Kicked Out of the Red Tent

Look what Badger has compiled for me! How totally helpful.

It looks to me like some of the symptoms include depression, suicidality, anger. Man. That's all I need at this point. Maybe I will take the estrogen and keep a close eye on my breasts for lumps. But my mother! I'm all confused about what to do. Go through menopause without estrogen, or with?

Menopause will apparently come down like a ton of bricks, since I'm 40 and my body has not prepared gradually.

Anyway. I had decided to go to bed really early last night, and the girls weren't home yet at 9:00, so I went to sleep anyway. And then there they were! My heart took a jump and I had to hug them way too hard. I missed them so much. Just knowing they're asleep back there has me happy.

Not ready for an empty nest as well as menopause simultaneously, see.

Seems to me I'm a brain inside this body that keeps throwing me a new one. Somewhere in all this is me.

Comments

[blaize]

Some of the symptoms might include the ones you listed to varying degrees of intensity but hell woman if you're feeling any of those symptoms you're alive.

This is from the British Menopause Society Council Consensus Statement,
"Summary

The British Menopause Society Council aims to aid health professionals to inform and advise women about the menopause. There has been some confusion amongst women and health professionals since publication of the Women's Health Initiative and Million Women studies about the management of premature ovarian failure (POF). Both studies were undertaken in women aged 50 and over and cannot be extrapolated to their younger counterparts who would normally be producing their endogenous oestrogen. Oestrogen-based replacement therapy is the mainstay of treatment for women with POF and is recommended at least until the average age of natural menopause (52 years in the UK ). This view is endorsed by regulatory bodies such as the Committee on Safety of Medicines in the UK . No evidence shows that oestrogen replacement increases the risk of breast cancer to a level greater than that found in normally menstruating women, and women with POF do not need to start mammographic screening early.

June 10th 2006"

the-bms.org/consensus3.htm

[Jo]

Wow, that's excellent. Good source. Thanks.

[Tonya @ Kingfisher Cove]

I know it's a personal choice, considering cancer history and life style, etc. but I do have two close friends who had "hysties" within the past year. One is on HRT and is in absolute heaven about it. She is amazed at how good she feels because of it. The other is not taking it, and she is currently going through hell. I'm kind of surprised because I know she's into herbal medicine, but her depression is extreme. It is night and day between these two. Makes me nervous because I suspect I wouldn't be prescribed HRT because I'm a smoker. But the evidence I've seen from it is that it can be a life saver -- as far as mental health and sexuality -- even though it carries its risks.