It is possible to manage problematic symptoms of perimenopause and menopause that occur with or without hormone replacement therapy (hrt). The first step should be to order a blood test to check your hormone levels and other indicators of health. I am not a doctor, but I have been fortunate enough to have the care and advice of a doctor who is an expert in female hormones, Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet. I had endured the frustration and grief of uninformed medical care long enough to be ecstatically grateful for the power of her knowledge.
The good doctor was visiting my hometown of Anchorage, Alaska and she gave a lecture to a stunned audience of women (including me) who learned that they knew next to nothing about the hormones that have all but ruled their adult lives. Encouraged by the enlightenment we asked, "Who in town can we see to get help with our raging hormones? Now that we know that our stubbornly overweight, fatigued bodies, and lagging sex drives have the hope of hormonal balance and much needed relief from what ails us, how do we proceed in our common quest to feel good again?"
Alas, the best answer turned out to be an hour-long phone consultation with Dr. Vliet--Anchorage to Tucson. Dr. Vliet had warned us in her lecture that our doctors would probably not know how or why to order appropriate bloodwork to measure our hormone levels, and they wouldn't know what to do with the results once they got them. This is exactly the woeful ignorance I encountered when I tried to implement her long distance course of diagnosis and treatment. Just as she predicted, I was offered antidepressants, the same old worn out diet ideas, and marriage counseling for my low libido. (It's not his fault.)
Armed with Dr. Vliet's recommendations, I stood my ground until my doctor agreed to let me have the appropriate labwork done. On my next visit, with lab results in hand, my doctor admitted that she did not know how to proceed from there but would be happy to follow through with whatever course of treatment Dr. Vliet suggested.
After sending Dr. Vliet my lab results and pages of health history I had the phone consultation. Her expertise is such that she quickly knew that all was not well. She recommended a pelvic ultrasound that revealed multiple conditions indicating an imminent need for a total hysterectomy. My annual pelvic exam had turned up nothing. The symptoms I had sought help with over the previous few years had not been relieved, and had only worsened because the attempts made by my doctors and other caregivers were essentially shots in the dark. They didn't even know how to be informed about my true hormonal condition.
Post-operative use of an estradiol patch and testosterone got me through my instant menopause. Labwork several months later showed significant improvement in my hormone levels. Thanks to the bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, my outta wack pre-operative levels were significantly improved and I have left behind my plague of perimenopausal symptoms.
Now let's be clear: menopause is not a disease; it is a natural state. Some women sail through the change of life. Hormonal imbalance is another story. That's what I am talking about. Now that my pathologies have been addressed, the goal is to achieve natural hormone balance through a healthy, active lifestyle.
To achieve optimal hormone balance it makes sense to work with your body's amazingly complex and responsive hormonal network. Rest, moderate exercise, a self-respecting diet, and doing things that bring joy--this is what we need to feel good. Informed, natural supplementation can also be helpful to our overtaxed bodies.
My hope is that by sharing my story I can help others get help. For a wealth of information visit Dr. Vliet's website at http://www.herplace.com/
Get informed and don't let anyone tell you that drugs are the only answer. They are sometimes appropriate but there are lots of other alternatives that may yield sounder, longer lasting results.
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