What to take?!

kathivg

I'm so new to this whole premenopausal business. I am having the memory loss, tiredness and then some insomnia, mood swings, and very little bleeding, but deep cramps. I'm not sure what to take as the natural products aren't all regulated by the FDA. A few of my friends have mentioned creams and oils and say that helps with the body drama, but I take other meds and am concerned about drug interactions and long term issues.

Would love to hear from those wise ladies who have traveled this path before me! Thanks!

Sabine_Stroehm

I can only tell you what I take.

bioidentical progesterone (a year and a half now). I tried prometrium, but didnt love it. Don't like synthetics
Estriol (also bioidentical) (a week now).
evening primrose for the boobs
B6 for the boobs
magnesium/calcium for digestion

doc hopes the estriol will help with migraines and sleeplessness. Fingers crossed.

CamillaHerold

I hope you are still checking this thread. I want you to read this! I was suffering with perimenopause and needed help for insomnia, low libido, hot flashes, night sweats, memory lapses, irritability. I went to see my family doctor for my yearly checkup and asked him what I could do about the symptoms. He said there is traditional HRT, which is what my mom took for 30 years (from age 40 to 70) after hysterectomy. I had read a little about HRT and was not interested, I like to go with natural products and lifestyle changes as much as possible to deal with health issues and life changes. Then he suggested bioidentical hormones, which I had also read about. He works with a local compounding pharmacist to create a customized cream with just the amount of hormones I need. That was five or six years ago now, and I am still using it. I've worked with the pharmacist several times to adjust the dosages and he has taught me how to monitor my "cycle," which now of course has no bleeding but involves subtle changes in my body temperature. I get three products: progesterone, estradiol, and testosterone. I feel great and have energy, libido, great muscle tone, and almost no facial wrinkles. Some of that is no doubt genetics, but I am sure that some is from taking good care of myself and using these bioidenticals. I don't know how much longer I will use them, because no one knows how long their symptoms are going to last, but at $60 a month I'm not concerned about cost.
I hope you will not continue to suffer with menopause symptoms when there are things you can do about it. Its not a disease, its natural, and nature provides some plants and extracts that can help ease it along. You need blood tests though before you go out and buy anything. Many somewhat overweight woman in early menopause still make progesterone but have too much estrogen stored in their fat cells... read up on it, its called estrogen dominance... Again, get those blood tests. Don't buy anything without your doctor giving advice or at least knowing about what you are doing. Educate yourself, there is a ton of information on the internet.
I am happy with what I'm doing because it is effective and my doctor is involved, and because I feel better than I did in my forties, because I was about 100 lbs overweight for most of them. I guess I'm getting to live my forties now in my fifties!