Any suggestions

[SandraCT]

Well I'm going to see my Gyno tomorrow for a follow up visit for some ovarian cysts I had and I was wondering if anyone could give me info on hormone pills or birth control, etc. I don't know exactly how to word this but I'm 45 and last month had some irregular bleeding and it scared me because this never happened before. I know it could be peri-menopause because of my age. I've already had 2 vaginal ultrasounds and they seemed normal. When I had the irregular bleeding last month, it was going on 17 days. It was not heavy but more like spotting and mostly when I wiped. Not much on pad. Anyways I called my Gyno and he prescribed me some pills to stop the bleeding. When I picked up the pills I researched them on the internet. I believe they were prestergone pills (?). I can't remember because I'm on so many other things right now. I only took them for a week. It did stop the bleeding. But it said that this prestergone (?) was believed to help prevent uterine cancer. I guess my question is, do any of you take this or other kind of medication(s) to help prevent in these type of "female" cancers? I have also read that birth control can lower your risks. Do women go on these pills solely for this reason? Last year he suggested a low dose hormone pill but I was scared because I have heard they are not good for you. Why do women go on hormone pills? Does it lighten your periods or is it for the menopause symptoms like hot flashes and stuff? I guess I feel uneducated and unhappy with my doctors because they pretty much do the basic pap test and breast check but no one really prepares you for this stage of life. I will see him tomorrow and may ask for something but I don't know what. Sorry if this makes no sense at all. It's very late and I should have gone to bed a long time ago. Anyways I do appreciate all the help I have received. It has been a lot more than I have gotten from any of my current docs. I'm looking into getting new ones....Thank you.
Sandy

[stef000]

I think most people if they take meds such as progesterone that usually they take it to lighten up the bleeding and cramping...
some might take it to reduce the risk of cancer...i am not sure..
Some IC-ers do flare with progesterone and/or estrogen...
but since it helped you then i would say you didn't flare from that hormone...
I personally take progesterone to help with my bleeding and cramping, i don't know how bad i would be without...i remember the last time i wasn't on any hormone therapy at all---i just about passed out from the pain/bleeding the first day and all i did was go to the bank....:headbang:
Birth control pills can reduce risks of certain things...estrogen is a real kicker though since it can cause blood clots and gallbladder disease so you have to watch out for upper abdominal pain or any pain really that is weird for you since then that means you need to see a doc and get it checked out and make sure it isn't serious....
With any hormonal pill out there, there is a risk well with any med out there there is a risk....
you have to really weigh out the risks and benefits to your own body....
its really an individual thing.....if you feel you need the hormonal help then i say take it but only if you know the risks to it too....
But really that is with everything...:rolleyes:
With my years of chronic pain, I have learned one very important thing....to base decisions on 'quality of life' rather than what studies say, unless of course they say its horribly dangerous and such but i think you know what i mean....
If it can help with quality of life but poses lil risk to you personally then i would say think about it but talk about everything with your doc though or at least ask them for what they know of your medical history if you can try the drug safely and make sure you know the side effects too to make sure you are making an informed decision then try it but be very conscious of your body and see if you get any side effects....
that is how i do things with meds....i try it very cautiously....if its a med that i am supposed to take more than one a day then, unless its something like an antibiotic where well if you want to get better you gotta take it then i take the prescribed dosage, but i try things if i can first one a day and then go from there....just to be really safe.....
Women go on hormones to either get relief from horrible menstrual issues or menopause....some women get horrible menopause for a few years and it does take a toll on your body so its nice to get some relief so they talk to a good doc and see what hormones are good for them and what dosages....
you can do a lot of that naturally these days....
but with everything you gotta weigh the risks and benefits of everything....
pap tests are good to make sure things are healthy there...i think it tests just about everything and with the breasts, really you should try and do a self exam and sorta feel around and see if there are any lumps or whathaveyou
so its really good to do your own assessment of your body too....sorta be in charge more....
its really good to do that so then the docs are working for you and your the boss type thing....i know its hard with some docs but if you are trying out new docs you should act like they are someone looking for a job and you interview them not the other way around....
thats really a good way to assess them and see whos good and such....
if they are ok with working for you and not the other way around sort to speak...
i hope this helps you out....
and i hope you get some answers and some good relief tomorrow...:pray:
take it easy and take care
:grouphug:

[ICNDonna]

The information I have read indicates that hormone therapy is harmful if taken long term; I read that to mean for years and years. It used to be that when someone had a hysterectomy at a fairly young age, hormones were given for as much as fifteen or twenty years. It's been found there's a down side to this kind of long term use.

Most experts suggest taking it just to help with the symptoms of menopause, stopping it within months.

Donna

[Tuckersmom]

Personally I would opt for a low dose birthcontrol pill, until bloodwork shows that you are post menopausal. Then I would switch to a low dose HRT.

[SharonA]

My mother had a hysterectomy at age 40. She did not have her ovaries taken out so she was not forced into a post surgical menopause. She then went through a normal menopausal experience around age 50 or so...hot flashes, etc. She was put on HRT. They did help her, but the odd thing is she was never taken off of them after she was post menopausal. She was still taking them when she died at age 75. When I discovered that, I was very surprised. I still can not figure out why. As far as I know, there really is no reason to take HRT once you are post menopausal.

I went through an early menopause beginning at age 39. I was post menopausal by age 45. I decided that, if I could tolerate it, I would not go on HRT. I made it through and still do not take HRT.

Sandy...I hope that, between you and your doctor, you will be able to make the right choice for you. :)

[Tuckersmom]

I know that each one of is so very different in how we manage to get through peri-menopause and menopause itself. I'm 52 years old and when I got off of BCPs a few months ago, after a blood test showed that I was post-menopausal, I wound up in the hospital, thinking I was having a major heart attack. It turned out to be anxiety due to lack of hormones. I was a basket case, wondering if I would ever feel normal emotionally again.

My GYN put me on a low-dose, soy derivative HRT, and I am also on Xanax for anxiety. It's just been in the last few days that I feel like myself once again.

HRT is not the answer for everyone, but it's part of the answer for me. In researching Menopause online, I found out that some women suffer from hot flashes, etc. well into their seventies.

I'd rather die a few years early from HRT, if it truly shortens your life, then live to be a hundred and be totally out-of-my-mind for all of those years.

JMHO.

[lissad]

I understand your position Donna , however In response to stef000 I can totally understand her point on quality of life . She obviously has "walked the walk" and is not dispersing advice unknowingly . Constant chronic pain and how the patient copes does come down to quality of life and how you want to live in the here and now vs . the future . Honestly if we all took the advice from what we read we would never ever get well or better yet even have that one good day . Everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt .

[SandraCT]

Thanks to all of you for responding. I was just very confused about hormone therapy and honestly did not understand what is was about. I talked to my Gyno today and he put me on a low dose birth control pill called Yaz. I have heard about it. I was glad he suggested this because although my periods are not extremely heavy, it was starting to really bother my IC and bladder. I also have a neurogenic bladder so I felt like everything down below was just hanging and I wear pads and it was just starting to really annoy me. Hopefully this pill will "lighten" things up!! Does anyone have any experience with Yaz? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks again for helping me out here. I have learned so much from the women on this website and for that I am grateful.

Best wishes,

Sandy

[sami4]

I first want to say that the news media has not done women any favors with their sensationalist reporting of studies or facts that have been hyped way out of proportion.
Next, I feel it is every womans' responsibility to inform herself regarding hormone use and hormone studies. Do not rely on health care persons, friends or board members to do your own due diligence regarding this subject. Gyno's usually fall in the category of the "teeny, weeny, estrogen fear types to the "if it feels good do it," types. What you need is a balance.
I suggest you get the book, Screaming to be Heard, by Dr. Elizabeth Vliett which is a hormone feast of information and interpretation of various studies.
The much touted nurse's study was done with synthetic hormones such as Premarin and Provera. Provera and Premarin in combo were show to increase breast cancer, estrogens alone did not. I have read many studies also and continue to read them as they are published. I find many of these studies are not well done or based on some pretty flimsy hypothesis. One I read recently concluded that there was a decline in breast cancer because there was a decline in estrogen Rx from the pharmacies he polled. What about women on bio-identical hormones and not getting them from main stream pharmacies, or people who have to get hormones from their insurance companies mail order program? News media never delves into the mechanics of a study--if its sensational, they report it.
As for who gets breast cancer due to hormones? Cancer is a complicated multi faceted disease. Most studies I have read showed a very, tiny increase in women taking hormone replacement 1% or none at all when compared to women who never had hormone replacement therapy. Women who have never been on hormone therapy get BC also, and increasing age is a big risk factor.
Here in AZ we have a huge Alzheimers research facility and they just published that women who do not have enough estrogen going into menopause and beyond have a much, much higher risk of developing Alzheimers than women who have higher estrogen levels.
So, do what you want. As for me I will take my hormones.
Sammi

[asilva]

Me too, Sami. As a patient of Dr. Vliet's for the past two years, bioidentical hormones have made a huge difference in my life. Even my Internist, who was skeptical of them at first, told me at my last general checkup that my overall health had improved immensely over the past two years, and he gives the credit to her.

[ngazerro]

I had a partial hysterectomy at the age of 24. About two years later I started to take estrogen becuase my level were low. At 36 I had to have my ovaries removed. They up my estrogen, but it was still throwing my body out of whack. I am now 38 and have been on compound hormones for close to a year. In the last three months my body level are finally normal. It has helped my body and mind to get it straight. My compound hormones are: progesterone, estrogen, and testerone. I agree with other when it comes to the quality of life. I agree with the fact that menopause can take a toll on your body. You loose mucsle mass & it effects your bone density, not to mention will make you crazy :loco:..At age 38, I am not ready for that. My compound hormes are great!