Oestrogel is the same as Estrogel

Estrogel is made by Solvay Pharmaceuticals. A product of the same type is made by Laboratoires BESINS INTERNATIONAL of France.

Oestrogel pump-pack is made for Hoechst Marion Roussel Ltd by Laboratoires Besins Iscovesco, 8 Rue Morel, 92120 Montrouge, France.

What is Oestrogel?

Oestrogel is a clear, non-greasy, non-staining, odourless transdermal gel containing the female hormone oestrogen (0.06% w/w 17ß oestradiol).

Each Oestrogel pack contains 80g of gel.

Oestradiol is the main oestrogen (female sex hormone) produced by the human ovary. Oestrogel also contains the following inactive ingredients carbopol 934, triethanolamine, ethanol and purified water.

Oestrogel when used as prescribed, restores the level of oestrogen in your body so that it is similar to the level that existed before your menopause. This "hormone replacement therapy" or HRT prevents or relieves the related symptoms you may have been experiencing.

Oestrogel may also help to prevent brittle bone disease in women who are at risk of developing fractures.

What is the Menopause?

The menopause, or "change of life", occurs when your ovaries stop producing the female hormone oestrogen.

For most women this happens sometime over the age of 40, but can happen at any time if the ovaries are removed by surgery.

At the menopause periods become irregular, both in timing and amount of bleeding, before they eventually stop altogether. Other symptoms can include hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, sleeping problems and vaginal dryness.

Before taking your medicine

Do not use Oestrogel if:

• you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or suspect that you might be pregnant
• you have a blood clot in a vein in your leg or anywhere else (a "deep vein thrombosis"), or have had one of these in the past
  
• you have a blood clot that has travelled to your lung or another part of the body (an "embolus"), or have had one of these in the past
  
• you suffer from a serious liver, kidney or heart disease, have high blood pressure or have a condition known as porphyria
  
• you have a cancer of the breast
  
• you have had treatment for a breast lump or any disease of the womb
  
• you have had some bleeding since your last period, or between periods if these are still regular

Consult your doctor before using Oestrogel if

• you have not had a hysterectomy and your doctor has not prescribed other medicine to take while using Oestrogel
• you have breast pain or a strong family history of breast cancer
• you have high blood pressure or a history of high blood pressure
• you suffer from gallstones, migraine, diabetes, otosclerosis (hearing problems) or have a history of endometriosis (overgrowth of the lining of the womb)

Drug Interactions

It is important to tell your doctor about all the medicines you are taking including any you have bought without a prescription. Ask your doctor before using skin cleansers and other skin products during treatment with Oestrogel.

Special Warnings

• Do not exceed the prescribed dose. If the prescribed dose does not provide adequate relief of symptoms consult your doctor
• Do not apply on or near the breasts or in the genital region
• Do not ask anyone else to apply the gel. Only you should apply Oestrogel and you should avoid close skin contact with your partner for one hour after application
• Do not wash the skin or apply other skin care products until at least one hour after application
• Do not use strong skin cleaners or detergents when washing the area of application

Before giving you the prescription for this medication, your doctor will have taken details of your personal and family medical history. Depending on your medical history your doctor will decide whether you need a physical examination. Examination of your breasts and pelvic examination (internal examination) will only be carried out if your doctor considers it to be necessary, rather than routinely in every woman.

You are strongly encouraged to take part in the national mammography and cervical smear screening programmes. In these schemes all women are automatically contacted to have regular smear tests (women age 20-64) and mammograms (every 3 years for women age 50-64). If you have questions about these schemes please ask your doctor or nurse.

It is also important to be "breast aware". This means noticing any changes in your breasts such as dimpling of the skin, changes in the nipple, or the finding of any lump. Any changes should be reported to your doctor or nurse without delay.

Every woman is at risk of getting breast cancer, whether or not she takes HRT. There is a small increase in the risk for women who have been using HRT for more than 5 years compared with women of the same age who have never used HRT. It is not known whether the difference is caused by HRT. It may be that women using HRT are examined more often so that breast cancer is noticed earlier. The longer that HRT has been used, the more chance there is of having breast cancer diagnosed. This increased chance of breast cancer is similarly found in women whose menopause occurs late naturally, without taking HRT.

For women aged 50 who are not using HRT, about 45 in every 1,000 will have breast cancer diagnosed by the age of 70. For women who start using HRT at age 50, the extra number of breast cancers resulting from the use of HRT has been estimated as in the table below.

If women stop taking HRT, the increased risk disappears by 5 years after stopping HRT and then the chances of finding breast cancer are the same as for women who have never used HRT. Breast cancer seems less likely to have spread when found in women who have used HRT than in women who have never used HRT.

If you are concerned about the risk of breast cancer, discuss the risks compared to the benefits of HRT treatment with your doctor.

All women have a small chance of having a blood clot in the veins of the leg, in the lung or other parts of the body whether or not they take HRT. For women who are not taking HRT, the chances of getting such a blood clot are about 1 in 10,000 women each year. While taking HRT such as Oestrogel, the chances of getting a blood clot increase to 3 in 10,000 women each year.

You are more likely to have a blood clot whether or not you take HRT if:

• you are very overweight
• you have had a blood clot in the veins or lungs before
• you have relatives who have suffered from these
• you are unable to move for long periods
• you have a serious injury or a major operation

If any of these apply to you, you should talk to your doctor about whether you should take Oestrogel.

If you know you will be having an operation that is likely to keep you off your feet for some time, you should talk to your doctor as you may need to stop taking Oestrogel about a month before the operation.

If you get a blood clot while you are taking Oestrogel you should stop taking it immediately and contact your doctor. Warning signs to look out for are:

• coughing blood
• unusual pain or swelling of your arms or legs
• pains or feeling of heaviness in your chest
• sudden shortness of breath
• fainting

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