The Emotional Rollercoaster of Menopause

[Irulan]

Thanks all of you for the great information. BleekerST Lisa, you got it, I am not depressed, but just burst out in tears!

Now the question, is the bioidentical the same as HRT? I set up a visit with my gyn for sure.

Ok, thank goodness, I'm not losing my mind! Us poor women!

Lisa

ususally the bio identical refers to progesterone ( at least in my case) which is another hormone that gets out of whack. According to Dr Lee, and by my experience, bringing the progesterone back into balance with estrogen will smooth out the ride. Think about it. Mother nature intends for you to have reduces estrogen as you age, why would you want to change that?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Now I am scared!
I think i have had off and on symptoms for years. I am 40. And it seems to me I have had this for a while. Night sweats sometimes. Moodiness beyond belief. Now what i have found that has helped me is magnesium. "Calm" is the name of what my certified nutrionalist friend has me on. And My Dr knows I am on it as well. And says it is a great remedy for a lot of people. And that after I talked to him he would probably recommend it for about a week then go back to his old ways. More so cause a lot of people want a pill. I take the calm with calcium. It helps you sleep and does help keep me calm. Calm is the best on the market. You find it at a healthfood store.

I have read findings that calcium not only calms the nervous system but helps you sleep and regulates the heart rhythm. Also helps prevent muscle cramps (in that muscle cramps can be a symptom of calcium/mag deficiency). Magnesium and calcium & vitamin D work together for best absorption by the body.

Mother nature intends for you to have reduces estrogen as you age, why would you want to change that?

Not saying changing it is either good or bad, (there are definitely pros and cons to this touchy topic) but one reason might be because 'mother nature' did not design the human race to live such long lifespans that we enjoy today, thus we now experience women-specific aging issues that people of long ago did not deal with as much.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...1231053AASrjsO
In the 16th-17th century, "a man or woman who reached the age of 30 could expect to live to 59". (This eliminates the distortion of the statistics by infant and child mortality.)
A woman back then didn't have to worry as much about osteoporosis in her 70's and 80's, for one example. She was likely already dead of something else! It is shown that bone loss accelerates once estrogen levels drop off. So, just one example of why some women might be considering extending their hormone levels a few years more to take her through the menopause years. And yes, of course there are various ways we can all help prevent bone loss aside from taking hormones.

[Norse]

I always had major PMS issues (heavy bleeder, mucho "I think I am dying" kind of pain and crazy mood swings). I am 44 now and have been in the peri-stage for a little over three years. The worst symptoms are the extreme anger I can feel and the horrid night sweats. I also did not appreciate that my periods started coming more frequently. A few months ago, I entered year three of the low hormone (birth control) pills my female OB/GYN put me on. I like not having periods and it helps my feelings of anger tremendously. I still have night sweats though - temp outside can be well below zero, temp in the house is 66 and I am kicking off the covers.

As this is year 3 of the pills, and based on the new study that came out, I would like to quit the pills or at least taper off after this year. In any event, my dr. has indicated she would not put me on them for more than 5 years. Assuming I might still be suffering the symptoms then, I hope to find a more natural way stop the sweats and not get so darned angry. Hard exercise has always helped and I do yoga, but my body needs more than this.

[bikerHen]

I'm just coming of a period of intense hot flashes. I've amazed and amused co-workers by suddenly turning bright red and dripping sweat right before their eyes. Then five minutes later, back to normal! This lasted for about three months. While the hot flashes were coming and going, no period. Now they have stop and my period started again. Go figure. I would almost take the hot flashes over my period.

I have been having less intense hot flashes for almost 10 years. I tried the bioidentical hormones last year. They did help with sleep loss and hot flashes but made me gain weight. So that was the end of that!

So add me to the list, of those with thinning hair, losing sleep and an internal thermostat stuck on high. bikerHen

[malkin]

My hair is thinning too, but the hair that's left seems to be running wild in the wilderness up there. The grays are crazier than their predicessors!

[Miranda]

My hair is thinning too, but the hair that's left seems to be running wild in the wilderness up there. The grays are crazier than their predicessors!

Try Nioxin shampoo. It's pricey, but I think it helps. Takes about a month to see what I call "the baby hairs" start to pop up at your hairline and scalp part. It has a similiar chemical like Rogaine. When I stop using my Nioxin, my hair gets thinner. So, I know it works. Plus, every good/expensive hair stylist I have ever had used this product (even when their salon didn't stock the whole line). That told me something right there.

On the topic in total... I'm right there with you. So are some of my best GFs. I think sometimes just even *knowing* that you are not alone and going crazy with no reason helps. I find myself saying sometimes at the start of a conversation, "I'm having some hormonal issues today so don't mind me if I bust into tears while talking, dhrrr, ok?...". Gheez.

[solobiker]

I don't know if this is related as I am still fairly young, I will be 39 in about 2 weeks. I used to always be cold, especially at night in bed. I would have to have 3 blankets and 2 comforters on the bed during the winter to keep warm. Latey I have been so hot I just have a few blankets on. My Mom does not talk at all about this kind of thing so I have nobody else to really ask about this. I do not know when she "went through the change" or how her body reacted. I know eveyone is different. Other....personal issues have been more difficult too, if you know what I mean.

[emily_in_nc]

HRT scares me because in addition to the recent studies, my MIL ended up with endometrial cancer three years after starting on Prempro. It was kinda strange to me that her doc even put her on it because she was very much post-menopausal (late 60s) at the time and was not having hot flashes or any other symptoms. She stated that her doc prescribed them because of the osteoporosis risk from being a woman, and yet, she was not in a super high risk group for that as she ate plenty of calcium-containing foods, drank milk, didn't smoke, was overweight (which does keep the bones stronger, despite the negatives of it), and did weight-bearing exercise as well. Fortunately the cancer was found early, and after a hysterectomy and discontinuing HRT, she is just fine now in her late 70s.

Fortunately my mom says that she had a relatively easy menopause transition and did not use HRT, so hopefully mine will be the same.

[bikerchic]

"What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause" by John R. Lee.

Using the natural compounded progesterone cream really helped me with all my symptoms of menopause and it's something you really need to use throughout the rest of your life to prevent many cancers. Read the book it's all explained better than I can begin to.

[Irulan]

"What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause" by John R. Lee.

Using the natural compounded progesterone cream really helped me with all my symptoms of menopause and it's something you really need to use throughout the rest of your life to prevent many cancers. Read the book it's all explained better than I can begin to.

one of my docs loaded me the audio of some of his lectures... very informative, mesmerizing. No wonder big pharma hated him.

[Biciclista]

my doctor told me that they considered 2 years of HRT to be the max, i did that several years ago now. So i delayed my bones from thinning for two years, now they are thinner. My hair has never been great, but i haven't noticed any big difference. where I HAVE changed drastically, and I am telling you guys this despite the fact that i am shy and embarrassed. but the girly bit parts have lost the natural padding that used to be there and the actual quality of the flesh there has changed as well. i tear and bruise there so easily that it is ridiculous. It sucks.