Holly’s HRT Story

In 2006, at the age of 19, I was told I had an intolerance to the contraceptive pill after experiencing various symptoms with every type I tried. During one of these consultations, the doctor sat with my mother and me, and without any mention of primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), simply drew a diagram of my bicornuate uterus and said, “You will not be able to have children.” I was sent away with no further explanation.

Fast forward to 2009, I conceived naturally. After my son was born, my periods stopped spontaneously. Over the course of a year, I repeatedly visited my GP, only to be told that it was “normal” for a woman who had recently given birth. Several potential causes were suggested—another pregnancy, stress, anxiety—but none of them turned out to be true.

Unsatisfied with these explanations, I waited the GP’s recommended 9 months and then returned with the same concern: my periods had not resumed. My GP, reluctantly offered to give me a blood test as he knew I was “overly anxious” about it. The results showed hormone levels typical of a postmenopausal woman. However, no mention of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was made at this point; instead, I was referred to a specialist. That referral took over six months to process, during which time I remained without any HRT treatment. Instead, I was prescribed anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications to manage my mood and anxiety. I was also suffering from PTSD due to a traumatic birth, so none of my doctors connected my mood changes to the hormonal imbalance in my body.

In 2012, I finally received a formal diagnosis of POI and was given an HRT treatment plan. I was initially prescribed Yasmin, a contraceptive pill, with a strong focus on preventing “accidental pregnancy”—even though I was already told that this would be unlikely given my condition. Before long, my intolerance to the pill returned, along with unfavourable menopausal symptoms. I went through several different oral HRT combinations before settling on Femoston Conti, which worked well for several years.

Then, in 2016, my menstrual cycles unexpectedly returned to normal, and I came off all HRT. However, by 2018, my periods had stopped again, and I resumed the same HRT regime. Unfortunately, this time it didn’t alleviate my symptoms. I eventually switched to Oestrogel and Utrogestan tablets, which provided some relief.

In November 2021, my symptoms worsened, and I was advised to increase my HRT dosage. Despite this, no tests were conducted to determine whether my body was absorbing the HRT effectively. After the increase, I felt even worse and decided to take a home test to check my hormone levels. The results showed that my oestrogen levels were above the recommended range. In 2023, I decided to stop all HRT in an attempt to relieve the symptoms of high oestrogen.

My journey with HRT is still ongoing. I am currently not on any HRT treatment as I am awaiting specialist appointments for guidance on how to manage my fluctuating hormone levels and reduce symptoms. Sadly, I feel there is still a significant gap in receiving effective HRT treatment and proper monitoring within the NHS for those with the POI diagnosis. I am however determined to find the right balance for me and found Daisy Day 2024 gave me the knowledge and support needed to ask the right questions and advocate for myself the best I can.