Vol. 1 No. 1: Spring Equinox, 1999
  • pages [ « |
  • 1 |
  • 2 |
  • 3 ]

Perimenopause

The Ovary's Frustrating Grand Finale

continued...

Summary

So, let's review. We have talked about the perimenopausal puzzle of high rather than low estrogen and the paradox that many believe estrogen treatment will help. Now women will be able to recognize when estrogen is too high and will know that, although it is miserable, it is normal and will pass. They can figure out what is happening both when they get night sweats and when they experience PMS. Most importantly, when flow is abnormal and persists in being so, they can seek cyclic progesterone treatment to help bring their hormones into balance. And if they can't cope with PMS, sleeplessness and night sweats before their period, they should ask their doctor for the more expensive natural progesterone (Prometrium); 3 capsules at bedtime, days 14-27 of your cycle. My patients have found it made the transition easier.

Most of all, understand that you, like me, can survive the perimenopause!

Finally, as Ursula LeGuin, the science fiction writer says "The woman who is willing to make that change must become pregnant with herself, at last" [10].

Jerilynn Prior is an internationally known expert on progesterone and an active researcher and educator.

References

  1. Love S: Doctor Susan Love's Hormone Book. San Francisco: Random House, New York, 1997; 1-348.
  2. Burger HG, Dudley EC, Hopper JL, et al: The endocrinology of the menopausal transition: a cross sectional study of a population based sample. J.Clin.Endocr.Metab. 1995; 80: 3537-3545.
  3. Prior JC: Perimenopause - The complex endocrinology of the menopausal transition. Endocr.Rev. 1998; 19: 397-428.
  4. Prior, J. C. Perimenopause the Ovary's Frustrating Grand Finale. A Friend Indeed 15(7), 1-4. 1998.
  5. Kaufert PA, Gilbert P, Tate R: Defining menopausal status: the impact of longitudinal data. Maturitas 1987; 9: 217-226.
  6. Kelsea M: Beyond the stethoscope: a nurse practitioner looks at menopause and midlife. In: Women of the 14th Moon: writings on menopause. Sumrall AC, Taylor D, eds. Freedom, California: The Crossing Press, 1991; 268-279.
  7. Guthrie JR, Dennerstein L, Hopper JL, Burger HG: Hot flushes, menstrual status, and hormone levels in a population based sample of midlife women. Obstetrics and Gynecology 1996; 88: 437-442.
  8. Page L: Menopause and emotions: making sense of your feelings when your feelings make no sense. Vancouver: Primavera Press, 1994; 1-241.
  9. Murkies AL, Lombard C, Strauss BJG, Wilcox G, Burger HG, Morton MS: Dietary flour supplementation decreases post-menopausal hot flushes: effect of soy and wheat. Maturitas 1995; 21: 189-195.
  10. LeGuin UK: The Space Crone. In: Women of the 14th Moon: writings on menopause. Sumrall AC, Taylor D, eds. Freedom, California: The Crossing Press, 1991; 3-6. Copyright Jerilynn C. Prior October, 1998


Vol. 1 No. 1: Spring Equinox, 1999
  • pages [ « |
  • 1 |
  • 2 |
  • 3 ]