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

Even at my busiest, I have always considered myself to be extremely organized – remembering appointments and schedules without the need of a PDA, notepad, calendar or any other mind-aid. Heck, I remembered every family member's schedule! My nickname was 'the human filing cabinet.'  However lately, over the past year or so (I can't remember )  it seems that I am tripped up by things that I never had to think twice about – can't begin to tell you how many times in the past six months I have had to turn the house upside down looking for my car keys. I mean, it is absolutely ridiculous how stupid and unorganized I can be on any given day. Lost keys, lost cell phone, forgotten appointments – I even forgot my own birthday! Then when asked, I had a hard time remembering my age.

I will be in the middle of speaking and forget the point I'm trying to make. It is especially frustrating because my daughters cannot understand why mom (who has always been so 'together') is loosing her mind. When she says, "..having another senior moment?" – I want to scream! I have more than ten years to go before I'm an 'official' senior (that's 55, right?). That is almost as bad as brain fart. Whatever the label for absent-mindedness -  brain fog, burnout, scatter-brained, etc. it is very frustrating and takes a real effort to overcome.

At first, sticky-notes became a way for me to keep-it-together, but that did not last long. They would either fall down and get lost under my desk, or become lost in the sea of other sticky-notes. Hanging a key rack next to the garage door has solved the lost key problem – as long as I remember to hang them immediately!

One thing that has helped a great deal is keeping a large dry-erase calendar up in our laundry room, right next to the garage door. The blocks are large enough for everyone in the family to log their appointments along with any additional notes or phone numbers on an adjacent note section.  As the month progresses, the days past are erased and filled in with the next month's information. Everyone (including me) can glance at the calendar on their way out of the house.

Reading through some women's message boards, foggy memory seems to be a common thread of perimenopause or pre menopause symptoms. It was somewhat comforting to know how common this is even among women in their mid to late 30s. Do you have any successful techniques to share? I would love to know what has worked for you!