Who here is peri-menopausal?

I am!
and it SUCKS!!!

chronic sever muscle and joint pain, severe cognitive and memory problems, I pee when I laugh, sneeze, cough, hot flushes, depression. increased allergies, extreme fatigue, periods now coming with only 2 weeks in between, very heavy flow, WORST CRAMPS EVER.. and Imean I seriously can't get out of bed....

what has worked for almost all of those symptoms for me is medroxyprogesterone (synthetic progesterone) and Ponstel (which is an NSAID for the bad cramps).. the other stuff I just deal with as the chronic pain, cognitive issues and cramps were the biggest problems.

In addition to the herbs, I can strongly recommend Pro-Gest Body Cream by emerita. It's a natural progesterone cream (even my naturopathic nutritionist recommends it), has no mineral oil, petroleum, or animal products, and is not tested on animals. It helps the body regulate the hormones that go haywire with menopause.

It comes in a tube or [more expensive] pre-measured, single-use packets. Rub it in twice a day, and does it ever help!!!

I can get it at health food stores, including Whole Foods; they're online at: www.emerita.com/.

Not peri-menopausal anymore. Been through it and am on the other side. So first of all, I want to tell you that YOU WILL SURVIVE. I can't speak for the people around you though :-)

No solution, treatment, or remedy works for everyone so you'll probably have to try many many things and see what works for you. For me, the progesterone creams did NOTHING, ditto the wild yam cream. I'll put my two drops in the bucket here, though, and you can try them to see if they work for you.

* Drink lots and lots of water. This is the most important thing. It REALLY helps with the joint and muscle aches. Doesn't help too much with the peeing when sneezing problem though. But I can't emphasize this one enough. It's really important. Fortunately, hot flashes make you so hot and thirsty, you may naturally want to drink more water anyway.
* I take 4 tablespoons of flax seed meal a day. It contains natural vegetable estrogen. It also keeps the digestive system regular and has about 100,000 other health benefits. I take 2 T. in the morning and 2 at night in juice, on my cereal, in a glass of soy milk or whatever.
* St. John's Wort saved my life (and probably the lives of several family members) in terms of depression. Read up on it. It is truly a dietary supplement, has many other health benefits and no negative side effects.
* Motherwort for hot flashes and insomnia. Doesn't work for everyone, but black kohosh didn't work for me and motherwort does.
* According to my health practitioner (acupuncturist and midwife, NOT alopathic) it is best NOT to struggle against the natural tendency to gain weight at this time. Fat stores estrogen and then releases it slowly when your body stops producing it. If you don't have much body fat menopause can be much harder to get through.
* Eat well and try to avoid anemia.
* If you can work it into your schedule, a 20 minute nap daily helps a lot with the fatigue. Just 20 minutes. If you sleep more, insomnia can become a problem.

Those are the things I do. They have helped a lot. I'm out of the tunnel now, haven't bled for about 1-1/2 years, and things are becoming normal again. Not the same normal. Actually a REALLY different normal. But then, that's why they call it "The Change".

Been there, done that! Started young, at age 39, and I had a very rough time. The Pro Gest cream really helped me with the hot flashes. I still use it. I completely agree with the suggestions to drink more water. I have 6 to 8 glasses a day, and up to 12 or even more when dancing or attending workshops. For the problems with peeing when you laugh, sneeze, etc--do the kegel exercises. They really helped me. I also use the EstRing to help with vaginal dryness. I recommend taking vitamin/mineral supplements. You'll have to find what you need, as every woman is different. I really need calcium.

If you haven't already, go to the doctor and have a complete check up. Get a bone scan so you have a good baseline test, which you'll need later to determine if you are developing osteoporosis. Don't let them talk you out of this test. If you don't get it, you'll never know where you started out with your bone density.

What I hated the most is that I felt I had just gotten myself really together, and then menopause hit. It totally changed who I was. I had to accept that I would never get back to who I was before--that I was going to redefine myself again (and again, and again....). That's just how life is.

And yes, you will survive. There is so much more research now on menopause. It's out in the open now. There is lots of help available. Women are helping each other go through this. It is much better now than it was 20 years ago.

Here too...if that is what you call my 'can't-go-to-sleep-at-night-wake-up-at-4-AM-mood-swings-erratic-moontimes-cry-at-the-drop-of-a-hat laughing-the-rest-of-the-time' self.
Beginging to enter the crone time of my life does not upset me, although I think when all is said and done I may actually long for my times in the Red Tent. But that is a Loooong way away yet. Right now I am happy to knwo I am not koo-koo.
On the flip side, I have never felt better about myself and who am I in my LIFE!!!
I really like being me and who I am evolving into. It is all very exciting. Much, much better than being a teen-ager! ;-)
All the advice had been great and I too will try some of these suggestions as I think it would benefit my family as well as me. °Ü°

Caerann,

It was about 5 years between my first symptoms (hot flashes) and my last period. And I continued to have symptoms after that. But I understand that it is different for every woman. I had a much harder time than my sister or my friends.

I did not read books by the authors you mentioned, but I read all of Lynn V. Andrews' books, and "Passages" by Gail Sheedy. Both helped me in different ways.

I took Chaste Tree berry for about 2 years, along with some other herbs. When I was in Turkey I saw that plant growing in my cousin's yard and felt strangely attracted to it. My cousin said it was a weed. I brought back a leaf with me, showed it to my natureopath, and she recognized it. It is an American Indian treatment for osteoporosis.

How are you doing with this? You mentioned physical symptoms. But there are also mental (like the memory loss), emotional (like feeling you are losing control of yourself) and even spiritual symptoms. If you want to ask me more and you feel it's too personal for the public forum, you can send me a message and I'll be glad to help however I can.

Leyla

41 and Peri!

It's awesome!
My body heats up and warms everyone I touch. My men have learned to snuggle into me, rather than add another blanket (cold man on hot skin feels delicious!) I get preferential treatment on airplanes - just murmur Hot Flash to the stewardess and I can walk around and stand for however long I want - while she sends other back to their seats. It gives me an excuse to strip off clothing.

It's also teaching me to be more tolerant of my body and moods, taking time to enjoy the different ways of being me and thinking through the ones I'm not used to. I lead a really active life, and that seems to level off most of the swings.

I've lost weight and am keeping it off. Without trying.
Even my blooms are shorter (if heavier and really interesting.)
This rocks.
I love peri and am looking forward to the next step!