Elleste Duet Conti

What is Elleste Duet Conti?

Elleste Duet Conti Tablets are a type of continuous (delivering steady hormone levels without a break) HRT for women who are postmenopausal where it’s been at least one year since their last period. They contain two synthetic female hormones, an oestrogen and a progestogen.

The synthetic oestrogen replaces oestrogen hormones lost through menopause. Oestrogen deficiency causes symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, and low libido amongst other menopausal symptoms. Oestrogen can also prevent osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones. Progesterone reduces the risk of cancer in the womb by decreasing the lining.

How does Elleste Duet Conti work?

During menopause, your body reduces the amount of oestrogen produced. This can cause a wide range of symptoms like night sweats, hot flushes, insomnia, lower libido, vaginal dryness, low mood and anxiety. You might not experience all of them but HRT is there to help feel like yourself again.

Some postmenopausal women may develop fragile bones (osteoporosis) as a result of low oestrogen. Combined HRT can help prevent osteoporosis, especially if other medicines are not suitable. A review of the effects of HRT on osteoporosis risk from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) hormone therapy trials concluded that the current use of HRT, either oestrogen only or combined with progesterone, reduces the risk of hip and other osteoporotic fractures in mainly healthy women.

Estradiol is the synthetic oestrogen used in Elleste Duet Conti and replaces the loss of oestrogen levels. In turn, it helps to alleviate the symptoms described above as the oestrogen levels are replenished.

If you haven’t had a hysterectomy (a procedure where your womb is removed), increased oestrogen levels can make the lining in your womb thicker. This can lead to a risk of womb cancer (endometrial hyperplasia). In combined HRT, progesterone is included to reduce this risk and helps shed the lining of the womb. Norethisterone is the progesterone used in Elleste Duet Conti.

Who is Elleste Duet Conti for?

Elleste Duet Conti is for postmenopausal women, who haven’t had a period for at least a year. If you’re menopausal and also at risk of osteoporosis, but can’t take other medications to help treat or prevent it, then you can use Elleste Duet Conti for this purpose.

A continuous HRT treatment means you don’t take a break from the tablets, and that all the tablets in your pack contain the same dose of hormones. You should take a tablet every day. Continuous HRT is for women who haven’t had a period in twelve months or more, so they won’t get a monthly bleed on this type of treatment.

Sequential HRT, like Elleste Duet, is for women who have had around six to twelve months since their last period or are still having a period but experiencing menopausal symptoms. You take oestrogen every day of your 28-day cycle and in the last half of the month, you’ll also take progesterone. This results in a monthly period-like bleed.

Once you let our experts know what stage you are at in your menopause journey, they can let you know the best options to help you control your symptoms.

What doses of Elleste Duet Conti are available?

Elleste Duet Conti Tablets are only available in one dose: 2mg estradiol and 1mg norethisterone. So if you need to change dose, you’ll need to change treatment. It’s best to start with the treatment your doctor has prescribed to see how well it works. If you would like a higher or lower dose, speak to our clinician first before changing.

There are similar alternatives available if you need a higher or lower dose of the same hormones. For example, Evorel Conti is a transdermal patch that has a higher dose (3.2/11.2mg) of the same active ingredients. Kliovance is a combined HRT tablet containing a lower dose of estradiol (1mg) and norethisterone (0.5mg).

What are the differences between Elleste Duet and Elleste Duet Conti?

Elleste Duet is the sequential (or cyclical) HRT treatment. Although it contains the same active ingredients and works the same way, the levels of hormone it delivers into the body are different from Elleste Duet Conti. If you’re still getting periods or it’s been more than six months since your last period, Elleste Duet is for you.

With Elleste Duet, you get oestrogen every day of your cycle and then in the last half of your cycle (month) you get progesterone along with the oestrogen. This results in a period-like bleed. Depending on the dose, you’ll have two different coloured tablets to help you remember which one to take when – one will have just estradiol and the other will have estradiol and norethisterone together. With Elleste Duet Conti, you just get one type of tablet containing both hormones, that you take every day without stopping.

How to take Elleste Duet Conti

If you’re not taking any HRT already, you can start taking these tablets any time.

• Take one tablet every day
• Try to take them at the same time every day
• Swallow the tablet whole with water
• The foil packaging will have the days on them to help you remember
• When you finish a tablet strip, start a new one the next day

How long does it take to work?

When you take Elleste Duet Conti tablets, estradiol is fully absorbed into your system three to six hours after ingestion and norethisterone is fully absorbed after ingestion in one to four hours. The effects of both oestrogen and progesterone last for at least 24 hours.

Our expert clinicians will advise you on how long you need to take Elleste Duet Conti. Some women usually stop when their menopause symptoms have stopped which may be after a few years.

What happens if I make a mistake taking Elleste Duet Conti?

If you forget to take Elleste Duet Conti, take the tablet as soon as you remember and then the next one when you usually take it.

If it’s been more than twelve hours, skip it (and dispose of it) and wait to take your next one at the normal time. Don’t take a double dose to make up for the one you forgot to take. You might have some light bleeding or spotting.

If you’ve taken more than you should, it’s unlikely you’ll get any serious side effects. Some side effects from taking too much may include breast tenderness, nausea, irregular bleeding, mood changes, fatigue, acne or an increase in body or facial hair.

Remember to take your next tablet the following day. If you have any concerns or you’re worried about side effects, seek medical advice.