# Ladies Only



## grandma12703 (Jan 13, 2011)

Anyone with info about the big "M" I would appreciate pm's. I am not sure if this is what is happening or if it is something else.


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## Mooselover (May 4, 2009)

are we talking MENOPAUSE? if so, i have A LOT of questions too!!!


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## Sparkie (Aug 16, 2012)

Me too, can we talk about it here please instead of pm's (except for those of us it makes uncomfortable)? I just turned 50 and things have just started to get a little irregular  And I'm HOT sometimes now


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## FCLady (Jan 23, 2011)

Here's what I've figured out so far. I'm 53, had irregular periods for the last couple of years. Then the hot flashes started. No biggy kinda felt good through the colder months! Then the night sweats started - not so good. You wake up - WIDE AWAKE and try to figure out why... then you get warmer and warmer and then miserable. Gradually it fades away to your normal body temp. - time lapse about 45 minutes. Do that 3-4 times a night and you REALLY get stressed and miserable because of lack of sleep.

I read a great book that gave me some insight. "Estrogen the Natural Way" by Nina Shandler. I prefer not to take any kind of drugs and this book talks about eating soy.
All the bad PR that soy is getting I was really torn about whether to try it or not. It was getting really hard to function the hot flashes/night sweats were so intense. Began reading labels and you can find non-GMO soy.

Anyway... My periods finally stopped YAHOO!!! I got really gung-ho eating soy and ground flax seed. After about 2 weeks by flashes stopped and I remember the morning I woke up after sleeping ALL NIGHT LONG!!!! Well, I was so excited and relieved that I ate soy and/or flax seed for almost every meal. Well, guess what - my periods started again!!!  I backed up and started eating it MODERATELY and it really makes a difference. I've been doing the soy/flax seed thing about 6 months now. Flax seed alone won't do it and soy alone didn't do it for me - it took both.


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## WJMartin (Nov 2, 2011)

Another good book is The Wisdom of Menopause.

I had to have a hysterecyomy at 48 and did the hormone replacement for 5 years. The hot flashes are bad but for me the worst and most unexpected has been the anxiety, it took me a long time to realize what was going on and it is better now but it wasn't a picnic for me or DH.

The best part, no periods! I do have several friends going through this and they all tell me that they only have periods when they are under alot of stress.

Just a side note, a hundred years ago or less, women who were having a terrible time with memopause were sent to insane asylumns until they "got better". There were times when I thought it sounded like a good idea. Hang in there, I promise things get better.


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

Gads...I'm 52 and hadn't had a period for 3 years....Started eating soy because I can't stand HRT (hormone replacement therapy)...hasn't worked for me. I haven't slept through the night for probably 5 years. It started out as irregular periods. (I was 28 days, clockwork) then it went to once every couple months until it finally quit. Thank Gawd! I still get hot flashes so bad that you could cook an egg on my forehead. I'm sleeping in just panties, can't stand to wear PJ's. Sleep with a sheet while DH has 2 quilts. Every little thing makes me want to rip my Dh's head off. (poor man...he is a saint)
What I miss most is being able to get a decent nights sleep. My anxiety level is off the scale.
Too much info? Well, too bad! LOL That's the whole truth...phhhffff

FCLady: how much soy & flax seed are you eating each day?


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## thequeensblessing (Mar 30, 2003)

I had a hysterectomy at the age of 45 due to large fibroids. I had breast cancer at the age of 34, so I was not a candidate for HRT. My doctors didn't even want me doing intensive soy or cohosh because the phyto-hormones were linked to aggressive metastatic return of breast cancer. I didn't want that risk, so I went "cold turkey". It took about 6 months for the symptoms to kick in, but kick in they did! I had the occasional hot flash during the day, nothing intolerable, but the night-time hotflashes were wicked! For me they probably lasted about 3 minutes, but it seemed like an eternity, and they'd happen several times a night. I learned the value of having a fan by the bed, and for the first time in my life I wanted nothing more than a sheet over me during the summer months. The winter months were more tolerable because we keep our bedroom unheated. It took about 5 years, but the night time hot flashes gradually diminished to where I will have maybe one a night and sometimes I have none for several consecutive night so my sleep patterns have really improved! (My hubby is a snuggler and his snuggling in the middle of the night would put me in hot flash mode instantly. Finally, we can now snuggle without setting me on fire!) Yay! I rarely have hot flashes during the day anymore. 
My hair has thinned a bit from the thick mane I used to have, and my skin is dryer. I have to be more diligent about moisturizing. 
The lack of periods has been GREAT! I don't miss that AT ALL. However, and this is a biggie...the dryness can be a real, royal PITA!!!! I've been using an OTC product to combat the dryness and its working really well. My doctor said I can use the estrogen cream if I want to try it as my breast cancer was "estrogen receptor negative" which means estrogen has little to no effect of my type of cancer so danger of it causing a regrowth is negligible. I'm just not sure I want to even risk it, especially because the OTC product is working so well. 
I never really suffered from the brain fog so many people talk about, however, I did suffer from some bouts of anxiety for the first couple of years. That too tapered away to nothing...thank goodness! 
Today, I'm feeling great, loving life, and have embraced this new me!


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

Women's Health Articles by Susun Weed, herbal medicine and spirit healing the wise woman way

If you scroll down there are wonderful pages on menopause.
Susun Weed is the bomb on menopause!!


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## FCLady (Jan 23, 2011)

lathermaker: About 2-3 Tablespoons ground flax seed daily and about 8 oz soy milk daily. Then I try to eat a soy "product" at least twice a week. Much more and it makes my periods start - and I DON'T want that again!!


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## Lizzie (Sep 18, 2012)

A lot of alternative things can be done. Maca is one of them, I also swear by bio-identical HRT and I strongly recommend visiting a naturopath or homeopath since they typically have way more experience than allopathic MDs.


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## Mooselover (May 4, 2009)

OK...i'm going thru this!!! beginning stages. what's chappin my grits is this 'pouch' between my belly button and pubic area. gotta say....i'm beyond peeved when my button-flys don't button!! i've never been a skinny-mini but ----....i love my button-fly!!! nothing in my life has changed, eating habits, fluid intake, exercise. it's like i woke up one day and couldn't button my levi's. today i researched it....dr.oZ says, eat probioatic yogurt, olives, strawberrys, dark choc, natural PB, avocado, broc, sweet tators. take vit C (3, i assume) and back off the chz. also, cat pose yoga will help from this un-welcomed 'guest' that seemed to have mysterical appeared overnight!!! anyone tried these things? I WANT my levi's BACK!!!


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## Sparkie (Aug 16, 2012)

Mooselover said:


> OK...i'm going thru this!!! beginning stages. what's chappin my grits is this 'pouch' between my belly button and pubic area. gotta say....i'm beyond peeved when my button-flys don't button!! i've never been a skinny-mini but ----....i love my button-fly!!! nothing in my life has changed, eating habits, fluid intake, exercise. it's like i woke up one day and couldn't button my levi's. today i researched it....dr.oZ says, eat probioatic yogurt, olives, strawberrys, dark choc, natural PB, avocado, broc, sweet tators. take vit C (3, i assume) and back off the chz. also, cat pose yoga will help from this un-welcomed 'guest' that seemed to have mysterical appeared overnight!!! anyone tried these things? I WANT my levi's BACK!!!


What is that called so I can look it up? I have a pooch there but I also have a huge fibroid that I've been told tend to go away after menopause. 

I had a period 2 weeks ago that was shorter/lighter than normal, and surprise! I started spotting some yesterday. I'm so ready to be done with all this. 

Off to read what Susan Weed has to say...


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## Guest (Sep 23, 2012)

Does anyone have real real sensative nipples? ..I'm 45 and been having times where I think 
That I have to be having hot flashes..along with never knowing when af is coming to visit..I have uncontrollable mood swing's ..My mom passed away many years ago and I have no sister's to ask either if this is all normal..


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## Sparkie (Aug 16, 2012)

mythreesons said:


> Does anyone have real real sensative nipples? ..I'm 45 and been having times where I think
> That I have to be having hot flashes..along with never knowing when af is coming to visit..I have uncontrollable mood swing's ..My mom passed away many years ago and I have no sister's to ask either if this is all normal..


Not super sensitive here but sensitive off schedule, like the periods.


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

I'm fairly certain mine was not typical, but since it happened to me, I figure it could happen to someone else, and women need to know.

I very nearly bled to death when I abruptly hit menopause. I am not exaggerating. One day I started bleeding, heavily, and I just kept bleeding, heavily.

I called the gynecologist's office, and they were not impressed. Could see me in a month. I knew I could not last a month. I got an appointment with Family Practice. The lady did not even examine me. Just charged me to make an appointment with the other office. I still had to wait another week or so.

By the time I got in there, they did blood work and sent me home.

When I was so weak I knew I couldn't keep on, I called the office back and asked them to please hurry checking my blood results. They told me the doctor wanted me to come in NOW.

I had an emergency hysterectomy AFTER four units of blood to stabilize me enough for the surgery.

The doctor, BTW, told me that they had lost a patient in my condition the year before because she refused blood transfusions on religious grounds. He told me because I was upset about having to get them, since I knew that if they had taken me seriously the first time, or the second time, I had called, I wouldn't have had to have the blood transfusions.

All's I'm saying is, Ladies, if you do start bleeding heavily, and don't stop, you can, in fact, bleed to death. Don't let the doctors keep putting you off. Go the the ER if you have to to be seen.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I'm too young for menopause, but I wonder for those of you dealing with it, how has it affected your 'alone time'? How do your husbands feel/deal with it? I've often thought about this.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

What determines "when" you start the "M" process? 
If you had your first cycle when you were 15 years old, at what age should you start looking for the big "M"?

I am not having any symptoms of "M", but am in the throws of chronic stress. I have been reading an amazing book, So Stressed written by 2 OBGYN's.
I cannot recommend that book enough. They are NOT 'take a pill call me in the morning' types. They are "get to the root, and fix it" types.
Very good 'natural' ways to bring things back into balance!!

But the VERY LAST thing I need right now it for "M" to rear it's ugly head.......
Thanks for the help!


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## SageLady (Jun 10, 2008)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> I'm too young for menopause, but I wonder for those of you dealing with it, how has it affected your 'alone time'? How do your husbands feel/deal with it? I've often thought about this.


For us 'alone time' is the same as it ever was. Making love with my mate is still a wonderful thing...some women experience vaginal dryness during and after menopause and need a lubricant or hormonal creme. Some women also experience a lessened desire, but I personally haven't experienced any of this - everything seems normal as ever and I'm 55....


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