Indivina

What is Indivina?

Indivina is a combined HRT tablet that has two synthetic hormones in it: medroxyprogesterone acetate and estradiol valerate. These two hormones help to keep your menopausal symptoms in check. Indivina is an effective option for postmenopausal women.

Indivina is also a second line treatment for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women who are at greater risk of brittle bones. So if you have this risk, you can benefit from taking it.

Because it’s available as a low-dose combined tablet, it can be an effective option for women who are more sensitive to side effects from oestrogen and progesterone.

How does Indivina work?

When you experience the menopause, your ovaries start to produce less oestrogen, and this reduction in oestrogen in the body triggers menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes, vaginal dryness and discomfort during sex, low mood or anxiety, trouble sleeping, reduced sex drive and night sweats.

These symptoms can be uncomfortable for some women, and the synthetic oestrogen in Indivina, estradiol valerate, which makes up for the decline in naturally occurring oestrogen in the body, works to ease them.

In isolation though, whilst it helps to tackle symptoms of the menopause, the synthetic oestrogen can cause the womb to keep growing. If left unchecked, this can cause womb cancer (if you still have your womb). This is where the progestin (medroxyprogesterone acetate) comes in; it counters the effects of the oestrogen on the lining of the womb, and reduces your cancer risk.

It’s the oestrogen in Indivina that can also prevent osteoporosis. When there’s a decline in the hormone during the menopause, it can cause the bones to become thinner, and more prone to breaking. HRT treatments like Indivina can be a very effective substitute for this loss of natural oestrogen in the body.

Is Indivina the right treatment for me?

If you’re post-menopausal (so if you haven’t had a period for 1 year) and you haven’t had a hysterectomy, continuous combined HRT options like Indivina are usually the recommended treatments. If this doesn’t describe where you are in relation to the menopause, it’s likely that you’ll be better suited to a different type of HRT.

For example, if you’re getting menopausal symptoms but are still having your period, sequential (or cyclical) HRT products like Elleste Duet tend to be the recommended route. Or if you’ve had your womb removed during a hysterectomy, oestrogen-only HRT products like Elleste Solo and Estradot patches are usually better treatment options.

Indivina is a combined HRT product that comes in tablet form. Some women like the simplicity of a tablet, as it’s easy to take. But if you’d prefer a skin patch, combined HRT patches like the Evorel Conti patch are a direct topical alternative to Indivina.

Different HRT treatments contain different amounts of hormones, which allows you to get the balance right between an effective treatment and one you

How to take Indivina

Take one Indivina tablet each day, at the same time. Calendar days are printed on the blister sheet to help you follow your daily tablet intake.

You can swallow the tablets whole with water.

When you start taking Indivina, you can get some bleeding at times you wouldn’t expect. If this persists beyond a couple of months, or if you get any heavy bleeding, send your clinician a message. They may adjust your dose, or advise you to try a different HRT treatment. You should always take Indivina as instructed by your clinician.

If you aren’t experiencing periods and you haven’t used HRT before, or if you’re switching from another continuous combined HRT treatment, you can start using Indivina on any day.

But if you’re switching from a cyclic HRT course of treatment, start taking Indivina one week after taking the last tablet. You should contact your clinician if you’re uncertain about this.

You’ll usually start on the lowest dose of Indivina for the shortest amount of time that provides you with relief from menopausal symptoms. This can be increased by our clinician if required. If you find that your symptoms haven’t improved after three months, let your clinician know. You should always speak to our clinician first before making any adjustments to your dose.

What if I miss a dose?

If you miss a tablet, leave the tablet you missed in the packet. Then take the next tablet at the normal time. If you miss a dose or use Indivina on an irregular basis, it may trigger some breakthrough bleeding or spotting.

Never take double the dosage to make up for a missed pill as this can cause serious health issues that will need immediate medical attention.

If I want to stop taking Indivina, what should I do?

If you’re looking to stop using Indivina, speak to your clinician first. They can explain the effects of coming off the treatment and explore other options with you, if you’re looking for an alternative.

Any changes to your treatment will need to be monitored to make sure that it’s working well for you and not causing unpleasant, persistent side effects.