Perimenopause

Hi Kari:
I highly recomend these books from DR. John Lee MD:
"What your Doctor may not tell you about Premenopause"
and / or "What your doctor may not tell you about Menopause"
it will answer all your questions.
I went throu that when I turned 40. Doctors , Western Medicine, always want to get you on some kind of Hormone replacement therapy.
Knowing the dangers of it ( breat cancer, uterine cancer among other things), when the DR gave me 3 month supply of the pill, I tossed in the garbage when I got home, Chemical hormones will make symptoms eventually worse and eventually Drs will suggest to do a hysterosectamy, read Dr John Lee's book about it. I went to my chinese medicine Doctor and Acupunturist which helped . She also recomended the Natural Progesterone cream, Dr John Lee also recomends the Natural Progesterone cream, this is the brand I used, you can order it online:
http://www.organicexcellence.com/ you will get the
Natural Progesterone Cream WITHOUT Phytoestrogens

I also strongly recomend the Super Blue Green Algae from this company:
http://www.simplexityhealth.com/
Order the Alpha Sun and the Omega sun, capsules are better than tablets.
This really helped me too, I still take it 10 years after, I l love it! This really also regulates the hormones and balances your whole body while detoxifying in a gentle way due to the high amount of clorophyl and other components. It's also organic.
it will also give you more energy and boost your inmune sustem.
To order the Algae you will need a referral, give them my
ID # 439924 and name H. Guerrero, but they have a 30 day money back guarantee.And it's the best one in the market.
You should start slowly one capsule of each a day for a week, 2 capsules the next week and up to 3 if you feel neccesay the 3rd week.

I could of not gone throu Menopause without this 2 products.
I'm over it now , don't need the progesterone cream anymore but I still take the algae daily
Give it a try it will surely help
Sincerely
H.

Hello Kari,

I'm 62 and when I went through perimenopause they were still recommending HRT, so I don't have a suggestion for you on that.

However, this may sound self serving since I became a distributor for this company, but thought I would share my experience.

I also gained weight when I went through the "change of life" and had a hard time getting it off. More exercise and diet didn't work. A friend introduced me to nutritional cleansing and to my relief I was able to lose weight (actually got back to what I weighed in my 30s) and have kept it off. Feel great, have more energy and have found an easy program to incorporate into my life. I've shared this with numerous folks (even my 89 year old mother) and all have had wonderful results.

If you are interested in exploring this option, I would suggest that you go to:
www.lookfitfeelfit.info
This site has several informative videos and I would recommend viewing the Dr. Speaks Out video.

If the information resonates with you or you would like more information, please feel free to contact me. My number is ###-###-####.

Best regards,

L. F.

Hi Kari

I am not there yet, but a friend of mine uses the Nutrilite Black Cohosh and Soy supplement for menopause relief. Calcium is added to the product as well as it is important during menopause.

Good Luck.

M.

Okay, You may find this a little odd. But I make a tea out of corn silk,it has worked for me I have been having hot flashes restless nights. 1 Tablespoon each morning, it takes about 2 weeks to get it in your system. It's natural and I don't want to take any pills. I got this from someone who uses it for headaches and she got it from a chinese woman who uses it for her daughter who has had a kidney transplant, to clean out her kdneys. I thought why not try it. It works for me.

Hi Kari!
This may sound so simple that you may just want to bllow it off, but I found that OTC Extra Strength Estroven taken regularly really seemed to help. It really helped with hot flashes and even feeling cold, as I went to extremes either way. All in all, it just seemed to level things out. I was against using any medications prescribed by a doctor as there were to many side effects, so I prefered the Estroven and had good results with it. You can find it almost anywhere, but Wal-Mart might be a good place to check for it. I actually purchased mine in a grocery store (Von's) in their pharmacy department. I hope this helps. Good luck to you.
Sincerely,
K.

I agree that you should go to your doctor for testing. Better to know for sure what you're treating, instead of guessing. Your insurance should cover the testing. For me, the worst part has been moodiness and St. John's Wort has helped tremendously. I tried that after going with something from the doctor, which I did not like at all.

Good luck!

I wanted to share with you that I am really excited about what I am trying. I bought some PhytoProrelief from Arbonne because my Dr. told me I needed to get some estrogen for my symptoms. I did NOT want to use the synthetic hormones. That's when I did more research and found that Arbonne has the PhytoProrelief that has estrogens derived from plants. I SERIOUSLY am already noticing a difference. I am woke up this morning not nearly as tired as I have been and I actually felt more energized today and a little frisky...

If you are interested at all, I can teach you to get it at 35% off, just like I do!

R.

Oh, and this is where you can learn more: www.arbonne.com

A friend of mine swears by acupuncture; I only know this because I was complaining of the same issues.

Good luck,
R.

I can sympathize as I am having the exact same battle. I worked so hard for the last 2 years to lose 7lbs. Makes a difference since I'm 5'0", but put back 4 lbs in 1 month and no big chnages in eating habits. It's so frustrating. I had a near light-headed crash to the ground last week too. It can be a little unsettling.

Thansk for bringing up the subject. I too am intersted in any advice.

What really keeps things in check for me is regular exercise and a healthful diet, but make sure you see your doctor for a physical. The weight gain could be related to hypothyroidism, which is easily remedied through medication. Blood pressure is also something to tabs on. Unfortunately, all kinds of things start going south around this time (like vision). What can you do? :-)

Hi Kari,

I believe that I can share some helpful information with you that will help you to feel better.

I had to have a complete hysterectomy at the age of 39. That was in 1992. I took the homones that I was supposed to for about four years. Then I heard the word "alternatives" for homone replacement as I was learning more about the long term risks with taking presription hormones.

Thus, began my journey to learn about the natural, herbal, nutraceutical, healthier alternatives for hormonal balance. I am taking a combination of products that have worked wonderfully for me for the last 10 years! I feel great as long as I take my supplements appropriately, but will begin to have night sweats and hot flashes if I miss too many doses. The two most important products that I take are Female Balance and BioInfinity from Symmetry Direct.

These products can be used for any hormonal challenge you can think of...including any stage of menopause! Female Balance does just that--balances hormones--no matter what you want to call the nature of the hormonal imbalance. It is an effective herbal product that provides Phyto estrogens. BioInfinity is a nutraceutical supplement with different herbs, Co Q10, Pregnenolone (DHEA precurser) and more that balances the body's progesterone needs.

I am a distributor of these products and would love to share more with you about this. Omega III fatty acids are also an important part of hormonal support. You can check my website at www.symmetrydirect.com/dhendon .

Victorious Living to you!
D. Hendon, RDH, SMM
Symmetry Direct
###-###-####

Avoid coffee or anything that has caffeine. Watch what you eat.Because some foods will trigger hot flashes ( spicy foods). Try to stay away from bread,rice,cookies even if it whole grain or whole wheat. Or watch the amount you eat. Stop eating these foods for awhile and then bring them back into your diet and see what affects you. I used over the counter (natural) products to control my hot flashes which worked for me.

Work out that seem to help with the stress and try not to get to stress. That causes hot flashes. Read anything you can about this and see what will work for you. Good Luck

I experienced very severe permenopausal symptoms prior to a hysterectomy 18-years ago. A product that I make in my personal essential oil line "Flash Relief" is a lifesaver for me and others experiencing hormonal imbalance due to perimenopause and menopause. You can read more about it at www.mccluckfarms.com. We also use my "sleep salts" (info on the website" to ensure a restful night's sleep.

I found that making sure I got 30-60 minutes a day of strenuous cardio (walk/jog; elliptical; taebo; stepping) helped a lot by pushing my metabolism to a period of sustained burn. I still struggled with my weight until recently, but it stopped it from climbing like a balloon!

The light-headedness is probably vertigo, which is not uncommon. The only thing that helped that was to take a moment to sit down, close my eyes and breathe slowly and deeply for a few seconds. I still have occasional bouts of vertigo, but they are few and far between.

Good luck!

V.

How old are you Kari? And, have you seen your doctor to confirm? I had some similar symptoms and it turned out to be something else. Go see your doctor, get blood tests and find out for sure what is going on first, please.

acupuncture and chinese herbs are a great way to go.

I don't know where you live, but I would try Jennifer Horton, who's a licensed acupuncturist specializing in fertility/hormone issues. Even one treatment should bring you some relief! www.acupuncturefertility.org
Good luck!

Hi Kari!

I am a 42yr old mother of 2, and I also have been going through the signs of menopause. I KNOW it's menpause and nothing else. My mother began menopause when she was about my age. It lasted for nearly 15 years for her, but was mostly "mild" off and on. That's how it is for me, too. I am taking after her, I guess....again.

If you are able, you might want to know your mother's experience, unless she denies it ever happening :o) This helps puts things into perspective even more for us women.

I, too, will not take anything from the Doctor for this (again....like my mother) and for some reason, I feel like "I can beat it", or something. Whatever!

Anyway, I just wanted you to know from another mother, that sometimes YOU KNOW what is happening, we just have to figure out what's best for us. In my case, it's alot of polyester (quick dry) blouse's and elastics waist skirts to go with them! I have 5 days of a "normal life" then BAMM! 3 days of menopause. Then 2 days normal, then 3 days menopause....It's a pretty consistent routine for me, I wonder if you have a "routine" for you. I know that "knowing" I will experience menopause those days, it's easier to handle .

I am going to try the OTC recommendation, though.

Good Luck, hopefully you have a pool you can live in this summer :o)

N.

Perimenopause sucks. I went on the pill, cause I'm not going through years of those symptoms. If others want to try to do it naturally -- go for it. Not me.

Kari,

This is the first time i have seen anything in reference to perimenopause... and unfortunately we all must go through it at some point in our life... sometimes sooner than we want.. i am lucky... my onset of perimenopause wasnt until i was 50.. in comparison my girlfriends have been going through so much for quite some time.. in their 40's... one thing i found is that researching symptoms on the internet really helped... becasue we all go through this process differently... and there are so many things we can do.. so my best advice is to research what it is truly.. then do what makes you feel good... or better... good luck.. i hear its all good on the other side...

D.

I can't say enough about accupuncture and chinese medicine for the treatment of perimenopause and menopause. I've had virtually no symptoms and when I did, my accupuncturist always had something that took care of it immediately. I used progesterone cream during the perio..phase and chinese herbs called Three Immortals during a brief period when I experienced hot flashes. They were gone in a couple of weeks and remain gone. I started with my accupuncturists when I was 41 and trying to get pregnant...with that she did not help but I was about the only client that she had that didn't get pregnant. I am now 51 and just about done with menopause and it has been pretty symptom free. My accupuncturist is Shirley Nichols in San Mateo - ###-###-####.

Good luck,
P.

The blood test is a good idea, and would not hurt to get
confirmation. I was told that I was by one dr. and the second one did the blood test, it is not happening yet.
W.

It looks like you've received some really good responses so far! Perimenopause is definitely no fun. Keeping with a good diet and an exercise program really helps, but for some of us women who are used to being at a steady weight, those extra pounds and inches at the waist can be monumentally disturbing to our psyches. There are days when I'm completely hopeful and sure I'll be able to get it all off again. Then there are other days when nothing fits and I'm so down about it I could cry! And I often DO! The good news is I haven't given up yet and, thankfully, I haven't decided to buy stock in a moo-moo company yet...although it's getting more and more tempting.

My ob-gyn told me that age 50 is usually the magic number when the misery stops, but she said that it's, of course, not the same with every woman. I've been going through perimenopause for the past 10 years and I'm more than ready for the screeching brakes to sound...but they haven't. I didn't have a period for about 4 months and joyously thought I was "home free" when out-of-the-blue it started up again...coming on as uninvited and powerful as a tsunami, lasting only 2 days and then shutting off again like a faucet. It's just mind-boggling! So I just wait and hope I can get through what seems like an everlasting wait.

So don't despair! We're all here to support each other at Mamasource and you're welcome to get in touch with me to commiserate any day of the week! I'm with you, I'm feeling it, and after 10 years of the surprises, I've learned more patience than a catapillar waiting for it's wings.

Be good to yourself, Kari. I'll be thinking of you!

D.

I am interested also

Hi Kari,
My doctor told me to eat like a grown up now. The meals I was use to feeding my children, ie high carbs, didn't work for my slowing metabolism. Diet and exercise is the key. I gained 15 pound when I turned 40 and had my thyroid tested thinking that was the cause. I found that simple changes to my diet did the trick for me. Bread and pasta turns to sugar which eventually lowers your energy level and creates undo stress on your body. High protein with vegetables at night in small portions and small meals with snacks during the day worked at me losing the 15 pounds. Take a walk at night to relieve the anxiety and don't skip breakfast...and if you are eating bread, eat it in the morning or use it with open faced sandwiches at lunch. Almonds are a great energy source as well. There are many books available to you. I recommend "The widsom of Menopause" by Christiane Northrup.