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Denny Henry / for msnbc.com
Ingrid Gorman, a 48-year-old senior vice president at Discovery Communications, said she never discussed menopause with her mother, but wants to now that she's approaching that age. "I don't even remember discussing menstruation with her when I was little," she said.
By Maggie Fox
When her aunt died of breast cancer, Mari-Anne Pisarri had no doubts about what caused it. She was certain it was estrogen pills. “So when the Women’s Health Initiative released their findings, I thought, ‘Well, of course, Aunt Betty could have told them that years ago’,” said Pisarri, a 56-year-old partner at a Washington, D.C. law firm.
Pisarri is one of tens of millions of U.S women who have no intention of taking hormone replacement therapy to ease the symptoms of menopause. “I am just not willing to take the risk,” she said.
Like so many women in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, Pisarri’s aunt got estrogen as a matter of course when she entered menopause. Doctors routinely prescribed hormones in the belief that HRT prevented heart disease, cancer and the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.
The federal government decided to check out these assumptions, and commissioned the Women’s Health Initiative – a giant study of 161,000 women. In 2002, regulators stopped the study when it became startlingly clear that HRT did not lower the risk of heart disease or cancer in the women taking part in the study. In fact, it raised the risk of stroke, heart attacks and breast cancer, they reported in a paper published 10 years ago Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Women stopped taking the pills in droves. While as many as 17 million women used HRT in 2001, by 2009 just about 8 million did. A decade after the Women’s Health Initiative report was released, women are still confused and so are many doctors.
It would be impossible to say for sure that Pisarri’s aunt got cancer because she took HRT. But the giant drug company Pfizer said last month it has paid $896 million so far to settle lawsuits alleging the pills made women sick without warning them of the risks. Pfizer owns Wyeth, the company that made the most popular HRT drugs Premarin and Prempro.
Swinging pendulum
Dr. JoAnn Manson, a professor at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston who helped conduct the study, says people overreacted to its findings. “The pendulum has swung from ‘hormone therapy is good for all women’ to ‘hormone therapy is bad for all women’ after the Women’s Health Initiative,” Manson said in a telephone interview. “What the WHI showed us is that hormone therapy is appropriate for some, but not all, women.”
The problem was that doctors were in the habit of prescribing HRT to protect women’s health, instead of treating it as any other drug that should be used only when the benefits outweigh the risks. “At the time the WHI began in the early 1990s it was becoming an increasingly common practice for hormone therapy to be prescribed for women who were in their 70s and 80s and women at very high risk of cardiovascular disease,” Manson says. The study made it clear just how misguided this was. “Those practices came to a screeching halt,” Manson said.
But the younger women who could more safely take HRT became afraid to ask for it and, often, their doctors were afraid to prescribe it. This has made for a perfect storm for women in their 40s and 50s who are often approaching the peak of their careers and have more flexibility since their children are grown. Then menopause hits, with no easy answer to managing the symptoms.
“I do have trouble sleeping,” says Bev, a 54-year-old neuroscientist living in Silver Spring, Maryland, who asked for her last name to be withheld because she was discussing personal health. “But I don’t really know what to do about that. I tried exercising more to try and wear myself out. I don’t even know if it’s actually a sign of menopause or perimenopause."
Bev says her hands also ache worse lately -– she fears arthritis is setting in -- but is not sure if menopause or the lack of sleep is a factor. “I’ve had some symptoms, like mainly hot flashes, but they’ve been minimal,” Bev says. "If I was having more severe symptoms I would probably be checking into it more.”
While Bev doesn’t fear discrimination at work, she, like many women, cringe at the thought of describing their symptoms publicly – and sometimes even with their own doctors. As a result, they may miss the chance to be educated. “I feel pretty ill-informed now about the whole issue,” Bev admits.
Part of this lack of information is because drugmakers have, for obvious reasons, stopped advertising HRT. But menopause is itself often a taboo subject that involves not only women’s reproductive health but also another subject that U.S. society finds embarrassing – aging.
Stultifying silence
Ingrid Gorman, a senior vice president at Discovery Communications, wonders if women fear a return to the arguments that they are untrustworthy in the workplace because they are ruled by their hormones. Remember premenstrual syndrome?
“It used to be when I was growing up … PMS (was) talked about all the time. You would blame a lot of women’s moods on that,” says Gorman, 48.
“I don’t really hear it talked about any more,” she added. “I wonder if it’s because these are different generations, or if as a group we really didn’t want that to be something that people could use against us. … We just don’t want to call that out about ourselves.”
Rachel Pentlarge, a 48-year university grant manager in Washington, D.C., says a little wishful thinking may be going on. "We are all hoping that menopause will never hit us, or that no one will notice,” she says.
"There is so much discomfort with women's health issues and also with aging -- and the way that sexism and age discrimination come together on this. The silence is stultifying."
Pisarri is more hopeful about why menopause isn’t a big point of discussion. “It’s a benefit of being in the baby boomer generation. There are just too many menopausal women. Have there ever been this many hot flashes going on at the same time?” she asked. “When there are so many of us doing the same thing … I don’t think it is something that is quite unusual.”
But now, thanks to the publicity surrounding the WHI, women often think they must tough it out, even as they joke about hot flashes with friends and even with colleagues.
Hormone therapy study: Confusion, mistakes and fear
“About 15 to 20 percent of women have significant symptoms that interfere with sleep and can impair quality of life and that certainly can have adverse effects in the workplace as well,” Manson says. These include problems sleeping, hot flashes and vaginal dryness. For these women, the benefits of HRT can outweigh the risks.
There are new formulations of HRT as well, which give far lower doses of hormones than the pills used in the WHI study. Women can use ultra-low-dose skin patches and creams and they can use targeted delivery systems such as vaginal inserts to address their particular symptoms.
Other studies done since the WHI have also shed more light on who might be harmed by HRT. Manson worked on one that showed if women take HRT when they first begin menopause, they significantly lower their risk of heart disease. And Manson points out that even doubling a very small risk, such as the risk of stroke, still leaves a woman with a very small risk.
The answer, as with so many health issues, is for women to talk to their doctors.
Doctors often determine whether a woman is going through menopause based on symptoms, such as whether she’s stopped having a menstrual period, but in some cases, may do blood tests to measure hormone levels. Some of the women interviewed for this story said they were still taking birth control pills and weren’t sure if that was masking other symptoms.
Physicians need to be more open to talking about menopause with women, said Manson, who is president of the North American Menopause Society. “Not just gynecologists but internal medicine (specialists) and family practice (physicians) often have to be discussing these issues with women,” she said. “I think it has been confusing for clinicians and, unfortunately, many clinicians have stopped prescribing hormone therapy. It is a very, very difficult situation for women who have menopausal symptoms and are trying to find a clinician who can help them make an informed decision.”
NAMS has a website at www.menopause.org that can help, Manson says.
When the time comes, Pentlarge says, she trusts her gynecologist to help her make the right decision. "So much unnecessary and totally avoidable anxiety is attached to menopause that if you can figure out a way to feel positive about yourself, it could be a much less traumatic experience,” she says.
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Seriously??? ANOTHER media piece that omits the central, overwhelmingly important variable in the results of the Women's Health Initiative study, which was the use of synthetic estrogen (horse-urine derived) and synthethic progesterone (progestin). Bio-identical hrt is, on the other hand, PROTECTIVE of women's health in multiple ways. Research it online, there is a wealth of data and information.
YAWN...all women do is nag...even when you give them the help that they ask for and feel entitled to.
There is absolutely ZERO evidence that phyto-estrogens (plant-based) or proto-estrogens (chemical-based) or any other variation is of any benefit whatsoever. Period. This is the widely discredited Suzanne Sommers claim with no science behind it. This is why these "HRT" treatments are sold as "nutritional supplements" and not as drugs and why they're prescribed in "nutritional clinics" by non-medical people. It is a scam that preys on the placebo effect and the simple fact that menopause symptoms ease over time.
While the original HRT situation was an extreme failure of evidence-based medicine that has killed many thousands of women, there is no reason to go to so-called "treatments" with even less evidence.
Chris - they are not studied by traditional medicine either. BTW Suzanne Sommers would have been dead years ago, if she followed traditional cures.
A great example of how wrong traditional science is over the use of Ephedra. Traditional Science isolates the compound and sold it only to find later that people were dying of heart attacks. So Ephedra was banned. Ephedra yet they had to backtrack on Ephedra, because those using Ephedra in it's natural state were shown to have no heart problems. They not only tested it wrong, but used it wrong.
Traditional Medicine says give women birth control at age 15, it's safe. Now, currently not being talked about is the findings that kids taking BC at that age develope infertility in their 30's.
My wife in her late 30's was put on birth control to control her reproductive problems, it made her worse. She has done several other "Traditional" procedures, and other than a healing time relief only one worked some.
Traditional Answers to hormonal issues right now are pitiful.
Yes, Suzanne is a real idiot. That's why she is the epitome of health and beauty at nearly 70 despite having had cancer.
I would rather take her advice than the opinion of a licensed quack who disagrees with other licensed quacks who all get their information from the pharmaceutical industry that factors in $X for lawsuits.
Chris--bioidentical hrt is not a "nutritional supplement", it is a prescription (either for compounded formulations or certain pharmaceuticals) prescribed by licenses MD's who are well-informed of its benefits. Optimum hormonal status is health-protective, and again, there is ample data and information available for those who seek it out. Here is a link to one overview (published by two physicians in The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons):
phyl is a shill for big pharma. Don't believe it. 'Optimum hormonal status' as you put it is whatever the woman's actual hormone levels are at that point in her life, assuming natural declines, or post hystorectomy. It's NATURAL for them to decline, just like in men. It's very unfortunate that it occurs post hystorectomy, but living through it beats dying from it.
If I seem a little biased, I am; my mother is dead thanks to Premarin. No kidding. If she would have known one tenth of the truth that she learned after it was too late, she would never have taken them, not even the newer versions. The whole notion of 'hormone therapy' to combat natural declines is a myth, and an unhealthy one at that.
I use Vivelle Dot patches, they are available by perscription and are most certainly NOT classified as a "nutritional supplement." Yes, I have high BP and it's a bit of a concern, but I feel the benefits outweigh the risks - the biggest benefit being that my hubby isn't driven to divorce me over bitchy moods!
I used premarin when in my 50s for about 8 years. Developed breast cancer at 62. My cancer is the type that thrives in estogen environment...now I take an estrogen inhibitor.
Personally, I've never believed in taking medications for a problem that doesn't exist. Menopause is a perfectly natural stage in a womans life. Doctors, the drug companies and the media have all worked together to make it into something to be feared by all. While I realize that some women can get actual benefits from hormone therapies, I believe that there are better more natural ways of handling most of the problems associated with menopause. When I started menopause my doctor tried to convince me into taking hormones, which I refused. Some years later that same homone therapy was found to cause cancer.
Doctors as a rule are too attached to their prescription pads to advise on anything that doesn't come out of a laboratory. The information is out there though. Diet, exercise and sometimes homeopathic treatments can be every bit as effective with much less side affects than treatments derived by chemicals.
I hear tell of a "secret" organic treatment that helps 100% of the time. I hear It's called "Mary Jane", but doctors won't tell you about it... Some kind of gov't conspiracy I think...
Also, heroin will make you forget about most of the symptoms....
Homeopathic or not, most 'treatments" have side effects. At least what your MD gives you is based on double blind, clinical data. Alternative medicine, not so much believers in the "double blind" and "control/placebo group" method... Plenty of data out there, but clinically worthless...
Is it just me or do others see the correlation between the passing of Obamacare and the advent of his panels (some call death panels) and the sudden onslaught of "data" and/or studies showing more and more traditional preventative medical tests and treatments that are suddenly "unnecessary". On the way to senioracide are we? Medicare pays for less and less, how about medicaid which pays for illegals, any change there?
Shaking - off topic.
HRT - bio-identicals do work. I've been on them since the early 90s. Do the compounding route and save your body.
And no male should have a say in this, either. I don't see them standing there all calm one moment and then have Niagara Falls spout fully formed from their foreheads.
I just wish that insurance paid for this. Seems to be a little loophole that we seniors are forgotten.
@phyl,
You are dangerouslu wrong. Yes there are homeopathis "pyysicians" who write phoney "prescriptions" for so-called bio-identical hrt (also called Amour Vie according to the TV commercials.) But they value their licenses enough not to specify that it cures, fixes or changes anything and that it is not a "drug" but a non-FDA-approved "nutritional supplement." There are no studies supporting "bio-identical HRT' in any reputable peer-reviewed journals. Yes, there are studies published in homeopathy magazones --- not quite the same thing. Do you even know where homeopathy got its name? 3,000 years ago if you had jaundice they gave you things that were yellow. If you had a fever, they put hot coals on your hands. If you had a heart attack, they put large stones on your chest. It was revived in the early 1700's.
"Homeopathy (also spelled homoeopathy or homœopathy; from the Greek hómoios- ὅμοιος- "like-" + páthos πάθος "suffering" ) is a form of alternative medicine originated by Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843), based on the hypothesis that a substance that causes the symptoms of a disease in healthy people will cure that disease in sick people. This hypothesis is known as "the law of similars" or "like cures like". Scientific research has found homeopathic remedies ineffective and their postulated mechanisms of action implausible. Conventional medicine generally considers homeopathy to be quackery."
I think that pretty well sums it up. Quackery.
Since we are all different, we all react differently to the same substance whether it is a natural substance or a chemical one. What works for one person won't work for everyone!
We all need to try different remedies to find out what works for us.
And I'm sure we are all aware of why Dr.s practice medicine....they are PRACTICING! They need to figure out what many of us already know...they don't know everything and they aren't with us 24/7/365 so they don't know how different substances affect different people!
I think that all of the fear tactics about HRT are for one reason: to end the lives of uppity women a bit faster. After all, we are the ones who are haranguing our younger sisters/grandchildren/children to get out there and protest the War on Women.
This is the war on the women who make the best advisors: A war on crones.
Chris--you are apparently confused and/or misinformed; I said nothing whatsoever about homeopathy, and in fact the physicians who prescribe bioidentical hrt are licensed MD's, not homeopaths. Again, these prescribing physicians are regular, licensed MD's. And again, the data is there; the one link I provided to an overview of bioidentical hrt was deleted (I guess links are not allowed), but it was written by two MD's and published in a professional journal. That was just one overview article; there is an abundance of information for those who wish to become informed.
Biker4life--I assure you I am not a shill for big pharma; actually it's ironic you would say so since I am one of the strongest DETRACTORS of big pharma and fully recognize all the horrible suffering they have inflicted on people. Premarin, as you rightly point out, was one such atrocity. Premarin is a synthetic estrogen made from PRegnant MAre's (horse's) urINe. (hence the name). It is biochemically different from the normal estrogen a woman's body makes. Bioidentical hormones are identical to what is normally produced in the female body.
RaisedbyWolves - Males should have a say in this - a say that says your mood swings and hot flashes are acceptable parts of life, and while they may not be our favorite things about you, we prefer it to not having you at all.
and T Bourlon - I pray that you remain healthy, and you don't end up with side effects or complications just because your husband doesn't like your mood without the drugs.
btw- biker4life is a dude.
@pinecone, Experimenting for the cure can cause the opposite reaction. I'm not to fond of kill or cure.
@phyl,
It is a known fact that ALL hormone treatments cause cancer, heart desease and strokes. What you are advertising is very dangerous and based on no facts except that it fills big pharm's pockets.
Long before the definitive study came out, I had already decided I would not take them. I had to have a partial hysterectomy in my mid 30s (still had the ovaries) because of fibroid tumors. They tried progesterone to stop the excessive bleeding first. It shot my blood pressure through the roof. The insurance company immediately conceded and approved the surgery (this occured in 1996). It is much more of a threat for some of us.
Women have gone through menopause since the beginning of time. I looked at my mother, mother-in-law and grandmother and none of them took it. My mother in law is alive at 91. Grandmother lived to 90. Mother died at 78 with cancer.
Phyl777....THANK YOU THANK YOU. It is SYNTHETIC HORMONES that cause the health risks. Bio-Identicals are a totally different animal, that are absolutely safe, ENORMOUSLY effective and are a genuine threat to the Pharmaceutical industry's market for synthetic hormones. The fact that BioIdenticals get a bad rap in the US is solely because the Pharmaceutical Industry is fighting their use tooth and nail. I have been on bio-Identicals for 3 years they are the greatest blessing that could have come my way. For 20 years I gave our traditional MD's an opportunity to correct my hormone imbalance with synthetics and it only worsened every condition I had, I gained weight, needed antidepressants because I couldnt metabolize the hormones properly and their side effect for me was depression & high bloodpressure. I felt bad about myself and sick too. It all finally resulted in a hysterectomy from a condition caused by excessive estrogen (which was never what I needed...I needed progesterone) Synthetic Progesterone is deadly...PERIOD! So the doctors could never supply what I really needed nor were they educated in Bio Identicals, because the Pharmaceutical Companies supply the medical literature that our Medical Students & Doctors study to become doctors. They are indoctrinated in treating illness with pharmaceutical products. BIO IDENTICALS cured me in 4 days...I nolonger have depression, I no longer have high blood pressure, I no longer have menopausal symptoms, I have lost 30 lbs. and kickbox and weight train. At 47 I look better than most 18 year olds. I will fight for the right to my bio-identicals for myself and all women. MY OBGYN HATED bio-identicals, until she did 1 year doctoring in Germany...now her entire view of Bio-Identicals has changed. It is mainstream in Europe and should be here to. Let me just add...I'm a pharmacist for the last 20 years.
You can say that phyl, but what you are talking about is unknown territory. ANY hormone therapy is altering the body from it's natural state. Which means you don't know what is going to happen. And the only way you know it is not going to give you cancer is after your dead from something else.
Show me the 40 year study on cancer and other ailments linked to hormone therapy for any type. You can't because you don't have any. But 40 years is easily within my life span. Which means everyone is a guinea pig.
Now, if we are talking about life saving measures, absolutely- the risk reward ratio is not so bad.
But we are not. Whether it be male or female hormone replacement, it is not natural, it is not necessary and it is not fully known what the long term side effects are. Those who wish to use these have that right. That doesn't make it the healthiest option.
Why must my life change at 68 years? Recently my physician for many, many years retiired. I have been taking Premarin for 35 years and the new physician would not rewrite my scrip for Premarin. So after all these years, with no known consequences, I no longer take Premarin. I have started with mild hot flashes, very tired and sleep a lot, and my hands aching and swelling. Please be reminded that I am a very healthy female, active, however, recently retired, and most people will guess my age 20 years YOUNGer. Without my hormones to keep me young, vibrant, and steadfast, will I become a shriveled fruit laying on a shelf?
@Phyl
I am neither confused nor mis-informed. So-called bio-identical phytoestrogens cannot be "prescribed" by a physician for the simple reason that the FDA has not approved these substances to treat anything. Period. There has never even been an application to the FDA for their approval. Period. If a physician says he is "prescribing" such, he can have his license pulled. If a pharmacist fills such a "prescription" he can lose his license. If a physician even says that these substances "treat" or even "alleviate the symptoms of menopause" he can lose his license.
The physicians that appear in the commercials for Suzanne Sommers and Amour Vie have no license. They lost it long ago. But to avoid prosecution for practicing without a license, they avoid saying that it treats anything. The fine p[rint always says it is a "nutritional supplement not intended to treat any condition, but rather to enhance overall health." The quote is from the Amour Vie TV ad.
Phytoestrogens have been studied a great deal because red clover (the primary source of the phytoestrogens) has long been linked to improvements in fertility in sheep. There are some slight correlations with cancer prevention and phytoestrogens, but these are tiny correlations, not causations.
Any person why says that phytoestrogens or "bio-identical" estrogens or even chemical estrogen-like substances such as PCB's can help with the symptoms of menopause are engaging in quackery with absolutely no evidence to back them up. These people prey on women who do not realize that they would see the same effect from sugar pills (around 30% would believe they helped) and the simple fact that menopause symptoms decrease over time. Selling these things as "nutritional supplements" is just as much quackery since the evidence there is so tentative that it cannot be replicated.
Again, there is NO literature in reputable peer-reviewed journals to support any good effect from "bioi-dentical" phytoestrogens. Period. And I would point out that MDs with no other credentials have absolutely zero training or skillset in doing this kind of research. There are plenty of physicians who are just as greedy and unethical as anyone else, unfortunately. But noone should spend their hard-earned cash in a vain effort to pursue non-evidence-based medicine. Period.
Wrong! My OB/GYN prescribes my compounded HRT including phyto-estrogens (Tri-Est) and progesterone.
Menopause is not a disease. How did people treat it five hundred years ago? Drugs have side effects.
Women did not usually live past menopause. No need for treatent if you are dead.
mjbsat you beat me to the punch.
@mjbsat,
You have confused life expectancy with lifespan. In Biblical times, "the span of man's years" was "three score and ten" (70) according to the Bible. It has not really changed all that much in the intervening time. Lifespan is also called natal life expectancy. Women have always lived to pretty much the same length of time they do now give or take a few years. What has changed is life expectancy --- more people live long lives, all people live longer lives. The idea that people used to die younger is pure myth based on a lack of understanding of the issue.
Get real Zack no one would have known what menopause would have been back than..with just the mood swings and hot flashes alone women were probably labeled as witches or as being insane..and would have been killed by one means or another..we've come a long way since than and the majority of females the experience menopause are better able to deal with it therefore hormone treatment is not necessary in most cases..
Five hundred years ago, people did not have corrective lenses for bad vision, either. I suppose that they went around bumping into their huts, caves, whatever. Bad eyes are part of aging, but why be half blind when you can correct it. Giving a woman the proper bioidentical HRT is no different.
What people are not told is that there are homeopathic remedies that can help with menopause. No side effects, no cancer or heart disease. Doctors will not educate themselves in alternative medicines because they are owned by the big pharm companies. I went to an alternative doctor for help when I went through menopause and he had me take a homeopathic specifically for me. A good alternative medicine doctor will evaluate your specific needs and provide the proper remedy. MD's will only use drugs that can harm you. What is worse is all the junk out there containing soy. Soy messes with your homones and can worsen allergies. Why people are so into soy is unbelievable. There is so much brainwashing going on by the soy industry its unreal and it is so bad for people, they just don't get it. Women need to research the damage that soy does, go to a good homeopathic/alternative doctor and they won't have any of the problems associated with menopause.
So right, Tinycowlady. I bipassed ERT and went with soy milk to "help" me through what is just a natural process...silly me. With no family history of BC, no HRT, lots of exercise and eating right (though not strictly organic, but mostly vegetables and fruits) I developed BC. I blame the soy and sitting at the bus stop breathing auto fumes (having opted not to drive so I wouldn't be a part of the pollution problem). Ingestion of soy has also been linked to uterine fibroid growth. My gynecologist strongly advises not to take soy, so not all MDs are blinded by facts. My original gynecologist kept pushing me to take HRT and as I was last walking out of her office she had the nerve to say "you just wait until your menopause gets really bad, you'll come crawling back to me." Needless to say, she's history.
Some women are very blessed and do not experience menopause in all its freaking glory. Then, yes, OTC and homeopathic remedies work well for you. I'm jealous.
However, if and when you experience night sweats that are so bad you wake up every 1.5 - 2 hours EVERY night drenched in sweat and can't find a cool place on the bed, when you haven't slept through the night in over 5 years, you might rethink your position. When your clothes are stuck to your body and you're talking to someone in a professional setting and sweat is pouring down your face and your hair is dripping wet and stuck to the back of your head a minimum of 10 - 15 times a day for 5 years, you might rethink your position.
When you try to straighten your watch, bracelet, necklace, but can't because they are stuck to your skin, when you gain 30 lbs in 3 years even though you are eating better and exercising as much as you can considering you are drenched in sweat even before you start, you probably will rethink your position. When your personality changes and you have NO patience, become incredibly irritable for no reason, bitchy - yes bitchy - beyond belief and you are now a person you never were before and you can't help it and even you don't like to be around you, yes, you probably will rethink your position.
Yes, when quality of life is affected 24/7 for at least 5 years with no end in sight, you will be begging for help. When you don't want to be around people because of incredible physical discomforts and unprecitable mood swings, when you are afraid to engage in any type of activity because you don't know if you can finish it or not embarrass yourself, when all desire and ambition to do things that you previously had no longer exists, then quality of life has been effected. If I am fully informed of possible consequences, the decision should be totally mine to make as I am the person who has to live with me. I would prefer to live 5-10 years happy, positive, able to enjoy life and be a pleasant person as opposed to maybe living 5-10 years longer being a bitch and completely miserable.
This is a health care decision that should be mine alone to make. Sadly, it took me a very long time to find a doctor who cared and agreed.
To all of you who eschew HRT, all I can say is that your symptoms aren't that severe because if they are you will be begging for help. i couldn't believe it happened to me.
I hear you, sister! We tried halving my HRT last year and we had to put it right back where it is. Hubby, son, everyone around me asked that I go back on the regular dosage. And I wasn't too thrilled with the water fall starting again, either.
I know about the doc thing, too. I had a wonderful ob/gyn in Santa Monica who was a research fellow before she went into practice - no trouble with her at all. I've had 3 physicians since then; my general practitioner is now asking me about bio-identicals! LOL. I had to search and finally found a good woman ob/gyn here in Georgia; but she and I had to get through many different ideas about what I should be doing (read the halving of dosage last year) before we got right back to what I had been taking.
There is serious truth to the t-shirt that says "I'm out of estrogen and (1) I have a credit card; or (2) I have a gun".
Abby...amen ! Thank you for your comments.
i remember reading a book about this when i was going through menopause... it actually really helped. if i remember correctly, this was the book.
I agree Abby. My biggest problem was instant menopause. Ovarian cancer-total hysterectomy. I did take HRT for a year then quit. Didn't have problem night sweats. But my moods and patience changed dramatically. I work with a lady who had BIG sweat problems. She carried a roll of papertowels with her everywhere! I felt so bad for her, but she did go in and was put on something and it seems to have helped. As for me? My ob/gyn pushed and pushed HRT but I refused. I remain impatient, and moody...cost me a relationship, but I figure, if I was worth it, he'd have taken me as I am...and tried to understand. Oh well, his loss.
You need to do whats right for you...everyone does. Just because a doctor says so, doesn't make it so...everyone is an individual and needs individual treatment.
I bet these drugs are mostly protective of the pharmaceutical manufacturers' bottom line.
The pharm industry makes billions each quarter and every single drug out there today has horrible side effects. Just listen to the commercials when they have a drug they want to push onto people. Would you take any of it after hearing all it can do to you? But, with the kickbacks the docs get, they are pushed onto people with total disregard. Just look at all the vaccines our kids get today. I didn't get even one sixth of what they give out and my generation (baby boomers) did just fine. My daughter didn't get 1\3 of what they give today and she did just fine. We are producing children with worse immune systems and who are more dependent on pharmaceuticals than we ever have and it's just so the industry can make more billions each quarter.
Yeah yeah, and we grew up without car seat and seat belt laws and we did fine too. The point of these things is that a percentage of population didn't do fine, they died. We just didn't happen to be one of them. If your daughter had been killed or permanently disabled by one of the diseases they vaccinate against now, but didn't then, you would be singing a different tune. You were lucky, she was lucky. Others weren't so lucky. I agree that children today are being raised with crappy immune systems, but you can lay that at the door of anti-bacterial soaps, not vaccinations. And no, you couldn't pay me to take any pharmaceutical on more than a temporary basis. And I seriously doubt menopause can kill you. Already did the breast cancer thing so it isn't even an option, but even if it were I wouldn't take it. Don't wear a bra anymore either, but they never tell you about that being a problem do they? Women need to be more worried about that than any other single risk factor. Just say no, men will get used to it, trust me.
mino pause...is when the bait quit's swimming...
Funny! ;-)
I understand they are going to start the draft again. I think that's funny to.
It is unfortunate that articles never address the alternative of bio-identical hormone replacement. I have been using them for over 10 years with no problems and great success. Since they cannot "own" the rights to these hormones and make lost of money from their sale, the cash-rich pharm industry is still trying to get bio-identical hormones outlawed in concert with the FDA, and have managed to to get the FDA to agree so that Biest, an effective form of bio-identical hormone replacement, is not covered by health insurance, . It is shocking that most women's doctors are largely ignorant about them and still prefer to either prescribe the synthetic drugs or tell women to handle it cold turkey.
Shadow..Most doctors are too in love with their prescription pads, and the kickbacks they get from the drug companies. They get no benefits out of prescribing homeopathic treats and alternatives so they don't get involved them.
I needed no health insurance to pay for my menopause treatment. It was healthy eating, exercise and a good nights sleep. While I had an occasion case of night sweats, that was the worst of it.
Been on bio-identical hormones for the past 2 years. Never felt better! Sleep like a baby (insomnia all gone,) no hot-flashes or night-sweating, low-grade depression all gone, no joint aches or muscular pain, no mood-swings, libido is back and strong, skin looks and feels suppler, bones are stronger than ever, and I am a much happier person through and through. I am 58 years old, and wished I had done this much, much earlier. All my hormonal levels were totally out of wack. I am back to normal...
Embrace the end of the "curse!" It's pretty nice to be on the back side of that particularly aggravating monthly issue. Just remember, you can take HRT, but when it's time to stop the meds all those symptoms come back anyway.
As usual, they talk about SYNTHETIC hormones! Bio-identical hormones are not a drug, like the synthetic ones. They are in tune with the body! There is so much information available, if women just take the time to do the research. Books like Dr. John Lee, "What your Doctor may not tell you about menopause", 2. What your Doctor may bot tell you about Premenopuase, these are two books every woman should read, just for the basic info. Dr. Christiane Northrup, with The Wisdom of Menopause, with a wealth of information. Natural Hormone Balance by Dr. Uzzi Reiss, just to name a few. Please inform yourself.
First of all, menopause is a natural occurring physical change. We need to accept that and take care of ourselves through this process. Taking estrogen( from horse urine) just doesn't seem to be a good idea (?). As the other writers have noted, there are options natural supplements derived from plants. I have used a progesterone creme that I rub into my leg daily, it works wonders. There are nice lubricants to support the changes of dryness. Melatonin allows one to fall sleep with out side effects. There are many gentle ways to support our bodies as hormones change. For a change, let's listen to the wisdom of the women who have gone before us. We don't have a medical problem, we don't need pharmaceuticals to "fix" us!
If men suffered from the symptoms, such as hot flashes, there would have been a cure that worked a long time ago. Even my female gynocologist says to just deal with it, the hot flashes will eventually get better. What a joke.
Sadiemae14--you are SO right!!!!! I had a complete hysterectomy-ovaries/uterus/cervix-at age 37-was on HRT for 20 years-and if I had to do it over again would take HRT. I had SEVERE hot flashes and mood swings-don't think I would have made it through it all if I hadn't been on HRT.
That's it! My hot flashes were horrible; and I put up with them for 5 years before I took the full on HRT; I tried black cohash and a ton of other things; but I was always in a bad mood unless I'd just had an orgasm! Hubby is my superman, but no man is that super!
I'm 59 and post-menopausal. I refused the hormones and survived menopause just fine. Yes, I had hot flashes and moodiness, but using hormones just was not an option for me. I had used hormones 24 years earlier for infertility/in vitro and those hormones made my life a living hell for 2 years.
I exercised more and took one multi-vitamin (for calcium) a day and when I couldn't sleep I used an over-the-counter sleep aid. Seemed much safer to me. Guess my instincts were right.
I had a hysterectomy young, and my doctor didn't want me on extended hormones (possibly 40+ years). So I did it only for three months, on a "tapering off" schedule. Worked and have never been on them since! This was way before the study came out ... but when it did, I realized he (the doc) gave me the right guideance.
I have been taking black cohosh for years with my doctors support. It's made a big difference in my symptoms. Yes, I still have hot flashes but not near as bad as they use to be. I also started taking primrose which has improved my vaginal wetness.
Bottom line, we have to educate ourselves for what is best for us and stop solely relying on doctors and pill pushers to tell us what is best.
I was on estrogen from my hysterectomy at end of 40's, with no problems. Was taken off because of the "it's the right thing to do", in my early seventies. Five yrs without, and all kinds of health problems popped up, put back on and I'm great again. There is was no reason to be taken off to begin with. Not one female in my family on either side ever had breast cancer, or even cancer.
I took Premarin for 35 years when a new doctor suddenly told me this drug could cause breast cancer. I was sorry to stop. I had hot flashes for awhile. I thought how is it, after 35 years, something like breast cancer or heart problems did not develop. Also, I believe Premarin has kept me looking much younger than I am (and now I see the wrinkles developing). Premarin was initially prescribed because I had a full hysterectomy.
No hormone replacements for me. My mother died of breast cancer (she took hormones) and whether or not it caused the cancer, I'm not willing to gamble for hot flash, etc relief. Sure, the symptoms aren't fun, but I'm going to get through this. I'm not discrediting those who choose to take hormones, but with a family history it's just not worth it in my case.
and the lawyers cheer.............
One other thing they don't tell you about ingested hormones is very important! By ingested, I mean hormone supplements or eating any kind of meat that has been injected with hormones (usually estrogen to make them fat faster)...and yes, I said that. FAT FASTER!! More women than not believe that they put on weight during menopause because of menopause. I strongly believe that it is because of the USDA (barf) meat that they eat on a daily basis. Here's more proof; In my mid 40's I developed fibroids. (one out of 25 women will get these benign uterine cysts.) They can be debillitating as they cause tremendous menstrual bleeding and severe pain. Every single doctor I went to told me I needed a hysterectomy. Well, I couldn't afford a hysterectomy so my future looked very bleak. I did some research and learned that fibroids are ESTROGEN fed! What? Really? Virtually ALL USDA beef has estrogen injected in the standing cows! Did you know that? Which makes milk hormonal as hell too. I immediately quit eating USDA meat and drinking that crappy milk too. The very next month, I experienced far less dramatic fibroids and the following month, I was a proud owner of a regular ol' menstrual cycle. And it was that easy. No hysterectomy....just elimination of government 'required' estrogen. To this day, I follow those same rules and I've not had a problem. A year or so back, I ate some beef teriake from a Chinese restaraunt and the following week I had a McDonald's Big Mac to curb a craving. Yup! You guessed it...that month my fibroids were alive and roaring. Proof positive for me. You couldn't pay me to put a bite of that synthetic meat in my mouth...it's very body damaging for a women. Oh! And have you seen how our young girls are developing? They try to tell you it's good diet. Hah!! It's fast food hamburgers and grocery store beef that are giving them curves and boobs at 10 years old! Someone please please do a study on this. It needs to be known. It will save a ton of women many months of uterine agony!!
I am in my early 50's and peri-menopausal. I didn't have a period for 3 months, then started having them every other month. One month was so horrendous I couldn't even leave the house. I was tested for uterine cancer (negative) and had an internal ultrasound looking for fibroid tumors (nothing). Because I work as a lifeguard and swim instructor during the summer, my OB/GYN put me on a low dosage of birth control pills. The first month was horrendous - I spotted every day for a month. This second month has been easier. I will go off the pills once summer ends because I really don't want to be on them, but have to in order to do my job.
Both my mother and grandmother had hysterectomies in their mid-30's due to fibroid tumors. I am the only one who has gone into pre-menopause naturally and I don't have any references to go by (both were the only girls in the family) so I am flying blind on this journey. Sure I hate the hot flashes and the moodiness (I never has PMS, and my husband has always been extremely grateful!) and the heavy periods, but I realize that this is a natural occurrence. I have to do some more research into the bio-identical hormone replacement. But according to my bloodwork, I am still peri-menopausal and not anywhere near full-blown menopause. Just something else to look forward too......oh joy!
"tough it out"? no, it's not thrilling, but it is a natural process, and it is temporary. My boss said she took hormones and when she stopped, the "symptoms" came back (not the right word to use since menopause isn't a disease), just as someone above posted. I figured I'd just go with it and it would end at some point. I find it bizarre that I can sweat out of my forearm. Mostly I observe, and if I'm awake a couple of hours in the early am, I try to take a nap later. I thought I'd miss my periods since they were always regular and part of being a woman, but I certainly don't, especially the pms! I have noticed that I have had what I call "apron-string cutting experiences" with my adult children lately, and I wonder if that is connected - maybe we lose some of our maternal instincts along with the hormone shift. I have mom "senioritis," and I'm happy about having my life back to myself after 28 years of active parenting.
Ms. Betty...I too am now in my early 50's. This is a very real thing. I can go months (up to 8!) and not have a menstrual cycle. I'm mid menopause. I get the flashes on occasion and so on. If I slip up and say eat a steak at one of the steakhouses or even a Krystal burger...I will unfailingly within the month begin that vicious cycle of heavy bleeding. It was not till later in my 'experiment' that I understood that fibroids never go away. They will remain dormant until 'fed' again. I've been eating USDA meat probably since toddlerhood so I do crave meat. I now make a huge effort to buy certified organic (no hormone) meat and milk. I pay more money for it...but it's worth it.
When going thru menopause 20 years ago, thought I was loosing my mind. Couldn't sleep, my eating was off the charts, mood swings/craziness, depression you name it. My doctor prescribed the therapy and after a week's worth of taking the pill some of the symptoms went away, but not all of them. Decided to seek out a natural medicines after reading what these pills are made of and tuff it out on my own. What a revelation. Went to see my doctor and she was very impressed with my research and asked me if she could keep my notebook. Thought that was strange, but the next call was from her receptionist who wanted information about where I was going and what I was taking as she was going thru menopause also. I have taken copies of my information and passed it on to all my friends. We now are a support group within ourselves to help one another. I also was one of the first people to take the birth control pills and quit taking that after only 3 months. Read about strokes, heart attacks caused by the BC pill. Think for yourself and not just what your doctor wants to give you. Above all, be sure you are treated by a female doctor not by one who is pushing the prescription industry.
You had me until the comment about seeing a female doctor. The worst, most unsympathetic doctors I've had (excluding the eye doctor) have been women and I will only see male doctors now.
Because everyone knows only male doctors would do that..................Priceless.
I think women ob/gyn's are the bomb! They are gentler during pelvic exams; they know what you are talking about. Since men are idiots; they should only be around your plumbing when you want them for fun.
tee hee!