Peri-menopause questions

eche428 · 04-22-2011, 12:41 PM

Do any of you who've gone through this have good website recommendations for me where I can find out general and specific Peri questions? My mom is NO help as she says she can't remember anything about it. I just need somewhere to go to find out if things are normal or what.

TIA

reeni · 04-22-2011, 11:42 PM

This is where I found really good information on all things relating to menopause. I had no one to ask either so I had to find out for myself.

Menopause, Menopause Symptoms, Menopause Treatments, Menopause Support

eche428 · 04-23-2011, 12:23 PM

Thanks, reeni!

curlypearl · 04-23-2011, 09:25 PM

Good luck Eche! Also, if you have specific questions, some of us who have "been there done that" might be able to help you. Not that we are medical people (although I think Naturalista is in med. school) but we have experienced it.

Please feel free to pm me if you think it might help. My dad was a dr. and my mom was a nurse and I've been through meno.

Also, you might try googling some of your questions in a general way - for some questions, hospital gyn. centers will post lots of good information. I trust the Mayo clinic on health matters but I don't know what they have on peri.

eche428 · 04-25-2011, 10:14 AM

Thanks, curlypearl!

misspam · 04-25-2011, 04:25 PM

Here are some resources that have helped me:

Official Web Site of John R. Lee, M.D.
Women In Balance - non-profit advocacy for women's hormone health
Women to Women — Changing women's health — naturally

John R. Lee's books are a tremendous resource. His, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Perimenopause, is a wealth of information.

eche428 · 04-26-2011, 08:26 AM

Thank you, misspam. There are somethings I'd be willing to ask here but some things are just too gross! LOL I appreciate the info links.

misspam · 04-28-2011, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eche428

Thank you, misspam. There are somethings I'd be willing to ask here but some things are just too gross! LOL I appreciate the info links.

I understand. Feel free to pm me if you'd like.

leeannkeck · 05-25-2011, 06:22 AM

Just type the term perimenopause and you will come across thousands of links providing you information on any topic that you wish to learn. Do not feel gross or embarrassed by anything for perimenopause is as natural as reaching puberty. Your hormone will go for a toss just like your teenage days but you will be more flustered and experience various disturbing symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats etc. The good news is that with a little bit of extra care you can sail through peri/post menopause phase smoothly. You can also take help from various menopause supplements available in the market such as Femestra ( Femestra | Natural Menopause Relief ) to give your body that added nutritional support which it needs as you age.

curl goddess · 06-04-2011, 01:04 PM

I dont know why there is not more info out there, and why other women dont talk about it!! I was lost when i started having symptoms! Even my doctor hadnt gone thru it yet, but had some info for me. Theres nothing like talking to someone who has gone thru it.

There is a GREAT site called POWERSURGE - tons of info and lots of sympathic ears!! It got me thru it.

Feel free to msg me too!!

It can be said that usually its like it was for your mom/sister/aunts. I had a different experience. And you will start noticing things in your 40s.

I ended up needing some help with bio identical hormones. They worked! Im a pretty au natural type person, but just could not function at all! Mood swings, crying jags, night sweats followed by cold chills - I was a mess. I did wean myself off them after 2yrs bc my oldest sister was diagnosed with breast cancer (of which i did not have any family history of) .

Evening Primrose Oil - I took it faithfully every day and still do - great for mood swings! And find exercise that you love and do it every day! It helps with everything!

there is also a great book by SUSAN WEED - Menopause years - with lots of great info on supplements, herbs and vitamins. Great book. So is Christaiane Northrups book on Menopause.

Hope that helps!

eche428 · 06-04-2011, 10:08 PM

Thanks, curl godess. It's like some switch has flipped in my body over the past 6 months and nothing is the same. All of a sudden I feel old, lethargic, weird, weird periods, tired, foggy headed, stupid presbyopia, overly emotional, achy, forgetful. UGH! I hope it's temporary. Maybe it's just that big parts of my life really suck right now so all these physical changes are hitting me harder than I thought they would.

sorry to be so winy!

curl goddess · 06-05-2011, 11:22 AM

hey - dont apologize. Thats EXACTLY how i felt - and i had no one to talk to about it. I thought I was losing my mind. I even heard voices!

It gets better.

Christiane Northrups menopause story was really empowering. As a doctor going thru it, and talking about it - it was so helpful. She ended up divorcing her husband, and you can see how that can happen. Everything comes to the surface. You feel alone and invisible and in your own sucky world.

Do you have a good doctor/naturopath/nurse practitioner? If you dont, ask around.....find one you can talk to. Read about your options in the Northrup book and online. Like I said, I never thought Id turn to hormones, but they saved me. And they were bio-identical, so few side effects if any. I felt instantly better. And even weaning myself off them, i was ok.

Its been 2 years since i had a period. Im 53. I still get an occasional hot flash, but nothing like before. Brain fog? Well - you have to stimulate your brain - go back to school, read books, drive a different way to work, do puzzles - anything that stimulates the brain.

and I cant emphasize enough the importance of exercise! The weight gain sneeks up on you and its so hard to get off - at least for me. I do a pumping iron class at the Y and i love it! Weight lifting is great for the bones. And i do yoga as well, and lots of hiking/walking.

One thing i dont have is a community of women who are older than me that I could have talked to. The POWERSURGE website was super helpful and the women on their were so nice. I go on there every once in awhile to see if i can help anyone . . .

Dont know what else to say but hang in there and get some help medically . . . Youll get thru this! Im on the other side - I feel GREAT!!

eche428 · 06-06-2011, 09:06 AM

Thanks for all the great info, curl goddess. I'm glad I mentioned the weird symptoms I've been having. I didn't really think they could possibly be Peri related. I will definitely look for Christiane Northrups menopause story and Susan Weeds' book.

Do you have the URL for the POWERSURGE website you found so helpful? The .com one is a web design sight and the .org one is a menopause ad farm. Is it a blog site?

curl goddess · 06-06-2011, 09:32 AM

Menopause Message Boards, Menopause Forums and Menopause Blogs

eche428 · 06-07-2011, 08:46 AM

^ Thank you!!!

RacerWife7 · 06-17-2011, 07:49 AM

Menopause, Menopause Symptoms and Humor, Perimenopause, Menopause Support Forum <---if you're having one of those days where you REALLY need some humor. Their forums are good, too.

And here's my own story about my (former) peri symptoms: Janet’s story | Stop The Thyroid Madness

OH! And I LOVE your work! (I checked out your blog)

eche428 · 06-17-2011, 12:52 PM

Thank you, RacerWife 7!!! You're so sweet!

austincici · 06-19-2011, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eche428

Thanks, curl godess. It's like some switch has flipped in my body over the past 6 months and nothing is the same. All of a sudden I feel old, lethargic, weird, weird periods, tired, foggy headed, stupid presbyopia, overly emotional, achy, forgetful. UGH! I hope it's temporary. Maybe it's just that big parts of my life really suck right now so all these physical changes are hitting me harder than I thought they would.

sorry to be so winy!

Hi, just wanted to chime n here and ask if you've have had your thyroid checked? I was having the exact same symptoms and it turned out I was hypothyroid. I'm on medication now and feel a LOT better.

StayC · 07-17-2011, 06:09 PM

I've been suffering for the past year or so. My mother went into menopause at the age of 48 and I was hoping when I hit 48 I'd be done as well, but unfortunatly for me, it started at age 46, so i doubt it's going to happen. I had purchased and use faithfully Remifemin. The main ingredient is Black Cohash, but it's a lot more than you get from the states, as this is manufactured in Canada where they are not as strict as the states. I have not had a hot flash, I'm not irritable, I even stopped taking my Prozac 7-10 days before my cycle started.

There is so much to read about peri-menopause, but just remember, you're not alone.

eche428 · 07-18-2011, 11:41 AM

Thanks for the responses everyone. I keep forgetting to check this old thread. I'm sort of at a "head in the sand" point with all this since we have no health insurance. But I have to go in for a pap and mam so I guess I'll ask for a bit longer appt and see what the gyno thinks. Things have been a little better lately ***I think*** because I'm trying to eliminate sugar and starchy carbs. I seem to feel a whole lot better when I eat this way. I don't know, maybe that has nothing to do with it.