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I haven't read this entire thread, but I can say the fear of HRT is misplaced. I was on Premarin from my mid-40's (after partial hysterectomy) into my early 60s when I switched to bioidentical hormones for a few years. Not nearly as effective as Premarin, and hard to balance.
So, now, at 71, I am on nothing. Couldn't get a doctor to prescribe Premarin now, if I asked, I'm sure. Don't have hot flashes, but energy and stamina are considerably diminished. I noticed the diminishment in energy and vitality immediately when I switched to bioidenticals.
I firmly believe hormones keep your skin, bones, eyesight strong, not to mention the memory issues.
I very much regret not being on Premarin, yet. I know women in their 60's with a ton of energy and vitality still on Premarin. In spite of all the so-called "studies," Premarin is very safe.
Those of you who are toughing it out are causing unnecessary harm to your bodies and general well-being, imo. That said, for those whose doctors are recommending the estrogen/progestin compound, that I do not believe is safe. In that event, I would use bioidenticals.
I've done a ton of reading on this stuff for 20 years and get very angry at the government studies poo-poohing HRT generally. Very misleading. The source of the hormones is critical and these studies do not distinguish the differences. Lack of hormones over time has a far-reaching deleterious effect in every area of one's anatomy.
So prempro is a no no? well Bios are too hard to mess with imo..so what is one to do? I cant take Premarin coz I still have all my parts. Bios are NOT easy to balance...:/
So prempro is a no no? well Bios are too hard to mess with imo..so what is one to do? I cant take Premarin coz I still have all my parts. Bios are NOT easy to balance...:/
Prempro, in particular, is a no-no. The culprit in Prempro is synthetic progestin - a chemical version of natural progesterone lacking the complete molecular structure of progesterone. Women on Prempro are at much higher risk of developing breast cancer. I would not take Prempro for very long. Whereas, Premarin appears to be safe for decades.
Yes, what is one to do? A conundrum. Bios are not easy to balance as body chemistry and tolerance levels differ. Although, natural healing people promote progesterone for everyone, I'm one of the few who don't tolerate it well at all. For me progesterone causes depression and nervousness. Which may be why Premarin worked so well for me for decades. Pure horse estrogen.
That said, if I were in my 40s/50s, I would make a lot of effort to find a knowledgeable practitioner and work hard at developing the persistence and patience necessary to succeed - because, as one ages, hormone balance requires continual tweaking.
Not helpful is that most health insurance won't cover much of the expense, unless you can find an MD or Nurse Practitioner whose services your insurance will pay for. First doctor I saw was an older ob/gyn who got into bioidenticals late in life and was on staff on several of our major hospitals. Then went to a DO, whose fees were also covered by insurance as was the lab work, but he was generally, imo, an incompetent. As I aged, and then eventually didn't work anymore, my motivation to stick with the bios lessened. If I worked, there is no doubt I'd need to be on hormones for emotional stability/stress tolerance and energy.
I just started on bioidenticals about a month ago. I'm 51, and was able to live with all the symptoms I was getting over the last 5-10 years....until the insomnia started. In the past few months, I started waking up every 2 hours, all night long. Not covered in sweat, but warm enough to thrown off covers. This was the symptom I could not live with, how can someone just go for years without sleeping more than 2 hours at a time?
The Dr I went to uses a pellet that he placed under the skin on my hip, and I take progesterone 12 days a month. I am happy to say I have been sleeping the whole night again, so I am going to stick with it. This Dr is not covered by insurance either, it will cost $400 every 3 months, but if it makes the difference between sleeping and not sleeping, it is well worth it to me.
I just started on bioidenticals about a month ago. I'm 51, and was able to live with all the symptoms I was getting over the last 5-10 years....until the insomnia started. In the past few months, I started waking up every 2 hours, all night long. Not covered in sweat, but warm enough to thrown off covers. This was the symptom I could not live with, how can someone just go for years without sleeping more than 2 hours at a time?
The Dr I went to uses a pellet that he placed under the skin on my hip, and I take progesterone 12 days a month. I am happy to say I have been sleeping the whole night again, so I am going to stick with it. This Dr is not covered by insurance either, it will cost $400 every 3 months, but if it makes the difference between sleeping and not sleeping, it is well worth it to me.
OCN, does your Dr. follow a known "regime" (like B0dylogic) or is he/she just very knowledgeable? (feel free to PM me).
I found an OB/GYN who prescribed bioidenticals (estradiol and progestrone creams). I don't think she liked prescribing them, as she urged me to just go on birth control pills instead. She didn't take a baseline blood level (I should have insisted and didn't), and for that reason, I don't really trust her. It seems like she is more "Obstetrics" than "Gyn" or womens health care.
I'm having some side effects and really wonder if the dosage is correct. I lowered the amount of estrogen and starting getting hot flashes (where I didn't have them before). So now I'm using the same dosage, but every other day instead, which seems to be working a little better.
It is so hard to find a sympathetic medical professional!
OCN, does your Dr. follow a known "regime" (like B0dylogic) or is he/she just very knowledgeable? (feel free to PM me).
I found an OB/GYN who prescribed bioidenticals (estradiol and progestrone creams). I don't think she liked prescribing them, as she urged me to just go on birth control pills instead. She didn't take a baseline blood level (I should have insisted and didn't), and for that reason, I don't really trust her. It seems like she is more "Obstetrics" than "Gyn" or womens health care.
I'm having some side effects and really wonder if the dosage is correct. I lowered the amount of estrogen and starting getting hot flashes (where I didn't have them before). So now I'm using the same dosage, but every other day instead, which seems to be working a little better.
It is so hard to find a sympathetic medical professional!
I don't know what the name of the regimen is, but he specializes in this. Here is my doc's website, if that gives you more info. http://www.atlanticagemanagement.net/
My own gyno recommended I see someone who specializes in this, and he is in general a wonderful doc. I didn't want someone who was guessing.
I was just recently told by my lovely doctor that I'm about to start this new era in my life (aren't I lucky) and had a few questions for my compatriots:
1) Did you gain or lose weight as a result of all the hormonal changes? What, if anything, did you do about it?
2) Did your doctor put you on any mood-stabilizers and if so, which one(s) work best?
3) Any other meds I should be aware of?
4) Are there any natural supplements that could do the job just as well?
Thanks much!
There are many good natural treatments out there. For mood stabilization there is St. John's Wort as well as making sure that you have plenty of Vitamins D and B Complex.
You might do some additional research into bio-identical hormone therapies. I do not take them myself, but they are very effective for many women and do not carry the same risk. Suzanne Somers has a book about this type of therapy that you can probably obtain through an inter-library loan, if your local library does not have it available. The title is: "Ageless: The Naked Truth about Bioidentical Hormones"
The bottom line is that you need to do your own research because most doctors do not have the expertise to determine what the best choice is for you. Only you can do that.
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