Near or post menopausal group

Options
12357…15

Replies

  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
    Options
    Hi

    I'm 42 and was told our hormones start changing from 40 years old.. I'm struggling to lose weight and was wondering on the effects of hormones changing on our ability to lose weight?

    I think I have oestrogen dominance.

    Edit: I forgot to say has anyone tried progesterone cream? and has it helped you lose weight when got hormones balanced?
  • momcindy
    momcindy Posts: 194 Member
    Options
    I'm post-menopause. I'm 54 but was officially in menopause at 47. I feel I've lost a decade of my life (my 40's) due to the fatigue and perimenopause symptoms. I don't remember the last time I actually felt good. Uncontrollable weight gain has been an out of body experience for me and it seems no matter what I do, it just won't come off except in ounces at a time.
  • vizamy
    vizamy Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    I can relate to losing a decade. I did have some other things going on too, but compared to how fit and active and capable I used to be, my 40s has been a struggle.

    I have achieved a fair bit when I look at it, but it's not been to my previous capacity and ability.
  • AbbyFlower
    AbbyFlower Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    Hello All! Just checking in to say hi; i am so glad we have this friendly and supportive place to share our thoughts!

    As i mentioned in my intro post, i've been menopausal since 2007 after having a full hysterectomy and oophorectomy due to a recurrence of breast cancer. The treatment has been a success so far (knock on wood), but is has left me without breasts, without a uterus, and without ovaries. In the grand scheme of things, of course i am grateful to be alive and raising my daughter (age 7) and loving my husband. But sometimes, when i'm feeling low, i think, "what is left of me that makes me a woman?" I know that sounds nuts, and i'm actually a pretty optimistic person most of the time, but i'd be lying if said it didn't bother me every now and then. :)

    I know we all share the challenge of trying get and stay fit, but does anyone else out there have trouble with other side effects of menopause, like trouble with physical intimacy, dry skin & hair, memory trouble, that sort of thing? Sometimes it is hard for me to tell what may be the result of the menopause and what may be the result of chemo, etc.

    This may be the wrong place to ask tthese questions, but my own girlfriends haven't gone through the change and so really don't know what i'm talking about. You all have been so kind and forthcoming, i guess i finally just feel safe enough to ask these questions here.

    Sending warm hugs to all of you!

    AbbyFlower
  • mita2161
    mita2161 Posts: 20
    Options
    Wow, Im in! I had a total hysterectomy at 30 (Im 37 now) Menopause brings its own set of issues, doesn't it?
    I gained 55 lbs over a few years time and have currently lost 45 lbs. (whew) The weight does come off with a bit of work. I PROMISE!
    ****Am I the youngest one here??? I have never met someone, the same age as I am, in menoupause :cry:

    Im 38. I had my hysterectomy last year. Im in the same boat most of my friends are my age and havent went thru this. I am lucky tho there are a bunch of women at my work that have been thru this so I can ask them questions
  • mkaluzny
    mkaluzny Posts: 508 Member
    Options
    I feel so comfortable here. Thank you all for your honesty. At almost 55, I have been menopausal for 5+ years. I did experience a weight gain, but manage to keep it in check with a lot of walking. I am of the school that says 3-5 miles a day is great. I am for 2-3 and hope that greatness comes every so often. I also try to get in some weight training. This is more like picking up heavy things. I am not a gym member so make do with what is in the house.

    I have never been overly active in the sex drive area; my husband is a saint (or cheater) because he has not complained. It has been over a year for us, other than cuddling and groping. I do have fantasies. I imagine myself in a variety of sexual scenarios. Any one else compensate this way.
  • kimiel51
    kimiel51 Posts: 299 Member
    Options
    Bumping!!
  • mollybeslimmer
    mollybeslimmer Posts: 215 Member
    Options
    bump
  • bcdart
    bcdart Posts: 2
    Options
    I have no hot flashes but irregular periods and am almost 50 so I feel this is it! Would love to follow this group as the battle is easier with a big army! I have MS so the exercise thing is small...and so often I get what is on my plate so since I do not have the luxery of preparing the food I am just thankful and eat it! I have lost weinght and sure do love this site!
  • RunnerPrincess
    RunnerPrincess Posts: 15
    Options
    Wow, Im in! I had a total hysterectomy at 30 (Im 37 now) Menopause brings its own set of issues, doesn't it?
    I gained 55 lbs over a few years time and have currently lost 45 lbs. (whew) The weight does come off with a bit of work. I PROMISE!
    ****Am I the youngest one here??? I have never met someone, the same age as I am, in menoupause :cry:

    Im 38. I had my hysterectomy last year. Im in the same boat most of my friends are my age and havent went thru this. I am lucky tho there are a bunch of women at my work that have been thru this so I can ask them questions

    Really?! I haven really met anyone my age thats going through the same thing as me (although Im actually POST meopause at this point) I had my hysterectomy 7 yrs ago....Thank goodness for my Mom, Aunt and Grandma who went through menopause naturally I was able to ask them some questions. :smile:
  • RunnerPrincess
    RunnerPrincess Posts: 15
    Options
    I have had alot of the same symptoms as everyone else has mentioned.
    *Hot Flashes (I call them surges!!) Im currently on HRT and that has been wonderful! I did struggle a lot with depression for about 2 years after my surgery (enter 50lb weight gain) Im sure feeling depressed, going through Menopuse so quickly and anti-depresants all worked together to help me with my weight gain. I am happy to report that I have to date lost 45lb :happy: It wasnt until I was able to be done with anti-depressants that I really noticed signifigant weight loss. I discovered a few years ago that I absolutly LOVE running and I try to do strength training as well.
    *Loss of sex drive *blush* a little.....
    *Dry hair, skin and nails are on my list as well. I am a hair stylist so I was on top of that! There are some great products to help with dry skin (as well as hair) *remember drink LOTS of water. It really does make a difference.
    :smile:
  • chrissaucier
    chrissaucier Posts: 271 Member
    Options
    I've been put into menopause for 2 1/2 years now for endometriosis, I'm 47 and still a few years away from "natural" menopause. Hot flashes, mood swings ( I didn'y even like myself!) and oh the weight gain! Would love a group to connect with for all our hormone related problems
  • aiyana1228
    aiyana1228 Posts: 100 Member
    Options
    I think having your thyroid checked is a good idea. I swear I have decided my doc is a genious. He decided to try me on thyroid meds even though I was in the normal range (low end). I really think that has made a big difference. My mood seems to be better, I have more energy, My hair seems thicker and best of all I seem to be doing better trying to loose weight.
  • MamaDee2
    MamaDee2 Posts: 843 Member
    Options
    I am there! Funny I tell my husband all the time the bible warns us of the pain of child birth but nothing about the hot flashes - I would rather have been warned about them! The hot flashes are awful, the lack of energy stinks and the eating everything that don't move is driving me crazy - other than that it's all good! Grrrrrrrrr
  • mkaluzny
    mkaluzny Posts: 508 Member
    Options
    I have read all the talk of thinning hair. My problem is the hair that wasn't there a few years ago - facial hair. Bleaching, shaving, plucking, or whatever. I hate it. It makes me feel very "unwomanly". Any suggestions?
  • Lisa_222
    Lisa_222 Posts: 301 Member
    Options
    YES! Every winter. Insanely itchy legs! And for the hair? Waxing. It lasts so much longer.
  • margo36
    margo36 Posts: 222 Member
    Options
    I'm 62 now so well post menopause. When I had periods I never suffered from PMT and had scant periods. When I was 48 my periods just stopped abruptly and I felt fine and thought nothing to it. Then six months later I was hit my the menopause from hell and might as well have moved into the doctors LOL. I had hot flushes, couldn't sleep, violent mood swings. My husband was a nervous wreck.I tried HRT patches and ended up with red squares patches all over my bum. None of the natural remedies worked and it took the Doctor about 12 months of trial and error to get the right medication for me but it was worth it in the end. Now I find I put weight on round the middle where as I used to put in on all over.
  • lorimur
    lorimur Posts: 30
    Options
    Compared to what some of the girls here are dealing with I would appear to be very lucky.

    My periods were normal and I felt fine. I had experienced maybe 1 or 2 hot flashes...but nothing major (and as it was October/November they just sort of warmed me up to normal as I feel the cold a lot). And I sort of thought...oh..oh..maybe I am starting on the road to menopause.

    I went for my bi-annual smear test in mid December and it went downhill from there!

    My doctor basically said...right...your ovaries are shrunk so I might as well take your coil out as your baby days are over.....(looking back now I remember feeling a bit like....well, what if I had wanted to have another baby..?...and ..he could have been a bit more understanding about it...or subtle ..but having lived in Spain for over 25yrs I have more or less got used to the Spanish way of being very matter of fact about life, death and bodily functions.!

    I had one more normal period...then nothing until the March...and then......nothing since ! Now been almost 3 years with no period...as mentioned before have not really had a problem with hot flashes until recently when a couple of them had me really hot to the extent of having to go to the bathroom to dry off.. I have noticed the weight gain but it is really only this year it has proved hard to shift...however what has really affected my relationship with my husband the most has been the shift in my sleep patterns.

    I have never been an early to bed type of girl....my usual sleeptime would be about 01.00am....while my husband is asleep by midnight...it wasn't a problem as i would just continue to read and eventually fall asleep but what started happening last year is that I found I was either was reading until 03.00hrs or falling asleep and waking up at 06.00hrs.
    A couple of nights I have just got up as couldn't lie in the bed anymore twisting and turning...and over the last 4 months there have been at least 4 nights when I have just not slept at all....so hubbie not happy that I am not going to bed and going up late disturbs him so a couple of 4am mornings I have just laid down in the spare room...and all that obviously has it own side effects !

    My GP is just not really helping...(and she is a woman in her fourties)....she said..it's just your age and gave me a six month perscription of sleeping tables..!!....I don't like to take them as I feel they knock me out and so I am not really getting a proper sleep.

    Apart from the difficulty with weight....having a borderline thyroid problem...I have also noticed my memory is getting so bad that if i don't write things down I can easliy forget things...and just yesterday I had to take two detours to loop back to places I had appointments at as I just drove right by the exits... I have also noted i do not retain numbers as well as i used to...

    So. can anyway advise on anything I can do that might help...

    Thanks
  • Partyofpugs
    Partyofpugs Posts: 105
    Options
    I'd like to be in also! I'm 54 and had a total hysterectomy 2 years ago. Before I hadn't even started menopause. 4 days past surgery I was in the thick of it. Whew! Couple it with a severe knee surgery 6 months later and bladder surgery 2 months after that and my weight took a tumble. I had lost 60 lbs. on WW. I've now gained back the 60 plus 17 extra. So here I am starting over again. I find this thread really interesting.
  • annarouni
    annarouni Posts: 127 Member
    Options
    Dear All, I've been trying to find some useful advice on this time of life. Since doctors weren't of much help, I tried the internet. I know, I know. There is a lot of nonsense on line, but there must be some credible information too. So far it hasn't been a gold mine, but here are a few tidbits I found.

    Excess Hair Growth-yes, some people suffer more than others and some of the reason may be genetic, which of course you cannot change. But another possible factor is insulin resistance. Most of us who are overweight got that way thanks to sugar and refined carbohydrates. If your body is no longer able to manage insulin, then balancing other hormones will also become more of a problem. An additional factor is polycystic ovaries. ( I had never heard of this when I was young but it seems to be cropping up more and more as I read.) Obviously, if one's reproductive hormones are misaligned where ovaries are concerned then other symptoms are not a surprise. If you've really got a hormone malfunction then your doctor will be the one to detect it and suggest treatment.

    Hot Flashes--caffeine, alcohol, sugar, smoking, red wine, chocolate, cheese and spicy food were listed as some common triggers. Those are things we personally have a choice about. Being overweight- okay we have a choice about that too, but the results aren't quite so fast in coming. Stress has also been mentioned. How do you escape from that one? We'd all love to avoid stress, but it's probably not realistic given the way society runs full speed ahead. Coming up with a few effective coping mechanisms are probably good for everybody, even those not in our age group!

    Regular exercise was suggested as a coping mechanism. Several herbs have long been associated with hormone regulation. If one is comfortable with hormone replacement therapy, that is an option. For those who would rather not, some diet changes were encouraged. Eat flaxseed-sprinkle a tablespoon on your oatmeal or salad. Eat more soybeans. You can drink soymilk, eat tofu, crunch on toasted beans, and so on. How much soy ice cream would you have to lick before the hot flashes cooled off? ahhahhaha :-) Broccoli, cauliflower and celery are said to have a chemical that can mediate flashes. Of course, each individual will react differently to various foods so don't expect an overnight cure.

    Sorry to say there is no sure cure that will solve everyone's discomforts. One recent approach getting some attention is acupuncture. You might think that is just adding to your pain, but for some people it seems to be effective.

    I'll give some references, so you can do some searching on your own.

    womentowomen.com
    Nutrition Action Newsletter July/August 2004
    menopauseinanhour.com
    abcnews.go.com/...curb-severity-hot-flashes-menopause
    menopause-remedy.org
    womenhealthzone.com

    I hope you can find some options that make your life easier. Good health to you. :-)

Categories