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

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.