Can you say, Menopause?

My adrenals are overworked, my estrogen, DHEA, and progesterone are way low. In short, my hormones are all out of whack. She says that until we get this stabilized, nothing is going to work to get the weight off.

A lot of people have used the coconut oil with great success. Not me. Because I wanted to get 3 to 4 tablespoons in a day, I made some coconut bars with coconut oil, shredded unsweetened coconut, a little peanut butter, and some whey protein powder. I was having at least 3 to 4 tablespoons daily for several weeks in a row. Of course, this is also during the time my hormones have been screwed up.

I still have a large jar left. I'm going to wait until things stabilize a bit, and then give it another shot.

I got my last order from Tropical Traditions. They run a special from time to time where you buy one and get one free. Good deal!

i was just going to mention bioidentical hormones. i imagine, bawdy, that you've looked into it, what with your progressive clinic. i'm 38 but lost an ovary a decade ago due to illness, and so i'm a little concerned i'll be entering early. i bought Suzanne Somers book The Sexy Years and found it to be fascinating; seems to be working well for her.

also, i'm hypothyroid, and as such, my periods were terribly irregular, often heavy and lasted weeks upon weeks. not peri, but thyroid. anyway, i was so OVER my uterus by that point that i asked my gynie for a hysterectomy! she said it was a possibility, but directed me to a new procedure called NovaSure instead. another poster mentioned constant bleeding and let me tell you, NovaSure stops it dead in its tracks withOUT taking away your ovaries/hormones or anything else, and it's been fantastic for me. no more periods, no more pain, but my one remaining lil ovary is still in there, working as hard as ever to regulate my hormones. (basically the procedure takes a couple of minutes and involves the cauterization of the uterine lining.)

good luck to you---and if you have any experience with the bioidentical, do let me know. i'm trying to prepare!

Hey, I am there, which is why I was asking. We all suffer this fate even though we all suffer it differently. Gaining 30 lbs over night is odd even for menopause. Regardless, we all suffer it. I was just inquiring exactly how much coconut oil you were taking. I was just aware that you were taking it. For the most part, I am showing no symptoms, just like my mom when she was my age, except for the mild menstrual irregularities. I have also grown 3 uterine cysts which may have contributed to the weight gain in my case. But even with the unwanted gain, I seem to be able to lose it with extra work.

Hi, Black! Hi, Surrealist!

Glad to hear, Black, that you're not having the same problems I'm having. The thing is, all my hormones seem to be out of whack. The NP said I shouldn't even hope for any loss until my body again starts working FOR me and not AGAINST me. That will come later this year, she says.

About the bioidentical hormones. I'm taking dessicated human estrogen and progesterone concocted by a compounding pharmacist. Is this bioidentical? It's not Premarin and not a synthetic. I'm feeling pretty good about taking it.

I should really read up on all of it, but what I have read seems to point in the direction I'm taking, so I'm not going to sweat it.

I love boards like this where you can find you're really not alone!

i think there are a few hormones that are bioidentical, including what you've mentioned here (such as testosterone, estradiol, estriol, etc) -- but you said you're consulting w/womentowomen, right? they should know all about that.

but i would really recommend that you check out or buy The Sexy Years by Somers. i don't know what you think of her, but she puts forth a lot of evidence as well as anecdotal information and i found it both hopeful and informative.

Bawdy, you are doing a great job of staying committed even if your body is ignoring your efforts. You are such a beautiful woman and you have read everything so you are armed and dangerous. Hang in there! It shouldn't be much longer.

You guys are great. Thanks so much for your support.

I've read one of Somers' books, but not the one you mentioned. I believe her thinking is along the lines of Schwarzbein -- at least she endorsed Schwarzbein at the beginning of that book, saying she owes a lot to her. I'm not crazy about Schwarzbein's thinking. So many things I question and disagree with.

I have read a couple other books on menopause, including "Dr. Susan Love's Menopause and Hormone Book" (which advocates Premarin and the synthetics), "Sex, Lies, and Menopause" (which advocates bioidentical hormones that change every 3 days to mimic a "normal" cycle and continuing taking hormones and having periods, etc. for the rest of your life), and "The Wisdom of Menopause" (which has some weird ideas of its own).

You can definitely suffer from too much information, especially when each book has such radically different theories.

All we can do is keep plugging away, hoping something works along the way.

The only thing that makes me feel good physically anymore in the realm of food is protein and fat, and mostly red meat at that. Even when I have chicken, I get a little gassy and bloated -- never with red meat. And veggies mean nothing to me at this moment, and seem to be best avoided. I'm taking tons of supplements, so I'm not worried about not getting proper nutrition. I'm no longer convinced veggies are even necessary to good nutrition. If I'm constipated and bloated when I eat them, and not when I don't, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together.

It's all just a grand experiment, after all!

((((((((((Bawdy Wench))))))))) I hope they figure something out soon!

Bawdy, you are right...this is an experiment and I agree with you about the veggies. In reality we could live without vegetables especially 3 to 5 servings a day. If vegetables were necessary cultures who consume mostly meat would be dead instead of demonstarting ideal health.

It surprises me that I , too, can eat red meat without developing gas and constipation.

Hi, have any of you read yet another book, Eat Right 4 Your Type, Or Live Right 4 Your Type, by Peter D'Adamo? I just caught the tail end of this thread and was reminded by the fact that some of you can eat red meat and not suffer constipation. Those are the traits of someone with type O blood.....D'Adamo has a newer book out on "Menopause-Managing Its Symptoms with the Blood Type Diet"......it is just one more possible source of info that differs and yet agrees with people like Schwarzbein, Somers, etc.
I am 49, 20lbs overweight, had RAI for my thyroid nodule in '97, wish I never did that as it just added to my mess of hormones. I believe I have had long term adrenal exhaustion. I have strong reactions to exercise, but feel awful if I never do it. I am down to doing T-Tapp several times a week, but I cannot do it every day or I am wiped out for several days. Anyway I can relate. Will keep reading here. Thanks, ps, gluten is not good for me, or for type O's in general.....

I haven't read the book, but had read ABOUT it, and have to say that I don't subscribe to it's theories at all. I'm A-positive, so I'm supposed to do well on lots of carbs and no red meat or saturated fat. That's the total opposite of what works for me.

If it seems right for you, then by all means do it. Every plan works for certain people, we all just need to find the one that works for us.

I'm doing this backasswards. I'm posting before reading the thread. I will catch up.

Twenty five years ago I did Atkins before the New Revolution. I got down to 126. Twenty minutes later I became pregnant. Kind of a joke on my body. Well, it is happening again. I had my last period on May 1, 2006. Reached my goal weight a week later. I guess it is a good thing that I have a perverse, dark, sence of humor. I have to laugh at my body's irony

Now it seems I've moved past perimenopause to full out menopause. I haven't had a period since, but have dang sure had all of the other aggravation...PMS, blood glucose irregularities (I am an autimmune, type 1 diabetic), sleep disturbance, night sweats, and as of this morning breast tenderness. I'm 47. I've spent the last year having TOM every 21 days lasting 7 full days. I became anemic even though I am heavy on the protein. My doctor's were recommending a hysterectomy. I was hesitant. My body destroyed a part of my body, with the exception of fat I kinda want to hold onto my "parts."

I guess it is time to educate myself about menopause instead of perimenopause. I don't want to gain my weight back. I DO want to continue to improve my health. I've recently quit smoking. [I have smoked at intermittant periods of my life. I restarted a year ago as I was doing the head/spirit work to recover from food addiction and alcoholism. Stupid, I know. We do what we do, don't cha know.] Combine that with the menopause and I know I have at least a 10 pound struggle ahead of me.

I just wanted to post in before I lurk. Secrets are deadly for me I'm upfront and honest to a fault with myself and others these days. Maybe that goes along with being an old broad.

Hope I am welcome here,
Sara<><

Hi Bawdy
***confession*** I did NOT read all 4 pages of posts. but here's what I know about menopause:
Your metabolism tanks. A fat-burning machine it ain't UNLESS you pump it up. Some thermogenic spices help (Cinnamon, Cayenne, etc.) as do frequent small meals (especially with protein). As you know, I'm a fan of Fat Flush. And Hot Times (Gittleman's book on surviving menopause ).
It IS possible to shed menopausal weight. Finding your own path may take some experimentation. And don't forget, there ARE carbs (complex ones!) in veggies. There are GOOD carbs (kohlrabi, sweet potato, parsnip, yucca, quinoa, tiff) and BAD carbs (white potatoes, white rice, white bread, chips, white flour, etc.).
Hope you find your path.

Okay, I've now caught up on the reading. I'm thinking about some blood work I've had recently. I had the TSH, t3, and t4 to check thyroid. The only one that came back too low was the T3. I have an appointment coming up with my endocrinologist for my type 1 diabetes and I'm going to ask if this could be related to my TOM woes. Now, I'm confused about adrenals. Are these checked through blood work, as well?
Sara<><

Hi, everyone! A very interesting thread, and one that should prove informative to many members here. I hope it continues to attract commentary and input for a long time to come, since this is an area that offers an ever developing and growing variety of protocols and treatments.

I am about to turn 55 (July), and I was menopausal from approx. 49 to 53/54. I was no doubt perimenopausal for the ten years prior to that. I am also thyroid hormone resistant, which simply means that my cells have trouble converting T4 to T3 (which is essential for the proper functioning of my metabolism).

In addition to taking Armour thyroid and Cytomel for my thyroid situation, I have for approx. three years sought to restore to balance my menopausally declining reproductive hormone levels; thus I am on a protocol of bioidential biest cream and progesterone cream (the latter cycled for two weeks of each month), and now (for about four months) bioID testosterone cream as well.

I feel wonderful. I will be continuing the creams--tweaking them as needed depending on the level(s) of stress in my life--for as long as I remain in charge of my own health.

I am currently interested in switching to the "rhythmic dosing" protocol Dr. Wiley discusses in Sex, Lies, and Menopause, but my hormone MD doesn't feel that it's something to get into right now. I may have to decide otherwise. But for now, the "static dose" cycling I am on will continue--I should be bleeding at the end of each "cycle," but I'm not--an indication that my estrogen levels still remain too low, even at the dosages I'm currently on. Which likely means I will be raising my dosages a tad, until I reach the level that enables me to bleed at the end of each cycle (given the proper estrogen/progesterone balance). I subscribe to the idea that my dosages should maintain me at levels that I sustained when I was producing a full complement of hormones on my own...rather than just enough to keep away the symptoms classic of menopause.

Bawdy, I began this post because I wanted to comment on something you wrote:



Bawdy, putting aside the adrenal fatigue you are likely to be suffering from, and the need to supplement with DHEA and adrenal support nutritionals, this quote interested me for this reason:

From perimenopause, to menopause, to postmenopause, our major hormones--but specifically estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone--begin to decline production in our bodies. In perimenopause, this decline is gradual, such that we are subject to often wild fluctuations in levels of these hormones (and we all know what that means for us: no period one month, a flood the next, mood swings, bloating, and on and on); perimenopause can take ten years to lead to menopause, at which point the decline continues and deepens.

Bawdy, the decline is not reversible on its own. You can restore levels to what you had been producing yourself (once upon a time! ) through bioID hormone creams, but the feeling of good health and well-being that will likely result--the balance--is coming from the bioID supplementation. You are feeding your need for appropriate levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone (and each of us requires a different tweaking to reach balance), but they are what keep us balanced. In menopause, your body on its own will not start re-producing estrogen and progesterone and testosterone at levels that will keep you healthy, just because you once restored balance through the creams.

Stop the creams when things get balanced, and you will slowly (or maybe not so slowly) lose that balance again.

I'm not talking about your adrenal situation--through proper supplementation and other means, you can restore adrenals to their proper function. And if you don't blow them out again, they should be good to go.

But the reproductive hormones won't work that way once one is in decline (from perimenopause on). And that's why I don't understand why your NP wants to "wean" you off them once you reach balance.

Many GYNs try to do this, once the hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings subside through hormonal supplementation. But that's not the entire issue here: maintaining systemwide health through sustaining beneficial levels of these hormones is very important--to you bones, your mood, your brain function/memory, your immune system, and more.

I guess that's pretty much what I wanted to say for now. maybe ask your NP about this, see what she has to say.

For me, I keep testing my levels every four months or so, and making sure that I'm where I want to be--where I feel (and seem to be) as healthy as I can be, as balanced as possible, for as long as I can.

Edited to Add: I really meant to add (and forgot) that I realize there are many different approaches to menopause, and to hormone supplementation/therapy (even to no supplementation at all). Each person has to determine (through many different factors) what works best on an individual basis and what their goals are here. There is no "one right way" about this issue. I wanted to add my personal experiences and results, in hopes they might prove interesting (maybe even informative).

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