davidsprincess's Journal, 13 Sep 23

I suggest you find a good Female Doctor to consult with about what you're going through. (I know I know, sounds sexist, I don't care). Find someone who practices holistic medicine legitimately if that's what you're interested in. There are a zillion products out there you can throw your money at, but science is more productive than scams. 

I am 58 years old and I used the patch for a few years. It worked well for awhile. The hot flashes stopped and I had more energy. It was just estrogen. I realized it was causing my weight gain ( or I felt it was) , so I went and found out about the pellet. I absolutely love the pellet. I had no testosterone and now I do. It releases a hormone balance of what my body did not have. I feel so young and it’s awesome! Yes on everything you mentioned. I highly recommend it. It’s a rice size pellet in my back. It’s called the biote pellet and it’s changed my life. I’m happy with it. It’s a natural hormone balance of what I used to have before menopause. We can age healthier and live happier! 

There is an over the counter product called Amberen. It is non addictive and natural for all the symptoms you are going through. I went through 2 rounds of it and it help a lot. Good luck! 

This is a great thread. I would love more energy. It seems like I have been tired for a while..actually since I took Steroids for Arthritis in my knee last year. Not sure if any of this is Hormone related. The pain in my knee is much much better thanks to the Collagen I take everyday  

I had a full hysterectomy at 45 and I went on them for a bit too because of everything you stated. Did not help at all for me so I stopped after a year of use probably. Also the doctor did warn me that 1 in 8 could get breast cancer. I got Triple Negative Breast Cancer at age 51 (not related to the HRT but coincidental) and no longer an option so I am glad you are doing your research. I have tried everything for the sleep and nothing works. Hot flashes we have a Temperpedic 10 degree cooler bed but I still break out in night sweats. During the day I used to keep a frozen water bottle with me and when one came on I would put it on my neck. That helped. You can just feel the heat rising in your body thru your head! My husband jokes about my broken thermostat. Mom mom is 80 and still has hot flashes so for some of us it never goes away!  

I went through early menopause, tried as many natural remedies as I could find, while I know for some women these worked great for, for me I didn’t notice a difference. I finally started on HRT because I had spiraled down into a bad depression, couldn’t sleep, terrible hot flashes. I have been on them for years. My dr and I have tried to wean them off several times through the years, but the lack of sleep and the depression always return. I probably will never be able to come off of them. In my case the benefits out weigh the risk. And I’m well aware of the risks. My quality of life suffers with out them. As a side note, neither my mom nor my sister had any trouble w menopausal symptoms. Everybody is different. You should try the natural remedies first. Best of luck to you. 

I've signed up with a mail order doctor who does testing and scrips for bioidentical hormone replacement. I'm sending back the blood test today. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for bringing this up. I think the menopause hormones have a big impact on mood and metabolism. I wish I'd gotten help with it when I was going through the change. Oh well, better late than never. 

I've signed up with a mail order doctor who does testing and scrips for bioidentical hormone replacement. I'm sending back the blood test today. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for bringing this up. I think the menopause hormones have a big impact on mood and metabolism. I wish I'd gotten help with it when I was going through the change. Oh well, better late than never. 

Give me a few weeks once I’ve had my full hysterectomy. I’ve “ordered” every possible HRT 🤣🤣🤣 I’m a good candidate and it’s the only way I’m not super stressed about my surgery and or menopause. Let’s see second week of October how I’m feeling 🤦‍♀️ 

Dr Mindy Pelz has a whole book about this called, "Fast Like a Girl". Lots of fascinating research and advice about female hormones, and mental and physical wellness (and weight loss). 

She's got a lot of YouTube videos too. 

it's supposed to help prevent breast cancer now. who knows. but if any doctor takes away my HRT, THEY WILL BE FIRED!!!! It was very hard for me to find a bioidentical hormone doc. I had an early hysterectomy and ovary removal. I'm 55. i ordered a cream with estrogen and test. I apply 2 clicks on my arm twice daily. my moods are absolutely level. it's better to get on it early than later. most doctors don't know SQUAT cuz they only know big pharma meds. i pay about 45 a month for a compound . your looking for Bi-est with testosterone. send me an email if you want to know more. https://www.parkcompounding.com/biest-cream-estrogen-replacement/ and https://www.hillscompounding.com/bio-main.php 

The links i added below give good info. it's shown now to prevent heart disease and breast cancer. doctors are so uninformed it's sad.  

I went through menopause right when they had the big scare over cancer and stopped prescribing. Since then they've change their minds, and now they say it's helpful. My whole age cohort was denied any help at all, and I spiraled down pretty badly (weight gain, debilitating depression, job loss). Better now on keto, no gluten, but I'm looking forward to experimenting with the bioidentical hormones. 

Erika, you are going to feel great. When I was on the patch they were guessing and I never had the correct blood work to show what my body needed. I can feel the energy since having exactly what I need. I did the pellet, but I think many of them are effective. Younger women have testosterone and I haven’t had it prescribed until they worked it into my pellet. My husband loves this pellet more than I do for reason I will not describe here. 😂 About two weeks after getting it he was like- what’s going on here? He’s so happy. 😆 

I should check in again with Mayo and my local primary because my breast cancer was 9 years ago and things do change.  

My OB/GYN wouldn't give HRT to me because of my family history. I just went with the flow.  

I’ve been on Biote HRT pellets for about 4 years. https://biote.com It has been a game changer for me. I do them every three months and it helps with the flashes, sex drive, energy, insomnia and my IC flairs. My Insurance doesn’t cover it, but for me worth the $350. 

@erikahollister is correct, medical doctors & researchers are finally changing their tune about HRT, and there is absolutely no reason (or not many) to forego it, even for younger women! I started suffering with horrible periods and signs of peri-menopause at the age of 28 (had TERRIBLE periods from the onset of menstruation at age 14). Turns out, I had PCOS, and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Then, I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes at age 39. Pain, misery, bleeding for 10+ days every month, no sleep (still!), brain fog, hair loss, you name it … I’ve been a mess for decades - and have seen a bazillion different specialists along the way. Finally had a uterine oblation at age 41 (two years after the birth of my only child), and finished fully going thru the change at age 47. I am 56 now. If the oblation hadn’t worked, I would’ve advocated for a hysterectomy STAT. But, of course doctors (and insurance companies) don’t trust women to make that choice either… That is a LOT of years of unnecessary suffering!! And why the h*ll do women continue to have to suffer? Because there is so little research done on female illness, and/or bodies in general. If your doctor isn’t well informed about the history of HRT use, nor about the flawed study (with a painfully small human subjects cohort), you can certainly try to “help” them learn more about why they’re dead wrong to deny you the option, or, you can find another physician. Either way, you should definitely look into it!! I wish I’d opted for HRT back when I needed it… alas, it’s too late for me now. Best of luck! 

I used natural products for menopause. Followed strict diet, certain foods can trigger hot flashes. Walked at 30 minutes per day. Primrose was the thing to use