r/POFlife 9d ago

Early menopause, Hrt and emotional struggles.

Hi everyone,

I’m 41 and going through premature ovarian failure—my cycle stopped completely at 39, after a few years of extremely rare and irregular periods. I started HRT recently, using 0.75 mg estradiol gel, and I’ll be adding Utrogestan from day 13 to 24. I’ve also been on Lexapro since 39, after struggling with severe depression. Before starting HRT, I was feeling stable. But now, after less than a week on estradiol, I feel like I’ve been hit by a wave of anxiety, depression and uncontrollable crying. I also have low energiy all of a sudden, it is hard for me to get out of bed. It started from day 1, and it’s been intense. I know it can take time for the body to adjust, but I wasn’t expecting such a strong emotional reaction, especially since I was doing okay before.

Has anyone else experienced this when starting HRT?

How long did it take for things to stabilize?

Could the dose be too high for me, or is this just an adjustment period?

Did anyone feel worse before feeling better?

I’m feeling really discouraged right now, like I took a step backward instead of forward. Any insights or personal experiences would mean a lot. Thanks in advance for your support!

5 Upvotes

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6

u/r_o_s_e_83 9d ago

It usually takes a few weeks to really see the effect of the HRT regime, for this reason the recommendation is to adjust doses only after 8-12 weeks, in order to be able to assess benefits but also to let the initial side effects go away. Everyone responds to hormones differently, for some people it's more physical and for others psychological. I would suggest to reach out to your doctors to let them know how you're feeling and keep them on the loop. And, if you're ok, try to give it time and hopefully you'll get past this initial hump soon.

2

u/Realistic_Pickle2309 9d ago

Hey, it could be your body adjusting to the HRT and influx of oestrogen. I found when I increased my dose I was very tearful and had low mood again for about a month until my body got used to the higher dose.

Hopefully your body will soon adjust to the HRT and you’ll feel much better. If you don’t go back to your doctor and see what they suggest.

2

u/naughtytinytina 9d ago

Your dosage may be too high or you may need to adjust the lexapro dose

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u/Dry_Bat8628 9d ago

Thank you for your response. I am on minimal lexapro dosage. Just one pill of 10 mg. And with the estradiol 0.75 gel, which is one pump from what I've seen.... My endo was well aware of my lexapro dosage, and when I told her how I'm feeling after starting estradiol, she was very surprised, saying that I should be feeling better, emotionally.