Perimenopause - ackkk!

[JuliaL]

I'm not sure anyone can give me any insight on this, but I just need to vent anyway. I used to have TOM regularly, every 28 days like clockwork. In the last couple of years, I never know when he'll visit. Sometimes it's twice a month and sometimes every other month. My Dr. says it's perimenopause, and very normal for women "my age" - argggh

What I'm noticing is that a few days before TOM is supposed to arrive, I gain a lb. or two or just stop losing. Then TOM doesn't arrive when he's supposed to - it might be ten days later, and I'm still stuck! This is so frustrating.

Is anyone else out there experiencing this? I drink lots and lots of water to try to make up for the water retention, but at best it just keeps me from gaining so much (which is something I guess). Are there any herbal supplements or anything I could take that might help?

Julia

[kd66]

Yep. I understand and Dr. has no sympathy. Go to a health food store, they may have some suggestions. I take Black Cohosh every day and I am also back on the pill even though my tubes are tied. I'm sure it is not helping my weight, but I am willing to struggle so I don't have the messed up TOM. Good luck!

[LindaInCA]

Yes, I am there too... it has been like that for about 3 years... some times I am as normal as clockwork... 28 days, then the next time might be 3 months! Frustrating, to say the least! I have also found that I am stuck much more often... and I gain more before TOM should arrive. But, I have continued to lose overall, although very, very slowly.

Linda

[SlimJackie]

I'm 46 and have the same problem. I've noticed that the ketostix just won't colour up before TOM, no matter what I do, and I usually seem to either hold or gain pounds. Roll on the end of TOM etc!

[NancyC]

I'm in the same boat!!!! Things started changing for me in Jan. of this year (when I was already past my 50th birthday), and they're not getting any better. That's when TOM became sporatic, and I also stopped losing weight. The only thing that helped was the Fat Fast I did 2 weeks ago, but when I went off of it, my PMS (or whatever it is!) was so bad, I decided eating a few extra carbs was worth it if it would get me through the day. I gained the 3.5 lbs. back but am now doing the Modified Fat Fast and hope to keep it off this time.

The only thing I'm doing is using progesterone cream. I started it last Fri., and my husband could tell a difference in me the next day! He said I went from being someone he didn't even know to ALMOST my old self. I can't guarantee it's because of the cream, but I'm not about to stop using it now!!! I believe it helps me be able to cope with my hunger, and anything else that comes my way.

Thanks for posting, Julia. It helps to know I'm not in this alone!

[sweetpea49]

18 months ago I had a hysterectomy due to fibroids. Since my ovaries were not diseased, they were left in. So even though I don't go thru TOM, my ovaries are still producing estrogen and giving me symptoms of a cycle. It is a bizarre feeling to go thru and never bleed! This doesn't happen every month, but when it does, the feeling lasts for weeks. The buildup is slow and sometime I feel like I am going to explode. I happen to be going thru it now and I've only dropped 2# in a month. I started CLA a few weeks ago, but there has not been any change in inches either. I think we just have to "go with the flow" (pardon the pun) of the hormones!

[vmfatnomore]

I hear you!! And, I feel sorry for you too.
I haven't had regular periods for a couple of years, but still have water retention,cravings, mood swings, etc.
Doctor won't put me on HRT because I have a history of breast cancer in my family. He said to just tough it out.

[EmpyreanDream]

Try the progesterone cream that Nancy recommended. It works wonderfully for me and most all my symptoms stopped. I'm not sure it helps with the pre-TOM stalls, and if I dont' get TOM, I still don't get my whoosh, but it has definitely decreased the stalls as well as other symptoms.

To everyone else...be careful with some of the "natural" treatments like black cohosh. This is an excerpt about it...

"Black cohosh is a root that has estrogenic properties; it supplies estrogenic sterols which are the beginnings for steroid hormones like estrogen, progesterone and testerone. It was used to treat menopausal symptoms by Native Americans and colonists.

It works possesses relaxant properties which may affect uterine contractions so that heavy bleeding is decreased. This herb may also contain substances that act as pain relievers and sedatives"

Yes, it is a good steroid replacement, but if you have other symptoms of menopause, such as mood swings, decreased libido and fatigue, this will not help and can in fact, make things worse due to the "relaxant properties" and "sedative" effects.

[Tivo]

I'm only 38 and going through this, which doesn't seem at all fair. I had a woman gyno for a couple years and she patted me on the head telling me my symptoms were normal. NOT. I got a new gyno, but it's frustrating. In 3.5 weeks I've only lost 6 lbs on Induction, however, I've been eating nuts and low carb bars, too, until I found out last week I shouldn't. My calories are usually under 1500/day.

The upside is I haven't gained back the weight I've lost, which is what used to happen before Atkins. :-) And I've lost inches already, but I'd really like my weight loss to speed up.

-Slave to the $#&*@ bathroom scale!!! LOL

[JuliaL]

Tivo - hang in there. As long as you're not gaining and you ARE losing, albeit slowly, you're making progress. Sometimes I think about how many years I would have had without hauling all that fat around if I'd just done this years ago.

Julia

PS - I started this when I was 40 which I thought was too young too. My Dr. told me a lot of it is hereditary, and also if you smoke it triggers early menopause (I know, I know - that's my next self improvement project! )

I'm going through perimenopause, and am trying to go the herbal route.

I looked at the Estroven and Remifemin boxes to see what the ingredients were, and then went out and purchased them separately - it saves me a bundle of money.

I take soy tablets and black cohosh, along with my daily multivitamin. It seems to help a bit.

I have to say that being on Atkins really helps too. Cutting out all the white stuff, the sugars and starches (as Dr. Northrup says in the "The Wisdom of Menopause") can only be good for you.

Exercise also helps control the symptoms. I can't go on HRT either, because of a breast cancer family history, so I'm trying to do everything I can naturally.

Hi! I've just read this thread and it cheered me up no end! I am just 51, haven't had a TOM for 10 weeks (not pregnant) after having them every four and a half weeks or so. I have been suffering the most horrendous hot flushes but I have been now taking an isoflavone/red clover one a day supplement (200 mg of red clover extract) for a month and I think I have started to turn the corner, although we just finished a big heatwave in England which makes it hard to tell!

Anyway I get the cramps, the bloated stomach and am sooo fed up with it as so far there's not even a TOM payoff at the end of it! Also developed a sort of fruit craving - sometimes I can't resist some yummy summer fruit like apricots or cherries and that sends me off on a bit of a fruit bender. I shouldn't eat any fruit really! Don't eat any other refined carbs though .

Anyway - it's good to know I'm not alone!

Louise

[inkydinkydoo2]

Wow! I am so glad to see this thread! My periods have been irregular for a couple of years, now, but recently the hot flushes and night sweats have really been getting bad. Not to sound stoopid, but may I ask what the projesterone cream is? Is it sold under that name or something else, and what in the heck do you do with it? Also, is it something you buy over the counter or is it prescription only? I have got to do something, and my family has a history of breast cancer, too. Isn't it a shame how many families are touched by breast cancer?

I continue to lose pounds, but, oh, so slowly -- about two pounds a week if I'm lucky. Just think how much we'd gain, though, if we weren't doing this way of life. I just wish the TOM symptoms and then no TOM would go away. How long do we have to go through this?

[Lori]

When I was going through menopause, I was very irregular too. Once I stopped for a full year and then got it back for a few months and then it was gone for good.

Never had major symptoms except hot flashes, but I pretended I was on the beach in the summer and they didn't seem bad. At least I wasn't cold.

I wasn't on this WOE at the time, so I don't know about stalls.

Good luck with the doctor. I never had one that was supportive on that.

[annaserv]

Wow, so that's what it's called. I've been haveing the same problems that last 3 to 4 years. Been in denial because I'm 39, didn't think that should be a problem yet.

I get the symptoms like discribed with the cramps and then nothing. The symptoms don't appear every month either, sometimes nothing. Maybe had the TOM only one or two time this year. The last couple years I know I could count the number of TOM on one hand , each year.

I see someone posted that was 38 so I take it this can happen in your 30's????? May need to read up on this.

(Never thought I'd join in on one of these TOM discussions because I didn't really seem to have one)

[JuliaL]

Anna: According to my Dr. it can start as early as 35. He doesn't recommend HRT, says he prefers to "let nature take it's course" - easy for him to say! I don't want to take HRT, and don't really care that I don't have TOM (who wants it anyway? ). I just get frustrated by still having the symptoms, especially the bloating , and as someone said above with not TOM "payoff" to show for it.

I don't know when it will end, but I suspect I've got a few more years, and when I'm finally through the menopause process (my Dr. says to remember it's a process, not an event, and can last up to ten years ) I guess things will even out.

[zoolady1]

I can tell you I have had these symptoms since about 29..and I'm going on 35 now..have had hot flashes, major mood swings, irregular cycles, heavy bleeding, light periods and nausea..UGH..And all of the Dr's I have spoken to about it have said I am too young..I've been tested multiple times and always my levels were normal, but let me tell you..I know my body and can talk about these symptoms in detail with the best of them..

And my co-worker is going thru this right now (47) and I told her welcome to peri-meno and she said, how would you know you're too young..
Go figure!

[annaserv]

Just did some quick reading on the topic. God! I answered 8 out of the 10 questions with a yes. Said it's not the norm in the 30's but does happen. It can start 10 sometime 15 years before menopause. Read that it is usually the harder phase than menopause itself.

I am really bad about going to the doctor. (Had a few bad ones in a row) So I was getting really paranoid at times what it could be. Boy, does this make sense. No, I don't mind the lack of TOM and as far as the moody and irritable symptom, I just figured that's just the way I am. Hmmm... now I do have an excuse.

[blueeyedlady]

It is a natural form of progesterone.
I buy it at my health food store.
It cost me 7.00 for 4 ozs and lasts me about 2 months.
Most of the pro creams out there are very expensive, but this one is not.
And it has helped me alot
You just rub about a 1/2 tsp into your arms, breast, or belly, once or twice a day. It is best absorbed through your skin, because injesting any type of progestrerone, seems to be eliminated by your liver and stomach. At least that is what I have read.

Here is a link to a page that list symptoms of low progesterone
http://balancedwoman.com/symptoms.htm
I am in no way promoting the products on this page or any other!
Just trying to provide some information for educational purposes.
There was one site, I found that had alot of good info, but I can't find it now.
There is alot of info out there on pro creams or wild yam creams.
Like I said I buy my cream locally, since it is so much cheaper that most products available. And it has helped me alot.
Matter of fact, I have slacked off using it, and I need to start doing it again as it does help me.

[kd66]

Where did you find the list of symptoms?

[BawdyWench]

I'll try to make this brief.

I have been having horrible fatigue for the longest time -- yawning all day, not sleeping well, thinking I'll fall asleep on the road. I started reading about perimenopause and how hormonal changes can affect thyroid function.

Then for a totally different reason, I did some reading on soy products. One article in particular said soy can affect hormonal patterns and affect perimenopause and thyroid.

Hmmmmm.

For two weeks I had been eating a homemade granola made with TVP (texturized vegetable protein), which is pure soy. The article said as little as 30 milligrams a day could cause problems in someone who is susceptible. I figured out that I was taking in 24 GRAMS of soy a day (that's 24,000 milligrams). Plus, for the past several years, I had been relying on a protein powder shake mix 3 to 5 times a week for breakfast. Yup, first ingredient is soy protein isolate. Add in the occasional protein bar PLUS I found that all my dressings and mayo are made with soybean oil.

Hmmmmm.

So, two weeks ago I cut all soy out of my diet. In 2 days I was alert and had no trouble staying awake while driving.

After a week I weighed myself and I had dropped 4 pounds. I hadn't lost a single pound in several months. Now I seem to have a lot more energy. The other day as a test I had some soy-based crackers and a protein bar. The next day I was dragging and had to take a nap mid-afternoon.

Coincidence?

[NancyC]

Inkydinkydoo, your questions were not stupid - I had the same ones when I first heard about the cream. (Because one of the symptoms of perimeno is "dryness", I assumed that's what it was for!) One other thing I'd add to what blueeyed lady said is that it should contain 500 mg. per ounce of progesterone. Apparently if it has less than that, it's worthless.

Actually yes. I'm still regular but i do tend to freeze up around TOM but then i start to loose again. I do beleive in Pre-menipause and to heck with what the dr's say about it not happening!! lol

[inkydinkydoo2]

Thank you! Thank you, blueeyedlady and NancyC! The information you gave me was so helpful. Sometimes I wonder how I got to be this age without knowing these things. Maybe because my mother died when I was so young??

It's amazing, to me, how many of the symptoms on the list I have. I am going to search locally, and see if I can't find some of the cream. Do you think I might find it at Wal-Mart or in the pharmacy section of my Kroger? Or is a health food store the best place to look? I am anxious to try almost anything.

[kd66]

I was just talking to my mother about this and found out that my grandmother went thru menopause around 39 or 40 (she passed away in 1997 from lung cancer so I can't get any details from her). My mom quit having periods at 38 when she lost 50 of the total 150 lbs that she ended up losing. So I guess none of this should be surprising. I just wish I had the symptoms of not having my period instead of having it too much. I could handle that!

[annaserv]

kd66

"I just wish I had the symptoms of not having my period instead of having it too much. I could handle that!"



Those were my symptoms earlier. About 6-7 years ago, I tried the Depoproveria (sp??) shot, and instead of haveing the period go away, it worked the opposite. Doctor never had the time to explain anything to me so I just quit getting them and blame my screwed up cycles on the shot. Figured I just had so many cycles that maybe that was why things were slacking off.

Boy, I really feel naive about all this too.

[Ma Bailey]

HOWDY Y'ALL,
And greetings from the "middle of my life"!
I have been going through "the change" for about 3 years now. The only thing that helped me (and I mean the ONLY THING) is a WONDERFUL website called Power-Surge. The link is
www.power-surge.com It is so full of information. They also have guest speakers every week.
When I first started going through this I thought something wasn't right. I went to the Dr. and all they could do was give me tranquilizers and anti-depressants. I was a mess...until I found this website. Now I am on an even keel....and even starting to lose weight again. There is more info then you will ever need at this site...and they even have bulletin boards.
We are all different; in the way we lose weight and now in the way we will go through the change...but this site will let you know that there are so many ways to handle the situation.
My best to all of you SURGERS!!!
Mary >^.,.^<

[blueeyedlady]

Inky,
Your welcome on the info.
I dont know if you'll find it at Walmart or a pharmacy.
They might carry some. But I would venture a guess it will be a progesterone cream. From what I have seen of them, they are pretty expensive.
I went with the Wild Yam Creme after the advice of a internet friend. She was taking wild yam capsules to prevent miscarriage.
And recommended it to me for my periods.
So I did a search on it. And after reading decided to go with the cream, because of the fact from most of what I read on the net, is that it is abosorbed better by the skin.
Another reason I use the wild yam cream and not just a progesterone cream is because most of the creams out there, contain a progesterone that is derived from soy. And wild yam extract contains diosgenin,which is a natural procurser to progesterone.
The product I use is called Good 'N Natural 7% Wild Yam Cream.
It costs me $6.89. The company is out of NY. If your local health food store doesn't carry it. I am sure you can ask them to order it for you. I know my health food store has been more than happy to order things for me they don't regularly carry. And it has no soy products in it.
Just my 2 cents worth..............