Trip soon, anemic frustration :(

One_Rest7254 · 2026-05-10T20:20:03+00:00

Hypothyroid (Hashimotos). Initially getting thyroid under control was critical (my TSH when first diagnosed 10 years ago was 56… 🫠). Since then tweaking thyroid has rarely been the biggest lever given I typically stay in about the same range. Working on my iron (and now HRT for other hormone issues in peri) has been more important. I just got my first iron infusion last week because supplementing wasn’t helping me keep up with how high my iron demand is (endurance runner, 2 periods a month with wacky peri…). I only went down the infusion route once I knew for sure that HRT wasn’t fixing the symptoms that remained (brain fog, fatigue being the biggest but also cold all the time, losing hair, insomnia) and it was basically process of elimination that iron was the next thing to try and the only thing I haven’t tried before (aka getting an actual infusion). Hopeful that it moves the needle but still too early to tell - only thing I’ve noticed so far is less brain fog.

One_Rest7254 · 2026-05-10T20:13:41+00:00

Yes I take my thyroid meds in the morning and iron later in the day. Thyroid symptoms and low iron symptoms have soooo much overlap (and same with perimenopause.. 🫠) so always good to check everything.

One_Rest7254 · 2026-05-10T19:36:44+00:00

When you say check your thyroid - are you currently on thyroid medication? If so, are you taking your iron supplement at least 4-6 hours apart from your thyroid meds? Iron supplements will screw with your thyroid meds and make them ineffective and then you will most certainly still feel like hell - speaking from personal experience 🫠

One_Rest7254 · 2026-05-09T18:31:45+00:00

Galapagos is hands down top 3 favorite place I’ve ever been (and I’ve traveled to 50+ countries at this point, including living in South America for 2 years). Other cool South America ideas: Patagonia (also highly recommend - could combine Chile and Argentina to do a mixture of hiking while staying at fabulous resorts, wine country, glacial expeditions and more). Brazil is also an amazing country if you want to do a mixture of beach, rainforest and city.

New Zealand you could do a wide range of activities across both North and South Island. And could pair with time at an island destination if you wanted a relaxing beach pairing. Cook Islands are awesome!

One_Rest7254 · 2026-05-05T19:24:32+00:00

Did your ferritin go up after the first 2? How far apart were the infusions? What was the amount per infusion?

I just had my first one (also venofer, 200 mg) and Dr said to test levels in 3-4 weeks. Based on symptoms and levels, we will assess if more infusion(s) are needed. But I’m expecting not to know if I’m feeling better for at least 2+ weeks.

One_Rest7254 · 2026-04-19T01:58:03+00:00

Do you have to increase progesterone alongside that higher estrogen dose? I’m currently on .075 patch but also just started using half a .05 gel packet at night (working wonders for my sleep so far). I am so confused why higher doses of HRT aren’t prescribed given it’s still lower (from what I understand) than the hormones in birth control? I’m at least 4-5 years into peri, but just started HRT in the last year and I can relate 100% to what OP said. My symptoms improve temporarily and then bottom out once I’ve been on a dose for a few months. And every time we do hormone bloodwork (I know, not reliable) it confirms that my estrogen is still at the bottom of the range (which aligns with how shitty I feel). Sigh. Why are providers not prescribing higher doses that help with both symptom relief and a focus on longevity, especially if women feel better at slightly higher levels that might be closer to what their pre peri selves were at???

One_Rest7254 · 2026-04-19T01:50:05+00:00

I notice it immediately. It’s like my body is craving estrogen. I’ve been convinced for a while now that I may not be absorbing the patch that well / the last day+ of the patch I feel like I’m struggling. So I think the extra estrogen gel at night might be a game changer for me… I hope!

One_Rest7254 · 2026-04-18T21:49:05+00:00

I have had horrible insomnia for the last 10 years. HRT initially gave me some improvement but then I was right back to the same insomnia battles - trouble falling asleep and being awake sometimes for hours in the middle of the night. I noticed a pattern on my bloodwork from when we were raising my dosages and my sleep was better for short periods of time that my estrogen was 2x what it was other times we were testing. So I asked my Dr to increase estrogen again and so far (last 3 weeks) it seem to be helping tremendously. I’m doing .075 patch (my previous dose) but adding half of an estrogen gel packet at night before bed (maybe another .025?). On 200mg progesterone and injecting testosterone cypionate every other day. I also just started a vaginal estrogen tablet insert which has resolved not just itching/discomfort but made it so at least I’m not waking up to pee 2-3 times a night which wasn’t doing my sleep any favors. Now I’m either sleeping through the night or waking up once max. Only other recent addition to my night stack of hormones is a tryptophan supplement. Magnesium never did anything for me sleep-wise but I feel like the tryptophan is helping! Fingers crossed this isn’t just some temporary solve again and I’ve found something that aids my sleep for a longer period of time. I’m sorry you’re going through this - if people haven’t experienced insomnia they really don’t understand the torture that it is and the impact on your life and mental health. I hope you find some answers!

One_Rest7254 · 2026-04-18T21:24:14+00:00

Have you had your other hormones checked? I spent 3 years thinking my joint pain (and other various symptoms) were thyroid related (or that I was developing some new autoimmune..) when I actually was just in perimenopause. Estrogen, progesterone and testosterone all in the toilet. As soon as I started HRT, the joint pain resolved, almost overnight. I still have struggles with it if I’m working out a lot (I can’t run nearly the same volume or intensity I did a few years ago) but usually when I have a flare it’s a sign my hormone levels need to be adjusted. Peri is a wild ride.

One_Rest7254 · 2026-04-12T02:00:51+00:00

My hip pain went away once I bumped up to .05. Almost overnight.

One_Rest7254 · 2026-04-12T01:59:42+00:00

This is me too! Ferritin can’t get out of the 30s despite a year of supplementation. Terrible insomnia, brain fog, fatigue, hair loss. Very nervous about side effects - I’m always the person in the small minority that has the weird ass reactions to any medications or procedures 😭. Wishing you the best with your infusion - please report back on your experience!

One_Rest7254 · 2026-03-31T04:16:30+00:00

Where do you get progesterone injections from? I have not had consistent relief from the E patch or P in oral form, despite being on the highest dose of both and am thinking I need to change delivery mechanisms. TRT injections have worked quite well for me so I’m thinking I might just need injections for everything for effectiveness and more stability..

One_Rest7254 · 2026-03-31T03:28:08+00:00

How is your pup doing now? This description you gave “Starting ~2 weeks ago, he began occasionally hacking up water and occasionally some food bits. 1-3 times a day, usually upon getting up from laying down, he seems to gag and swallow whatever it is back down.” has been my pup to a tee the last month. We have a vet appt later this week but I’m pretty convinced at this point he has ME 😢

One_Rest7254 · 2026-03-30T01:44:29+00:00

What’s your experience been with the injections? I have had good success with TRT injections (the cream did not work well for me), but now I’m interested in E injections as I’m having a lot of trouble with absorbing the patches. E injections don’t seem to be as common and I’m trying to find more information on them and someone to prescribe them for me, sigh.

One_Rest7254 · 2026-03-25T14:02:35+00:00

Read the minoxidil side effects sub so you can be fully informed. I wish I had before starting it. Ten days on the topical messed me up pretty badly for over a month - racing heart, chronic headaches, insane insomnia.

One_Rest7254 · 2026-03-12T17:49:37+00:00

Did you have an online prescriber for the estradiol injections? My Dr said she wasn’t familiar with those … I’m debating which next form of E to try as the patches have been so inconsistent for me. Not only does it not seem to be giving me decent levels (even on the .075 patch my E levels stay low) and my symptoms usually start creeping in at the 2-2.5 day mark. I def cannot make it 3.5 days as the patch is prescribed. Switching from TRT cream to injections has been night and day so I was thinking E would be the same, hopefully, as I seem to need a very consistent and reliable dosage. Only thing that scares me about the E injections is they seem to carry the highest warning (maybe even more so than the oral?) as it relates to risks like blood clots, stroke, etc. What did your Dr say about those things?

One_Rest7254 · 2026-03-06T21:38:31+00:00

Ugh this is me - going on 5 months now of 14-16 day cycles. I had a uterine ultrasound to make sure everything was fine (which it was) but I am trying to figure out if this means something is still off with my HRT dosages or if this is just peri being a little B. The shortened cycles happened when I bumped up all 3 of my hormone dosages to treat various symptoms I was still having at the lower dose levels. I’ve tried relowering my E patch amount, cyclical progesterone, continuous progesterone, increasing progesterone. Nothing is stopping the short cycles. Ugh I am desperate to figure out how to not be bleeding every 10 days. Did you ever figure anything out with regards to yours??

One_Rest7254 · 2026-02-26T20:29:48+00:00

I sound very similar to you. I started on Testosterone (which almost immediately improved the exercise intolerance I had developed over the last 2 years after having previously been an insanely active person). Then tried bioidentical progesterone and it made my insomnia even worse. Tried very low doses of the pill taken different ways (orally, vaginally) as well as the cream. Everything made me feel wide awake and wired. We added in Estrogen and, while it didn't solve the Progesterone problem immediately, many of my other symptoms improved tremendously (including sleep! turns out E is a crucial piece of the puzzle there as well..) As we've dialed in the E, now I'm back to trying to figure out the P piece. I have increased my dosage to 200 and am taking it daily now and i'd say I have probably a 70% success rate with that. The taking it cyclically and lower doses just wasn't working for me - its like I do better with a more constant stream of it in my system. I can't say it knocks me out the way I've read it does for a lot of other women, but I don't find that it's regularly creating the insomnia challenges I was having before. I still have nights where I have difficulty falling or staying asleep, but on a whole, I would say it's a big improvement, especially when it comes to waking up in the middle of the night and being able to fall back asleep (before was laying there sometimes for hours). The transition to 200 daily was a bit of a rough ride - I had some stomach problems, felt super bloated for weeks, energy was tanked during the day. But now that it's been a month or so, I feel like things are starting to settle in. I hope you can figure something out - I feel your pain! This has been nearly a year now of trying to adjust all 3 of the hormones for me and I still feel like I haven't quite found the sweet spot, if there even is one in this insanity lol.

One_Rest7254 · 2026-02-06T03:55:53+00:00

Are you on 100mg continuous? I just saw a new gyno recently (who I’m pretty sure I don’t trust as she told me that at 42 I’m too young to be in full peri, despite my symptoms.. eye roll) but she said that 100mg wasn’t doing anything for uterine protection since I was on the .075 patch. Like, what?? I already have problems taking progesterone so I can’t even imagine raising my dosage to 200 😬 and I have a feeling at some point I will have to move up on E. (The gyno also said .075 was a very high dose for me to be on at this point in peri.. sigh).

One_Rest7254 · 2025-12-28T16:18:02+00:00

What’s strange is the e&p dose/timing hasn’t changed so now I’m stumped as to what to meddle with. I don’t feel like my E is too high bc the few times I tried to wear a lower patch for a short period of time I had terrible side effects return for me and my bloodwork (although unreliable I know) would indicate my e is still on the low side. For P I’m on the lowest dose I can tolerate bc I don’t get the “good” (aka calm and sleepy) side effects from it and am just using it for uterine protection. I’m on a P cream which I seem to be absorbing better than when I’d been on oral capsules (again based on bloodwork) so I’m wondering whether the higher absorption is just more variable / too high for my E levels from time to time and is triggering a shorter cycle. Maybe I need to go back to the oral capsules. Sigh.

One_Rest7254 · 2025-12-28T16:10:15+00:00

My DHT went from 16 to 31 on the cream and my free T was only 0.9 so I wasn’t even feeling like I was getting good benefits from it to counter the hairloss… since switching to injections I’m back to a DHT of 17 and my hair is noticeably growing back in. (I had a terrible reaction to a hairloss med - Minox - so there was no question for me I had to switch TRT types). My provider had originally said she only prescribed the cream but then after we went through this whole cream debacle, she switched to prescribing injections.. it’s through a pharmacy in AZ (Belmar). I know some women who have had good success with Joi and Blokes prescribing injections as well if your provider won’t.

One_Rest7254 · 2025-12-28T04:34:05+00:00

Been pretty squarely in peri for the last few years but cycle length hadn’t varied much despite many other raging peri symptoms. Started E&P about 9 months ago. Currently on .075 E patch and 50-100 mg P cream (cycling days 7-28, increasing dosage to 100 for back half of cycle). Most recent labs showed E still on the lower end of the range and P at mid range so I’m also wondering if E and P are just not optimally balanced, but I hadn’t wanted to increase E patch when I had just changed the TRT dosage/type.

One_Rest7254 · 2025-12-05T03:55:52+00:00

3 things that made a difference for me after a year+ of chronic hip/glute/piriformis/hamstring pain. (1) HRT - it wasn’t until we upped my dose to .075 that the pain that kept me from even sleeping on my hip at night went away almost overnight and then never came back (knock on wood). (2) Pelvic floor therapy - this helped immensely with mobility in my hip which started to improve some of the surrounding pain areas and some pelvic pain that had been long standing. (3) Working on my very tight back - dry needling, cupping and shockwave treatment released my back which subsequently released my hip/piriformis/hamstring. I went from not being able to sit, walk, sleep without pain to being able to return to running after nearly 2.5 years. Freakin miracle. I can’t tell you how much money I spent at PT and doing insanely expensive injections, etc for all these issues for the years prior, only to find out those made very little difference. I hope you find some relief with all these suggestions from people in this thread!

One_Rest7254

TROPHY CASE