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Originally Posted by BawdyWench
My point was that, especially with hormones which seem to need so much tweaking, I don't think getting a standard package through the internet would be of much good -- though some people have had success with this.
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Bawdy,
I agree 100% that hormones need tweaking and sometimes on a daily basis. This is one thing that it's the hardest to achieve, especially when one is not post-meno.
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That's depressing to hear what you went through with the testing and delivery methods. I don't seem to have any side effects with the hormones, at least yet.
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I had no problems with Biest, but when Progesteron was added (2nd half of the cycle) this is when all my troubles started. I saw positive effects of biest (moist skin, better mood, more energy, etc), it's progesteron that did me in.
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Interesting that you gained weight on progesterone. How long were you taking it? I'm supposed to take it at night, two weeks on and two weeks off. I've gone through that cycle now once, and will be starting on it again tonight. I'll have to keep an eye on weight creep (like I haven't been already!).
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In general, I used bios for 3 months, and before that progesteron alone for 3 months (I was positive that everyone must use Progesteron after reading Dr.Lee's books). I was using it at night and 14 days (2nd half of the cycle) too. But it maked me hungry and bloated almost instantly, I was puffy and had major constipation and indigestion, tried and true. These are only lightest side effect, I am not even mentioning moodiness, depression ( could not stop crying), serious chest pain (trips to ER), throbbing leg pain, dizziness and fatigue, etc. My body can't tolerate Progesteron, it's hormones from hell for me.
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I'm curious, though, why you went with all the hormones if you're still having your periods? The test results? Did you mention how old you are? Don't answer if you don't want to. Are you maybe in perimenopause rather than menopause?
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I started bios because of some symptoms: muscle aches and tightness, anxiety, indigestion (on and off), mood swings, that I attributed to my declining hormones. I am 49 and going through perimenopause, you are right. My tests showed normal for my age estradiol and progesteron, low normal testosteron, and FSH is steadily low - 3-8 range, and my regular gyno said NO to any HRT and told me that my problems are due to fluctuations, that trigger prostaglandin release, and if I want to level it out, I can try BCP. But I refused it, I never took it in my life before. Of course, I had this mentality that mainstream gynos simply do not want to work with hormones, but now I know she was right, just learned it the hard way. Also reading all the books on hormones gave me a false idea that I must start supplementing now, if I don't want to fall apart later in life.
So I went to private doctors, who willingly Rx me bios and promissed it will make me feel better. I finally figured out that while I am not menopausal, my hormones fluctuate a lot, some days hourly, and it's fluctuation that causes all this nasty symptoms. I don't have typical meno symptoms like hot flushes, dizziness, headaches, insomnia, sore breasts, etc. But everyone is different.
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The other thing you mentioned was with bio-identical hormones you'll have a period forever on. I've read a lot, too, and I think you would only continue having periods if you did the intensive plan of cycling with something like 3 days on and 3 days off, etc. I don't buy that, either. Of course, I could be wrong about that, too. I know this is what T.S. Wiley strongly recommends in "Sex, Lises, and Menopause." She says you need to be tested weekly, etc. Now where in the world an I going to find a doctor here in Maine who believes in this and, maybe more so, how am I going to find the time to futz with this? Not very damn likely.
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This is a dilemma with hormones: no one wants to have a period for the rest of the life, and you need to cycle progesteron only, like 21 days on and 7 days off, so withdrawal will cause bleeding. Some doctors say you can do it once every 3 months, to ensure no uterine lining buildup, it's better than every months anyways. BTW, since I still naturally cycle monthly, added hormones messed it up and I started bleeding midcycle, and my period got out of whack.
But without cycling even when combined with progesteron, there is a chance for endometial lining to build up and the cells turn cancerous, not to mention that progesteron can cause other unwanted side effects when taken continuously. I also read that it's not natural for our body to have Progesteron past meno, and combined therapy is what causes blood clots and heart attacks (progesteron taken daily can burn out estrogen receptors and donwplay beneficial effect of estrogen), estrogen alone is more beneficial but increases risk of breast and uterine cancers...Catch 22 if you ask me.
Private doctors happily draw blood on bi-weekly basis, but when you get hormonal profile, it takes about 9 vials of blood, and I can't deal with it all the time too. It's time consuming and cost effective too, and no insurance will pay for it. But money is no onbject for me, time and hassles are, LOL.
So some women just go by symptoms, tweaking doses by the way they feel, and AFAIK the best delivery system for E is a patch (not sublinguals, oral or cream), which are fast absorbed but cleared fast too, but patch like Vivell dot, it's 100% natural 17-beta estradiol and it provides constant supply of estradiol. For now, I have decided to stay away from hormones, and unless I will start having hot flushes, night sweats and other meno-crap, I would try to do without them at all. I just feel that my body needs some TLC at this transitional time, so I just take it easy with diet and exercise and try not too add any more stress.
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So, do you think that the key to losing the weight again is that you have to be DONE with menopause? And that while you're "in" it, you won't have much success?
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This is what I was told by my doctors, they all say: once hormonal war is over, you will have no problems losing this weight, just as I was able to do it before meno. Other women at
Power Surge (greatest peri and meno website with lots of info and support BTW). So I am not sweating it too much, I have enough on my plate (no pun intended) going through the change and it takes tall mentally and physically on my body as is, why would add extra stress. I did lose some weight I gained on hormones, and also eating lesss calories helps somewhat.
YMMV, as usual, what works for one, may not work for another women. I also love Susun Weed thinking on menopause and weight loss, she suggest to GAIN at least 10 pounds ( if you are slim) or stop trying to lose weight during menopause, and I now understand why.
http://www.menopause-metamorphosis....weight_gain.htm
Regards,
Dina