Join us for a live chat, tonight at 8pm ET to discuss menopause. We will be joined by Dr. Carol Bates of Harvard Medical School. During the chat you can ask her questions, share tips and get advice from other members! One Gather member who participates in the live discussion between 8-9pm ET will win 250 Gather Points™.
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Carol Kurtz Bates, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a primary care internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center where she is also Primary Care Program Director.
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Comments: 165
I have never felt better in my entire life. For years, I was worried about how I would feel, worried I would feel less of a woman. Not so at all. I heard Dr. Laura on Oprah a few months ago and was quite chagrined to hear her talk about the loss of hormones and how in her opinion it DOES equate to a lowered sex drive in women after menopause.
To any women who believe this, I say: Honey, email me.
It is not necessarily true at all. Too many people in the US live a life that is quite artificial. Too many prescriptions, too many processed foods, too little sunshine, too little sleep, too litte exercise.
I must go now. I need to eat an orange and go for a quick run before I take my nap. I have just cured myself without medical help in the past week from bronchitis and asthma, usually it took prednisone.
If women eat more fresh fruits and salads and very little processed foods, citrus - especially - lemons, for example, they will feel as young as ever.
I'll be here.
At least the night sweats are an on again off again thing, but boy is that a rank smell on my bod in the morning.
Ha - life has never been better - what a bunch of huey, it isn't for me at all.
I tried a couple herbal teas for menopause - if anything I swear it made all the symptoms worse.
I'm at the point I want to have the bio-identical hormone treatment talked about on Oprah.
I understand the medical community seems to change it's mind on what's good for women in menopause every ten years or so. It makes sense to me that we are individuals and our levels are not all the same so what in the average range is certainly not working for me - I know I'm in trouble and I need and want help.
There is no reason a woman has to suffer a low sex drive just because her CURSE has stopped.
From the comments here already, it is pretty clear that there is a wide range of experience with menopause - from "never felt better" to feeling pretty miserable. I hear the full range of experiences from my patients.
Kathryn talks about healthy eating, exericse and rest all of which are great - and all of which we should ideally all be doing menopause or no menopause. Unfortunately, living a health lifestyle won't be enough for everyone.
More in a moment - next comments on bioidenticals...
Carol Bates
I have pretty strong feelings about this one.
First, my sense of what we mean by the phrase.
Bioidenticals are formulated to closely mimic the mix of circulating hormones in a premenopausal women's body. The logic used is that you are maintaining what would have been the status quo.
My worry about bioidenticals is that they are touted as being totally safe because they are "natural." Those who promote bioidenicals say that the risks of hormonal therapy like Premarin don't apply. While it is possible that these different chemicals are safer than hormones like Premarin, we have no proof of that. It took studies in thousands of women to show the risks of hormone therapy. No one has done analagous tests of bioidentical hormones to prove their safety. There is reason to think that ANY estrogen or progesterone carries risk. The risk factors for breast cancer generally relate to the length of a women's reproductive life. Early onset of periods and late onset of menopause lengthen your reproductive life and are risks for hormonal therapy. Bioidentical hormones are doing the same thing.
The bottom line is that they MAY be safer; we just don't know.
I also had a few night sweats. I started getting really mean and that is when I said enough is enough.
I started menopause at a young age and my doctor tried to convince me to take estrogen. I was so glad I didn't when my mom showed up with breast cancer.
There was a question about timing with respect to a mothers time in menopause. That's not a perfect predictor, but it is probably the best predictor out there (assuming your mother had natural and not surgical menopause).
The next day i cry at the drop of a hat.
So that is imbalance - you know at first everyone touted the regular hormone therapy and then ten years later surprise.
But back to the bio - identical - I am so miserable I'm willing to take a risk and no one in my family has any type of cancer.
Carol - thanks for your input on the bio - identicals. I am not surprised by your answer, but like I said I'm so miserable I am ready to try.
While the discussion on symptom treatment has focused on hormones, there are a bunch of other medicines that work for menopause symptoms. Many of you aren't keen on medicines - and I'd agree that natural approaches are better if they work - but there are several antidepressants that work well to treat hot flashes - and of course treat depression. It's really worth a discussion with your doctor if mood swings are part of your symptoms. I'm of course not saying that everyone with mood swings and menopause should be on antidepressants - but I am saying that depression should be considered.
Gabapentin is another medicine that works for hot flashes. It was originally designed as a medicine for seizures, but these days is used most commonly for nerve pain. It also works as a mood stabilzer - but it can be used effectively for hot flashes even if that is the only symptom. No one really knows why any of these medicines help the hot flashes. Other non-hormonal medicines that work include some blood pressure medicines.
It just ain't fair!
I'm sorry if this has already been covered but what is the typical age women start experiencing sx's of menopause.
Premarin isn't the only option out there. Estradiol is a single medicine, has nothing to do with horses, and is really inexpensive in generic form. I personally prefer that to prescribing bioidenticals because I think it is easier for patients available in any pharmacy, and generally much cheaper.
I think it is really important to allow yourself to take hormones if you need something to treat the hot flashes. While I listed lots of other medicines earlier, there is no question that estrogen is the most effective. While hot flashes can last for many years, most women will have symptoms for a much shorter period and won't need hormones for that long. My mantra is "lowest effective dose for the shortest possible period." In other words, take the smallest dose that works for you. Once your symptoms are really well controlled and you feel ready to reduce the dose, start to reduce it really gradually (of course discussing all of this with your doctor).
Marianna T raises the concern that prescribing is influenced by money. I understand your concerns. There is no question that the drug companies are out there marketing medicines. I actually have had concerns that the community pushing bioidentical hormones is out there to make money. Many of the medicines out there (like estradiol) are really inexpensive - and I hope that most doctors aren't prescribing for their own gain.
I have had a lot of life changes in the last few years. I think all of these things has just added to the natural flow of things.
Thanks for the info.