Was On Dianette For 15 Years Then Tapered Off. Noticed Deficient Oestrogen Level, Headache, Dryness. Suggest?

Posted on Thu, 4 Jul 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 4 Jul 2013 Answered on

Sat, 27 Jul 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I was on dianette happily for 15 years then came off the pill for 9 years, in the last 3 ive noticed oestrogen deficiency problems, headache, dryness, thin skin
im looking to go back on to something to replenish oestrogen without ruining sex drive, or weight gain, or mood swings
does that mean i should go for something oestrogen dominant? which progesterone is the least problematic

Answered by Dr. Sree Gouri SR (2 hours later)

Hi,
Thanks for the query.

You can go for hormone replacement therapy after consulting your doctor.
You have to choose low dose combined pills for HRT with your doctor's advice.
Both estrogen and progesterone components should be there.
Progesterone should be there to decrease the side effects of the estrogen.
By taking both hormones in low doses you can avoid the side effects to some extent.
Taking local estrogen creams is one option which will have less systemic side effects.
Hope I have answered your query. I will be available to answer your follow up queries. If you are satisfied with all my answer, please rate the answer after closing the discussion.
Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar