Before I stopped taking BCP at 49, I had a great talk with my gynecologist. She recommend HT as a step down option and I’m so glad she did. Starting on oral estradiol and progesterone I did notice a return to pre-BCP periods/PMS (nothing severe.) About a year in, the oral estradiol stopped working as well, and I became depressed, despondent, “unwell”. When I finally reached out, my GYN switched me to a weekly transdermal estradiol patch. It took about a month for this to reach full affect and the transition was not pleasant: brain fog, weepiness, irritability/rage. And then it kicked in and I felt stable for the first time in a while. That particular patch began to cause localized skin irritation (itchiness, rash, ) so now I’m on a twice-a-week transdermal which is wonderful. I’m obviously in late-stage perimenopause, with 72 days between my last periods and the HT has done wonders for my well-being, physically, mentally and emotionally. *Bonus, taking the progesterone at night has given me the best sleep of my life!!
As a (er and pr+) breast cancer survivor, I cannot take estrogen therapy, and I was VERY worried about taking my current regimen of estrogen suppressors (to essentially throw me into menopause) because I had horrible symptoms--hot flashes/night sweats, mood swings, fatigue, the whole host). Shutting down the estrogen rollercoaster has actually eliminated these symptoms. Your columns have helped a LOT with sorting out this confusing time and keeping me mentally sane :) Thank you and can't wait to get my pre-order.
Before I stopped taking BCP at 49, I had a great talk with my gynecologist. She recommend HT as a step down option and I’m so glad she did. Starting on oral estradiol and progesterone I did notice a return to pre-BCP periods/PMS (nothing severe.) About a year in, the oral estradiol stopped working as well, and I became depressed, despondent, “unwell”. When I finally reached out, my GYN switched me to a weekly transdermal estradiol patch. It took about a month for this to reach full affect and the transition was not pleasant: brain fog, weepiness, irritability/rage. And then it kicked in and I felt stable for the first time in a while. That particular patch began to cause localized skin irritation (itchiness, rash, ) so now I’m on a twice-a-week transdermal which is wonderful. I’m obviously in late-stage perimenopause, with 72 days between my last periods and the HT has done wonders for my well-being, physically, mentally and emotionally. *Bonus, taking the progesterone at night has given me the best sleep of my life!!
As a (er and pr+) breast cancer survivor, I cannot take estrogen therapy, and I was VERY worried about taking my current regimen of estrogen suppressors (to essentially throw me into menopause) because I had horrible symptoms--hot flashes/night sweats, mood swings, fatigue, the whole host). Shutting down the estrogen rollercoaster has actually eliminated these symptoms. Your columns have helped a LOT with sorting out this confusing time and keeping me mentally sane :) Thank you and can't wait to get my pre-order.
Would love to hear your thoughts on the "evvy" microbiome test!? Worth it or a Scam? Can our basic PCM do this?
I could’ve written the above question except I’m 52. And miserable! Seeing my MD next week to discuss MHT.