Ask the doctor: Will HRT interfere with the natural cessation of my period?

Question: I am on HRT, oestrogen gel and progesterone tablets for 14 days of my cycle, as I was still bleeding regularly when I started a year or so ago, at age 49. My question is about cessation of periods. Does this mean I will continue to bleed monthly while I have the progesterone? As in, does it interfere with normal cessation of periods? I find that my periods have become more irregular in the last three months or so and I didn’t get any bleed last month despite taking all my medication as prescribed.

Will my periods just stop while on this and do I need to change HRT then? Dr Grant replies: Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT) for the menopause is commonly used to treat the vasomotor symptoms (eg, hot flashes, night sweats) as well as the Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM). In general, women with only symptoms of the GSM are treated with low-dose vaginal oestrogen (eg, vagifem) rather than systemic oestrogen (eg, oral tablets, transdermal patch, topical gels)..