I am 47 yrs. old this month, feeling like 90 but that's besides the point. Every month I go through hormone hell like clockwork. I've had a partial hysterectomy, one ovary was left about five years ago. Although I no longer get my period I still feel all the cylcle.
It's as others have said, the day my period would normally start, I'm OK again. My fibro symptoms are worse through PMS, which I believe is PMDD, which actually attributed to my suicide attempt.
I've had the blood work done but it's hard for the labs to know where I'm at in my cycle because of the partial hysterectomy. But I do know I have little or no progesterone. The doc put me on prometrium at one time but I found it of no benefit because maybe I was taking it at the wrong part of my cylce.
Everything I hear is about taking 'more estrogen' but for me my estrogen is fine. It is the drop in progesterone just before my period that leads me in to severe depression, pain, and lethargy.
I'm considering talking to my doc about putting me on a bio-identical cream. I had a great doc at one time that did this for me and I swear it worked wonders. I think I quit because I was feeling so good, can't remember?????? You know , the I'm all better now, don't need the meds scenario.
What are others experiences with either estrogen or progesterone. I thought estrogen was the 'angry' hormone that caused the moodiness. Plus my estrogen levels are fine on bloodwork, just the progesterone was nil to nothing.
I've been trying to balance my hormones for six years now. First the synthetic patches were given to me and I bled and felt miserable on them. Then I went to the bio-identicals. That was much better except I did not tolerate progesterone, even very small amounts. I would swell up all over, get extreme fatigue to a point that I couldn't even keep my eyes open. So I ended up going long time with unopposed estrogen. Not good. I was spotting. My uterine lining thickened and I recently had to have a D & C done. So what they say about unopposed estrogen causing uterine problems is true (if you still have your uterus, that is). If you've had the uterus taken out then you can use estrogen without progesterone.
I went off the hormones altogether now but am getting hot flashes again. If I understand right, it's the balance between the different hormones that is the key. That's not an easy thing for a doctor to do. I was clearly in estrogen dominance and my tests reflected that. My internist will be handling this from now on. He is an MD but practices holistic type medicine. He recommends 24hr urine for accurate hormone testing. I believe it because my previous doctor was using saliva testing and didn't pick up the estrogen overload with that type testing. I could have ended up with uterine cancer. I've used mostly cream form. I was told that oral is harder on the liver. My thoughts on hrt now are that if you have menopause symptoms, either try herbals first to balance your hormone levels, and if that doesn't work, use as little dose as possible of the hrt and make sure you don't use estrogen alone if you still have your uterus. Some women can just use progesterone alone. It depends on what your body is producing on it's own. Gotta figure that our first. Need a doctor who has a good track record with hrt, otherwise you might end up like I did.
I had a total pan hysterectomy at 23, back then they gave you hormone pills, couldn't take the, made me so sick, so I had no hormones for probably 10 years, until I went to my very first ob/gyn. She took one look at me and said you need hormones, and that is when I was introduced to the patch. Been using it eversince. Had some hot flashing a few months ago, so Doc upped it a bit, not a problem since.
I am not a Doc, but maybe you need to let yours know what is happening with you, girl. The right balance can really help you feel SO much better!
Good for you. I wish I had all the money that I have spent on maybe's. I have allergic reactions to most drugs so I'm a bad example. I wasted so much out of pocket cash. It's a shame your doctore didn't have Champix samples. Well, if the Cymbalta doesn't work for you at least you won't be out all that cash and then you could always try to scrape up the money for Champix. I've known some hard core smokers who quit by using Champix. I thought Canadians had universal medical coverage. Please educate me.