12 Comments

Midwife here- I have always said menopause was like puberty in reverse! Excellent synopsis!

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Thank you!

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That might be true, but how do you explain the hot flashes?? I didn’t have those before i started ovulating….

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So probably a stupid question. Is it my imagination or did estrogen vaginal cream cause color to come back in my pubic hair?

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No questions are stupid! But no, that is not an effect of estrogen.

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Thank you

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new subscriber here! looking for relief for sleep issues and anxiety during perimenopause, is there a post here re just taking micronized progesterone qhs?

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Hi Dr G! I'm 45, with an IUD (this one's only 1.5 yrs old) and don't get a period with it. How will I even know I'm entering the menopause transition?

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I was told to try swedish flower pollen extract for menopause symptoms. Have you heard of it? Would you recommend it?

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I think you mean Relizen? There is only one quality study on it. It is something that may help with hot flushes.

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So happy to have discovered you and your books and blog! I'm perimenopausal and trying to find answers to some enigmatic symptoms and getting nowhere with my new OB. (I recently had to transition away from Kaiser and my wonderful OB there because of a job/insurance change.) I was referred to my new OB by an ER doctor when I went in with severe back and abdominal pain in June. He is apparently the "best in SF" but after 4 months of frustrating and painful visits (one of them a medieval uterine biopsy that left me crying while mopping up a bloody exam table), I think I need to find a new provider. How I wish I was still with Kaiser! Any chance you'd be able to share a recommendation for an OBs outside of the Kaiser system that deals well with enigmatic situations?

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Hi Lindaykae! I realize this comment is over a year old but I am desperately seeking answers to my own lower back / abdominal pain that I believe is associated with the menopause transition. Did you ever discover a cause? My doctor recommended an xray of my back, which showed mild arthritis and now she wants me to have a CT scan but since the abdominal pain so closely resembles menstrual cramps, I don't feel it's necessary. I've been on estrogen and progesterone and I think I'm better off stopping those to see if the pain subsides. But the downside to that approach is that I feel so much better on the hormones. Anyway, if you see this, I'd love to know if you found a cause / treatment because the pain is terrible. Thanks!

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