Hormones and women are a controversial topic. There are plenty of opinions, lots of contradictory research findings, and as many treatment approaches as there are doctors, it seems.
It's very confusing. We're told by some that hormone replacement therapy is dangerous and that certain treatments put us at increased risk for breast cancer. But then we are also told that not replacing hormones puts us at increased risk for other cancers. And then there are all those lovely life-altering symptoms that come hand-in-hand with the approach and onset of menopause: fatigue, depression, loss of sex drive, insomnia, weight gain, hot flashes. Fun times, fun times.
The confusion unfortunately leads a lot of women to playing ostrich: when what we think of as symptoms of menopause begin to affect us, we suck it up and just ride it out. Or, we see a doctor who puts us on a hormone replacement treatment that may or may not actually work for us, or are simply treated for some of the symptoms (anti-depressants and sleep aids, for example). It is disempowering at best.
Ultimately, only you can decide how you want to handle the inevitable shift in your body from being reproductive to not. A few months ago, I started getting frequent headaches. Having suffered from migraines in the past, this freaked me out a bit because I was afraid I was going down that road. Then I started getting hotflashes. Really intense! Head to toe instaneous and inexplicable waves of heat. I knew immediately what was happening--something hormonal was out of whack. Well, I wasn't about to just accept that. I've far too much going on to be slowed down by headaches and hotflashes. So I set out to solve the problem. Here's what I did:
1) I made an appointment at an accupuncture clinic.
2) I got some books out of the library (see Read up! below).
3) I made an appointment with my naturopath.
4 accupuncture sessions is all it took to nix the hotflashes and headaches. My naturopath then put me on a supplement regimen which, to grossly oversimplify what she said, is meant to encourage my body to produce it's own healthy level of hormones. No hormone replacement. I'm good.
Everyone is different of course, and I don't mean to reduce everyone's hormone issues to my simple solution. But I do mean to tell you that you don't have to live with discomfort. There are lots of options. Don't take it lying down, and don't play ostrich, whatever you do. The price you'll pay is your quality of life. It's just not worth it.
A few more tips:
-Read up! There are lots of great books about the subject. I recently read Suzanne Somer's book Ageless. Once I got over the whole Chrissy thing, I found it really informative, although at this point I don't believe her approach is right for me. Also, The Perimenopause and Menopause Workbook by Kathryn R. Simpson; it explains all the various hormones and their functions, and what symptoms can be linked to which hormonal imbalance.
-Pay attention to perimenopause! This critical stage precedes menopause and can begin in your 30's. You'd be amazed how many inexplicable health issues, from weight gain to infertility, are rooted in the hormonal shift that occurs during perimenopause.
-Branch out into other forms of healing. Accupuncture is annoying but in my experience quite effective. A colleague also recently told me that reflexology cured her of hotflashes. A reliable naturopath and osteopath are also invaluable resources.
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