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Old 01-01-17, 10:04 AM  
cherimac
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Georgia
I had some of this too and bioidentical hormones were a nightmare that made it so much worse. Make sure you do your research and work with someone you trust.
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Old 01-01-17, 01:03 PM  
Lori_Michigan
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
I am in my mid-40s and I struggled with this for a few years -- I then started taking vitamin D (about 6,000 IUs a day) and also started seed cycling (pumpkin seeds and cod liver oil in the first part of my cycle, and then sunflower seeds and evening primrose oil in the second part of my cycle) -- here's a link: https://theherbalacademy.com/seed-cy...monal-balance/

I didn't have much hope for this, as I thought it was too simplistic to make such a change, but it's actually much improved the symptoms I had that sound similar to yours. And it was actually quite quickly, not months, that I started to feel better.

I had a full panel of bloodwork done, and everything seemed normal. I just felt quite estrogen heavy, and I knew something needed to change, and biosimilars made my symptoms even worse. Just an idea to try!
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Old 01-01-17, 01:04 PM  
Joni O
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Location: Twin Cities, MN
Bummer that you had problems with your bioidenticals, Cheri. I've been taking them for 9 years, no problems and no plans to stop. I'm post-menopause, but want to keep up the estrogen for bone and heart health, etc., for example.
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Old 01-01-17, 01:27 PM  
beyond.omega
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I had a lot of those symptoms in my late 30's and like others have said, I think it was estrogen dominance. The T-Tapp store used to have an article explaining the interrelationship between estrogen, cortisol, and insulin, and an imbalance in one causes the others to go off balance. At that time I started a supplement for other reasons and discovered it significantly alleviated my symptoms. If you are interested, PM my and I can tell you about it. The T-Tapp workout and dry skin brushing also helped when I did them, as they optimize the lymphatic system and help clear out excess hormones.

However, since then I started looking into charting my menstrual cycle for fertility - I'm not trying to get pregnant, but earlier this year a VFer posted an off-topic question about it, which got me interested. Just doing this a few months has taught me so much about my body and my symptoms that a doctor never told me about. I would strongly recommend the following books if you want to try to balance your hormones with minimal medical intervention:

Taking Charge of your Fertility by Toni Wescher: The bible for charting your cycle and also has some troubleshooting information if you notice issues with your cycle from charting. This book is full of great information for couples trying to conceive, but since I wasn't TTC, it was a bit of a slog for me, since I just wanted to get started charting for general reasons.

Cycle Savvy by Toni Weschler. This is the book we should have all gotten when we turned 14. Toni Weschler wrote this for teens and it is a much easier read and I was able to get started charting really quickly with this. It is a little kiddish/teenagerish, but not overly so. Mostly, just jokes and cartoons to make it more appealing to teens. I enjoyed it without feeling like I was reading a kids book. I was able to get both of these books from my public library.

Period Repair Manual by Lara Hudson: Written by a naturopath, this book explains cycle problems from an endocrine perspective (although I wish she had gone into the science a little more) and offers natural solutions to the symptoms. She doesn't directly advocate charting for diagnosis, but I found it helpful. This is partly because I am over 40, and prior to charting I wrote off my symptoms as perimenopause...nothing to be done. Charting showed me that I am still ovulating every month, and gave me more resolution into my symptoms. But this book showed me how my hormonal imbalances are showing up as symptoms and what I can do about it.

As for testing, I haven't done it yet, but I have been looking into it for when I start having an income again and can afford it. Like Joni O said, have your estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA. I would add in also have your AMH (not LH) and FSH tested to see if you really are approaching menopause.

The reading I did above also made me realize I might not actually be in full perimenopause because the age of onset of menopause is very genetic, and also closely correlated to when you mother and grandmother did. My grandmother gave birth to 12 children, and had her last in her 40's - and I think she stopped only because my grandfather died. I don't know when my grandmother had menopause but my mother got it at 55. So, you can't necessarily go with what everyone else is doing. I realized, while most people get actual peri in there late 30's, I have a long way to go, so I might as well finally get my cycle sorted out. The books above gave me the tools to do that.

Last edited by beyond.omega; 01-07-17 at 01:18 AM. Reason: changed LH to AMH
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Old 01-01-17, 02:35 PM  
toomuchjoy
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: CT
Following.

I'm 45 and have been experiencing night sweats for the last year. Also I'm finding my mood has drastically changed. Everyone/everything annoys me and I have zero patience. I'm hoping I can blame it on hormones? Haha. Maybe?

They tested my hormones last year and I wasn't in meno but I wonder...
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Old 01-01-17, 02:53 PM  
Lori_Michigan
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Quote:
Originally Posted by toomuchjoy View Post
Following.

I'm 45 and have been experiencing night sweats for the last year. Also I'm finding my mood has drastically changed. Everyone/everything annoys me and I have zero patience. I'm hoping I can blame it on hormones? Haha. Maybe?

They tested my hormones last year and I wasn't in meno but I wonder...
That was me exactly!

The night sweats I had were crazy! Plus I was barely sleeping at all during the middle of the night. The high doses of vitamin D and the seed cycling that I mentioned above (see back a few replies) have resolved these for me -- and I knew I was estrogen dominant, but the four doctors that I saw said everything I had was just normal. But if this was normal, I figured there had a better way to manage these.

I can now really feel if I miss a few days and don't follow my vitamin D and seed cycling. Even my periods have been quite regular now instead of either really long or really short. I also have been able to get back into higher impact workouts now!
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Old 01-01-17, 03:16 PM  
ncl
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Western North Carolina
For the OP, I would also get your thyroid checked. A lot of those symptoms could also be thyroid related.

I would recommend The Hormone Cure by Sara Gottfried. She gives things you can do to improve things based on symptoms clusters, both lifestyle and supplements and lets you know how much data there is in support.

I have estrogen dominance and have struggled with this my whole life. I worked Alisa Vitti's program (her book is called Womancode) which helped my PMS symptoms greatly and I did this in my 40s. I spent a year doing all the steps of her protocol as there is a lot to it. Looking at my genetics, I may not be breaking down estrogen very well. I got this in control by doing a number of things (which are healthy in general)....

1. Eliminate toxins, a lot of which are xenoestrogens and act as estrogen mimickers. This means, I have changed to all natural products without much in the way of chemicals including lotion, shampoo, face products, sunscreen, makeup, deodorant, laundry detergent, etc. Also, I don't eat canned food out of cans with BPA linings (which is still most canned food) as the BPA is known to be an estrogen mimicker. In addition, I don't eat meat or dairy where the animals got hormones or antibiotics and I stay away from soy altogether. I did this in stages...trying to change all at once would be nuts.

2. Got my blood sugar under control...I eliminated sugar for the most part and eat plenty of healthy fat and protein, limited fruit, lots and lots of veggies (veggies at every meal), some nuts and seeds. Some healthy grains once in awhile.

3. Stress management: I get regular massages, meditate, try to get enough sleep and I dance.

4. Eat a varied diet with things that help you liver clear out things like cilantro, sunflower seeds, etc. I got rid of coffee and caffeine altogether which spikes adrenaline.

HTH!

Let us know what happens.
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Old 01-01-17, 05:26 PM  
Footballnut
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Tennessee
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Originally Posted by cherimac View Post
I had some of this too and bioidentical hormones were a nightmare that made it so much worse. Make sure you do your research and work with someone you trust.
..........and this is true in a lot of cases. A lot of doctors seem to use a "one size fits all" approach and this is just not the case at all. People don't respond the same and one person's "normal" does not feel the same to another person. What drives me nuts is when they say "you're in normal range". Yea? Well then why do I feel like death?
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Old 01-01-17, 07:16 PM  
toomuchjoy
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
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Thank you Lori! I'm totally going to look into this.
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Old 01-01-17, 08:16 PM  
beyond.omega
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Quote:
Originally Posted by toomuchjoy View Post
Following.

I'm 45 and have been experiencing night sweats for the last year. Also I'm finding my mood has drastically changed. Everyone/everything annoys me and I have zero patience. I'm hoping I can blame it on hormones? Haha. Maybe?

They tested my hormones last year and I wasn't in meno but I wonder...
Toomuchjoy: I would take a look at that Period Repair Manual I linked above, or possible one of the other hormone books listed in this thread. Like many others on this thread have said, everyone is different and what works for one doesn't for someone else. The Period Repair book actually addresses those differences. The real issue is that the endocrine system consists of multiple systems that do their own thing, but also respond to each other to try to keep the body in homeostatis. In addition, genetic differences as well as lifestyle differences can cause imbalances. Books that address those differences differently can actually help you figure out what works for you.

Back in my late 30's I was also having nightsweats as well as other symptoms. It turns out that is something that happens for non-female hormone related things too, when the body desperately is trying to eliminate something it has in excess. The trick is to figure out what, and then do what is needed to correct it.

Good luck. Hope you find something that works for you.
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