hormones/perimenopause & menopause

[mirry]

Picked up a great book in the library yesturday , its called.......
"what your doctor may not tell you about MENOPAUSE"
It covers most hormonal problems , PMT, PAINFUL BREASTS, HEAVY PERIODS, AND ADRENAL DYSFUNCTION (fight/flight).

I have read some really interesting stuff that probally relates to alot of us on here and although I am not in the menopause (I am perimenopause) its still has great info on how to help yourself.

It says for adrenal dysfunction due to stress , you need to eat a high amount of vitamin C, it said for us to reach the amount we need to help our adrenal glands we would need to eat 18 oranges a day , so a vitamin C pill is very important for people with adrenal problems.

Thinking about it , I hardly eat enough vitamin C :blush: so popping out to get some today :yesyes: .

the other thing it said is , low colesterol levels are often the cause of hormonal imbalance, low colesterol means you cant make enough progesterone, and will cause weight gain, tender breasts, mood swings,headache,anxiety ect.It said , low colesterol is one of the leading causes of depression in elderly people.

* I have a very low colesterol and a very low progesterone level , so makes me think WOW!


There is also a book out called"what your doctor may not tell you about Perimenopause" which I have ordered off amazon.

any thoughts on this ?

[bearcrazy]

:hugs:

Thanx for that info, I'm at the same stage as you, Ill definitely get some vitamin C

TC xxxxxx:flowers: :flowers: :flowers: :flowers: :flowers: :flowers:

[mirry]

Hi bear , I managed to get some vitamin c tablets yesturday and I also picked up some oranges ,lol:blush: .

I am now taking .....

complex vitamin B .
Magnesium .
omega fish oil.
vitamin c.
And started using the progesterone cream again.:yesyes: .

I used it last year for my painful breasts and it really did help , looking back then I was happier in myself so I am hoping it will help me again.
It also said in the book that the contraceptive pill that has the progesterone in it but its not the same as natural , because it doesnt raise the progesterone levels in your body:mad: ,
the only way to raise them naturally is thru using the progesterone cream.
I purchased my cream from Oasis online because its very natural with no chemicals in it (so they say).

I will be interesting to see if it makes any difference.

my periods are irregular , so I really think I am having some hormonal shift which would explain all the crying and mood swings.

sorry to go on , just want to feel better :wacko:

[panicdiva]

Mirry,

This is amazing, I have just ordered a book from Amazon about this, can't remember the exact name, but it should arrive in the next couple of days.

How do you know that you are perimenopausal? I asked for a test from the doctor and she said that it is not reliable.

My doctor is male & he just does not accept that I may be perimenopausal he says I'm too young, I'm 42. My thyroid result is border line but he says that it has nothing to do with me being depressed.

I told him that I have terrible mood swings, my breasts are agony for 2wks before my period. I get terrible headaches just before my period, and I am so lethargic & tearful at this time. I have put on alot of weight in places that I never have put weight on before. He said that it is PMT. I said but surely that must be because of my age as I never used to suffer these things. He said no, it's not. And, by the way, here is some prozac!!!

So, I went to the female doctor in the practise thinking she would see it from a female perspective.....boy was I wrong. She totally poo pooed my theory about being perimenopausal. She asked if I still got a period every month, I said yes, so she said, because you are getting a period every month, you cannot be perimenopausal. And, by the way, keep taking the prozac!!!

I'm actually quite angry. I am sick & tired of dealing with people that will not, or cannot, think outside of the box.

Anyway, once I read this book, I will let you know how I get on.

Keep me posted on anything new you find out about being perimenopausal.

[Janice Booth]

Dear Ladies,

I had to have a total abdominal hysterectomy 2 years ago (ages 36) so did a lot of reading about the menopause etc. Due to my age I wanted to take HRT as my body could not cope with the sudden loss of hormones! I saw a consultant who specialised in hormone problems & HRT etc and she said that any hormone imbalance can cause anxiety as well as many other problems.

I had many blood tests to check my hormone levels and yes, though everyones are different, there are upper and lower limits - if you fall below the lower limit you are probably menopausal.

Thankfully by taking pills and having patches my hormone levels are now right and even though I still have chronic anxiety (due to other factors) at least I don't have the "imbalanced hormone" symptoms.

There are many books out there about it and you can often find out a lot more on line than from the GP's!

There are many "Women's Health" organisations that I have gained help from which deal with diet, supplements etc if you want more details please feel free to PM me and I will let you have all the info (a bit too much to put on here).

Love

Janice xx

[mirry]

panic diva , I had saliva testing done , sent of for it privately .
Saliva testing is more sensitive than serum blood tests.
Some family planning places do hormone testing BUT the trouble is they only test for the eostrogen not the progesterone.

If you are having periods then you are producing enough eostrogen , and at 42 theres a good chance your perimenopausal.
Janice , any tips on diet would be fab, what is it about soya and menopause ? heard its good for hot flushes ?

[mirry]

went to family planning yesturday and they are sending me for a hormone test today :blush: , having bloods done and going on my own :ohmy: .

Think they are rubbish test tho cos they only testing a few things fsh and lc ??? something like that .

oh to be a woman :wacko:

[ridingthewaves]

Hi fellow Perimenos :), you know I'm so glad I found this page!! I too am finding things a bit 'yukkk' at the moment; I thought at first I was having a relapse and that all my hard work of the last few years had been for nothing !! Thankfully it is only my hormones lol. I have no idea when a monthly is now dew,I seem to get all the symptoms and then nothing ,then a week or so later wham I get the rest,so in a month I think I am having one week when I feel like a normal human being.:blush: I have terrible headaches which feel like crushing right above my forehead, anxiety races in from no where,which is a real pain because my auto response is 'oh NO I'm slipping' to which I then have to respond 'oh no your not its hormones'..this is a tiring constant battle,which leaves me feeling tearful and angry and frustrated and so so sad,so I want to cry but I fight that lol...phew 'sometimes it's hard to be a woman' thank you Dolly lol .
And as you can se my spelling is taking a nose dive as is my memory ..so far I am staying away from hrt....I have a friend who has gone on it and to be honest she is just as emotional,so I don't know if it would help or hinder me.
i'm also just about to stop smoking lol ..oh what fun..thank God for my bike and the sea :yesyes:
good thoughts to all

I will add vit c tab to my weapons list..so far I have
magneseium
calicum
zinc,
Black Cohosh(Which I've just started)
a menopause combination Conifience ,(which i'm trying for a month or so)
citalapram( for original )

[ElizabethJane]

Hi there I have only just read this thread too. I am forty eight and had TAH total abdominal hysterectomy three years ago kept ovaries. I have no signs of true menopause but I am very moody. I find that one 1,000mg tablet of evening primrose takes care of the sore breasts which I have all the time. I also take agnus castus which helps with the sore breasts and hormonal imbalance. As I don't have periods any more I am hoping that I will get other signs such as hot flushes to signal that I'm menopausal.

[tasia]

Hi there,
Ive missed a period and had hormone blood tests done and they came back normal and now a couple of months later ive missed a period again and keep having hot sweats but mostly its when im feeling really stressed i have them it also happens during the night. Could this be the perimenopause i have none of the other symptoms you ladies describe though its really strange just the missed period and hot sweats thats all...i did send a post about it and people were saying it is due to my age and anxiety...im in my 40s too.

[suzy-sue]

Thyme tea is very good for hot sweats ,use i teaspon of thyme per cup of boiling water .You can add sugar or lemon and honey if you like ,as it doesnt taste very nice .Black cohosh is good but shouldnt be taken for long periods as it has been linked to breast cancer ...very rare tho .A menopausal multi vit will help as well as evening primrose oil ,I take 3x 500 capsules a day and it really helps with breast tenderness ,it also helps regulate your hormones .Oh to be a woman!:roflmao:Sue x