Any one got any good tips, remedies or stories about perimenopause?

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[Edited 12/29/10 7:17am]

This is a good site explaining it.

http://www.womentowomen.c...pause.aspx

got nothing, except, heard it can be a bitch.

XxAxX said:

got nothing, except, heard it can be a bitch.

It really does suck to be a woman sometimes.

Shanti0608 said:

XxAxX said:

got nothing, except, heard it can be a bitch.

It really does suck to be a woman sometimes.

Shanti0608 said:

XxAxX said:

got nothing, except, heard it can be a bitch.

It really does suck to be a woman sometimes.

It does, I get reminded of that every 3 1/2 weeks .

[Edited 12/29/10 3:15am]

And I cannot contribute anything else, but it was an interesting read and I guess I should watch myself if some of the symptoms changed without me even noticing it.

Serious said:

Shanti0608 said:

It really does suck to be a woman sometimes.

It does, I get reminded of that every 3 1/2 weeks .

[Edited 12/29/10 3:15am]

I am having my 2nd period this month.

Shanti0608 said:

Serious said:

It does, I get reminded of that every 3 1/2 weeks .

[Edited 12/29/10 3:15am]

I am having my 2nd period this month.

I am on my period every 3 or 3 1/2 weeks for about a week .

Serious said:

And I cannot contribute anything else, but it was an interesting read and I guess I should watch myself if some of the symptoms changed without me even noticing it.

Just wish the Dr's looked more into hormones when we have symptoms.

I went to the dr because I am having lots of symptoms that are not normal. She checked my thyroid, that was fine so now I need to go back and find out what's next.

Shanti0608 said:

Serious said:

And I cannot contribute anything else, but it was an interesting read and I guess I should watch myself if some of the symptoms changed without me even noticing it.

Just wish the Dr's looked more into hormones when we have symptoms.

I went to the dr because I am having lots of symptoms that are not normal. She checked my thyroid, that was fine so now I need to go back and find out what's next.

I really hope the doctors will check carefully and can help you .

Shanti0608 said:

Serious said:

And I cannot contribute anything else, but it was an interesting read and I guess I should watch myself if some of the symptoms changed without me even noticing it.

Just wish the Dr's looked more into hormones when we have symptoms.

I went to the dr because I am having lots of symptoms that are not normal. She checked my thyroid, that was fine so now I need to go back and find out what's next.

hmmm. could be something totally benign like a cyst, or a reaction to environmental stress. it's pretty stressful waiting for a diagnosis on something like this hey. hope you are well.

Shanti0608 said:

Serious said:

It does, I get reminded of that every 3 1/2 weeks .

[Edited 12/29/10 3:15am]

I am having my 2nd period this month.

omg, me too!!

My average is 25 days, but it can be anwyehre from 23-28. 28 is rare.

CarrieMpls said:

Shanti0608 said:

I am having my 2nd period this month.

omg, me too!!

My average is 25 days, but it can be anwyehre from 23-28. 28 is rare.

This month is extra special. I have only had 7 days so far that I have not been bleeding. This happened in Oct as well, November I was lucky enough to only bleed for 10 days.

Shanti0608 said:

Serious said:

And I cannot contribute anything else, but it was an interesting read and I guess I should watch myself if some of the symptoms changed without me even noticing it.

Just wish the Dr's looked more into hormones when we have symptoms.

I went to the dr because I am having lots of symptoms that are not normal. She checked my thyroid, that was fine so now I need to go back and find out what's next.

On December 2, I had my first appointment with a doctor who has absolutely no qualms about prescribing bio-identical hormones - and works with a local compounding pharmacy. (We actually have two compounding pharmacies in the Madison area, which is nice.)

I walked out of there after my first appointment with a prescription for progesterone cream - and the estrogen ain't far behind. (I have a follow-up appointment in a couple months.) The progesterone, alone, has really helped my sleep.

A book I recommend highly is "The Natural Hormone Makeover" by Dr. Phuli Cohan. It talks in depth about all the hormones - thyroid, cortisol, the estrogens (it's more than one hormone), progesterone, testosterone, etc.

Even though the doctor has checked your thyroid, it might still be low. Most labs only do very basic thyroid testing - they don't get into the specifics of each thyroid hormone (again, there are several). And the threshold for what constitutes "low thyroid" is set so low that almost nobody qualifies, when they could benefit from thyroid hormone.

I feel for you, I really do. I looked for a doctor for five years before my hairdresser told me about this doctor. (She'd heard about her from another client.) Premarin and other artificial hormone therapies ruined things for so many women. It's incredibly sad.

Genesia said:

Shanti0608 said:

Just wish the Dr's looked more into hormones when we have symptoms.

I went to the dr because I am having lots of symptoms that are not normal. She checked my thyroid, that was fine so now I need to go back and find out what's next.

On December 2, I had my first appointment with a doctor who has absolutely no qualms about prescribing bio-identical hormones - and works with a local compounding pharmacy. (We actually have two compounding pharmacies in the Madison area, which is nice.)

I walked out of there after my first appointment with a prescription for progesterone cream - and the estrogen ain't far behind. (I have a follow-up appointment in a couple months.) The progesterone, alone, has really helped my sleep.

A book I recommend highly is "The Natural Hormone Makeover" by Dr. Phuli Cohan. It talks in depth about all the hormones - thyroid, cortisol, the estrogens (it's more than one hormone), progesterone, testosterone, etc.

Even though the doctor has checked your thyroid, it might still be low. Most labs only do very basic thyroid testing - they don't get into the specifics of each thyroid hormone (again, there are several). And the threshold for what constitutes "low thyroid" is set so low that almost nobody qualifies, when they could benefit from thyroid hormone.

I feel for you, I really do. I looked for a doctor for five years before my hairdresser told me about this doctor. (She'd heard about her from another client.) Premarin and other artificial hormone therapies ruined things for so many women. It's incredibly sad.

Thanks.

I saw ppl recommending that book online.

I have been reading up on bioidenticals. I think once I am back in the states, I will have to find a dr that is interested in figuring out what is going on.

The dr that sent me to have my thyroid checked just shrugged it all off as stress because I have a toddler and live away from my family combined with the crap weather.

Sis in law told me that Starflower (borage oil) helped get her hormones back in place after she had her children.

Shanti0608 said:

Genesia said:

On December 2, I had my first appointment with a doctor who has absolutely no qualms about prescribing bio-identical hormones - and works with a local compounding pharmacy. (We actually have two compounding pharmacies in the Madison area, which is nice.)

I walked out of there after my first appointment with a prescription for progesterone cream - and the estrogen ain't far behind. (I have a follow-up appointment in a couple months.) The progesterone, alone, has really helped my sleep.

A book I recommend highly is "The Natural Hormone Makeover" by Dr. Phuli Cohan. It talks in depth about all the hormones - thyroid, cortisol, the estrogens (it's more than one hormone), progesterone, testosterone, etc.

Even though the doctor has checked your thyroid, it might still be low. Most labs only do very basic thyroid testing - they don't get into the specifics of each thyroid hormone (again, there are several). And the threshold for what constitutes "low thyroid" is set so low that almost nobody qualifies, when they could benefit from thyroid hormone.

I feel for you, I really do. I looked for a doctor for five years before my hairdresser told me about this doctor. (She'd heard about her from another client.) Premarin and other artificial hormone therapies ruined things for so many women. It's incredibly sad.

Thanks.

I saw ppl recommending that book online.

I have been reading up on bioidenticals. I think once I am back in the states, I will have to find a dr that is interested in figuring out what is going on.

The dr that sent me to have my thyroid checked just shrugged it all off as stress because I have a toddler and live away from my family combined with the crap weather.

Sis in law told me that Starflower (borage oil) helped get her hormones back in place after she had her children.

The thing I really wanted to avoid was being put on drugs (anti-depressants or sleeping pills) - which is what most doctors want to do. My "problems" aren't in my head, they're in my ovaries.
I have never been depressed - and my sleep is only bad for about a week out of every month. So let's treat the cause, not the symptoms.

Genesia said:

Shanti0608 said:

Thanks.

I saw ppl recommending that book online.

I have been reading up on bioidenticals. I think once I am back in the states, I will have to find a dr that is interested in figuring out what is going on.

The dr that sent me to have my thyroid checked just shrugged it all off as stress because I have a toddler and live away from my family combined with the crap weather.

Sis in law told me that Starflower (borage oil) helped get her hormones back in place after she had her children.

The thing I really wanted to avoid was being put on drugs (anti-depressants or sleeping pills) - which is what most doctors want to do. My "problems" aren't in my head, they're in my ovaries.
I have never been depressed - and my sleep is only bad for about a week out of every month. So let's treat the cause, not the symptoms.

Exactly! She mentioned post partum, of course!

I told her that the symptoms I am having are causing me stress more than the baby because the symptoms make it hard to function.

Shanti0608 said:

Genesia said:

The thing I really wanted to avoid was being put on drugs (anti-depressants or sleeping pills) - which is what most doctors want to do. My "problems" aren't in my head, they're in my ovaries.
I have never been depressed - and my sleep is only bad for about a week out of every month. So let's treat the cause, not the symptoms.

Exactly! She mentioned post partum, of course!

I told her that the symptoms I am having are causing me stress more than the baby because the symptoms make it hard to function.

Well, of course!

Hormones are tricky. Most doctors aren't schooled in bio-identical hormone therapy (any more than they're schooled in nutrition) and know only about the dangers of the synthetic, one-size-fits-all stuff like Premarin. And even when they are educated, every woman is different, so getting the hormones right is always a matter of trial and error. You have to find someone who is willing to spend the time - which, the way most medical practices are set up, is extremely difficult.

Genesia said:

Shanti0608 said:

Exactly! She mentioned post partum, of course!

I told her that the symptoms I am having are causing me stress more than the baby because the symptoms make it hard to function.

Well, of course!

Hormones are tricky. Most doctors aren't schooled in bio-identical hormone therapy (any more than they're schooled in nutrition) and know only about the dangers of the synthetic, one-size-fits-all stuff like Premarin. And even when they are educated, every woman is different, so getting the hormones right is always a matter of trial and error. You have to find someone who is willing to spend the time - which, the way most medical practices are set up, is extremely difficult.

Yes, it is really difficult. At our drs surgery office, I cannot make an appointment ahead of time. I have to call on the morning that I want to go in to see if there are any openings for the day. Since the surgery has more than one dr, you do not always see the same dr. They all rotate to different centers. Throw in the fact that I have to take a small person along with me, it does get a bit complicated.

I am hoping the starflower oil will help me sort out my bleeding.

is NSFM not safe for men?

good read -- thanks!

Shanti0608 said:

Genesia said:

Well, of course!

Hormones are tricky. Most doctors aren't schooled in bio-identical hormone therapy (any more than they're schooled in nutrition) and know only about the dangers of the synthetic, one-size-fits-all stuff like Premarin. And even when they are educated, every woman is different, so getting the hormones right is always a matter of trial and error. You have to find someone who is willing to spend the time - which, the way most medical practices are set up, is extremely difficult.

Yes, it is really difficult. At our drs surgery office, I cannot make an appointment ahead of time. I have to call on the morning that I want to go in to see if there are any openings for the day. Since the surgery has more than one dr, you do not always see the same dr. They all rotate to different centers. Throw in the fact that I have to take a small person along with me, it does get a bit complicated.

I am hoping the starflower oil will help me sort out my bleeding.

I don't know about the starflower oil, but something else you can try is chinese herbs. Dong quai will help to regulate estrogen and Vitex helps with progesterone. Take dong quai in the first half of your cycle, and vitex after you ovulate (until you get your period).

Genesia said:

Shanti0608 said:

Yes, it is really difficult. At our drs surgery office, I cannot make an appointment ahead of time. I have to call on the morning that I want to go in to see if there are any openings for the day. Since the surgery has more than one dr, you do not always see the same dr. They all rotate to different centers. Throw in the fact that I have to take a small person along with me, it does get a bit complicated.

I am hoping the starflower oil will help me sort out my bleeding.

I don't know about the starflower oil, but something else you can try is chinese herbs. Dong quai will help to regulate estrogen and Vitex helps with progesterone. Take dong quai in the first half of your cycle, and vitex after you ovulate (until you get your period).

*taking notes*

PositivityNYC said:

is NSFM not safe for men?

good read -- thanks!

Genesia said:

Shanti0608 said:

Yes, it is really difficult. At our drs surgery office, I cannot make an appointment ahead of time. I have to call on the morning that I want to go in to see if there are any openings for the day. Since the surgery has more than one dr, you do not always see the same dr. They all rotate to different centers. Throw in the fact that I have to take a small person along with me, it does get a bit complicated.

I am hoping the starflower oil will help me sort out my bleeding.

I don't know about the starflower oil, but something else you can try is chinese herbs. Dong quai will help to regulate estrogen and Vitex helps with progesterone. Take dong quai in the first half of your cycle, and vitex after you ovulate (until you get your period).

Cool. Will look into those. Problem is right now, my periods are so messed up. Like I said earlier, I have only had 7 days this month that I have not bled.

They are lasting really long and then only one week between.

Good stuff. Keeping it all in mind.

CarrieMpls said:

Good stuff. Keeping it all in mind.

I will let you know if I have any luck with the Starflower oil.

Shanti0608 said:

Genesia said:

The thing I really wanted to avoid was being put on drugs (anti-depressants or sleeping pills) - which is what most doctors want to do. My "problems" aren't in my head, they're in my ovaries.
I have never been depressed - and my sleep is only bad for about a week out of every month. So let's treat the cause, not the symptoms.

Exactly! She mentioned post partum, of course!

I told her that the symptoms I am having are causing me stress more than the baby because the symptoms make it hard to function.

My periods didn't settle back into a proper rhythm again until Max was 18 months. I was getting very painful mittelschmerz (ovulation pain) and feeling very down at around that time of the month. But by the time he was 2 or 3, things have gone back to a predictable pattern. Much heavier bleeding (than I ever had before I had kids) for 2 days, then 3-4 very light bleeding after, and all in all relatively painfree.

Post partum, (the time after giving birth) is still a period of adjustment for your body physically, especially hormonally.

Keep an eye on any potential PPD symptoms as well though, don't rule it out, the sufferer can often be the last one to recognise it. As far as depression fixes for the time being probably, look into natural alternatives - I'm sure UKs dark winters are not helping you at all.

Shanti0608 said:

PositivityNYC said:

is NSFM not safe for men?

good read -- thanks!

Hmph. I've read every word up to this point and found it a very interesting and informative read. More men should definitely know that "once a month" is not exactly accurate. Talking about periods is anathema to a lot of men and it shouldn't be.

The only thing I can add is that I know testosterone has a very interesting side affect on women.

Cerebus said:

Shanti0608 said:

Hmph. I've read every word up to this point and found it a very interesting and informative read. More men should definitely know that "once a month" is not exactly accurate. Talking about periods is anathema to a lot of men and it shouldn't be.

The only thing I can add is that I know testosterone has a very interesting side affect on women.