It all began when I spotted her book “The Sexy Years.” I was 47 years old and had gone through an early menopause. To this day I don’t know what caused it.
My primary care physician had recommended hormone replacement therapy (synthetic) to balance my hormones. Prempro to be exact (premarin/progesterone combination). I was having the typical hot flashes in the middle of the night and for no reason at all was feeling irritable/moody. Symptoms of menopause may include nightsweats, low libido, mood swings, vaginal dryness, hair loss, memory loss, etc. It’s just so much fun being a woman!!
Some women would not feel comfortable taking synthetic hormones, but I believed that I was too young to be without estrogen for the rest of my life. It would not be good for my sexual, emotional and mental health. Not a fact, just my opinion.
Then came the study on hormone replacement (Women’s Health Initiative) which revealed that taking this pill could result in breast cancer, heart attacks, strokes, blood clots to lungs and legs and dementia (on over 65 women). Although feeling absolutely fabulous on Prempro, I was put on a lower dose. I really wish the survey had not affected me because I’ve never felt as good as I did at that time. So energized, motivated, working out 4-5 days per week. No side effects..
Then came THE book written by Suzanne Somers, “The Sexy Years.” (Yes, our later years in life can be our sexiest with the children off to college or settling away from home in their new lives.) It was about bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (not synthetic). The great thing about the bio-identicals was that the formula was identical in molecular structure to the hormones women make in their bodies. And, it could be customized for each woman at a compounding pharmacy.
I was so excited…couldn’t wait to get off of the synthetic hormones. Problem was…it was so new I could not find a doctor who knew anything about it. Her doctor was in California. It was a relatively new science.
One lucky day I was reading a local newsletter, and found an article on Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy. A Custom Medicine Pharmacy was holding mini seminars on BHRT.
I signed up, and for the next five years I experimented with BHRT. I say experimented because although there was a doctor in the area, she was already overbooked. My only hope was working with my primary, order the blood tests and send the results to the lab and have them interpreted by Bill Beckman, RPh. I was mailed my creams every month which included estrogens/progesterone/testosterone in several vials.
How did I feel? Actually wonderful, but I always felt that I wanted a doctor specializing in BHRT to diagnose my prescription. That was about 7 years ago and this week I have an appointment at the Women Well center in Needham, Mass. I was referred by a friend who loves the care she receives there. She has never felt better. I will have my own doctor!
It’s been a long process, but it all started with Suzanne Somers!
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Where do Bioidentical Hormones Come From ?
A couple of times a week, I get the question, “Where do hormones comes from ?” Russell E Marker was the Penn State chemist who originated Progesterone and other Bioidentical Hormones from a plant steroid called Diosgenin. He started a company in Mexico in the 1940’s called Syntex that mass produced bioidentical hormones from the Mexican Yam.
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jeffrey dach md
So I guess I should love you too?
Hi
love your blog…thanks for posting my comment…
jeffrey dach
Yea thats really hapening! Well compounding pharmacy Knoxville and in many other areas such as Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and Florida already faced several menopause patients having different problems with their medicines.