Premature Menopause, advice needed!

Kimjanebrooks · February 2013

Hello everyone. I am 42 and have had my menopause (haven't had a period for over 2 years and have also had blood test to confirm it is definately my menopause).

Since October I have been having trouble with my knees (arthritic like pains) and now this morning I can hardly move my shoulders. I have been suffering with hot flushes and forgetfulness for over a year now. I have a doctor's apt for Thursday. Someone has lent me a book about menopause and I wondered what everyone's views were on HRT. I havent considered it before, thought i would try and cope without it but the pains in my joints are so bad I know I cant. Until reading the book I didnt consider that the pains could be connected to menopause. Noone in my family has ever had an early menopause but since reading the book I have discovered that if you have one or both ovaries removed it can bring on early menopause ( i had an ectopic pregnancy years ago where an ovary and fallopian tube had to be removed). It also suggests that if you have your womb it is a good idea to take HRT that replaces both Oestrogen and Progesterone. I know nothing about any of this except reading the book, so if you have any thoughts or experiences I would really appreciate hearing about them so I am informed enough to tell my doctor what i want.

The book says that it would be quite safe for me to take the combined HRT until I am 50 and then my symptoms would probably already been gone.

Athena53 · February 2013

You're not on statins to control cholesterol levels, are you? Prevastatin gave me awful tendinitis till I threw it away.

I hit menopause in my mid-50s and elected to go without HRT because of the increased breast cancer risk. I also found that some women on HRT end up with osteonecrosis of the jawbone, making them poor candidates for dental implants (I have 2 of them). My symptoms have been pretty manageable. I get hot flashes but they kind of register in my subconscious and I take off my jacket or push up my sleeves or throw off the covers, then forget about it. Not worth medicating. Dryness "down there" can be handled by a topical cream that contains estrogen.

I hope you figure out the cause of the joint pains, though- that woudl make it really hard to keep fit!

Kimjanebrooks · February 2013

I'm not taking anything and dont particularly like taking any kind of medication. I think I have only had antibiotics about 8 times in my entire life. I have always been fit and healthy until my menopause. I can no longer cope with these symptoms. The hot flushes and mood swings are one thing but the pain in my knees and shoulders are unbearable. I can no longer go about my day in a normal way. The joint pain might not be connected to my menopause but im hoping to find out more on Thursday.

jsiricos · February 2013

I had surgically induced menopause when I was in my laste 30's (lvl 4 endo, cysts, fibroids etc) I used t think it was normal not to be able to walk upright mid month.

Right after surgery I crashed, homicidal, suicidal, ran away in snowstorms, cried over everything, and anything, you name it, I was bad.

HRT saved my sanity, without it I don't know what I would have done.

Dr gave me HRT, and antidepressants, 12 hours later I felt sane and never did take the antidepressants! (basic estrogen)

But heres the kicker, I never took what was prescribed, after I stabilized (became human) I would take it once every other day, and when they gave me a patch, I would wear it on one week, off for 2. Basically because I didn't "need" the hige dose, the day of slapping a patch on, was my day of debilitating migraines. (premarin, and patch)

No cancer either, and its almost 20 years later. You have to do whats right for you, try a low dose, if it was SO bad, it would have been pulled already.

Knee pain is a result of weight gain, I dont remember the exact number, but for every pound you are overweight, you are putting around 40 extra on your knees. I also had my left knee operated on,(miniscul tear x 2) and Im still trying to recover. My right needs it to, but to do it now, I'd end up on crutches.. and THATS not happening!

beatingmenopause · February 2013

Hi :-D

I'm in the process of launching a website and magazine on the subject of the phases of menopause.

My advice would be no to HRT. Your Doctor isn't actually the best person to advise you about your hormones. Doctors medicate, that's what they do.

HRT, Premarin and all other brands, are manufactured using pregnant mares urine - horse pee to be blunt. This contains horse estrogen, and unless you have 4 legs and could be entered in the Grand National, you shouldn't take it.

Premarin, PREgnant MARes urINe - the clue is actually in the name they gave this bilge.

You will hear from many women who have been prescribed HRT and the benefits they have had. Almost none will have any idea of the actual harm HRT can do to them. Human estrogen is dealt with very efficiently by our liver and is excreted, horse estrogen cannot be dealt with by our liver and is therefore not excreted. This can eventually cause liver, as well as many other problems. Every organ in our bodies has estrogen receptors, human estrogen fits perfectly into these receptors. Horse estrogen is the wrong shape and does not fit properly. Over time using HRT the receptors become disfigured. Also, when HRT is stopped, the original symptoms will come back.

If you think you do need a hormone replacement to help Bio identical hormones derived from plants are the better option as these are identical to human estrogen - your Doctor will not prescribe these and will do his/her best to dissuade their use.

I could go on, but if you would like any further info then please feel free to mail me :-D

Alison

kmcgallery · February 2013

I completely agree with beatingmenopause; she's totally got it right and what an excellent way to explain about how the horses are used! I'm pre-menopausal and have been on Bio-identical hormones (derived from sweet potatoes) for many years with perfect results. (BTW, as a hormone specialist, my Dr initiated prescribing this for me). I believe that if you can find a non pharmaceutical answer to whatever the problem is then it's well worth your time to go looking for it.

One thing to look into is a natural anti-inflammatory to easy your joints like Omega3. Find a concentrated EPA & DHA combo and take it for a few weeks to see if it helps. The one I take has 672mg EPA & 448mg DHA and I really should take that 3x/day. I have arthritis in my knees and every time I get out of the habit of taking my Omegas my knees start hurting again. You can at the very least double the recommended dose on most bottles- it would just be like eating a lot of really great fish all the time. Be sure to get a good brand.

Before I started taking the fish oil my Dr prescribed me a drug to reduce & prevent the swelling in my knees (which caused the pain) and I took it for about a week. I started having a kind of intuition about not taking it and switched over to prescription strength Advil for a few weeks along with the Omegas and thank God I did! Years later that drug was recalled for causing holes in your heart!

If you can't find a natural solution I would certainly avoid any drugs that have been around for less than 10 years if possible. They would probably know the full side affects by then. Of course, I also take a regular drug every day that I just can't do without and I can't find a good alternative yet, so I'll faithfully take it due to having no other choice, so I understand that position, too.

Just look into whatever you decide really well because you are the only truly committed advocate for your health.

Kimjanebrooks · February 2013

Thank you everyone! Was quite sure HRT was the way to go until I heard from you all. It seems over the last couple of months all my aches, pains and emotions have gotten so much worse. I will certainly take Omega and see if that helps. I'm not sure if I can grumpy because of the pain I am in or grumpy because of the menopause! Sounds like I will have to "shop" around and see what suits me best. Will check with doctor that my knee and shoulder pain isnt something else (my mum has arthritus) and go from there.

jsiricos · February 2013

Also saw in another study that Spinach is full of estrogen...

lorih307 · February 2013

I went through early menopause at 40 as well and opted not to try HRT. I had awful hot flashes and some moodiness for a few years, but that faded over about a 3 year period. I briefly looked into HRT, but decided it wasn't something I wanted to try because my grandmother, grandfather and aunt all had breast cancer and I didn't want to increase my risk even farther. As it turns out, I still had a lumpectomy last year, but at least I know I didn't aggravate the cancer with additional hormones.

I think you have to weigh the benefits and concerns carefully and talk to your doctor about various options that you may not even be aware of. There are herbal supplements that I used that seemed to help a great deal with the hot flashes and tired feeling that you may want to look into as an alternative.

Good luck!

Premature Menopause, advice needed!

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