I regret the delay in responding. I've somehow just seen your email. It seems you've been having a very difficult time.
I don't see any reason to feel awkward going to your doctor and even changing things. It seems you feel better and that is what matters. However, it would be best to ask the doctor for help as soon as you noticed the symptoms made you feel poorly.
The fact that you got pregnant with thyroid might mean that you are low on thyroid now. Ask to have your thyroid level checked. You also have fatty stools; you might have gallbladder disease or celiac disease or other intestinal problem. Ask your doctor about that. The fact that your symptoms came early, at age 21 or so, and are back now and your feel anxious could be a neurological condition such as temporal lobe epilepsy and can be diagnosed with an eeg. Bioidenticals are in fact very similar to what you are taking, only they a the same formula as the original estrogens a woman's body makes. They do have the advantage of being able to be measured and that could be helpful to you. It is easy to measure and you will know the dose is in the right range for you. However, the belief is that if you have a similar dose with bioidenticals as with non bioidenticals (by that I mean the dose is equivalent) it is likely the risks for breast cancer and other problems are the same. There is much less data on them but virtually no data to make the medical community believe ther carry no risk. Progesterone is safe for most people to take, but you would have to ask your doctor as I don't have enough information on you to say for sure. If you want to try nonhormonal options for vaginal dryness, consider over the counter Replens. Use it daily for two weeks and then twice per week. It can be very helpful to increase moisture. Some women notice a slight white discharge with Replens but it is not an infection. It is the Replens shedding with the lining cells of the vagina which naturally shed but without the Replens, cannot be seen.
Machelle M. Seibel, MD
Maybe you need to see an endocrinologist and an internist; maybe a cardiologist. There might be something else going on.
I agree with above, natural all the way, stay away from synthetic, do saliva testing and natural hrt, I do that for a living because of my similar testimony as njw753 states...I am whole again...you do not have to live this way...read Dr Lee's book, what your doctor did not tell you about menopause? that was the beginning for me, I have turned my mess into a message, my site is messengerofhealth because over 1 milliion women yearly get hysterectomies or go through menopause and get on the wrong path of destruction....it is a stage of life and it does not have to be destructive...I went to 3 diff. doctors, tried $1000's in meds and happily I use natural all the way and I am whole, I lost 78lbs, I have my life back...blessings to you. Connie Allen, CNC
Premarin is synthetic and made from female horse urine. It's not good for you. I would definitely check out bioidentical hormones. They will do blood work to determine the dosage.
I had a complete hysterectomy in 1987 when I was in my 30’s. I had no libido. None. I managed my menopause symptoms with different estrogen pills. Then came the estrogen scare several years ago. I tried to get off of the estrogen and couldn’t. I work at home so was able to keep a chart of how often, how long and how bad the hot flashes were. The night sweats were the worse.
Then in 2003, I read a newsletter from my gyn about Bioidentical hormone pellets. These tiny pellets are made up of either estrogen or testosterone. They are implanted in my hip every 3-4 months. It's a simple office procedure. Bioidentical hormones are the closest thing to what a woman produces naturally. There is not the risk of breast cancer as in synthetic hormones. Your body only uses what it needs. I did some research and one of the symptoms of low testosterone is loss of libido. I also felt like my name was after every symptom. There was a ray of hope! I talked to my dr about the pellets. She does thousands of women. I found out that a friend also had the pellets and was loving them. So I decided to get them. I get 2 estrogen pellets which I think are 25mg each, and 1 testosterone pellet of 75mgs. I will get these pellets as long as I am able. Hopefully till I die.
I have to say they changed my life. First of all the menopause symptoms went away. But the absolute best was the increase in sex drive. Orgasm, lubrication, desire went through the roof. We were like kids on a honeymoon! My whole self-image has increased. Now after 4 years, we’ve “calmed” down somewhat but really my libido is still strong. I guess I’m trying to make up for all those lost years.
I regret the delay in responding. I've somehow just seen your email. It seems you've been having a very difficult time.
I don't see any reason to feel awkward going to your doctor and even changing things. It seems you feel better and that is what matters. However, it would be best to ask the doctor for help as soon as you noticed the symptoms made you feel poorly.
The fact that you got pregnant with thyroid might mean that you are low on thyroid now. Ask to have your thyroid level checked. You also have fatty stools; you might have gallbladder disease or celiac disease or other intestinal problem. Ask your doctor about that. The fact that your symptoms came early, at age 21 or so, and are back now and your feel anxious could be a neurological condition such as temporal lobe epilepsy and can be diagnosed with an eeg. Bioidenticals are in fact very similar to what you are taking, only they a the same formula as the original estrogens a woman's body makes. They do have the advantage of being able to be measured and that could be helpful to you. It is easy to measure and you will know the dose is in the right range for you. However, the belief is that if you have a similar dose with bioidenticals as with non bioidenticals (by that I mean the dose is equivalent) it is likely the risks for breast cancer and other problems are the same. There is much less data on them but virtually no data to make the medical community believe ther carry no risk. Progesterone is safe for most people to take, but you would have to ask your doctor as I don't have enough information on you to say for sure. If you want to try nonhormonal options for vaginal dryness, consider over the counter Replens. Use it daily for two weeks and then twice per week. It can be very helpful to increase moisture. Some women notice a slight white discharge with Replens but it is not an infection. It is the Replens shedding with the lining cells of the vagina which naturally shed but without the Replens, cannot be seen.
Machelle M. Seibel, MD