My Experience Of GnRH Analogues
When my consultant first mentioned GnRH analogues, I’ll be honest, I had absolutely no idea what they were.
By that point, I had been struggling with heavy periods and pelvic pain for years. Not the kind of periods where you feel a bit uncomfortable and reach for a hot water bottle, but the sort that can take over your life. The bleeding would regularly last for 3 weeks at a time, the pain was exhausting, and I felt as though I was constantly planning my life around my cycle.
Like many women, I had reached a point where I just wanted some relief. When GnRH analogues were suggested, I found myself doing exactly what most people do. I went home and searched online. Unfortunately, most of what I found was either very clinical or quite frightening. There were lots of medical explanations about hormones and menopause, but very little from real women sharing what it actually felt like to take them.
This is the article I wish I had found back then.
What Are GnRH Analogues?
GnRH analogues are medications that temporarily reduce the production of certain hormones, particularly oestrogen. They are often used to treat conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, prostate cancer and precocious puberty.
In simple terms, they work by putting the body into a temporary menopausal state. This can help reduce symptoms that are driven by hormones, such as heavy bleeding, pelvic pain and endometriosis-related symptoms.
GnRH stands for Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone, which is a hormone naturally produced by the body. GnRH analogue medications interrupt the normal hormone signals between the brain and ovaries, resulting in much lower oestrogen levels.
Common GnRH analogue medications used in the UK include Prostap, Zoladex and Decapeptyl. I have had Decapeptyl, but I believe they are all similar.
Whilst they can be very effective for some people, they are not without side effects. Because they reduce oestrogen levels, many women experience symptoms similar to menopause, including hot flushes, night sweats, mood changes and vaginal dryness. Some people are also prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or “add-back therapy” to help reduce these effects.
My experience is only one example, so it’s important to discuss the potential benefits and risks with your consultant before starting treatment.
Why I Was Prescribed GnRH Analogues
My gynaecologist suspected that endometriosis or adenomyosis could be contributing to my symptoms, although, like many women, getting clear answers wasn’t straightforward.
My periods had always been painful, but over the years, things became progressively worse. The bleeding was often extremely heavy, I experienced significant pain, and there were times when it felt as though my entire life revolved around managing symptoms.
Because hormonal contraception had caused severe mood problems for me in the past, some of the usual treatment options weren’t suitable.
GnRH analogues were suggested as a way of effectively switching off my cycle and creating a forced medical menopause. The idea sounded quite daunting, but at that stage, I was willing to consider almost anything that might help.
What Happened When I Started Treatment
One of my biggest worries was how quickly I would notice a difference. The answer, for me at least, was that it wasn’t instant.
I still had symptoms initially for about 2 days, while I was anxious waiting to see whether the treatment would actually help. Like many medications, it wasn’t a case of having an injection and waking up feeling completely different the next day.
After a couple of days, the period I was on when the injection was done stopped. I had been bleeding at this point for 21 days, so to be honest, I wasn’t sure if it was the injection or just a natural end to yet another horrendous period.
GnRH Analogue injections – How did I feel on them?
After that period finished, I just didn’t have another period, no pain, no bleeding, no mood swings, nothing!
The biggest change for me was the pain. After years of planning life around painkillers, bleeding and discomfort, having those symptoms stop felt quite remarkable.
For the first time in a very long time, I felt as though my body wasn’t constantly working against me. I could go out without taking spare reusable pads and clothes in the car. I tentatively wore lighter clothes again and stopped living in black leggings.
I was on the GnRH Analogues for 6 months, and wow, the difference was amazing. I felt like a human again. I couldn’t believe the difference. Was this how people with light “normal” periods felt most of the time? My periods had been horrendous since I started them at age 15/16.
The GnRH Analogue Side Effects I Experienced
One important thing to say is that everyone responds differently to GnRH analogues. Some women experience significant side effects, whilst others find them relatively manageable. Reading other people’s experiences online taught me very quickly that there isn’t a single “normal” response.
For me, the most noticeable effect was that my periods stopped completely. Whilst that is the intended outcome, it still felt quite strange after years of dealing with heavy bleeding.
I also experienced symptoms that were very similar to menopause. This isn’t surprising because that is essentially what the medication is designed to do.
There were times when I felt warmer than usual and times when my emotions felt a little different. I became much more aware of how closely hormones can affect everyday life. What surprised me most was how difficult it was to predict exactly how I would feel from one week to the next.
Despite these strange feelings and occasional odd symptoms, I felt much better than I had in a very long time.
Another side effect I had from the GnRH analogues was lactose intolerance. It first started about six weeks after starting the medication, and when I was on holiday. It was awful, with cramps, diarrhoea, and generally feeling ill. After playing around with my food for a few days, it became obvious that the symptoms were when I ate cheese or milk in any form. I cut all those out and had no further issues.
The Add-Back Hormones Didn’t Work For Me
One part of my experience that won’t apply to everyone was my reaction to add-back hormone therapy.
Because GnRH analogues lower oestrogen levels, many women are prescribed additional hormones to help reduce menopausal symptoms and protect bone health. Unfortunately, this wasn’t straightforward for me.
When I was prescribed Tibolone, my mood changed dramatically. I experienced severe mental health side effects that were concerning enough for the treatment to be stopped. I have similar problems with hormones, such as the contraceptive pill, so I can’t have anything like that.
It was an upsetting experience because I had finally found something that was helping my pain, yet the medication intended to make the treatment easier was causing problems of its own. This is one of the reasons I always encourage people to speak honestly with their medical team about any side effects they experience, particularly those affecting their mental health.
Starting the HRT also coincided with my periods restarting. I was worried the GnRH Analogues were not working anymore. I mentioned this at my next consultant appointment and she advised coming off both of them to see what would happen.
Trialling Coming off GnRH Analogues
The gynaecologist suggested I come off the GnRH analogues after about 8 months, as they were concerned due to the effects I had from the Tibolone HRT, and said it could have been that or the GnRH analogues that caused the periods returning and severe mood disturbances. I was heartbroken. I didn’t want to stop the one thing that so far had helped me but accepted that I had been mentally quite unwell since adding in the HRT and also had started bleeding again so it made sense to stop.
About 4 weeks after stopping the GnRH analogues, my periods started again, the first one wasn’t too horrendous, so I thought maybe it would be ok. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be, and the pain and bleeding came back at the same extreme they had been before, heavy, painful and debilitating.
Without the medication, I also found I could eat chocolate again! Not just chocolate, of course, but all milk, cheese and anything that contained milk and cheese. The lactose intolerance was cured!
Restarting the GnRH Analogues
At my next appointment with the consultant, she insisted I spend 3 months keeping a diary of my cycles and symptoms. It was horrible. I knew what would take all of this away, but it felt out of reach. It was a long 3 months, but I did it. I coloured a calendar every day I had heavy bleeding in one colour, and every day I had severe, debilitating pain in another colour. It was shocking seeing it documented like that.
Three months later, I saw the consultant again and was really hopeful that she would either look properly with an MRI or surgery to see if I could have endometriosis, put me on the GnRH analogues again, or perhaps something else. I could have cried when she said that going back on them was the best thing for me. She even said she didn’t understand why anyone had taken me off them – it was her but I decided against mentioning that!
Now I have been back on the GnRH analogues for 6 months. I feel like a normal person. This month when we go on holiday I can wear light coloured shorts without worrying I might start another bleed. I don’t have to worry about taking my extremely strong painkillers on holiday and them making me sleepy when I need them. My holiday will be fun, carefree and period-free. It will be bliss! I have become lactose intolerant again, which isn’t fun, and finding food on holiday, essentially as a vegan, will be much harder. I am a vegetarian and now can’t have milk, cheese or anything containing those, but I will manage because I am pain-free and period-free.
The Biggest Benefit For Me
Without question, the biggest benefit is the reduction in pain. People who haven’t lived with chronic gynaecological pain often underestimate how exhausting it can be. It’s not just the pain itself. It’s the planning, the worry, the cancelled plans and the constant mental effort that goes into managing symptoms.
When the pain improved, I realised just how much energy I had been using simply getting through each day. For me, that improvement alone made the treatment worthwhile.
The bleeding stopping was also life-changing. I had been bleeding heavily for 3 weeks every month. That in itself is exhausting. I am also no longer anaemic given I am not bleeding pretty much constantly!
Would I Recommend GnRH Analogues?
This is probably one of the most common questions people ask when they are considering treatment. For me, the answer is yes.
That doesn’t mean the treatment was perfect. It doesn’t mean there were no side effects or challenges. It certainly doesn’t mean it would be the right choice for everyone.
What it does mean is that the benefits outweighed the negatives in my particular situation. After years of debilitating symptoms, finding something that significantly reduced my pain had a huge impact on my quality of life.
What I Couldn’t Find Online Before Starting GnRH Analogues
Before I started GnRH analogue treatment, I spent hours searching online. I wanted to know what to expect, whether it would help and what side effects I might experience. The problem was that most of the information I found was either very clinical or focused on worst-case scenarios.
There was plenty of information explaining how the medication worked, but very little about what it actually felt like to go through treatment as a real person trying to get on with everyday life.
One of the things I wanted to know was whether the injection itself was a big deal. I had built it up in my head as something quite daunting, but in reality, the appointment was straightforward and over much quicker than I expected. The anxiety beforehand was honestly worse than the injection itself. The injection was done in my buttock; each time I have the injection, they alternate between sides. It is quite a painful injection and sore for a few days afterwards. But it doesn’t stop me from doing my usual day-to-day things.
I also struggled to find information about how quickly things would change. Most websites said symptoms may improve over time, but I couldn’t find many people sharing their experiences.
Another thing nobody seemed to talk about was how strange it felt when my periods stopped. For years, my life had revolved around bleeding, pain, period products and checking the calendar. Even though stopping my periods was exactly what I wanted, there was still something surprisingly emotional about realising they had gone.
I also continued carrying period products with me for quite a while. It sounds silly now, but after years of heavy and unpredictable bleeding, I didn’t fully trust that I wouldn’t suddenly need them. It took time for me to stop planning my life around symptoms that had become such a normal part of everyday life.
What I really wish I had found was more balanced information. Online, people are often most motivated to share their experiences when something has gone very badly or exceptionally well. That can make it difficult to get a realistic picture of what treatment might actually be like.
For me, the reality sat somewhere in the middle. The treatment wasn’t perfect. There were side effects, and there were challenges. At the same time, it gave me relief from symptoms that had been affecting my quality of life for years.
Perhaps the biggest thing I wish someone had told me is that it’s okay to have mixed feelings. You can be grateful for the improvements whilst still finding aspects of treatment difficult. You can be relieved that the pain is better whilst worrying about side effects. Those feelings don’t cancel each other out.
If you’re reading this because you’ve recently been offered GnRH analogue treatment, you’re probably looking for reassurance as much as information. Whilst everyone’s experience is different, I hope this article gives you something I struggled to find when I was searching online: an honest account from someone who has actually been there.
My Overall Thoughts of GnRH Analogues as a Temporary Menopause Treatment
Starting GnRH analogue treatment felt daunting. The idea of a medication that effectively switches off your cycle sounds quite dramatic when you first hear it.
For me, however, it provided something I had been missing for a very long time: relief. Whilst the treatment wasn’t without challenges, the reduction in pain and bleeding made a significant difference to my day-to-day life.
If you’re currently researching GnRH analogues because your doctor has suggested them, I hope sharing my experience has given you a real-life perspective alongside the medical information. Just remember that every person’s experience is different. What happened for me may not be exactly what happens for you, but sometimes hearing from someone who has actually been through it can make the whole thing feel a little less overwhelming.
Frequently Asked Questions About GnRH Analogues
How long do GnRH analogue injections take to work?
This varies from person to person. In my experience, the effects were not immediate and it took a little time before I noticed significant improvements. Some people find their symptoms improve within a few weeks, whilst for others it may take longer.
Do GnRH analogues stop your periods?
They often do, although not always straight away. One of the main aims of treatment is usually to suppress the menstrual cycle. In my case, my periods stopped completely, which was a huge relief after years of heavy and prolonged bleeding.
Do GnRH analogues cause menopause?
GnRH analogues create a temporary menopause by significantly reducing oestrogen levels. The symptoms can be very similar to menopause, but the effects are usually reversible once treatment stops.
What are the most common side effects of GnRH analogues?
Common side effects can include hot flushes, night sweats, headaches, mood changes, reduced libido, vaginal dryness and difficulty sleeping. Everyone’s experience is different, and some people have very few side effects while others find them more challenging.
What is add-back therapy?
Add-back therapy involves taking additional hormones (HRT) alongside GnRH analogue treatment. The aim is to reduce menopausal side effects and help protect bone health whilst still allowing the medication to control symptoms.
Did GnRH analogues help your symptoms?
Yes, they did. The biggest improvement for me was the reduction in pain and the complete stop to my periods. After years of symptoms affecting my daily life, that relief made a significant difference to my quality of life.
Can GnRH analogues affect your mental health?
They can for some people. Hormonal changes can affect mood, and this is something worth discussing with your healthcare team. I personally experienced significant mood problems when I was prescribed Tibolone as add-back therapy, which led to that treatment being stopped.
How long can you stay on GnRH analogue treatment?
This depends on the medication being used, your symptoms and whether you are taking add-back therapy. Your consultant will usually discuss the recommended treatment duration and any monitoring required.
What happened when you stopped GnRH analogue treatment?
Everyone’s experience is different, but once treatment stops, hormone levels usually begin to return to normal and menstrual cycles often restart. The timing can vary significantly from person to person.
Would you recommend GnRH analogues?
I would never tell someone else what treatment they should choose, but I can say that for me, the benefits outweighed the negatives. They significantly reduced my pain and stopped the heavy bleeding that had affected my life for years. Whether they are right for you is something to discuss with your consultant based on your own circumstances.
Medical disclaimer: This article is based on my personal experience of GnRH analogues as a treatment for suspected endometriosis and adenomyosis. Everyone responds differently to treatment, so always speak to your consultant or healthcare professional for personalised medical advice.
