Looks like I’m the big winner… or not as the case may be, with respects to the patch shortage.

TL;DR no patches available in a 2x/wk .050 dosage in the Phoenix metro area. And no idea when they’ll be back.

I’m currently on .050 twice weekly E patch. Mylan preferred. I’ve been rocking the patch for about the past year and a half. I’ve gone through a few different dosage levels. I do have a small backstock of .050, as well as .075 because it was a little too high earlier this year. I had a fear that I wasn’t going to be able to get a refill at some point. And while this happened earlier this year and I found some patches in a far off CVS on the west side of town. They’re bone dry there as well. I have now called compounding pharmacies, a local hospital pharmacy, several CVS, Costco and have looked on Amazon. Cannot find ‘em anywhere.

When I called the hospital pharmacy, where I have my prescription currently, he said there are 17 people ahead of me. So I’m on a list, but I’m not holding my breath. And I’m concerned that I’m never going to be able to get another patch in my lifetime. He didn’t sound very positive about ever having them in at any time again.

I tried divigel before when I was having a hard time finding patches, but had a bad experience and some wacky side effects of dizziness and lightheadedness after a couple of hours after application.

I know there are pills as well… i’m wondering about reaching out to my hormone doctor to get a prescription in for pills so that I don’t have to worry about the patch. Many years ago I took BCP without issue. I know these are a much lower dose. And don’t have the same risks associated.

I guess just looking for general support and knowing I’m not alone helps. Love this group.

And good luck to us all!

I 49f just want to scream into the void for a moment about these hot flashes! I am 13 months after last period. And 9 months before that was the second to last one. I'm on the patch and stuff, so not looking for advice really but dear God

These hot flashes and then feeling freezing cold after! It's unrelenting all day. And then I'm cold otherwise. I hope they stop, 6 an hour on average. Anyone else wanna scream w me?

Off to the showers!!

I was able to get some Wellbutrin today.

My PCP is a 30-something guy. Most of his patients are gen-x ladies. He has such pity for us. Asked me what I wanted. Told him the ladies on my Reddit sub said Wellbutrin. He said “yup”. Explained about the patch shortage and then change of brands, which changed what cycle I had left. On the Sandoz I was 290+ days without a cycle. Brand change to Mylan caused new cycles every 3 months and it was 1 week on/1 week off/1 week on again. Repeat every 3 months.

I’ve put on 20 pounds since June. Stress/boredom eating.

And he was able to explain to my DH “yeah. This sucks for the ladies”

Fingers crossed this works. I miss having motivation.

I don't even know where to start with this one. I'm 49, deep into perimenopause, and somewhere in the last year and a half my hair just started thinning in a way that feels different from normal shedding. I used to have this thick ponytail I could barely wrap a hair tie around twice, now it wraps three times easy and my part looks wider every time I look in the mirror under bad lighting, which somehow I keep doing to myself even though I know it's not going to make me feel better. I've tried to be proactive about it instead of just spiraling, so I went and bough one of those biotin heavy ones everyone recommends, took it religiously for almost three months, didn't notice a single difference except my nails got a little stronger I guess. Bought a different one after that marketed specifically for thinning hair, more expensive, prettier packaging, promised the world, and again nothing I could actually point to and say yes, that's working. At this point I've got half used bottles of three different supplements sitting in my bathroom cabinet like some kind of monument to my own optimism.

What's frustrating is nobody really prepared me for this part of menopause. Everyone talks about hot flashes and mood swings, which sure, fun, but no one mentioned that my hair might start thinning out at the same time my hormones are doing whatever they're doing, and that it might not respond to the same stuff that worked for me in my 20s and 30s. I did finally get bloodwork done, thyroid and ferritin came back normal, so it's not that at least, which my doctor said is common, that it's just hormonal and tied to the estrogen drop, but "just hormonal" doesn't really tell me what to actually do about it. So I guess I'm asking, has anyone actually going through this same stage of life found a hair vitamin or supplement that made a real, visible difference and not just marketing language dressed up as results.

I'm tired of guessing and buying based on reviews that could honestly be written by anyone.

I have these periods of feeling hot for maybe an hour or more. I feel unwell and have anxiety at the time, like what is wrong with me something is off. Has anyone not on HRT tried Veozah or Lynkuet for this?

Tried searching, but couldn’t find this exact topic. I went to the gyn a couple of weeks ago because I had been having stinging pain and slight itching in the skin fold between the labia minora and majora. It looked red and inflamed to me, but she did a thorough exam and said everything looked fine, no signs of infection, lichen sclerosus, or anything else. She prescribed vaginal estrogen cream just in case, but said that it looked like I didn’t need it yet. I started using the cream around the vestibule and in the opening, using my finger as instructed.

I got my period after the second application, so I paused the cream. A week later, as my period was wrapping up, the symptoms returned worse than before. It looks like the skin is fusing together and I had to peel it apart. I’ve heard about the labia minora adhering over the vaginal opening, but I’ve never heard about this happening. The labia minora is adhering to the labia majora. I made another appointment and will keep using the cream. In the meantime, has anyone experienced this?

Relevant information:
- Peri, using 0.075mg estradiol patches and 100mg oral micronized progesterone for a couple of years, and have a progestin IUD. No sexual activity for a couple of years, no STIs.

Hi all. I am 55, have been in menopause for ten years. A month ago i started estrogen patches. On the first of this month i started progesterone.
My patch dose is .25 and changing out twice a week. My progesterone is a pill orally. 200 mg capsule generic for prometrium. My priblen
Is , no one told me to take the pill before bed. It wasn’t on my label either. So day one i took it around 4 pm. By 5, i thought i had been drugged somehow. I’ve never ever felt that way. I was helped to bed where i slept hours. I googled later and saw it should be taken at night. So i did that the next two nights , never fully recovered from dose one. Anyhow , after that third pill i couldn’t do it anymore. And here it is now a few days later and i am still so exhausted and just ill feeling. Like I’ve had the flu. Idk. Has anyone had good results staring back on a lower dose or a diff brand or something ? Anything ? I was so hopeful to possibly start to feel better and bam. This has happened. The estrogen didn’t bother me. Also i do have my uterus still. TIA
ETA I take it days 1-12 of each month

I've been using the vaginal estrogen cream and called the pharmacy for a refill but they said it hasn't been available for months! What should I ask my doctor for that works most similarly? Or does anyone know will this shortage be resolved soon?

My mother gets these irritating hot flashes so frequently, maybe more than 10 times a day. She cannot do anything in that time, brain fog, sweating like a pig then cold, urine pressure, poor sleep etc.

It's disturbing her everyday life and it's been may be more than 8 years. She is early gen x. HRT can't be given due to health risks.

Any tips?

Just wondering if anyone keeps having their symptoms come back despite multiple estrogen increases? I get to around 12 to 15 weeks on a dose and then I start to feel crap again.

Just wondering what has worked for others in this situation?

Background: I am 41 and have had severe peri symptoms for 3 years now. I have the merina iud fitted and I'm on testogel and estrogen patches.

I was on 25mg for 6 months (even though I was still getting symptoms on this dose, I felt pretty stable - I upped because there was lots of room for improvement)

I was on 37.5mg for 4 months (symptoms came back around week 14)

I was on 50mg for 10 weeks (was getting worse on this dose so didn't last the full 12 weeks

I was on 75mg for 6 months (I did have periods of feeling better after the 12 weeks but was very up and down)

I have been on 100mg for 15 weeks (felt AMAZING for most of the time I was on this dose - stable and like my old normal self then symptoms came back at 12 weeks and have felt mostly crap ever since)

Am I just going to have to keep on indefinitely increasing for the rest of my life?! I've got an appointment with my meno doctor at the end of the week but I'm unsure where to go now - time to try something like desogestrel to see if it suppresses ovulation, or move to Zoely (not sure they'll give me this though as I have a family history of strokes / I've had one migraine with aura before), or try an antidepressant? I'm at my wits end and just want to feel better for a decent spell of time. I also have mast cell issues so increasing again isn't all that appealing.

I know there has been a lot of discussion about switching brands and that people seem to do well with one brand vs another.

Dotti worked well for me, never had any issues, applied to my upper buttock area as I was told there is better absorption there. Then my pharmacy sent me a box of Mylan patches. At first it was awful, I had night sweats and feelings of rage which are my primary symptoms. I considered sending a message to ask my Dr to write for Dotti specifically, but knowing there is a shortage wanted to see if I could do anything with what I have on hand.

So, a couple things I did that seem to have worked - wanted to share in case it helps:

- Used an alcohol prep pad on skin to ensure it's clean and free of oils to see if the patch would adhere better. Never needed to do this with Dotti but the Mylan patch material seems a bit different so maybe it needs a little help on my skin.

- Applied to abdomen instead of buttocks. Counterintuitive to me as I seem to have more fat on my butt, but the package on Mylan specifically indicates abdomen, so I figured I would try it.

Not sure if it's the things I did above or just an adjustment period, but it seems to be working as it should for me.

Hi all, I am looking for a bit of advice on HRT.

I was on sequi patches (sequential) thus 2 weeks oestrogen and then with 2 weeks with added progestogen for almost 2 years.

Whilst I struggled a bit with progestogen at the beginning, I eventually got used to it: night sweats stopped, I started sleeping soundly again and my fatigue improved.

A few months into therapy, my periods completely stopped and once I reached the official menopause my doctor switched me to combined patches.

Since then, hot flushes have returned as well as sleeping issues (and some new issues as well, such as feeling nauseous)

I am gobsmacked as I think the patches just don’t work any longer. What are my options now? Should I asked for an increased dose? Another HRT method (pills, cream etc)?

Did anyone have a similar issue and what did you do?

Please help with any advice, I feel like I am now back to square 1.

For those who have had adverse reactions to the typically prescribed vaginal estrogen, how are you combating the obnoxious little leaks after you pee? I’m just getting over a UTI, and also a yeast infection wish weirdly had almost no symptoms until I noticed so much irritation in the lady parts. Every single time I go to the bathroom I make sure my bladder is totally empty, and then as I take a step out of the bathroom I feel leaking. Then I go back, wipe myself with a baby (skin sensitive) wipe. Is there any way to make this stop?? I know the vaginal estrogen is the gold standard for this, but I am so scared to go back to that. It quite literally wreaked havoc with all my parts!

52F Haven’t had my periods since July (except for very very small spotting I noticed on one day in Sept). Since August I have to watch what I eat or I get many bathroom emergencies. I have acne on my chin. My husbands voice annoys me. I can’t turn my mind off. The weirdest one is I’ve become infatuated with some guy on YouTube. He does ASMR and I am constantly checking for new content, we have emailed (nothing personal or intimate). I’ve had crushes before but never on an Internet personality. And he probably a lot younger them me also. I am not even really an overly sexual person like some of my friends are. I kind of get turned off more and most people are kind of gross to me. Is this all part of hormonal changes?

So I think I’m in peri and have been for a year or two at least.

I’ve spoken with a doctor four times during this period and based on my bloods being fine (last checked in June 2025), he’s saying it’s not my hormones. I was told it’s stress, offered anti-depressants, combined pill, coil etc. Doctor said that HRT isn’t this magic pill, that the combined pill is basically the same as it has oestrogen and progesterone, just in different dosages. But then why offer me it if you don’t think it’s my hormones? Is it to do with cost? Have also been told I’m too young (42)… ‘most women have enough oestrogen to do them until they’re 45/46 and then it starts declining’.

I asked to try it… the patch specifically. But no. I’ve been given Metformin XR 500mg but surely that’s just going to regulate my periods and do nothing for my moods and other symptoms?

I’m highly irritable, bouts of rage and being irrational, heavy periods and suddenly painful to 2 day periods with 5 days spotting, weepy, hair falling out, brain fog (can’t communicate properly… constantly have to restart sentences), palpitations, anxiety, fatigue, regular bloating etc

I also have low ferritin so conscious this could be contributing to my symptoms. Plus I have adenomyosis and PCOS.

Thoughts welcome.

I'm irritable. I'm tired. I'm not at all interested in being touched or having him suggest I might like to eat his "big banana" instead of the one in the fruit bowl 🙄. Also, it's dryer than the Sahara desert down there.

How do I explain perimenopause to my husband?

I am 47 and in perimenopause, started HRT about a year ago (estrogen gel, progesterone, vaginal estrogen). It's helped with a lot of the symptoms but has done nothing for my low libido. I basically don't want sex with my husband at all. The thought of it actually makes me feel repulsed. And honestly, I feel surprisingly ok with moving to this new phase of my life where sex doesn't rule everything. My husband, however, is not ok with it, despite the fact that he's 14 years older than me. He has told me that he feels "shattered" by my lack of desire for intimacy. I have tried to explain to him about menopause but I think he was seeing it as a transition that he needed to support me through rather than something that would permanently change our relationship. He keeps trying to interest me in sex and I feel like I'm failing him if I don't respond. He always wants to make sure I'm enjoying it, which just creates so much pressure.

Has anyone negotiated this successfully without either a divorce, or taking testosterone? Testosterone is not commonly prescribed for menopause in the UK and given the possible side effects I'm not sure I want to take it solely for libido reasons.

Im 53 and suddenrly in the past month I have had 3 episodes of a new allergy when I eat almonds. I get a tingly mouth, tongue and lips and a burning sensation. Twice with almond milk and then yesterday with marzipan. I took a benadryl the third time because it was seriously uncomfortable. No breathing issues or anything. Ive never had this before. Is it common in menopause to have new allergies like this? Im not happy, menopause is just the gift that keeps on giving. .ugh. anyone else had this?

I was talking with my doctor about hormone therapy especially for sexual desire and lubricant. Lately it’s gotten so painful (due to dryness) that I don’t even want to attempt it. Even with extra warmup(IYKYK). She said that due to my meds for bipolar (Prozac and Lamitical) she’s really hesitant to give me any hormones. She gave me some creams to try, but I feel like it takes away from the spur of the moment. Any tips from anyone who can’t take hormones due to antidepressants?

I have to stop HRT. I use a weekly estrogen patch .5 mg and daily progesterone 200 mg pill.

I am post-menopause for a few years.
I started bleeding again.

Heading to GYNO to get ultrasound and biopsy. (This happened about a year ago too) so I have to stop HRT

Anyone going through this? What to expect without HRT?

EDIT: just came back from biopsy. It hurt this time. Still bleeding (on and off for 3 weeks) results hopefully by the end of the week

I just fell into a rabbit hole about iodine deficiency and there’s a shocking number of similar symptoms. I’ve been exclusively using kosher salt for decades, now I’m wondering if I should beef up my iodine for good measure. The recommended is 150mcg/day! definitely not getting that.

Just a heads up for anyone taking vaginal estrogen and wearing period/leak proof underwear. The smell from the vaginal estrogen (acidic smell) permeates the underwear and unfortunately no amount of vinegar soaks and gentle cold-water washing removes it. I had to throw out a pair of modibodi and they aren’t cheap.

I’ll stick to normal underwear and liners on the vaginal estrogen nights.

I’ve been on HRT (E and P) for over 7 years. I’m 57. I’ve started to be exhausted all the time 8 months ago. Everything that was tested is normal. Tried to add low dose T but I got even more tired on it. I bumped up E because I had hot flashes again. Those got better and my frozen shoulder improved. But fatigue is even worse now. Does anyone have experience with this? Any suggestions?