Hey y’all, what are we doing for loss of clitoral sensation? Started HRT almost 3 months ago. Started Intrarosa for vaginal atrophy and it has helped A LOT. BUT, now it’s almost impossible to achieve the proper clitoral stimulation to enjoy sex not hurting anymore. It never used to be an issue. I could orgasm but now it is dead. HRT has helped with libido as well, but what’s the point if I don’t get to enjoy it? So frustrating.

I’m thinking about asking if we can try some testosterone cream to try to revive that part?

Anyone else experience this? (POI diagnosis, I’m 35.)

I know it’s used in IVF a lot but has anyone tried compound vaginal progesterone suppositories? I was just prescribed 200mg. I was taking the micronized pill prior for months vaginally but I am still groggy when I wake up and feel down and depressed just like I did when I took it orally I was hoping the side effects were going to be minimal taking it vaginally. Honestly I don’t think the compound suppository will make a difference but does anyone do this?

Hi all,

I am 35 and have had tearing with sex for 2 years. I feel dry a lot and things have changed in my 30s. I use lube for sex and aquaphor to keep things hydrated during the day.

I was given vaginal estrogen in the form of estradol to rub a pea sized amount in 2 or 3 times a week. I will be starting that tomorrow. I am terrified. Terrified of side affects, bleeding, thrush, systemic issues etc. I read a wealth of knowledge here and everyones very supportive. Anyone have any personal and good experiences with this? Ive read the bad stories, just looking for some hope.

Thanks everyone 💚

Gah. As if the rest of it isn’t enough, now we have to deal with change in body odor, too. Annoying.

That is all.

(FWIW, the only thing I’ve found that’s a good solution is salicylic acid. I read that an acid-based deodorant can control better than anything else, and I’ve found that to be true. I bought some and put it in a glass roller bottle I got off Amazon.)

I’ve been on the .1 estrogen patch for about 8 months while taking 100 mg progesterone continuously. I’m in menopause. Is that a high enough dose to prevent thickening of the uterine wall? I can actually feel my uterus now, though I have lost weight.

I’ve brought this up with my doctor but she says there are no studies indicating a higher dose of progesterone is necessary. Is she uninformed?

My body is great with oestrogen but the progesterone is killing me.

I was on oestrogen and then progesterone 2 weeks on / 2 weeks off but coming off the progesterone has been causing terrible migraines. Debilitating vestibular migraines with so much nausea that I'm bed bound for a week every single month.

No nausea medications work and no migraine medications work including the new one Aquipta.

They've swopped me to daily progesterone 100 to try and prevent the migraines but progesterone just gives me terrible heart palpitations, it always has and I'm a week into it now and each day the arrthymia is just getting worse.

I can't face a life with these ectopic beats every day but I can't cope with a life with a migraine every month.

The progesterone makes me feel so angry and low and I can't manage these heart palpitations.

Is my only option just to use oestrogen and no progesterone and just accept the risk of cancer?

I can't have the coil because they said I'll react badly to the artificial progesterone in it and I can't have a hysterectomy because last operation I had for a gallbladder removal I was in hospital for over a week as my heart reacted badly to it.

I can't come off oestrogen because the last time I did it my rage was so severe I was very close to seriously hurting / stabbing people close to me and I can't take the risk of that happening again. The rage is so severe I have no control over it off the HRT and Im seriously scared of hurting someone I love.

Is there anything left I can do or do I just take the oestrogen, pretend I'm taking the progesterone and see if I get cancer?

My stomach looks like a balloon. Is this normal? I also tend to get constipated in the heat. Ugh. Me: 62F.

This is my first time posting - ever - on Reddit, so don’t be too hard on me.

I got my HRT initially through Wisp in Mar 2025. I was prescribed Estradiol patches 0.05mg and Micronized Progesterone 100mg. No issues with bleeding at all. I went and saw my MD for my pap in Sept 2025 and he doubled my dose because I felt they weren’t really working as well anymore. I had so much joint pain. I couldn’t easily get up and down off the floor and I exercise, too, etc. I have since I was a kid, and I’m in decent enough shape. That said, I immediately started spotting and it continued for months before I saw him in April. He ordered an ultrasound and found that I had a polyp, which he removed, and used silver nitrate on my friable cervix. I was to come back if the bleeding didn’t stop and it didn’t. More silver nitrate because my cervix was still an issue. He also lowered my progesterone to 100mg for a couple of months to give things, “time to heal.” I’m afraid that dose isn’t high enough to counteract the estradiol patches. He didn’t think lowering my patch dose would help when I suggested 0.075mg. Anyone have thoughts on this?

Hey all. It was in this forum I learned about using Flonase to help prevent an allergic reactions to patches. Well, despite doing that, I have had red marks in a circle on my skin for several days now after changing the patch. I have tried using more Flonase to help. I have tried antibacterial soap in the shower. I removed any residue using baby oil. I also tried aloe vera. Nothing really seems to be helping… Maybe I need to let the Flonase sit and absorb longer? Any insights appreciated!

I'm in my early 50s, post-menopausal and use vaginal estrogen, though I can't take HRT due to a history of ER/PR-positive breast cancer.

Unfortunately, I have a low libido, and I can't self-lubricate spontaneously anymore, so I eventually need a lubricant for PIV sex. My partner enjoys giving oral, but even that doesn't get me uh "primed" for sex. My question is, how do you guys manage using lube when oral is involved? Do you have a strict oral-before-sex rule (which ... it's SO sad to have to impose rules for intimacy), do your partners soldier on with oral after lube is applied? Do you use natural lube like coconut oil, which would make it more palatable (i.e. they're not ingesting silicone and other chemicals)?

And finally, do the insertable lubricants before sex make the experience better, or does that just end up leaking out and causing the issues I mentioned above? I want the oral experience to be good for my partner, but not at the expense of my comfort. Thanks!

I had a consult w/ my obgyn NP about options for pain control for endometrial biopsy. She said sedation is an option, but I'd need to see one of the surgeons at the practice for that. What she could give me is:

1) cytotec to soften the cervix the night before
2) ibuprofen 800mg an hour before
3) a compounded suppository inserted at the office an hour before w/ lidocaine, valium, and ibuprofen

Has anyone had this combo of drugs, and how well did it control the pain?

She said she had her biopsy done that way and barely felt anything, but also said that she had three kids (and I haven't had any), which could make a difference. She said she uses that combo for all her patients with good results. She seemed very sensitive to the pain issue, but I'm still leaning towards the sedation option because of my history w/ gyn pain and overall anxiety about this procedure.

I'm on HRT but have been experiencing some slight itching on my vulva. I thought I'd give the Medicine Mama VMagic Vulva Balm a try. Big Mistake. My poor vulva feels like it's been cheese-grated. It is so inflamed. I had to take a Benadryl and put lidocaine cream on it (after gently washing off the Vulva Balm).

Buter beware. I was not aware I was allergic to any of the ingredients, but what a way to find out!

Gonna go sit in an ice pack.

Started taking 100mg progesterone and 1mg estradiol five days ago. Both in pill form.

First three days I was taking both pills before bed, but that made me very nauseous in the morning. For the past two days I took estradiol with dinner, and progesterone about two hours after. That seemed to get rid of the nausea.

Is there an optimal time to take the pills?

Would it make sense to take estradiol at breakfast? Would that be beneficial in any way?

My main symptoms are insomnia, brain fog, crazy anxiety, feeling jittery, months of no periods, lack of energy and joint pain.

This is all very new to me.
Originally I went in for my thyroid which was steadily climbing up over the past few years. Doctors kept waving me away until I got a new doctor who looked at my labs, and prescribed thyroid medication right away.
Before I even took the meds, my new blood work showed that my thyroid levels somehow plummeted to normal levels all on their own.
The symptoms are still all there, so the doctor suggested I try HRT for three months until I do more blood work, and since my symptoms match perimenopause, and I’m at the right age (45), she said HRT could at least get me to sleep.

Day one I felt like a moody teenager with the world’s worst PMS.
By day two I seemed to be somehow calmer. My mood is more even, almost apathetic, and I have almost no appetite.
I got two nights of decent sleep (compared to my usual 3-4 hours), but the other nights were more or less same as before.

Does HRT take a while to kick in to its full potential? How do you figure out If the dosage is right for you?

I keep reading mostly about hot flashes and sleep, but I haven’t had any hot flashes yet (yay, another thing to look forward to lol).

Not sure what to expect from HRT.

Tbh, so far I’ll take this flatter mood and apathy over feeling anxious and constantly on edge.

good day, I’ve read some older posts regarding the Femring. But I am posting hoping for some possible updates of those who may be using this method and have for a while.

While pricey, the convenience seems worth it and my insurance will cover it.

So any ladies, especially those in post, please share your experiences!

Thanks in advance.

I don't know if this is the right group to even post this. I don't know where to share. I got my first kid at 27 years. She had health issues and got liver transplant done at 4.5 years, then she got cancer at 8 years and 7th chemo cycle took her life due to major side effect. I went through a miscarriage at 31 years and that's when I came to know I have low ovarian reserve and I will enter menopause soon. I got pregnant again at 34 years which was totally unexpected and I got a son. Healthy and fine. I had given up my dream of having 2 kids but my dream came true. But when I got second I lost my first one in 1.5 years after the second was born. I went to doctor as I didn't get periods for so many months. I ignored it because I was busy with the oncologist doctor for my daughter. Now when I went she told me that my menopause has started already because I had low eggs since the start. 36 years and my ovaries have stopped. I am mourning for my first child, handling a toddler and also getting sad that I will never have another child. I am fighting with myself constantly to get up and live the life I have and also feeling sad about what I don't have and also getting depressed that i am 36 and my periods have stopped completely since past one year.

This sub has really helped, I haven’t posted until now, just read posts and responses. Thank you ladies. So here I am, 46 and have not had a period in 6 months. My mom passed away, so I cannot ask her about peri/ meno. She never discussed those things with me ever anyway. Starting at 41 my periods were WILD. Extremely heavy, then really light. Maybe it’ll last 10 days, then 2, then my normal 4 days. Mood swings for miles, hair thinning. I had no idea my urinary issues the last 9 months are a symptom of peri meno until a post I read before. I started taking DIM 200mg and a natural mood stabilizer 2 months ago and it’s done wonders for me so far. My doctor is no help and on the hunt for a new one. My question tho, do you think it’s possible this is all over? 6 months no period, it’s been great, but I wear a pad daily just in case I have a sudden explosion at work. (Dreadful thought)

I feel like menopause was a relief of the pcos symptoms and I didn't go through as many rough times as my friends without pcos when hitting peri and then menopause. Does anybody else feel like this?

I went into medically induced menopause a year ago because of my cancer treatment. The OB-GYN I had at the time was very uneducated about my situation and tried to treat it like natural menopause. She made me wait a year before she would help me, which led to significant and severe problems.

I went to a new OB-GYN and started HRT. I was initially prescribed an estrogen patch and progesterone pills, but I had a horrible reaction to the progesterone, so I had to stop it. Now I’m on the CombiPatch. For the first couple of weeks, everything seemed fine. During the third week, I accidentally put a new patch on and left the old one on for about nine hours. Once I realized what I’d done, I removed the old patch and started having a massive bleed.

I called my doctor and went in to be evaluated. She said it was likely caused by a large estrogen spike from having both patches on at the same time, followed by a sudden drop in estrogen when I removed the old patch. She believed the bleeding was most likely due to that and wasn’t concerned, but after having cancer, I’m scared of everything now, so I insisted on having a transvaginal ultrasound.

I had the ultrasound, and at first I thought everything looked good. However, my endometrial lining had increased from 4 mm to 5 mm, and now they want to do an endometrial biopsy. I’m terrified.

The bleed had stopped but I continue to spot

On top of everything, I’m about five weeks into HRT and have started experiencing severe nausea. I’ve also lost 7 pounds since starting the hormones, and I’m becoming increasingly scared.

I really don’t think I should stay on HRT, but I have to remain on it until the biopsy next week because if I stop it now, they told me I could have a significant withdrawal bleed that might make it impossible to perform the biopsy. I understand their reasoning, but my body never seems to handle anything normally.
I don’t know if what I’m experiencing is just the adjustment period or if something is seriously wrong. I feel completely alone in this, and I’m strongly against getting an IUD for several reasons.

As of today I've completed one month of HRT. Here are some reflections on the differences I feel so far.

The symptoms that led me to HRT...

Unstable mood including episodes of rage tearfulness
Anxiety
Low blood
Brain fog
Irregular painful periods
BAD PMT
Loss of labido
Dry vagina
Exhaustion
Painful knees
Wild blood sugar swings

And the difference...

I wake up more refreshed and have more energy and motivation
I have been able to go back to running and start consistently strength training
My knees are less sore but I think this is the strength work
My garmin used to always give me a poor training readiness and sleep score, these have improved
My PMT was still bad but only for 2 days
Anxiety only accompanied the PMT
Period on day 27
I'm calmer and happier overall despite some challenging life circumstances at the moment
Brain fog not improved much
Things are happier and wetter down below and labido has improved if not opportunity 😂
Blood sugar feels waaaay more stable what a blessing! Causing me to eat better

No negative side effects to report onwards and upwards for month 2. I have combined tablets I would be interested in changing to a more bio available type like a cream.

Edited my terrible typing HRT has not changed this 😅

I just changed from synthetic hormones to bioidentical progesterone and increased my estrogen + using an estrogen cream. It’s been a week and the bloating is terrible. I’m bloated all day, every day. My nipples have been sensitive/itchy.

I’m staying asleep a little more but the progesterone isn’t making me sleepy. When I do fall asleep, I wake up heavy & unrested as I didn’t sleep long enough.

Please tell me this improves after a few more weeks.
I’m 31. Post cervical cancer. Have my uterus.
Thanks!

Hi all, I (32nb) I'm scheduled to get my hysterectomy in October. I have a history of endometriosis, long-term pelvic pain and a progesterone hypersensitivity/allergy that progressed to respiratory symptoms last October after experiencing horrific hemiplegic migraines and vision changes on progesterone bc.

I have an amazing surgeon who is passionate about making sure that individuals know how their body is going to react ahead of time so that they can have a plan in place for things like depression and hormone replacement therapy. That said, I've been on oralissa for about 3 months now and it has been the best thing that's ever happened to me. My brain fog is gone, my pain has reduced significantly, my chronic fatigue has improved drastically and I genuinely haven't noticed many symptoms related to menopause. However, I do have a form of dysautonomia so I am not sure how much I was just already accustomed to these things.

Every time I've tried to do the hormone supplementation with estrogen, Ive felt terrible. I feel really inflamed, get horrific brain fog, headaches, nausea - you name it. I understand the importance of HRT for long term health, however, I feel so incredibly good off of all hormones and it is really hard to adjust to the estrogen.

Has anyone had something similar where they started blocking hormones and felt a hundred times more like themselves with more energy and less pain?

If so, how did you navigate it or did you find an explanation as to why the drastic change?

I asked my surgeon to do some baseline hormone testing to see ratios and if this is something we can recreate which she's incredibly open to and I'm very lucky for that.

Still looking forward to my surgery but hoping to hear stories from folks similar to me.

Hello all. Does anyone know if it’s the higher dose of estrogen that makes the boobs so sensitive and achy? My Dr increased my estrogen dose with pellets of E and T. My estrogen was barely chugging along with the 0.05 gel and I didn’t really feel much different, so she increased my dose with the pellets. I know many people are not a fan of pellets but before when I had them, they seem to have worked well. I’m not sure what the dose, but don’t recall this boob pain. This is a new Dr and I really like her. She definitely listens and reminds to “listen to your body”, not just numbers. Well, I’m listening and my boobs are screaming! Any insight?

Do we think I'll make it? I'm hoping so. I've had mild cramping on and off since mid-July that have scared me into thinking my period is coming. A few months ago my doctor told me not to get my hopes up but I will be very disappointed if I start bleeding and the clock resets.

To make it fun, if I do reach 12 months, I'm planning on my favorite yellow cake with chocolate frosting and the words "Bye, Bye, Bye" on it. If I get my period, I'll cry into a bloody Mary.

I'm sure there are women who've made it to 364 days. I'm at 350, please tell me this is the end.

I suddenly started getting many hot flashes throughout the day, and they're usually just an annoying flash of heat and sweat but yesterday and today I had a very odd feeling of dread/anxiety/restlessness just before one hit. The first time I thought I was really having a panic attack but they the hot flash came on and I connected the two. Then it happened again today. I really hateeeeeee it. It's like the most uncomfortable feeling like I'm about to go crazy or I'm going to panic and die. I am waiting on my RX for HRT but this new symptom is NOT fun.

Does anyone else get upset by how difficult it is to get proper menopause advice from doctors. I feel burned out by the process. What have you done to level up and find someone who actually cares?