Conference turris::womannotes-v1

Last month the PBS station in Boston presented a medical panel with a bunch
of MDs and medical researchers who said the number one guide for menopause
is .... postpone it as long as possible. 

The argument was that passing through menopause increased the occurence of 
disease and unwanted syndromes.    Anyone else know about this?


American Heritage Dictionary
menopause. noun. The cessation of menstruation that occurs usually between 
the ages of 45 and 50. [Greek. meis, men-, moon + PAUSE.]
                               ----  ---
                                italic

    Bonnie, I think that I am in the process of going through it, at
    least that is what my doctor told me last week.  The only physical
    change that I have noticed is missed periods.  I haven't noticed
    any thing else, but I don't sit and dwell on every twinge.  I'll
    let you know if there are any significant changes.
    
    +Pat+
    

    Interesting subject. I think we are reluctant to deal with it because
    of its association with aging and mortality. I know physically we
    are healthier before menopause (more protection against heart attacks,
    bone thinning, etc.), but I wonder if maybe emotionally menopause
    doesn't have some positive effects. I mean, focusing away from
    one's self as mother or possible mother might lead to focusing more on
    personal needs that had been short-changed earlier.  For myself,
    I'd like to postpone it as long as possible, though. Not just for
    health reasons but for vanity - I want to hold on to all that nice
    skin smoothing estrogen as long as I can. 
    
    Sue
    
    p.s. that remark by that woman's husband (on how it improved her
    disposition) bothered me - sounded too much like getting your dog
    fixed because it bites.
    personal needs.
     

    I've been "going the other way" (as my mother would put it) for
    a while now.  How do I feel about it?  Mostly, I just feel like
    its the next step in the process.  I don't really think about it,
    to be honest.  Except, of course, when a "regular cycle" means every
    11 or 12 days for a few months and then every 6 or 7 weeks for awhile.
    I do get real cranky sometimes, but then I think maybe I always
    did that.  (Didn't really pay any attention until I started looking
    for "symptoms")  I also have hot flashes occassionally, mostly at
    night.  It's funny - I read/hear about the biological clock ticking
    down and try to imagine what that feeling is like.  Then, suddenly
    realize that mine is!  I was only 9 when I started to menstruate
    and wasn't surprised or upset by it.  Now that I'm in my early 40's
    my attitude doesn't seem to have changed.  As I said up front -
    I guess it just the next step in the process.
    
    Sorry - nothing earth-shattering here.  Just thought I'd add some
    input from a woman who's going thru it and doesn't really mind.
    
    maggie

    re: .4, Maggie, Thank you sharing your feelings....I sometimes feel
    the same way, but I could not have said it better.
    
    Thanks
    
    -Dotti.

    I looked all through medical and womannotes for something on ERT
    (estrogen replacement therapy) and was surprised not to find
    anything.
    
    Friends I have in their 50's in New York, California and here in
    mid-America has found their doctors practically ordering them to
    go to ERT.  That is where you take estrogen for three weeks and
    let your body rest the fourth week.  During the third week you
    also take progesterone and you will have a light period during that
    fourth week.  This supposedly keeps you from getting cancer.
    
    Apparently they find this is the best way to prevent osteoporosis--
    the only SURE way.  Calcium supplements are a good idea, but not
    proven to work.
    
    I felt like I was deciding between cancer and osteoporosis.  I had
    not realized that osteo hits 1 in 4 women (white and of northern
    European background are the most often hit).
    
    In the women who get it, 1 in 20 die from complications of the
    broken arms and hips and so forth.  These are all statistics from
    my doctor.
    
    I attended several seminars at a women's health center--one by a
    woman gyn and one by an OD.  Both had the same strong feelings.
    
    I am wondering if any of you are facing (or have faced) this
    decision and what you have decided and how you feel.

    Almost anyone who has undergone a panhysterectomy (=gutted like a fish)
    or an oophorectomy (=no 'nads) should be doing the wee pills. I know I
    would much prefer a shorter-but-active life to a longer one filled with
    disability and pain...and I hope that I have enough moxie to continue
    in that conviction should the random factors fail to align in my favor.
    
    						=maggie 

    I heard about a week ago on National Public Radio an interview with
    a doctor who is strongly suggesting testosterone be added to ERT.
    She claimed that it makes women feel better - more energetic, less
    depression, more interest in sex.  It has been used and studied
    in other countries (including Canada) for 20 years.  The only side
    effect seems to be that some women grow a beard.  She encourages
    women who are not using this to ask their doctor about it.
    
    Elizabeth

    The following reply is from a memeber of our community who wishes
    to remain anonymous.


	I had a hysterectomy 4 years ago.  The doctor found a small
        fibroid tumor behind my uterus during my yearly checkup.
        The tumor continued to grow as I had not begun menopause.  From
        what I understood at the time, had I been in menopause, there was
	an excellent possibility that the tumor would have slowly 
	disappeared.  

	Nine months after finding the tumor, I had surgery, a complete
	hysterectomy.   This threw me right into menopause.  I was in
	the hospital for eight days not only trying to get my strength
        back to leave, but enduring heavy sweating, terrible anxiety
        attacks with my body wracked with shaking, crying, depression,
	menopausal symptoms. 

	I asked my surgeon to give me an estrogen supplement.  He said
	he wouldn't.  I asked why.  He gave me all the reasons why taking
        the supplement was bad for me..the cancer risk, heart attack etc.
	I was released from the hospital and day after day the trauma to
	my body continued. I called him again.  He insisted (rather nicely,
        but!) that as I gathered strength, I could handle what was happening
        to my body and no, he wouldn't prescribe estrogen.  

	I finally called my regular doctor who has known me for years.
	I told him the story and he sorta hesitated.  Then I went into my
        tirade.  I told him that THIS IS _MY_ BODY and if I choose to
	ingest an estrogen supplement, than it was MY RIGHT.  I told him
	it didn't matter to me what the risks were, that I had to live
        NOW and I was willing to take any chances there were in order to
	begin living a normal life.  I told him that NO ONE had the right
        to tell me I couldn't take something that I felt was BEST for me.
	I told him I could get run over by a truck tomorrow; that each
	morning I got out of bed, I was taking a risk.  He phoned in the
	prescription.

	The menopausal symptoms slowly subsided after a few months.  If
	I were to contract  some form of cancer in the future, am I to 
	blame it on the fact that I took estrogen supplements or would I have
	gotten cancer anyway?  No one knows or would know.  A shorter life
	maybe?  It's worth every second I breathe to live the life that
        I have to the fullest.

	If anyone has any questions or just wants to talk, please feel
	free to write me through the moderator.  I will answer you
	personally.

    RE: .9
    
    The anonymous author mentions the reluctance of her doctor to
    prescribe estrogen.
    
    Could the reluctance of some doctors to prescribe medications to
    their patients - even if a patient states that she/he is willing
    to take the risks associated with a particular medication - be
    caused, to some degree, by the doctor's fears of being faced
    with a malpractice suit, should the medication, in fact, cause
    long-term, harmful effects? 
    
    Would more physicians be willing to prescribe medications, against
    their better judgement, if a patient were willing to sign a consent
    form, indicating that she/he understood the risks involved, and
    absolving the doctor of any blame, should negative effects occur?
    
      Alan

    There are already such forms in existance.  In some places, women who
    are of some slightly-high risk groups for complications involving BC
    pills (i.e., diabetes in the family but not the patient), there are
    forms for the patient to sign if she wants the pills anyway.
    
    Elizabeth 

About the testosterone, I have heard that it should be part of the ERT
    also, and have talked to five doctors about it.  All of them have
    said they would not prescribe it because of the side effects.  Has
    anyone here used it?  If so, was it beneficial and did it cause
    any negative side effects?  Did you have a hard time obtaining it?

The "Let's Talk" program, sponsored (or associated with) Burbank Hospital 
in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, has scheduled a seminar on menopause.  Excerpt 
from the notice I saw:

Dr. Bonnie Laudenbach, a board-certified OB/GYN at Burbank Hospital, will 
discuss the emotional and physical changes associated with menopause.

March 17th
7-9 PM
Fitchburg Public Library, the youth area.
$5.00 donation requested.

If you want more info, call 617-342-9391 Tuesday thru Friday, 12-5 PM
By the way, the Let's Talk people have many seminars of interest to women.  
One is also coming up soon on breast cancer.  (The notice I saw is a public 
mailer; you can also ask to be put on the mailing list, or just call for 
info.)                                    Meigs

This note is being entered for a member of the community who wishes
    to remain anonymous
------------------------------------------------------------------

I would like to ask you woman, and men too if you have some experience 
with this subject, some questions on dealing with this occurrence.  I know 
most of you women are young but I'm hoping there is some advice out
there. 

My doctor told me that most likely I am going through/starting my 
menopause.  Well it is fine with me for I know it is a natural process.  

One of my concerns is that I don't want to take hormones unless it
is absolutely necessary.  My doctor said they help the "Hot Flashes" which
are not a problem for me.  When I asked about emotional highs and lows
he said tranquilizers where the only solution.  He hesitates to give
them and I hesitate to take them.  I would only consider it if I was
going off the wall, which I am not.  

I am what I consider overly sensitive.  I cry or get hurt over things that
aren't really a big issue.  This, I'm afraid, is becoming a problem with me
and the man in my life.  I did tell him that I was feeling overly sensitive 
and explained that I thought it was associated with menopause but it does 
not occur often and I think he may have forgotten about it.  I do not want 
to harm this relationship by being a drag.  I have a difficult time trying 
to control myself and do not always succeed and I know it must be hard to
understand this from a man's point of view. It is even hard to understand
when you are a woman.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do help myself get back to
the easy going happy person I really am?  Well, I was most of the time! ;-)


Thanks

    dear anon,
    
    i don't have any personal experience to offer, but here's a book that
    might help: the boston women's health collective (the folks who brought
    us "our bodies ourselves") has just come out with a new book, "our
    bodies, growing older". it probably contains information on this very
    topic. 
    
    good luck
    liz

    <--(.14) 
    
    You might also check with a more relaxed physician:  the only thing
    wrong with estrogens is that you have a somewhat-increased chance of
    (uterine? I can't remember) cancer, but that's more than offset (in
    *my* mind...and in the minds of many physicians today) by the
    markedly-reduced risk of osteoporosis.  I'd rather risk the cancer:
    there ain't no cure for the osteo. 
    
    And the only thing wrong with tranqs, btw, is that you might come to
    enjoy the stoned feeling, not a good idea for the long haul (I mean,
    who wants to spend the rest of their life only half alive?).  The
    negative attitude that many physicians have about prescribing them is
    due more to the "Reefer Madness" mentality than to sound medical
    judgement.  Really.
    
    						=maggie 

    It maybe useful for you to read the HOLISTIC notesfile for some
    ideas on 'natural remedies' (couldn't think of a better term!)
    
    I've attached the HOLISTIC notefile to this reply.  To add it to
    your notebook press KP7 or SELECT.
    
    Best regards
    Janice

    I'd second looking in to holistic-type approaches. I believe
    osteoporosis is preventable thru proper nutrition and exercise.
    It is not necessarily a consequence of estrogen loss. You also
    may be able to control mood swings in a more natural way than
    tranquilizers and/or estrogen therapy.
    
    Check it out.
    
    --dE
    

    re: .14
    
    I'd be curious as to whether the mood swings you are having are
    somehow related to the hormonal/whatever moodswings that go along
    with PMS.  If you can find an answer to this question, (or even
    try things that might help PMS and answer it yourself), read note
    131 here (PMS - how we cope) and it might have some suggestions.
    
    -Jody
    

    Re: .14
    
    My mother has been going through menopause over the last year or so and
    her reaction sounds very similar to yours.  Even though she was
    getting a lot of support from me and my siblings (though not our father)
    she still had a hard time with the "over sensitivity" problems it
    brought. 
    
    After several months of the "over sensitivity" she decided to take the
    hormones.  She was in Mass visiting for the Boston marathon this year
    and seemed to be back to her old self.
    
    During the hardest time of her problems it was hard for me to judge,
    from 800 miles away, whether she was over sensitive to the problems
    with her relationship to my father or justifiably upset.  If others
    have an investment in your relationship with the man in your life,
    the instability of that relationship, because of menopause, may
    be upsetting to more people than just you and your man.  I think
    the hormones will help my mother to clearly think out the path she
    needs to take to resolve or end or own relationship.
    
    					MJC O->

    re: .14
    
    My mother went through this about 15 years ago, when she had to
    have a hysterectomy.  She, like you, wanted to avoid medication if
    she could. 
    
    After almost two years of trying to fight her swinging emotions,
    she finally gave in.  It was like a miracle!  Instead of the
    short-tempered weepy woman we had become used to, we had our old
    cheerful mother back.  She couldn't believe how much different
    she felt, and how much better.  She was only sorry she didn't
    start the treatments sooner.

    --bonnie

	"Consumer Reports" 's May issue talked about osteoperosis:

	"...Often, however, the most effective measure for
	postmenopausal women at risk is a medical one - estrogen
	replacement therapy.  Essentially, you take oral doses of
	estrogen to compensate for the natural decline in estrogen
	production.  Estrogen can't restore bone mass, so it's not an
	effective therapy for elderly women who have already lost a
	great deal of bone.  But if estrogen is started in the first
	few years after menopause, it can prevent the accelerated bone
	loss that normally occurs.  Studies show, for example, that the
	therapy can reduce the incidence of hip and wrist fractures by
	60 percent if begun around the time of menopause.  Estrogen also
	relieves symptoms of menopause, such as vaginal dryness and hot
	flashes.

	A balance of risks

	Estrogen therapy is not without hazard, though.  It can
	increase the risk of high blood pressure, gallbladder disease,
	blood clots, and particularly, uterine cancer.  To reduce that
	possiblility, estrogen is supplemented with a progesterone-like
	hormone, a combination that may cause periodic vaginal bleeding.

	Postmenopausal women on estrogen need routine checkups for
	uterine cancer.  If caught early, the disease is curable.
	Nevertheless, estrogen therapy is clearly not something to
	embrace routinely.  For a woman at high risk� of osteoporosis,
	however, the benefits far outweigh the risks.  In addition,
	recent research suggests that taking extra calcium along with
	estrogen may allow the estrogen dose to be cut in half, further
	reducing any risk.

	..."

	� Earlier in the article, it listed high risk women as those
	with small bone structure, light skin and fair hair, those with
	family history of osteoporosis, and early menopause.

	Oh, and a sedentary lifestyle puts you at higher risk.  "The
	best exercises appear to be 'weight-bearing' ones - the kind
	that put stress on the limbs through active movement.  Good
	weight-bearing activities include walking, biking, jogging,
	aerobics, rope-jumping, and practically any active sport that
	gets you to move around."

    A friend of mine is looking for a women's discussion/therapy group
    to help her deal with her (extended and difficult) menopause.  Just
    about anything in MA between Worcester and Waltham would be fine
    with her.
    
    Have any of our community participated in such a group?  How did
    it go?  Was it helpful?
    
    Lee T

    Lee, have your friend call the nearest good hospital and ask about
    their support groups.  
    
    I know both hospitals in Nashua offer such support groups (and
    will often help start a new one if it doesn't already exist) for
    medically related problems. 
    
    --bonnie