As oestrogen production declines during the menopause, symptoms like hot flushes can disrupt daily life. Elleste Solo replaces this lost oestrogen to ease those symptoms. It comes in two strengths - 1mg and 2mg - and the 2mg tablet may also be prescribed to help prevent osteoporosis after menopause in women at increased risk of fractures, where other medicines are unsuitable.

Elleste Solo can be prescribed for women who still have their womb and for those who have had a hysterectomy. If you still have your womb, your doctor will prescribe a progestogen separately, taken alongside the oestrogen for at least 12 days of each 28-day cycle to protect the lining of the womb. If you have had your womb removed, your clinician will discuss whether you can safely take Elleste Solo without a progestogen. Either way, your suitability is assessed during your consultation.

If you are still having regular periods, take your first tablet on the first day of bleeding.

If you are not having regular periods, you can start straight away.

• Take one tablet each day. You can take the tablet at a time of the day that suits you. But it is best to take it about the same time each day.

• Swallow the tablets whole, with some water.

• Follow the direction of the arrows on the pack and take a tablet each day until the pack is empty. All the tablets are the same.

• The days of the week are marked on the strip to help you to remember to take one each day.

• When you finish a foil strip, start a new strip on the next day.

Changing from another type of HRT

If you are changing from another type of HRT, start taking Elleste Solo when you finish the pack of HRT you are taking at the moment. If your doctor gives you instructions on changing from another type of HRT you should follow these instructions. If you have any doubts you should contact your doctor.

Will I have periods?

If you have not had a hysterectomy, and you are also taking a progestogen, you will probably have a monthly bleed. In the first few months you may get irregular bleeding. However, if this carries on you should tell your doctor.

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

The following diseases are reported more often in women using HRT compared to women not using
HRT:

• breast cancer
• abnormal growth or cancer of the lining of the womb (endometrial hyperplasia or cancer)
• ovarian cancer
• blood clots in the veins of the legs or lungs (venous thromboembolism)
• heart disease
• stroke
• probable memory loss if HRT is started over the age of 65

The following side effects have been associated with Elleste Solo. Frequencies are defined as
follows:

• Very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 people
• Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people
• Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people
• Rare: may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people
• Very rare: may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people
• Not known: frequency cannot be estimated from the available data

Common: feeling sick, abdominal pain, headache, an increase in size of leiomyoma (benign tumor of the
womb), breakthrough bleeding, disturbed menstruation period (metrorrhagia), irregular cycles,
Uterine/vaginal bleeding including spotting, changes in weight, oedema (swelling) of legs, breast
tenderness and enlargement, mood alterations including anxiety and depressed mood, changes in sex
drive, rash, itching.

Uncommon: indigestion, being sick, flatulence, gallstones and gallbladder disease, feeling dizzy,
migraine, vaginal thrush, hypersensitivity reactions, visual impairment, palpitation, urticaria (hives),
breast pain, painful reddish skin nodules (erythema nodosum).

Rare: increase in body and facial hair, not being able to wear your contact lenses (contact lense
intolerance), acne, muscle cramps, pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), painful periods (dysmenorrhoea),
vaginal discharge

To buy Elleste Solo online in the UK, all you need to do is complete a short consultation. A GMC- or GPhC-registered clinician will review your medical history and, once approved, your order will be dispatched the same day in discreet packaging with free UK delivery.

Looking for alternative treatments? Explore other HRT options.