Health & Well-Being Pre-Menopause and Beyond

FYI – Tomorrow, Thursday, January 15th, 2009, Oprah’s show will be about bioidentical hormones.

Now I’m not sure whether she will be pro-bioidentical hormones or against, since she addresses the subject as “controversial.” I’ve been wrong before (too many times) but my guess would be that she will be on the side of the almighty buck…..the pharmaceutical companies.

You will probably hear more of the Suzanne Somers story as she will no doubt be promoting her latest books, Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones and Breakthrough: Eight Steps to Wellness. There should be a few tidbits about the BHRT theory thrown about, and then the hammer will fall……the spiel from “regular” MDs on why you should follow their tried and true methods (outdated as they may be) of hormone replacement therapy.

Then of course, there will be the typical admonitions (fear and intimidation) against using any therapies not approved by the FDA.  It should be interesting though – sure hope they prove me wrong.

If you don't get the chance to watch it, you can probably catch parts of it on Oprah's site later or check back here for my review here tomorrow.

UPDATE: Because of the television coverage of the plane crash in New York, the show was not aired at the regular time. You will have to check with your local NBC station for the rebroadcast time, if any. My local station was so gracious…….3:30 a.m. is the broadcast time here!! I'm not lucky enough to have Tivo, so I cannot guarantee that I will be able to view it.

If you had the opportunity to see today's episode of Oprah, "The Great Debate: Should You Replace Your Hormones?", please share your thoughts on the show. Thank you!

The Sexy Years came as a complete surprise – certainly not what I had expected when I initially sat down to read it. Suzanne Somers takes a complicated subject and humanizes it with her very personal story, accompanied by information from medical experts she has worked with in her effort to live a hormonally-balanced, vivaciously happy, second-half of life.

Her comical description of the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause – “the Seven Dwarfs of Menopause…Itchy, Bitchy, Sweaty, Sleepy, Bloated, Forgetful and All-Dried-Up” – was an insight to how positively she handles the monkey-wrenches life can throw at you.

Her “take charge” attitude is to be admired when it comes to how she handles the limited choices that are given to women suffering the symptoms of menopause. This book is one of the reasons why there are many women who now know that the one-size-fits-all traditional hormone replacement therapy, which may be the only one recommended by their gynecologist, is not their only option.

She brings to light the fact that many doctors do not know enough about female hormones because they never received adequate training, and therefore urges women to seek out doctors who are knowledgeable on the subject, if their current doctor is not. Many of us already know the reason medications are ‘pushed’ at us (and that’s not just HRT) – it’s the booming pharmaceutical industry.

Parts of the book contains interviews she conducts with her endocrinologist, doctors and well-known specialists in the field of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), where she asks the questions we might ask. In return, there are factual and interesting answers we can understand without getting lost in the medical mumbo-jumbo. It was interesting to read the passages from various women and their choices/experiences with traditional HRT, BHRT and one that used no hormone replacement therapy at all.

As far as the men in our lives, it was not so much of a surprise as to how our changes can affect them; however it was extremely enlightening to learn about the hormonal changes they also experience as they age, which can cause a loss of energy and stamina. They too, have options available to help balance out the changes

If you are looking for a book that explains how bioidentical hormone replacement therapy works in plain English, this is an excellent introduction. If you are familiar with the concept, but are confused about where to start, what doctors to look for, etc. (as I was) – then I highly recommend reading The Sexy Years.

 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.