This post has been so helpful. I am realizing now that a lot of my issues are likely from Perimenopause. Textstyle and Claire, I have been getting occasional migraines and I know I am anemic. Did you take supplements to help with your iron stores. The ones I've tried make me nauseous. I have been getting the heavy clotting too.... thanks for sharing why this happens Claire. I have definite mood issue and sleep issues. My doc says I don't need hormones but I am questioning this. My mom got a hysterectomy in her 40s and so I am just trying to watch and learn from my older sister who is having hot flashes and bone loss. I am really getting a stomach and I exercise a lot and eat healthy.
I guess you have to figure out what works for you. Karymk are you going to a naturopathic doc? I hope it is helpful to you. My friend who is 82 has been on HRT for many years and so has my mom who is 73. I hear different things about the report that was against HRT. I don't think we have all the answers yet. Oh and Suz it is interesting that the weight loss had such a change on your hormones. I wonder why?

Karymk, I hope you update us because I'd really like to know if the progesterone at night improves your sleep. I'm 54 and have had some degree of perimenopausal symptoms (sleep disturbances, changes in my periods, obviously weight gain) for SEVEN years. I have a large fibroid, too, and so far my plan (ok-ed by my gyn) is to try to tough it out until menopause really hits and see if it does indeed shrink by 50%, which is what happens to many women. The things that have helped me the most have been cutting way back on sugar and simple carbs, and taking 2000 mg of Vitamin D-3 each day in addition to a multivitamin that also contains vitamin D. There were some studies done that showed that Vitamin D would shrink fibroids and I figured it couldn't hurt. It definitely helped. I haven't ruled out taking progesterone in some form for a limited time until I get through this last bit of perimenopause; my doctor is all in favor of that, but I had such a horrific experience the year I was on birth control pills (26 years ago) that I am reluctant to ingest anything like that. I get hot flashes occasionally but nothing I can't deal with, and I've had two night sweats. If those were happening every night I think I'd be pushed to the progesterone pills/cream. Oh, and my sleep improved dramatically when I took magnesium for a few weeks. I don't know if it's a coincidence, a placebo effect, or what, but the very first night I slept through the night, which I hadn't done in a decade, at least. Ain't being a woman grand?

Look up vitamin E and hot flashes and consider taking it, esp. if you do not eat a lot of nuts. Look up magnesium deficiency and health and you'll find all kinds of information on how most of us are deficient (and blood tests can't determine this) and low magnesium negatively impacts our health. Magnesium used to be abundant in our soil and food grown in it was rich in the mineral. No longer the case with factory farming and the population growth worldwide.

For iron, I take a Poly-Iron supplement that is very high dose and I don't get nausea. They carry it at my local small town pharmacy but you can also get it online. I take it after eating (just in case). Many of them can cause issues but this one works for me. I will say I don't like the added ingredients in the iron supplement but the options for me were limited and I had to do something as mine was so low. You could also try Floradix (I tried it first but it wasn't enough for my needs).

I would use progesterone cream not pills. The cream doesn't require your liver to process it like pills do - and your liver is likely working had enough as it is trying to deal with all the fake estrogens (xenoestrogens) modern society delivers through chemicals we ingest, breathe and put on our skin.

I like taking milk thistle for liver support myself.

Good advice, texstyle!

One thing I have been doing every year, off insurance, is getting a micronutrient test done. It shows me that I am low on Bs and D, but that is all that I am missing. I love that test! I know I don't have any nutritional gaps so I am just focusing on the hormone balance for now.

My doctor is not a naturopath, just a med school trained gyn whose specialty is hormone related issues.

I have slept like a log the past two nights, my first nights on the estradiol patch and the progesterone tab at night. It makes me calm so far.

I would like to investigate more about the effects of taking estriol with the estradiol, as it has been shown (not proven) to have an effect that lessons the risk of breast cancer (which already is less on the bioidenticals.)

I am finding it's best to go straight to the sources for these studies, though they can be hard to interpret. Harvard, Women's Health Institute, etc.

K

After reading this thread I realize I may be suffering when a solution is available. I am still cycling but it has changed in frequency. About 3-4 weeks ago I started having hot flashes - upwards of 20 per day/night. I hardly get any sleep now because of it. I also have a constant state of cramping. Sorry if it is TMI . I started the Vit E and Cal Mags yesterday based on Textstyles good advice. I will also make an appointment with my doctor as soon as possible. Ladies - you are so fab.