Health & Well-Being Pre-Menopause and Beyond

There are probably a lot of women reading this who are like me, the type to research their symptoms and ‘self-diagnose’ a condition before making an appointment with their doctor. We all do it in cases of everyday illnesses like colds and flu (go ahead, you can admit it) – however when it comes to female hormones, it becomes a bit more complicated.

You see, I had all the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism (listed below) but because many of them are also symptoms of estrogen dominance, I obviously thought that was the cause. It was an honest mistake, especially with perimenopause looming.

Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid gland does not produce enough of the thyroid hormone. The thyroid is located at the base of your neck (in the front) and is responsible for regulating your body’s metabolism by secreting hormones which help to burn the calories and fat, etc. your body uses for energy. I have learned that this is a very common condition which approximately 10 million Americans have, and on top of this, as much as 10% of women have some degree of thyroid hormone deficiency.

Here are some common symptoms of hypothyroidism:

Fatigue, or feeling lathargic
Weakness (this could mean less stamina, longer recovery time after exercise or feeling as if your arms were dead weight)
Weight gain, or difficulty loosing weight
Constipation
Coarse, dry hair, skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance, often feeling cold, cold hands and feet
Muscle cramps, frequent muscle aches
Sleepy, needing naps, or just nodding off easily
Foggy thinking, forgetfulness
Memory loss, irritable
Abnormal cycles
Diminished or low sex drive

I have to say that I had every one of the above – the problem is that each of those symptoms are also symptoms of estrogen dominance. No kidding. If you have approaching menopause on the brain, would you seriously think of your thyroid first?

The only way to tell that I know of is to have blood work done. Once it has been determined that is your thyroid, the cure is as simple as taking one pill a day. I will get into your choice of thyroid medications in the next few posts – this could get complicated, since we have the issue of synthetic versus natural. To be continued….

Get more Information on Thyroid Assist – Nature's Treatment for Hypothyroidism

In all my reading about pre menopause symptoms and hormone replacement therapies, I’ve been hearing this term bantered about – Estrogen Dominance. After reading the symptoms, I’ve realized that it is something I have been battling most of my life. Terrible periods, fibroids, retaining water, tender breasts, you name it, I’ve had it since I first started my period.

Back in the day, when I was very young, I was told that my cramps were probably from, having a tipped uterus, taking in too much sodium, caffeine, etc. In my teens and twenties, the only solution provided by my doctor was birth control pills. I learned early on that synthetic progestin in BC did not agree with me – migraines, nausea, bloating and more – so I learned to live with the misery.

We are subjected to higher levels of estrogen than ever with all of the estrogen-like hormones being injected and fed to commercial cattle and poultry, not to mention the pesticides being used on crops of vegetables and fruits we eat. Couple that with today’s high-stress lifestyles and childhood obesity, our children have a life of hormone imbalance to look forward to – and pharmaceutical companies are just waiting to profit from us.

Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox now. So, what are some symptoms of estrogen dominance? Here are a few:

Breast tenderness
Bloating, Water Retention
Weight gain, especially in the waist and hips
Mood Swings, PMS
Irritability and anxiousness
Allergies, Sinus Infections
Cold Hands and Feet
Low Sex Drive
Dry eyes
Fatigue
Foggy thinking, Memory Loss
Fibrocystic Breasts
Hair Loss
Headaches
Irregular Periods
Insomnia
Sluggish Metabolism
Uterine Fibroids

It is possible for men and women both to suffer from estrogen dominance, because, like I mentioned before, there is so much of it in our environment. Over time, more chronic conditions like as arthritis and premenopause symptoms may develop.

Did you miss the webcast about hormone replacement therapy on Oprah.com with Dr. Christiane Northrup? Well, don’t worry – my personal opinion is that you didn’t miss much, but if you really want to view it, you can go to Oprah.com and scroll down to the bottom of the page to access the webcast.. I had submitted a few email questions when the show was first announced as well on the day of the webcast, and it was all for nothing because most of the questions featured were via telephone or Skype.

The questions posed were some of the first ones that I had when it came to deciding why I should use bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Questions that I now know the basic answers to, but wanted to see what Dr. Northrup’s answer would be – and I also thought they were very useful to women who might be just starting their research into bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

One of my questions was about the hormone testing itself – blood, saliva, or urine? How does each of these tests measure hormone levels? Which test is most accurate? Which test is most costly? When are the tests done and how often? I was surprised to learn that there are vast differences between each method.

Another thing I had asked about was the fact mentioned in Suzanne Somer’s book about still getting a menstrual period while on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy – is this because of the way she is implementing the therapy, or does everyone on bioidentical hormones continue to have a period?

Instead, irrelevant questioning and handholding questions wasted too much time for a short webcast. What I mean by “handholding” questions – women who feel great with no particularly troublesome problems, who are doing all the right things in the way of diet, exercise, supplements, etc. and wanting to know if there is anything else they should be doing. Just looking for a pat on the back if you ask me. If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it. Time was wasted giving “atta-girls” when the purpose of the webcast was to answer real questions and give real information. Or was it to promote Dr. Northrup’s book?

Then there was the call from the 27 year old with an irrelevant question about becoming pregnant – what the heck??? I am sure these questions were prescreened, so why that one got in, I’ll never know.

There must have been a free day this week due to the inaguration, because the Oprah show is rebroadcasting that show on bioidentical hormones today. Try to catch it (or record it) if you can. Lots of good info.

You should also check out Oprah.com on Thursday January 29th at 9p.m. ET – 8p.m. CT, for The Hormone Webcast with Christiane Northrup M.D.  If you have any questions for Dr. Northrup you can submit them now! What a great opportunity to have your questions about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, or HRT in general answered by an expert on the subject. And yes, I already put in my 2 cents.

This show is a “must see” for anyone who is confused about hormone replacement therapy and anyone who needs to know the basics about synthetic hormones vs. bioidentical hormones. Hopefully it will be aired again, or made available on Oprah.com.

Yes, I am happy to admit that my predictions about this episode in my previous post, were wrong (as warned)! In fact, there was only one small blurb about Suzanne Somers at the end of the show.

If you already know about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), then you really didn’t miss much – but you will want to tune in to future shows. Oprah said that she would be going deeper into the subject within the next few weeks.

I did manage to tape the 3:30 a.m. rebroadcast and watched it twice so that I could tell you about it (I wasn’t quite awake the first time around). By the way, I found that this is the best way to watch Oprah’s show – with all the facts flying at you, it’s easy to go back and view things you may have missed (and you can skip past all of those commercials).

Oprah had guest Robin McGraw (Dr. Phil’s wife) discussing her experiences with hormone imbalance and promoting her book, What's Age Got to Do with It?: Living Your Healthiest and Happiest Life She made a valid point that I have been trying to stress to my doctors for years, which was symptoms of hormone imbalance often appear long before the menopause phase of life.

This is something I have discussed with my own daughters. She (McGraw) feels that you should have your hormones checked in your 20’s – I personally feel that is a little early, unless there is a problem. I do feel that it is very useful to have your hormones checked before the onset of any imbalance, so that you have a more accurate reading of what “normal hormone levels” are for you.

A personal note here – The term “Menopause” seems to be taboo to some, and because menopause is actually when the menstrual period has ceased, I feel that the phrase “hormone imbalance” is a more accurate way to describe the symptoms we experience before menopause.

Robin McGraw’s story about what happened to her when she went to her doctor about perimenopausal symptoms she was having sounded identical to what happened to me and surely to many other women – maybe even you. Basically, her doctor handed her prescriptions for synthetic hormones and anti-depressants.

One of the most important things emphasized by McGraw, and repeated throughout the show, is the need for women to take charge of their health, make your health and well-being a priority and research, research, research all of the options available. I agree completely! Gone are the days when we assume doctors know everything – there is nothing wrong with asking questions and doing your homework. Visit your doctor armed with the information you have found, questions and concerns. If you are made to feel inferior or belittled (it happens) then find a new doctor!

Another guest on the show, Christiane Northrup, MD, author of the book, The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing During the Change, 2nd Edition who gave a very easy to understand explanation of the hormones Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone, detailing what symptoms you may have when you have too much, or too little of each. In addition to giving a brief history lesson on hormone replacement therapy over the years, she also explained the difference between synthetic hormones and bioidentical hormones – very informative!

As predicted though, there had to be one naysayer, which in this case turned out to be Wulf Utian MD, Executive Director of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) who was obviously only in favor of FDA approved products. One statement he made that sent me through the roof was that bioidentical marketing claims that “they (bioidenticals) have all the benefits and carry none of the risk” he also added that if you believe that, then you probably believe in the tooth fairy. He said that the terms Bioidentical, Natural and Non-Synthetic are all marketing terms and “mean nothing.”

I have to disagree with your statement Dr. Utian, because I have yet to find any claims of no risk from the bioidentical practitioners, manufacturers, organizations, etc. – I have only seen only claims of less risk when compared to synthetic hormone products. There are risks to any type of medication today, natural or synthetic, and it would be foolish to think otherwise. Ok, I will end this post before I blow my top.

Watch Oprah’s episode on Compounding Pharmacies with Dr. OZ in two weeks!

The doctor I selected to pursue my interest in BHRT favors blood testing above saliva testing, so my first question was, “what is this going to cost me?” I was told, “well, your insurance should pick up some of the cost, although they won’t pay for everything.” The nurse suggested that I use a lab (like Quest) instead of having the blood drawn in their office, because the lab they use charges much more.

Like many people who have insurance I have a co-pay in addition to a huge deductable ($3500) in order to save premium costs. So whatever the charge, I would be paying it in full because my deductable is not yet met. In addition, I am paying for the doctor’s fee out-of-pocket because this type of doctor is not covered by my insurance.

One thing that wasn’t explained to me prior to having my blood tested (and should have been), was that most of the lab work ordered would not be covered at all, because insurance considered it to be “outside of the standard lab testing.” I say “most of” because since I had never had general tests done for such things as Cholesterol, Vitamin D, etc.

I almost had a heart attack when I logged into my insurance account and saw the bill from the lab…..$1,772.24!!! Now I know most initial charges from doctors and labs to insurance companies are inflated, but this is ridiculous! Once my insurance company rejected the claim, I was billed directly from the lab for $704.22 – still way out of my budget.

So my advice to you is that if you are going to have any blood testing done, then find out the costs in advance – ask the lab – and be prepared to pay for it all yourself. This also goes for the doctor’s consultation fees – do not be embarrassed (like I was) or afraid to ask up front what the initial consultation fee is and what they will be charging for follow-up fees whether you see them in person, or consult over the phone. After all, this is where they make (some of) their money.

It is a shame, but until insurance companies approve of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, you are pretty much on your own.