This leaflet answers some common questions about Femoston.

It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking this medicine against the benefits they expect it will have for you.

You may need to read it again.

A study called the Women's Health Initiative indicated increased risk of heart attack, stroke, breast cancer, and blood clots in the legs or lungs in women receiving treatment with a product containing conjugated estrogens 0.625 mg and the progestogen medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). The researchers stopped the study after 5 years when it was determined the risks were greater than the benefits in this group.

The Women's Health Initiative Memory Study indicated increased risk of dementia in women aged 65-79 years taking conjugated estrogens and MPA. There are no comparable data currently available for others doses of conjugated estrogens and MPA or others combinations of estrogens and progestogens. Therefore, you should assume the risks will be similar for other medicines containing estrogen and progestogen combinations.

Treatment with estrogens, with or without progestogens should be used at the lowest effective dose and for the shortest period of time.

Femoston is a type of treatment called hormone replacement therapy (HRT). It contains the hormones estradiol and dydrogesterone.

This medicine helps to relieve the discomfort many women feel during and after the menopause. It also helps to prevent thinning of the bones (osteoporosis), which can cause fractures. Femoston is used by women who still have a uterus (womb).

Menopause may be natural or occur after surgery or medical treatment.

HRT should not be used for the long-term maintenance of general health or to prevent heart disease.

Femoston is not a contraceptive (birth control) and will not prevent pregnancy or restore fertility. Since pregnancy may be possible early in the menopause while you are still having menstrual periods, you should ask your doctor to suggest another (non-hormonal) method of birth control.

Estradiol is a natural female sex hormone called an estrogen. It is the same hormone that your ovaries were producing before the menopause. Dydrogesterone is a hormone called a progestogen. It has effects like the female hormone, progesterone, which your ovaries also produced before the menopause.

Menopause generally occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, because your body's production of estrogen decreases. This can cause unpleasant symptoms such as a feeling of warmth in the face, neck and chest, "hot flushes" (sudden intense feelings of heat and sweating throughout the body), sleep problems, irritability and depression. Some women also have problems with urine control or with dryness of the vagina causing discomfort during or after sex. Estrogens can be given to reduce these symptoms.

After the age of 40, and especially after the menopause, some women develop osteoporosis. This is a thinning of the bones that makes them weaker and more likely to break, especially the bones of the spine, hip and wrist. The risk of osteoporosis is increased by lack of estrogen. Estrogens can be given to reduce this risk if other treatments are not suitable.

Women who still have a uterus must take both estrogen and progestogen as part of HRT. This is because estrogen stimulates the growth of the lining of the uterus (called the endometrium). Before menopause this lining is removed during your period through the action of your natural progestogen. After menopause, taking estrogen on its own as HRT may lead to irregular bleeding and to a disorder called endometrial hyperplasia. Progestogens such as dydrogesterone help to protect the lining of the uterus from developing this disorder.

Your doctor may have prescribed it for another purpose.

This medicine is not addictive.

This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription.

The decision to use HRT should be based on your symptoms and health, and made after a careful medical evaluation.

Some symptoms of an allergic reaction include skin rash, itching, shortness of breath or swelling of the face, lips or tongue, which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing.

If you are not sure whether any of the above conditions apply to you, your doctor can advise you.

Safety and effectiveness in children younger than 18 years have not been established.

If it has expired or is damaged return it to your pharmacist for disposal.

The risk increases as you get older and it may also be increased if:

Your doctor will advise you whether or not to take Femoston, or if you need to adjust the dose, or adapt your treatment.

Some medicines and Femoston may interfere with each other. These include:

These medicines may be affected by Femoston, or may affect how well it works. You may need to use different amounts of your medicine, or take different medicines.

Your doctor or pharmacist has more information on medicines to be careful with or to avoid while taking Femoston.

They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.

If you are having regular periods, you may start taking Femoston on the first day of your period. If you are having irregular periods, discuss the starting day with your doctor. If you have not had a period for 12 months or more, you can start Femoston immediately.

The usual dose is one tablet daily.

It does not matter if you take this medicine before or after food.

Taking it at the same time each day will have the best effect. It will also help you remember when to take it.

The tablets are labelled with the days of the week to help you make sure you are taking your tablets every day.

Your doctor can advise you how long you may need to take Femoston.

Your doctor can discuss the risks and benefits of long-term treatment with HRT. Some recent studies have shown that women using HRT have a small increase in breast cancer risk after several years of use. The risk increases with the length of HRT use.

Recent studies have also shown that HRT is associated with a small increase in the risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, including clots in the lungs. The studies also showed that the risk of hip fractures and bowel cancer may be reduced.

Another study has shown that in women older than 65 years, HRT is associated with a small increase in the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. It is not known if this finding applies to younger women.

A slight vaginal bleeding, like an irregular period, may occur.

The risk of developing blood clots in your blood vessels may be temporarily increased after surgery, serious injury or having to stay in bed for a long period of time. If possible, Femoston should be stopped at least 4 weeks before surgery and it should not be restarted until you are fully mobile.

Your doctor or nurse can show you how to check your breasts properly.

If you notice any changes to your breasts, see your doctor.

It helps most people, but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people. All medicines have some unwanted side effects. Sometimes they are serious, but most of the time they are not. You may need medical attention if you get some of the side-effects.

The above list includes common and uncommon side effects of your medicine. They are usually mild and short-lived.

The above list includes very serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention. These side effects are rare.

Other side effects not listed above may occur in some people.

If you take the tablets out of the box or the blister pack they may not keep well.

Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.

A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.

Femoston 1/10 contains two types of tablets:

Femoston 1/10 is available in packs of 28 tablets.

The white tablets each contain 1 mg of estradiol (as hemihydrate).

The grey tablets each contain 1mg of estradiol (as hemihydrate) and 10 mg of dydrogesterone.

Femoston 1/10 tablets also contain:

The colour ingredients used in Femoston 1/10 is Opadry OY-7000 white (for 1 mg estradiol tablet only) and Opadry II Grey 85F27664 (for combination tablet with 1 mg estradiol and 10 mg dydrogesterone).