New to this forum friendly advice needed please.

Posted , 10 users are following.

Up until the begining of the year my periods were regular as clockwork but then I started to go anything from 40-60 days apart and now I have more days of a brownish discharge than blood. And in the last few months I'm suffering with real bad itchy skin especially when my body gets hot, I'm on antidepressants as I have suffered from  bad depression for the last  6-7 years but only been on my medication for 3 months this time so far. I went to the doctors  Friday and told her about my changing periods and itchy skin and asked if I could be going through my change and she said its unlikely as I was young at 45. But I am convinced  I am or am I being paranoid? Any advice or experience would be so good.

Thank you

Karen

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • Posted

    It is more than possible that you are going through the change and you may find these figures helpful:-

    Most women experience menopause as a transition that occurs over the course of many years. There are three stages of menopause:

    Peri-Menopause – 5 to 10 years prior to actual menopause when physical signs of menopause begin due to hormone fluctuations. Symptoms often progress from light to heavy during this time period. (can start in the 30s but would on average be the mid 40's)

    Actual Menopause – the day that a woman has gone 12 months without a period.

    Post-Menopause – Technically, post-menopause refers to all years of life following actual menopause. However, most symptoms actually occur and often increase in severity during the 5 to 10 years following actual menopause. Some symptoms may continue throughout the remainder of life.Average Age of Actual Menopause (12 months without a period): 51

    Typical Age Range for Actual Menopause: 40 to 58

    Typical Age Range for Symptoms of Menopause: 35 to 65 (some conditions may continue for remainder of life)

    • Posted

      I'm still meno at 67 Taz ,started at 48 meno probs till I was 52 ,then all went fine ,got an illness at 58 ,which then set me off into 2nd meno ,been like this again same symptoms as when I was 48 . I've was told some women can get 2nd meno pause when they think all was finished ,few on this site have had same happen to them .Drs don't tell you it goes like that .
    • Posted

      Ouch. I had read some women could be menopausal in their 70s but that as you say it is very unusual - thanks for mentioning it, I must adjust the datings in my posts by stating the unusual as well.

      Just what you want - NOT sad

      Big hugs

      Taz xxx

  • Posted

    Hello  Karen,  ime 46 and have had hot flushes for about 4 years and I didn't think too  much about as I thought this is the change of life and got on with it ( even though it's a complete pain!. The worst part I have experienced is 15 months ago I suddenly got dhiarrohea every day, I had all the tests done and all came back fine, then I erase arched perimenopause( which I had never heard of before ), I had dhiarrohea every day for 4 months ! 😢, any way I found out some women ( not many I might add😁) get digestive problems with hormone fluctuation! At last I found a solution! Yay. Then I go to my doctor who says ime not old enough!, bloody rubbish, some doctors are so dismissive!. I researched bioidentical hormones and decided to take the plunge!. I used the bioidentical progesterone cream and well "tad dah" my diiahorrea stopped and I lost 12LBS, I was lacking progesterone!.  Your depression could be hormone related. I know exactly where your coming from and  sorry this is a bit long winded but I wanted to tell you that there is light at the end of the tunnel 😃🌞. Read the book by Dr john lee then go on wellsprings bioidentical site. It's worth a try. And good luck 🙌
    • Posted

      Hi Millie,

      I'm getting anxiety at the moment, also sleeping problems, fatigue, tears, mood swings etc but no flushes ! I asked my Doctor about HRT substitutes burdens told no there aren't any ??? I'm so interested in finding out about this cream you mention, how do you know if it's right for you ? 🙏😊 thank you very much x

    • Posted

      Oops typing error ! Should not say burdens ?? Should say 'but she' x 
    • Posted

      Hi Deb

      be careful with the Natural Progesterone cream..

      nothing natural about it ..

      i used it for a few months in 2011 and it restarted my periods and gave me a breast lump.. which went a few months after stopping.

      it may make a women feel good for a couple of months, but it stores in the body fat and causes problems.. Hormonal

      i did a heading on this menopause site about it ..

      i mentioned this natural progesterone cream to my Gyno, he said simply ' big No No.. it messes women up..

      so do your homework. 

      jay x

    • Posted

      Natural Progesterone Cream Dangers ' Be Aware' Posted 2 months ago

      My experience with these so called natural progesterone creams was also not good... Even my Gyno said they mess women up... 

      *This is not my info ... this is taken from Zimmer Nutrition making women aware ... charts are on their web . At last some facts ...

      Natural Progesterone Cream Dangers

      Creating an unhealthy balance!

      The use of progesterone creams has skyrocketed in the last decade. The cause was mostly due to the writings of Dr. John Lee, M.D. who wrote “What your doctor did not tell you about menopause” and “What your doctor did not tell you about pre-menopause.” Many reading this will be familiar with his writings, but for those who are not, here is a short synopsis.

      Dr. Lee essentially had the insight to identify the risks associated with estrogen replacement therapy well before the bubble burst in 2002 when a study was halted due to the negative effects of estrogen. Before 2002 the evidence showing the risks of using estrogen replacement was ignored by many in the medical establishment.

      Dr. Lee not only recognized the risks, but also came up with a solution. He rationalized that since progesterone was the antagonist to estrogen (the balancing hormone for estrogen) that using progesterone creams could balance the so-called estrogen dominance that was plaguing our population.

      The term “estrogen dominance” was coined to describe the relative increase in the amount of estrogens that our bodies were being exposed to from prescriptions, hormone treated animal products and other estrogen-like molecules (pesticides, chemicals). The concept was that these estrogens and weak estrogen-like molecules were wreaking havoc on our systems by increasing the influence of a powerful hormone that stimulates growth and cell activities. This estrogen dominant state was then blamed for a staggering list of symptoms as outlined in Chart 1: Estrogen Dominance Symptoms.

      Whether estrogen dominance actually exists is a subject of debate. Most alternative health professionals have accepted the arguments for the condition and readily endorse the concept. Many traditional doctors do not accept the concept and readily dismiss it.

      I can tell you that I rarely find levels of estrogen that out of the normal range in my patients. This observation alone would seem to argue against the presence of estrogen dominance. But just like everything related to health, the story is not so simple and/or straight-forward.

      The theory of estrogen dominance encompasses more than just measured estrogen levels. It also suggests that there are unwanted estrogen influences from synthetic, chemical estrogen-like molecules to which we are abundantly exposed. It also suggests that the receptors which relay the estrogen signal might be amplified under certain vitamin deficiency states. In addition, the problem may be due to lower than normal progesterone levels. Thus, even a normal amount of estrogens would create a situation of estrogen dominance.

      Those who believe in the estrogen dominance theory simply point to the benefits that some women have claimed from using progesterone creams. After reading Dr. Lee’s books you would certainly think that progesterone cream was the next great cure for most female ailments. Since the actions of estrogen could be rationalized as being the cause of so many female problems and since so many women supposedly found relief in using progesterone (the balancer of estrogen), the acceptance of the estrogen dominance theory was quick and widespread.

      So what should we believe? Is estrogen dominance real or is it an inaccurate fabrication? Unfortunately, I cannot give you the answer to these questions although I do believe in the concept. The good thing is that for the sake of this article it really makes no difference as to which side of the fence you sit when it comes to this issue.

      The reason is that whether or not a person actually has estrogen dominance makes no difference when we consider the dangers of the prolonged use of progesterone creams.

      Creating a Dangerous Imbalance

      Because of the acceptance of the estrogen dominance theory the use of progesterone creams spread like a weed. Although I was definitely a part of this movement at the beginning, I was disturbed by how progesterone creams were being promoted.

      I got call after call from multi-level marketing skin care company representatives trying to get me signed up to use their company’s progesterone cream product. I realized that the people who were promoting the use of these creams had training that went something like this:

      “Hey, you can make a bunch of money by selling our products and getting people to sign up under you. And, our products are the very best ever as you will learn by reading the materials provided by our company.” Followed by, “I was having X, Y, and Z problems that were changed by using our Super Pure progesterone cream. My life has been changed and you can now go out and help change other people’s lives for the better. And, did I mention that you could make a lot of money?”

      I challenged these people by letting them know that I thought they had no business telling people to take hormones without proper training and without testing a patient’s baseline hormone levels. The bottom line was that they simply didn’t care and women all over the U.S. were convinced that they needed progesterone cream.

      So, why is any of this a problem? What is wrong with using progesterone creams in this manner?

      Those who know me well are familiar with my belief that one of the keys to finding good health lies within finding proper balance. Notice that I said proper balance. Believe it or not, the body can become balanced in a suboptimal way. In other words, your body may become stable (balanced) even though it is not healthy. For example, a person may have an elevated blood pressure of 140/86 that has become stable. Although their blood pressure has become stable (balanced) at this higher number, it is not at a healthy level. A proper balance for this person may be 126/78. We should work for a proper balance.

      This concept of creating a proper balance is where the danger comes from using progesterone creams. I have now found that women who use progesterone creams have unnatural and completely imbalanced levels of progesterone throughout their cycle. The best way to illustrate this is to show you a month-long test from an actual patient.

      Figure 1: Estradiol and Progesterone Test 1

      Look at Figure 1: Estradiol and Progesterone Test 1. As you can see from the legend of this test, found on the bottom left side, that the (circles ●) represent progesterone. The Blue area represents the expected normal ranges for progesterone. At the beginning of the cycle there is typically little progesterone being produced. Thus, the Blue area is towards the bottom. Right after ovulation progesterone is produced in significant amounts. You can see how the Blue area goes way up after this time. If the female egg is not fertilized progesterone levels fall drastically and menstruation begins. All of the (circles ●) should fall somewhere within the Blue area. You can see that the progesterone levels (circles ●) are buried across the top indicating super high levels of progesterone throughout this patient’s cycle.

      The (squares ■) represent estrogen levels and the Green shows the expected levels of estrogen for the female cycle. At this point estrogen was not high and was basically at normal expected levels. Notice, however, at the very bottom of this test that her testosterone levels were off the chart high.

      Figure 2: Estradiol and Progesterone Test 2

      This patient started taking progesterone cream about 1 year prior to this test after hearing about it from one of these multi-level marketing representatives. Notice the complete imbalance she has created in her body. Her progesterone and testosterone levels were abnormally very high. We then waited 7 months to see if her level of progesterone would come back down to normal. The results of this follow-up test are shown in Figure 2: Estradiol and Progesterone Test 2. You can see that even after 7 months her levels of progesterone (circles ●) were still grossly elevated throughout her cycle. But now her levels of estrogen (squares ■) had also increased significantly. Her testosterone continued to be off the chart high.

      Explaining What Happened…

      I think that it is important to evaluate how this patient got herself into this mess.

      Figure 3: Hormone Synthesis

      This patient started taking progesterone cream after being convinced that it would help her many symptoms. She used the smallest recommended dose for the two weeks before the start of her period as directed in Dr. Lee’s book. In the beginning (first couple of months) she really felt as if the cream had made a significant difference in her symptoms. The fact was that a number of months later she realized that she continued to have her symptoms, but was reluctant to stop using the cream for fear of making them worse. And, since progesterone cream was completely safe she saw no reason to stop its use.

      ****Progesterone cream dissolves in fat and canthus be stored in your fatty tissue. The levels of progesterone steadily increase within fat tissue with prolonged use. After a while, the amount being added every month, along with the amount being released from the fatty stores, causes elevated progesterone levels throughout the female cycle.

      So, instead of supplementing a little progesterone during a short period of time the body becomes subjected to elevated levels throughout the female cycle The body can then take the extra progesterone and make it into either testosterone or extra estrogen. Excess testosterone can also be made into estrogen. (See Figure 3: Hormone Synthesis below)Thus, the body is thrown into a dangerous hormonal imbalance that does not serve to promote proper health.

      The ironic part of this is that Dr. Lee, himself, had this to say about hormone balance:

      “There’s no doubt that it’s not a good idea for most women to take large doses of progesterone in any form over a long period of time. That’s just not good medicine, it’s not balanced, it’s not common sense, and it’s bound to cause trouble sooner or later.”

      So, the founder of the progesterone cream movement himself acknowledged that creating an imbalanced state is not good medicine and is bound to cause trouble sooner or later.

      The problem is that I currently do not see how anyone could use progesterone creams for any prolonged period of time without creating this dangerous imbalance. My patient highlighted in this article only used the minimum dose of the cream for less than two weeks a month. It has taken 7 months at the writing of this article and she is still grossly imbalanced thanks to progesterone cream. However, now her testosterone and estrogen have also been driven to unnaturally high levels.

      The disturbing aspect of this story is that there is very little information that I can find on the internet to warn people about this danger of using progesterone cream. The only warning I found was weak at best. This is not a “safe as water” hormone and the cavalier attitude towards its use has to be changed or there will be negative ramifications.

      As a clinician, I cannot envision how progesterone cream can be used for more than maybe a couple of months, due to this fat tissue saturation problem. My very strong suggestion is that any women who has taken or continues to take progesterone cream should immediately get their hormone levels checked with a month-long salivary test like the one shown in this article. 

      This info is from zimmer nutrition web ... charts are shown on this site

       

    • Posted

      I to went on this Jay for about 6 weeks ,as I'd read this was the bees knees to menopause ,then you placed this up while ago ,so I stopped this progesterone only ,as I'd had a lump prior in the late 70's benign .   

        Didn't want further probs . Maybe some ladies had missed it few months ago ,so good to put up again .xxx thanks Mar 

  • Posted

    Sorry should have said researched! Silly predictive text. Sorry about that Karen 😁
  • Posted

    Hey Karen, I'm post menopausal at 42. It sounds like you are going through the change and your depression could be linked to it. I would advise you to see another doctor. Sadly, they really are quite bad at spotting the signs of early menopause.
  • Posted

    I am going through it and I am 40. I started at age 35. These doctors need to get a clue.
  • Posted

    Hi karen

    I started peri aged 40, lasted 10 years,

    Theres no set age.

    my mum started peri at age 42 and post meno age 44,

    I am post meno now age 50

    I use to get brown blood too sometimes, they call it old blood

    Jay

  • Posted

    Wellcome, Karen07486.

    Tazchurch has said all...  I just wanted to tell you that not all the symptoms in peri and menopause are hot flushes, there are many more.  Allergic reactions you never had before, is one of them.  So, do not get too worried, live what life is giving you - you may be one of the lucky ones.  But if you find that you are feeling not like yourself, before you get too scared come back and research this website, it was helpfull for many of us.

    Things you should know in advance, some women take hormons, other do not.  There is a huge discussion about that, so whatever you do, do your homework and research.

    As someone said before, there is light in the end of the tunnel  smile

    Goos luck,

    XX

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