Could it be time for a change

Hi Ladies,

I am coming to the experts for help. I am seeing my Dr. on Friday, but if he runs true to form, he will not be much help. I had a SAH/BSO 10 months ago. My GYN started HRT with estrogen patch (0.05 mg twice a week) in the O.R. and I have continued with it. At 4 months he added 100mg Prometrium at bedtime to help with the insomnia, and that seemed to be working until about 6 weeks ago. Now the insomnia is back, having mini hot flashes and night sweats, my hair is falling out, joint pain in fingers and knees and I have no libido at all. My primary MD did all kinds of blood tests (arthritis, CBC, LFT's) and everything came back fine (he does not believe in HRT- it is a normal process for a woman and it should not require medications). My GYN will let me try what I think I may need, but at this point I am not sure. Any experiences or info would be greatly appreciated. Oh i almost forgot the main symptom seems to be brain fog and forgetfullness. Since this is tax season and I am a tax specialist this has not helped my mood or stress level one bit.
Thanks ladies for all your help, this site has been a godsend.

Hi and S. First to address the no hormone issue. Natural menopause certainly is a part of life BUT surgical is not and hormones do need to be replaced. In natural menopause the ovaries do still trickle out some hormones but when the ovaries are removed then there is nothing left to trickle so we need to supplement. Can you do without HRT? Sure but you better be darn dedicated to supplements, diet and plenty of exercise.
Did your doctor check your thyroid function? Many of your symptoms could be indication an underactive thyroid, especially if you were doing fine and then everything went nuts. That is exactly what happened to me and we went looking at hormones when it was thyroid. Its something to check out anyway. There is an article that you might be interested in reading. www.hormonejungle.com/janie.php and www.hormonejungle.com/thyroid.php

bajcmj,
I am sorry you are having such a tough time. It is good that your doctor will give you what you ask for but you might get more help if you went to a doctor who "believed" in HRT. Like Brenda said... surgical menopause is NOT a natural life event. It sounds like you are experiencing some sort of hormone imbalance...maybe you need more estradiol. It could also be thyroid or a number of other things. I would spend some time finding a doctor who can help you. If you want to find a doctor who prescribes bio-identical hormones I would suggest finding a compounding pharmacist first http://www.iacprx.org/ A compounding pharmacist is skilled at making made to order bio-identical hormone preparations for women and will know the doctors in your area that are experts in prescribing them
Best wishes to you

Becky in OHIO