Health & Well-Being Pre-Menopause and Beyond

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!

I have been hearing about bio-identical hormones for a while, but have never really paid attention to all of the fuss. However, with perimenopause looming, catching up on my reading and research about pre menopause symptoms and treatments has moved up on my list of priorities.

It never hurts to do some research on your own – you never know, (unless you are dealing with a specialist) maybe you will bring new information to your doctor.

Most of us have heard of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which is made up of synthetic estrogen, progesterone (or a progestin) and testosterone. From what I understand so far, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), also referred to as Natural Hormone replacement Therapy, is made up of a blend of hormones that are supposed to be customized to a woman’s individual hormone needs. That “need” is apparently determined through a saliva test.

Bioidentical hormones are created from plants and are manufactured to be a “custom fit” to a particular individual’s own chemical/molecular structure. Even though bioidentical hormones have been around for years, many doctors are unfamiliar with them (I will leave my personal opinions out here, but you are probably thinking the same thing).

Manufacturers claim that bioidentical hormones are safer than the standard synthetic hormone therapy, however according to the FDA these claims regarding safety, efficacy and superiority of BHRT have not been substantiated.

As always though, when a celebrity becomes involved, whatever they are ‘into’ becomes the rage, or center of attention. When Suzanne Somers published two books in recent years, The Sexy Years: Discover the Hormone Connection–The Secret to Fabulous Sex, Great Health, and Vitality, for Women and Men and Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones, describing her experience with bioidentical hormones and how they relieved her menopause symptoms, doctors were plagued with calls from patients wanting to know more about this form of hormone therapy. So thank you Suzanne Somers, for at least bringing another option to our attention that many of our doctors would not have otherwise.

I have to say that I was not really considering reading her books, since she is not a medical expert, however after rethinking that theory I have reconsidered and recently purchased a copy of The Sexy Years to add to my reading pile. I considered the fact that no one I know personally has tried BHRT and it may be very informative to read about someone’s own experiences – better yet, it will more than likely be something I could understand and relate to and not filled with a bunch of medical jargon that would be hard to digest. Be sure to check back later for my review!

I was watching Oprah the other day, when an audience member asked Dr. Oz this question (how long will hot flashes last without HRT), explaining that her night sweats were driving her crazy.

For those of us trying to find out more about our menopause symptoms and treatments, he gave a very easy-to-understand explanation of hot flashes, akin to misfiring ovaries. He said that during this time, ovaries are intermittently secreting estrogen. Estrogen dilates arteries – arteries open, therefore causing the 'rush of blood' to areas such as the face – hence the hot, flushed sensations. Just as suddenly, the flow of estrogen shuts down.

He said that the whole process usually lasts less than five years – then they got into a discussion of hormone replacement therapy. He seems to be pro-HRT and wanted to get into the different forms, but it sounded like that would be another show altogether. He seemed to be waiving a caution flag regarding alternative herbal therapies, saying herbal was not necessarily better – pointing out that it is an unregulated area and the tendency for herb's potentcy to variate, among other things.

It will be interesting to see the show on that subject.

 Way back when my mother, her friends and my aunts were discussing the types of hormone therapies they were trying for their menopause symptoms, I really did not pay too much attention. It all sounded foreign and was too far off into the future for me to be concerned about it then. Boy, does time fly!

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has come a long way since those days and with continuing research and education, it will remain a viable option for some women.  After doing some research on the subject, I have posted a page with a general overview – here.

As a woman who is not one for taking drugs (besides over-the-counter pain reliever), in my research into menopause symptoms and treatments, I have been looking into alternative therapies, and will have a page for you on that soon (it's almost done).

The choice is a highly personal one, as every woman is different and each person will have differing levels of physical and emotional experiences when it comes to menopause.