Bijuve

Bijuve is a hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

What is Bijuve?

Bijuve is taken by postmenopausal women who had their last natural menstrual period at least 12 months ago. The medicine contains two different female hormones, an oestrogen (estradiol) and a progestogen.

Oestrogens and progesterone are naturally produced by a woman's ovaries and regulate female sexual development, the menstrual cycle, and fertility. They also have a role in good bone health, brain function, and mental health. As a part of the natural ageing process, a woman's ovaries produce gradually less and less oestrogen, resulting in a decline in blood oestrogen levels.

Also with aging, there are changes in the menstrual cycle. The transition from menstruating monthly, when the ovaries release an egg for fertilisation every month, to the menopause when the ovaries stop releasing eggs and there are no menstrual periods, is usually gradual. The transition is known as the perimenopause. The menopause is considered to be the point at which a woman has not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months. This must have occurred naturally and not after surgery or a medicine including hormonal contraceptives. Postmenopause is the time after menopause has occurred.

The changes in hormones during perimenopause can affect a woman's physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Symptoms vary considerably in severity and type from person to person. They include hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, difficulty sleeping, and mood changes. Some women continue to experience these symptoms postmenopause.

Bijuve is taken to replace the shortage in oestrogen and progesterone, thereby relieving the symptoms occurring after the menopause. It is taken only by postmenopausal women whose symptoms seriously affect their daily life.

Can I buy Bijuve online?

Yes. The Online Clinic doctors can prescribe Bijuve following an online consultation. Please go to the consultation button to proceed. This item can be sent for next day delivery in the UK.

How to use Bijuve

Bijuve is a light and dark pink capsule. One capsule is taken every day with a meal. Your doctor with tell you how many capsules to take, when to take your dose, and for how long to take them (do not stop taking them without consulting your doctor).

Seek medical advice if you take more capsules than you have been told. If you forget to take a dose, then take it as soon as you remember if it is less than 12 hours late. If you are more than 12 hours late, then skip that dose and take it at the normal time and at the normal dose (not more).

If you are having a blood test, then tell the phlebotomist that you are taking Bijuve, as your results could be affected.

If you are having surgery, then discuss taking Bijuve with the surgeon. The capsules may be stopped 4–6 weeks beforehand to reduce the risk of blood clots. Your doctor will tell you when to restart taking them.

It is important to understand that Bijuve is not a contraceptive. You may still need contraception to prevent pregnancy, so discuss the risk with your doctor.

Who can use Bijuve?

Bijuve is for women who are postmenopausal and who continue to experience symptoms affecting their day-to-day life. It is not for women who are or become pregnant, and is not to be used in children.

There are some risks with HRT use so, before starting or restarting Bijuve, all women should discuss their risk with their doctor. Risk for women with premature menopause may be different from women with natural menopause.

Before starting or restarting HRT, it will be necessary to discuss your past and present diseases and those of your family with your doctor, and you will likely have a physical examination. Once started, you should see your doctor for at least once-yearly check-ups, and discuss the benefits and risks of it continued use. Regular breast screening will likely be recommended.

Bijuve must not be used if you are allergic to estradiol hemihydrate or progesterone or any of the excipients (e.g., colourant allura red). Bijuve also must not be used in the following circumstances: If you have/may have/previously had breast cancer or an oestrogen sensitive cancer, e.g., endometrial (womb) cancer; if you have/previously had: thrombosis (blood clot in a vein), e.g., in your legs (deep venous thrombosis) or your lungs (pulmonary embolism), or a recent condition due to blood clots in the arteries, e.g., angina, heart attack, or stroke, or a liver disease and the liver test is still abnormal; if you have excessive thickening of the womb lining, unexplained vaginal bleeding, or the rare inherited blood medical condition called porphyria. If you get any of these conditions for the first time, stop taking Bijuve and contact your doctor immediately.

When taking Bijuve, you will need check-ups more often if you have ever had certain conditions as these could return or worsen: womb fibroids, endometriosis, abnormal growth of the womb lining, high blood pressure, fluid retention, angioedema, a liver disorder, a very high blood triglyceride level, diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus, epilepsy, asthma, gallstones, migraine/severe headaches, and otosclerosis).

Additionally, when taking Bijuve, all medications must be mentioned to your doctor as medicines can interact and affect each other's action. These include medicines used for infections (tuberculosis, HIV infection, hepatitis C virus, fungal infections) or epilepsy, or herbal preparations with St John's wort, bromocriptine, or ciclosporin.

Bijuve side effects

Stop taking Bijuve and see a doctor immediately if you get any signs or symptoms including: swollen face/tongue/throat, and/or difficulty swallowing, hives, or difficulty breathing; yellowish skin or eyes whites; tiredness, headache, and dizziness; very high blood triglyceride level; fluid retention because of cardiac or kidney conditions; become pregnant, severe headaches; painful, red swollen legs; sudden chest pain; and/or difficulty breathing. These can be signs and symptoms of very serious problems.

Irregular bleeding or spotting may occur during the first 3 to 6 months of taking Bijuve. If this should continue for more than 6 months, starts after 6 months of starting Bijuve, or continues after you stopped taking Bijuve, then contact your doctor.

A very common side effect of Bijuve is breast tenderness. Commonly occurring are fatigue, headache, dizziness, pain (including in breast, back, abdomen, pelvic region, arms, legs), a discharge or bleeding from the vagina, severe uterine contractions, mood changes, weight gain, dry skin, acne, nausea, and/or hair loss.

Side effects that are uncommon include: blood changes (iron content, cholesterol levels), liver function tests, high blood pressure, excessive fluid in legs, changes in eating patterns (overeating) and digestion (vomiting, dyspepsia, constipation, diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, acute pancreatitis), sleeping difficulties, emotional changes (irritability, anxiety, depression, agitation, concentration), hot flushes, increased libido, vaginal irritation and/or infections, cysts around uterus (in ovaries, fallopian tubes, and/or connective tissues), changes in the senses (smell, vision, and/or taste, ear infection), and/or skin problems (itchy, tingling, discoloration, appearance of spidery red lines, male pattern of hair growth). Rarely muscle weakness and benign uterine muscle growths occur.

HRT is known to increase the risk of certain conditions. The conditions reported more often in women using HRT compared to women not using HRT, are: cancer of the breast cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer; abnormal growth of the endometrium; blood clots in veins of the legs or lungs; heart disease; stroke; and probable memory loss if HRT is started in women over age 65 years.