On Bio-Id progest and NO menopause after Total LAVH

Hello All,

First, I would like to say that I feel so blessed to have all of you to talk to for advice and support! Hope you are all healing well and feeling better.

I hate seeing that so many of you are suffering from hot flashes and menopause stuff after surgery. I want to tell you my story.

At 32, I was having awful menopause symptoms - hot flashes and the whole nine yards and could not find a doctor who would help me. They kept switching my bc pills and that was it, even though I begged them to test my hormone levels.

Finally, my family doctor of 8 years tested them for me and they were a mess! He said all the estrogen in the bc pills were somehow blocking my natural hormone receptors in my body, making it think I was in menopause and my progesterone was only a 2, when it is supposed to be at least a 14-20. He put me on the bio-identical progesterone and within 2 weeks all the menopause stuff was gone. This doctor was a Godsend! My libido came back and moodiness and even depression went away. For the first time in years, I felt like myself again.

Well, I was really worried that the progesterone would not keep away the menopause after my surgery January 23rd, but it has! I feel totally normal, except I am having some slight nausea in the mornings and occasional headaches, but I have to go to my family doctor (who specializes in BHRT) to see if I need to adjust my progesterone capsules. I did have an emotional meltdown last weekend for a couple days and cried....but NOTHING close to what I used to have. Before the BHRT, I was severely depressed all the time.

My surgeon does not believe in bio-identicals and he said, "I don't want you taking that crap after your surgery.... " Well, I was afraid of menopause, so I followed my other doctor's advice and took them. My boyfriend was angry with me, but I told him it had helped me for five years and was hoping it would help me now.

When I went to my surgeon for my first post-op, he asked me how the hot flashes were and was ready to put me on estrogen.... and I said, I have NONE. FEEL GREAT! He said, "What?" "Really?" He was surprised. I said yep, that "crap" you told me not to take works great! He just laughed it off.

He is the third doctor I've been to, who literally said to me, that bio-HRT does not help, is worthless and it was my imagination that I felt better. What?? Why can't these doctors be a little more open-minded?

I think my surgeon is a great surgeon, but just happen to disagree with his views on medicine. Most all of his patients are on Premarin or Lupron, which I would never take and I think have too many long-term risks.

I just want to tell all of you, if you do not like what your doctor has you on for HRT, are still not feeling well, or you don't want to take synthetic estrogens, there are alternatives that do work.

There are doctors who can give you other options and work with you , until you feel like yourself again. I did not want to take any kind of estrogen, fearing it may cause my endometriosis to grow back, so I am so grateful to have my other doctor for my hormone care.

If I would not have had a total hysterectomy, my surgeon wanted me to take Lupron to kill my estrogen production, but now that I have everything out, he was going to put me on estrogen replacement....that just does not make any sense to me.

I feel lucky that I found something that makes me feel like myself and feel good after surgery and I wanted to share this will all of you, to let you know there is hope of escaping the dreaded menopause!! The best way of finding a doctor who prescribes BHRT, is by typing in "compounding pharmacy" and the state you live, and if you call the pharmacies, they can give you the names of doctors who can help you with this.

Well-Wishes to Everyone and Take Care of Yourselves!

I am so glad that you are not dealing with the Flashes. I would not wish them on my worst enemy (ok maybe I would )
I sure hope at my 2 weeks of the prometrium it all goes away.

Some Drs. are really silly and narrow minded. Glad that you have a Dr. that cares enough to work with you.