Early Menopause
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Questions
Perimenopause at 38?
April 2005
I'm almost 38 and had my last child two years ago. Over the past two months I've had trouble staying asleep (waking 1-2 hrs early--struggling to return to sleep) and hot flashes (usually 3 days a week). In addition, my sex drive is down and I'm more irritable. From what I've read on the web, the symptoms sound like perimenopause. I'm wondering if other women have found effective homeopathic treatments (including an acupuncturist)? What about increasing soy in your diet...did it help? I know my symptoms don't warrant HRT (nor am I interested). Help! Hot but not bothered
OK, this is just what I have been feeling too. I am 39 and had my last child 3 years ago. And now, on and off for the past 9 months I have had the same thigs you described, along with changing periods (mine are now every 24 days and lighter and darker). I have scheduled an apt. with my doctor to discuss this and have blood drawn to look for any hormonal chages. It is frustrating to say the least that I am not yet 40 and dealing with this! Andrea
i too started experiencing perimenopause symptoms at about your age. everyone at that time told me i was too young. i happened upon lonnie barbach's (yes, that lonnie barbach :-) ) book ''the pause''. she did the research and wrote it because she too was ''young'' when her hormones changed. it's great - she explains what's happening in your body and then covers alternative as well as traditional hrt. as far as hrt goes, i don't know if she's updated her info, but the alternative stuff is good. i personally used phytoestrogenic capsules i got at the health food store. they worked for years. then i changed to vitex tincture (a hormone balancer) which i also used successfully for years. when my periods stopped i had to switch to black cohosh which is also working really well. another good book is herbalist susun weed's on menopause. i treated myself for years, dr. marcy shapiro in albany helped me when i needed to switch to the black cohosh. hopefully herbs will work all the way through and no need to take hrt. p.
I am menopausal at 48 and had terrible sleep problems initially due to the hot flashes. I don't think I slept well for two straight months. I went to my OB/GYN after also researching various vitamins that I could take. Long story short, she said that black cohosh seems to work well. I have been taking that, along with some menopausal vitamins I found at Safeway. I like these because there's an AM bottle and PM bottle, each with different ingredients (e.g., soy and black cohosh for the daytime and melatonin for the night one). It's called Natrol?s Complete Balance AM/ PM for menopause and you can check it out at the following website: http:// www.hbees.com/natcombalamp.html. The combination of these vitamins, plus changing my diet (no more red meat, no chocolate (!), cut way back on refined sugar) helped tremendously. You might also check out the book ''Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause''. Good luck! anon
I had great success using progesterone cream (emerita brand, sold at whole foods) and following some other guidelines in a book by dr lee (sorry I can't remember the first name or title-- loaned it to a friend who never gave it back). I think I drank licorice tea, made sure I had enough chromium and some other micronutrients, etc--(he talks about all this stuff, including the symptoms of estrogen dominance, in the book). In my case it wasn't perimenopause but bad periods, etc. Nonetheless, worked like a charm (in fact I got pregnant on the first try even though I was an older mom).
I would recommend reading The Wisdom of Menopause by C. Northrup. She is an MD with a very holistic approach. She even says that symptoms can represent an emotional problem that one needs to deal with. She reviews the pros/cons and effectiveness of both traditional medical treatments for menopausal symptoms, as well as herbal and alternative treatments. eve
it sounds like peri-menopause to me as well. a great book i tell my patients to get is by dr. lee- it's called WHAT YOUR DR. MAY NOT TELL YOU ABOUT PREMENOPAUSE- it's about your hormones from age 30-50 -applying a very small amount of progesterone cream topically is also very helpful. i also rx accupuncture- i think linda gruber is absolutely fantastic- she's in sf and her number is 415-346-3126. h.
Could I be Premenopausal at 41?
Feb 2005
I'm 41 and I've been experiencing some dramatic changes in my periods over the past nine months. I've always had very light periods, lasting only a few days, mild symptoms and always at a different time each month. For close to a year now, my periods have been extremely heavy; bleeding between periods; terrible night sweats (frequently but not every night) and much bloating and abdominal pain a few days prior to period. I just had a visit with my gyno and he says things look good but suggests I have an ultrasound to be safe. I'm worried I maybe pre- menopausal or even have signs of Ovarian Cancer? Sex is great so no problems there. Has anyone had any experience with these type of symptoms? My mom didn't go through menopause until late 50's. None of my older sisters have these symptoms (especially the sweating!). Concerned
You could also have other things going on such as a cyst or fibroid, which is very common and not usually problematic. Finding out may cause you less distress. anon
Acupuncture and herbs helped me with post-pregnancy night sweats..Not exactly what you are having but I think it would be worth a try. no longer sweating
Check out hormone treatments for heavy menstrual bleeding. My periods got extremely heavy after I delivered my second child at age 39. I suffered for 10 years before the FDA approved an IUD (called Mirena) that releases tiny amounts of hormones to thin the uterine lining. It helped right away. I had light periods, no discomfort, and no side effects except a tiny bit of occasional bleeding. (I don't need it for birth control, although the IUD lasts for 5 years.) About the rest of your symptoms: Be sure your ob/gyn checks all your hormone levels and your iron level, and is up to date on hormone treatments and side effects. They now have an estrogen patch and are developing a testosterone patch, which avoid the nasty side effects of swallowing these meds. good luck
Could this be perimenopause? I'm only 42
Jan 2005
Of course I already have an appointment scheduled with my gynecologist but: The last 6 months or so my period has only been for 1.5 days. This month, I literally only had one spot. Cycle length is 28-29 days as it's always been, and I know when I ovulate based on all the usual symptoms I've had for many years. I always ovulate on day 13 or 14. Is this perimenopause? I had my hormone levels checked about a year ago because of other issues, and all were well within the normal range (FSH, LH, estrogen, progesterone, TSH and others I don't remember). If it is the beginning of menopause, I'm not ready for this mentally - it makes me feel old, I don't know why. I'm only 42! Does anyone have any good books to recommend or any words of wisdom about how to ''deal'' with this, and also, what to ask my doctor??? anonamous
For years my preiod would lighten and then stop altogether during the winter months, often hormone tests only test your hormones at whatever given time the blodd is being drawn so the lab work is not altogether an accurate assessment. I finally found relief with acupuncture, I couldn't take the teas I was prescribed but some gentle supplements and bi-weekly or monthly needle work kept me where i wanted to be, eventually my body learned to keep a regular cycle on its own. anon
I recommend Before the Change - Taking Charge of your Perimenopause by Ann Louise Gittleman. She is an excellent resource on women's health and nutrition. Laura
Sara Gottfried has a book "the hormone book". She is a Harvard trained MD but prefers holistic/lifestyle solutions. I read her book which is great, and I understand and that she has a practice in Berkeley, I am new to the area so I can't confirm that but she would be a great resource.
I had the same problem at the age of 37. I saw dr. Marcelle Cedars at UCSF. She put me on HRT as the symptoms you are describing were unbearable for me. She is now my obgyn as well. I love the fact that she educated me with scientific data and all the pros and cons of my case and the route we were taking. Hang in there, things will get better once you figure out how to deal with this.
Just wanted to say that I was in exactly the same boat -- a couple years of meds for a DE IVF cycle at age 43, after being diagnosed with early meno at age 38, just before giving birth naturally (my last egg!). It took me years to finally try hormone replacement therapy, but it changed my life -- 100% for the better. No more hot flashes, no more sleep disruptions, just me feeling like me. I know it sounds daunting, but it normalized me like nothing else, and I tried acupuncture, herbs, and diet changes before HRT. I know you will find your way, and maybe it will be a different path, but I am still on HRT 10 years later and couldn't be happier I went this route.
Make sure they checked your thyroid hormones too (very likely they did, but just in case...). TSH, T3 and T4.