - all voluntary - I am hosting next meeting so should be fun - nice to see people in the flesh and vent once in a while!

Like Nutrishanna I am also going to get my academic credentials updated and am hoping to enrol to do a herbal medicine degree from Sept as I am so disgusted and shocked by lack of help I have had - I plan to do my thesis on perimenopause!!!!

Domino - hope you achieve your racehorse dream - perhaps you should reconsider NHS HRT as that is synthesised from pregnant mares urine!!!!!

Nice the weather has cheered up isnt it - how long will it last????

Love

Mele

Morning Mele,

You shouldn't have said that about the weather! Today is grey as grey, overcast, rain threatening. My heating's back on. Forecast says rain tomorrow - and I will be outside all day.

Everyone - it's great that we can share info about bios in the UK, although to many Drs they don't exist More power to our elbows

I like the sound of the thesis on perimenopause, can we read it when you've finished? I envy you ladies your energy in taking on further education.

I too am taking further education, I obtained a certificate in Life Coaching and used the techniques provided to plan my way into becoming "normal" again. It worked, I am going on to a BTEC and Diploma.

The organisaiton in the UK for obtaining information about bio-identicals is the Natural Menopause Advisory Service (NMAS) and I would also endorse the suggestion that people read Dr John Lee's book on menopause. I haven't read the Suzanne Somers book, but like all good racehorses tend to rear up and bolt when faced with US drama queens.

On the other hand - I'm very keen on the re-introduction of lust and passion into my life, so I might give it a read!!!

Hrafndot,

On my own personal quest for info on the Bio's (here in US), I really did find that Suzanne's book was indeed helpful, as most of the book is interview's with her well stocked group of cutting edge doctors. I don't know Suzanne, but the spirit of her book, is basically to inform women to what is available "these days". Thing's have changed from the old HRT, to the new Bio's. Of course none of us know for certain, if this is now the pot of gold that we think it is, but time again, will tell.

I took the plunge and began taking the bio's about 6 months ago. Yes, there is a difference, BUT, it's not exactly all sunshine. I still have my dips and valleys, the transition is still going on in my body. And, I don't have a team of dr. to constantly monitor every horome to it's proper level, so I try to just keep plugging along, and stay informed and do the best I can.

It's no picnic here in the US either, thankfully we have these places to go and network, women to women!!!

Best of success to all my UK sisters!!!!

Jules

Crinone vaginal gel is natural progesterone and is readily available in the UK on prescription. There are docs in the UK who will prescribe bio identical oestrogen products, but they are few and far between. You can also buy bios direct from a company in Guernsey, but the problem there of course, is knowing firstly what you need, and secondly what to buy. It's totally self diagnosis and guesswork unfortunately.

I have said this before on this board, but can I re-iterate, all towns have a Family Planning Clinic, totally separate from their GP, where you can go for your birth control (pill, IUD etc - all totally free of charge) cervical smears, and other 'female' procedures etc., as an alternative to having it done at your GP's surgery.

They are totally staffed by females, nurses, doctors, receptionists, the whole kit and kaboodle. Trouble is they don't really promote themselves much, and your doc won't tell you about them! These clinics invariably run HRT clinics on certain days throughout the month. Contact your local area health authority and find out the FP planning clinic nearest to you, then ring up and find out if they run an HRT clinic. Nearly all of them do.

I have found them so much better than my GP I can't tell you. The fact that it is staffed by women is the biggest plus of all, totally sympathetic, and many of them going through it or having gone through it themselves, so they are coming at it from a whole difference place than the (often male) GP, stressed, dozens of patients a day with all different complaints.

These clinics are specialist. They deal with only one thing. Women! Women's bits and bobs, women's stuff to put it bluntly. All day every day!

I urge you to check it out and see if there is a clinic near you. It's all free, on the NHS, and although you may have a little wait to get an appointment, it could prove to be well worth it.

x

That's really useful information.

My doctor has prescribed Estracombi tts which is bio-identical estrogen, with progestogen added for half the month. She said that natural progesterone cream isn't licensed for the menopause in the UK, although it is for other uses. I shall see how I go, but if I have problems with the progestogen then I think she can prescribe the progeterone cream on the NHS. If I get really stuck, though, I shall try the local family planning clinic. That hadn't even crossed my mind.

By the way, the Family Doctor Booklet on the Menopause and HRT is very useful to find out the current state of prescribing for the Menopause in the UK. I found it really helpful.

Hi fairyhedgehog, btw I love your name lol

I found this website many many months ago before I found PS, not sure if it will be any help to you but it is a Menopause Clinic in the UK and I think it specialises in HRT using bio-identicals. It may be worth a look if you or anyone in the UK is looking for a specialist hormone clinic. I know I can't post a website on here so I'll just give you the name of the clinic and you can google it...The Surrey Park Clinic........

Rox

You can buy Oestrogel {same as Estrogel in the U.S} from a U.K website. It is a transdermal bio-identical estrogen.

Best Wishes!!

Sharon

Hello fairyhedgehog

Natural Progesterone Cream is classified as an unlicensed medicine in the UK so it doesn't appear in the British National Formulary, the compendium of medications to which doctors refer. It's not a case of it being unlicensed for menopause in the UK but licensed for other uses, so far as I know - it's an unlicensed medicine. You do still need a prescription for the two varieties of the cream available in this country however. In other countries like the States, it's available over the counter.

When I enquired about it with my GP she firstly hadn't heard of it but said she would research it. 'Research' meant enquiring of the practice pharmacist who responded that it "wasn't efficacious for treatment of menopausal symptoms". Well after that I consulted a doctor privately who specialises in menopause, was prescribed natural progesterone cream, and have found it very efficacious for treatment of my menopausal symptoms!! I think the problem is that there isn't a great deal of research on Natural Progesterone cream in mainstream medical research. To cap it all, one of the pharmacies which takes prescriptions from my GP's surgery stock both the brands of Natural Progesterone Cream available in this country and were supplying it on prescription to women registered with different GP surgeries in the area for exactly the purpose I wanted it - withdrawing from conventional HRT. I tried to register with a practice that would prescribe it, but I was outside their catchment area, which is why I saw a private doctor in the end. Happily it wasn't as expensive as I'd anticipated.

However I have seen some discussion on this board that natural progesterone cream might not be sufficient to protect the endometrium if someone is supplementing with oestrogen (I don't supplement with oestrogen) although other varieties of natural progesterone administered by other means can be. I think this discussion is in the Progesterone forum somewhere.

Thank you! I pinched it from a Terry Pratchett book.



That website looks really good. They are just down the road from me (a half hour's drive away on good roads) so it's worth looking into. I wonder if my husband's health insurance would cover it. I'll have to ask.

I thought the only use for progesterone was to make the endometrium shed, to avoid the increased risk of uterine cancer that you get with estrogen. I can see I need to head over to the progesterone forum!

Thanks for the other info too. I've just started the progesterone part of the HRT and I'm waiting to see what effect it has. So far the estrogen has reduced the sweating and the flushes and I'm sleeping better at night, although I still wake twice a night. At least now I go straight back to sleep. But it has been no help with energy levels or the debilitating aches and pains, the inner shivering etc. Two more weeks then back to the doctor. I'll just have to see how it goes, but if the progestogen doesn't agree with me at least I'm beginning to see some alternatives.

My husband has just got back to me. Our health insurance doesn't cover anything to do with the menopause. What I think about the insurance companies is unprintable.

So, I'll start with the GP. Then I'll try the contraceptive clinic. And if all else fails, we'll pay to go private.

Silly UK system, grumble grumble.

I am feeling so much better now but I have come out in a rash!

At first, it was a huge reaction where the combined patches were on my skin.

I saw my GP and went over to Estraderm MX and didrogesterone. A week later I have an itchy rash on my arms and legs and the same rash but not itchy on my torso and thighs. The GP doesn't know whether it's because of the progestogen, or because of the adhesive in the patches.

So I'm now on my third attempt at HRT, a combined, sequential pill with estradiol for the whole month and didrogesterone for half of it. And plenty of Benadryl (antihistamine) for the rash. Fingers crossed!

I am so hoping this will work because I'm finally starting to feel human again. I've been putting up net curtains, going out on my bicycle, doing all the stuff I'd usually do before I felt so ill. So I'm desperately hoping the rash will go away.

Sorry to hear you've been having problems with finding the right medication or method of delivery for you Fairyhedgehog. I developed an allergy to nicotine patches when I gave up smoking eleven years ago - my skin was reacting really badly to them - so it could be the patches themselves that were the problem.

I've never heard of anyone developing a rash with progesterone - is it mentioned in the side effects of the medication you were using?

As regards your earlier post about the only use for progesterone being to enable the endometrium to shed - that's the only reason it's contained in HRT. However natural progesterone itself has other uses within the body - it can have a calming effect for instance.

I experienced anxiety as soon as my periods stopped being regular. My GP tried to treat this with conventional oral HRT which contained a bioidentical oestrogen but a synthetic progestogen. It didn't take away the anxiety unfortunately - whilst I was OK most of the time, some of my worst espisodes of anxiety were experienced whilst on conventional HRT. I'd never experienced anything like that before peri.

After two and a half years I stopped taking it due to other health problems relating to oestrogen. Having stopped it abruptly, my hormone levels went into freefall and I experienced very severe menopause symptoms indeed. I asked my GP about natural progesterone cream but she hadn't heard of it and instead offered me a prescription for Citalopram - an anti-depressant which also treats panic attacks. I refused that as I was already having problems withdrawing from one medication and didn't want to have to later withdraw from another. I consulted the menopause specialist privately who prescribed progesterone cream plus phytoe-estrogens and various dietary supplements like calcium and magnesium and omega 3 (plus others).

This regime seems to be working for me as I now feel more or less completely normal. I don't have anxiety at all, can sleep properly (I'd suffered insomnia before), don't get palpitations and the only menopause symptoms I still get are mild hot flushes from time to time.

Someone's estrogen levels can be adequate, but their progesterone low or non existant. For me natural progesterone seems to have taken away the mood symptoms. As the progestogen in the oral HRT I took was synthetic, I don't think it could perform all the functions of natural progesterone in the body - its only purpose in the HRT was to protect the endometrium. Therefore I still suffered anxiety whilst on conventional HRT.

Some people seem to find progesterone supplementation problematic however, as you've probably found from reading the progesterone forum. For me it works however. I think it's a case of experimenting to find out what works for you.

Good luck.

It lists skin complaints as a possible side effect. In my new medication (which contains the same ingredients) it lists skin complaints as 'uncommon' (i.e. 1 in 100 or less). So it's possible but I think that a reaction to the patch itself is more likely.

It sounds like you've had a really difficult time with anxiety. I'm glad you seem to be OK now. It must be such a relief to feel normal again.

I haven't had mood problem, except for getting down and grumpy. I think a lot of that is due to feeling so physically crappy though. I've been getting really wearing muscle and joint pains and fatigue. In fact, my doctor initially diagnosed me with Rheumatoid Arthritis but the rheumatologist has said it isn't that. The estrogen is helping, so I think it's what I need if I can get round the rash problem.

Which menopause specialist did you consult? I'm trying to get some names as a fall back position if my GP can't sort this out!

Thanks for your support,
Gina

Glad the oestrogen is helping

I've sent you a private message with the details of the doctor I'm seeing.

Thanks, Interactive

I've replied to your PM. Thank you