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[luddite]

You can complain to me!  How long have your innards been acting up, Anthroid? 

All told, including mood swings and hot flashes, ten years.  It's intensified in the last three years, and then I thought I had ended.  I had a hiatus from January through August of the cycle, the hot flashes and the mood swings, and then the cycle (luckily without mood swings and hot flashes, by and large) started up again with a vengeance.  After day 10 of scary stuff, I went to the doc, and she did an endometrial biopsy (p.s., when a gynecologist says "you may experience discomfort," you can just be sure that she really, really means it).  Then in mid October and now.

Ten years!  That's awful.  I hope you feel better very soon.

I've heard that endometrial biopsies can be terribly painful, and hope I don't need to have one.  So far, I've only had a pelvic ultrasound.  The results were normal, except that my left ovary is somewhat larger than my right one.  I'm sure that's considered normal, too.

Is there any particular pain reliever that works especially well for you?  At times like this, I'm convinced that I'm single-handedly keeping the makers of Advil in business.

Advil is good for the daytime.  Gin is fabulous in the evening.
[/quote]

I'm drinking red wine right now.  It does work wonders.  Cheers!

[infopri]

Clearly, I should be counting my blessings.  I seem to have gotten off almost scot-free.

[msparticularity]

Luddite, I had over a decade of bizarre bleeding also, beginning in my mid-thirties. Interestingly, it got LOTS better when I went on big doses of fish oil for my RA - much less bleeding, shorter periods, not-quite-so-bad cramps. I read later that a lot of naturopaths prescribe Omega 3s for perimenopause and other menstrual difficulties.

[anthroid]

Luddite, I had over a decade of bizarre bleeding also, beginning in my mid-thirties. Interestingly, it got LOTS better when I went on big doses of fish oil for my RA - much less bleeding, shorter periods, not-quite-so-bad cramps. I read later that a lot of naturopaths prescribe Omega 3s for perimenopause and other menstrual difficulties.

Interesting.  I take fish oil every day.  How much is a "big dose" for you?

BTW, I tried black cohosh, and, at least for me, it made things much worse.  But that's just me.

[msparticularity]

Luddite, I had over a decade of bizarre bleeding also, beginning in my mid-thirties. Interestingly, it got LOTS better when I went on big doses of fish oil for my RA - much less bleeding, shorter periods, not-quite-so-bad cramps. I read later that a lot of naturopaths prescribe Omega 3s for perimenopause and other menstrual difficulties.

Interesting.  I take fish oil every day.  How much is a "big dose" for you?

BTW, I tried black cohosh, and, at least for me, it made things much worse.  But that's just me.

6g total for 3g combined DHA/EPA. Big enough for you ;) ?

[anthroid]

Luddite, I had over a decade of bizarre bleeding also, beginning in my mid-thirties. Interestingly, it got LOTS better when I went on big doses of fish oil for my RA - much less bleeding, shorter periods, not-quite-so-bad cramps. I read later that a lot of naturopaths prescribe Omega 3s for perimenopause and other menstrual difficulties.

Interesting.  I take fish oil every day.  How much is a "big dose" for you?

BTW, I tried black cohosh, and, at least for me, it made things much worse.  But that's just me.

6g total for 3g combined DHA/EPA. Big enough for you ;) ?

*deep voice*

Why, yes, little lady.  That's plenty big.

:)

That's about 5 times what I take.  Hmmmmm.....perhaps there will be an Anthroid experiment soon.... Are there any negatives to taking so much fish oil?  And what's DHA/EPA?

[luddite]

Luddite, I had over a decade of bizarre bleeding also, beginning in my mid-thirties. Interestingly, it got LOTS better when I went on big doses of fish oil for my RA - much less bleeding, shorter periods, not-quite-so-bad cramps. I read later that a lot of naturopaths prescribe Omega 3s for perimenopause and other menstrual difficulties.

Interesting.  I take fish oil every day.  How much is a "big dose" for you?

BTW, I tried black cohosh, and, at least for me, it made things much worse.  But that's just me.

6g total for 3g combined DHA/EPA. Big enough for you ;) ?

Msparticularity and Anthroid,

I really appreciate your advice!  I have a follow-up appointment with my doctor in a month or so, and will ask her about fish oil and other supplements.  She gave me a lab form for blood work, and I noticed items like Vitamin D (interthreaduality alert!), folate, B vitamins, TSH and a CBC on the list.  She seemed a little concerned that I might have anemia, and I've read that hypothyroidism can cause irregular periods.

I'm currently taking the progestin-only pill, which is notorious for breakthrough bleeding.  This side effect didn't ever hit me until about a year ago, and now it's getting incredibly annoying.  I do have to be careful about estrogen intake because of hypertension (one of several fun conditions that runs in my family).  It's under control now, but my physician wants me to keep a close watch on my BP after I start the combo pill. 

[anthroid]

FYI, I've been taking a super-B complex to deal with hypertension (successfully--and it has a great side benefit of strengthening hair and nails) for the last 15 years.  Folate, of course, is a part of that.

TSH and CBC are totally normal tests.  If I recall correctly, the first measures your girl-type hormones.  The other looks for inflammation of one kind or another. 

As for estrogen in the pill, it is, anymore, so minimal that it shouldn't affect your BP all that much, though, if you have a sensitivity to the condition, of course you must be concerned. 

<stern voice>

You don't smoke, right?

[msparticularity]

Luddite, I had over a decade of bizarre bleeding also, beginning in my mid-thirties. Interestingly, it got LOTS better when I went on big doses of fish oil for my RA - much less bleeding, shorter periods, not-quite-so-bad cramps. I read later that a lot of naturopaths prescribe Omega 3s for perimenopause and other menstrual difficulties.

Interesting.  I take fish oil every day.  How much is a "big dose" for you?

BTW, I tried black cohosh, and, at least for me, it made things much worse.  But that's just me.

6g total for 3g combined DHA/EPA. Big enough for you ;) ?

*deep voice*

Why, yes, little lady.  That's plenty big.

:)

That's about 5 times what I take.  Hmmmmm.....perhaps there will be an Anthroid experiment soon.... Are there any negatives to taking so much fish oil?  And what's DHA/EPA?

DHA and EPA are the essential fatty acids (EFAs) that appear to have all the beneficial effects. Depending upon the quality of the fish oil, the proportion of EFAs may be quite good (500 mg per g) to very poor (100 mg per g).

The biggest concern with fish oil, especially at very high concentrations, is purity - stuff like mercury and other contaminants are a VERY big downer! What you want is one that is molecularly distilled. I take Trader Joe's most of the time for cheapness, frankly, but really prefer one made in Canada by Greens+ (I think they've changed their name now, though).

[infopri]

As for estrogen in the pill, it is, anymore, so minimal that it shouldn't affect your BP all that much, though, if you have a sensitivity to the condition, of course you must be concerned. 

<stern voice>

You don't smoke, right?

I'm not so sure about that.  My family's medical history caught up with me last year and my BP, which had always been squarely in a good place, suddenly became elevated.  Once it became clear that it wasn't going to come back down on its own, the first thing the docs did was take me off my low-dose birth-control pill.  And, sure enough, there was a noticeable drop in BP.  (Not enough, but that's the family genes at work.)

P.S.  As it turned out, I was probably on the pill a good year longer than I needed to be, which may explain why I didn't go through the whole hot-flash/night-sweats thing.  After all, the pill is the ultimate HRT!

[anthroid]

As for estrogen in the pill, it is, anymore, so minimal that it shouldn't affect your BP all that much, though, if you have a sensitivity to the condition, of course you must be concerned. 

<stern voice>

You don't smoke, right?

I'm not so sure about that.  My family's medical history caught up with me last year and my BP, which had always been squarely in a good place, suddenly became elevated.  Once it became clear that it wasn't going to come back down on its own, the first thing the docs did was take me off my low-dose birth-control pill.  And, sure enough, there was a noticeable drop in BP.  (Not enough, but that's the family genes at work.)

P.S.  As it turned out, I was probably on the pill a good year longer than I needed to be, which may explain why I didn't go through the whole hot-flash/night-sweats thing.  After all, the pill is the ultimate HRT!

I think it's so idiosyncratic that it's hard to know.  I was on the pill for probably two years too long (!) and I suspect (unconfirmed by any proof of any kind, of course) that being on too long intensified the hot flashes and the mood swings.  Once I went off, the symptoms went away immediately.  BP stayed about the same, FWIW.

[infopri]

As for estrogen in the pill, it is, anymore, so minimal that it shouldn't affect your BP all that much, though, if you have a sensitivity to the condition, of course you must be concerned. 

<stern voice>

You don't smoke, right?

I'm not so sure about that.  My family's medical history caught up with me last year and my BP, which had always been squarely in a good place, suddenly became elevated.  Once it became clear that it wasn't going to come back down on its own, the first thing the docs did was take me off my low-dose birth-control pill.  And, sure enough, there was a noticeable drop in BP.  (Not enough, but that's the family genes at work.)

P.S.  As it turned out, I was probably on the pill a good year longer than I needed to be, which may explain why I didn't go through the whole hot-flash/night-sweats thing.  After all, the pill is the ultimate HRT!

I think it's so idiosyncratic that it's hard to know.  I was on the pill for probably two years too long (!) and I suspect (unconfirmed by any proof of any kind, of course) that being on too long intensified the hot flashes and the mood swings.  Once I went off, the symptoms went away immediately.  BP stayed about the same, FWIW.

I suppose this (our opposite experiences) is the very reason that the plural of anecdote isn't data! 

Okay, now who wants to take bets on whether infopri or anthroid is the outlier?  ;-)

[gennimom]

I think I'm coming down with a cold. Ich.

[luddite]

As for estrogen in the pill, it is, anymore, so minimal that it shouldn't affect your BP all that much, though, if you have a sensitivity to the condition, of course you must be concerned. 

<stern voice>

You don't smoke, right?

I'm not so sure about that.  My family's medical history caught up with me last year and my BP, which had always been squarely in a good place, suddenly became elevated.  Once it became clear that it wasn't going to come back down on its own, the first thing the docs did was take me off my low-dose birth-control pill.  And, sure enough, there was a noticeable drop in BP.  (Not enough, but that's the family genes at work.)

P.S.  As it turned out, I was probably on the pill a good year longer than I needed to be, which may explain why I didn't go through the whole hot-flash/night-sweats thing.  After all, the pill is the ultimate HRT!

No, I’ve never been a smoker.  You would be so right to lecture me if I were!

When I was first diagnosed with high blood pressure, the first thing my doctor did was take me off the combination pill.  We decided to take a wait-and-see approach for a few months to find out what the results of any hormonal and lifestyle changes would be.  I didn’t fit the profile of a patient with hypertension:  young, white, female, nonsmoker, not overweight, and a (usually) moderate drinker.  But my father and grandfather had been diagnosed with hypertension around the age of 30, so there’s the family history.

I stopped taking the pill, joined a health club and worked out 3 times a week (in addition to doing regular housework, taking walks, and doing other low-intensity exercises).  Nothing.  Several months later, I had surgery for an unrelated problem, and lost 10 pounds during the course of my recovery.  Nada.  Whenever I checked my BP at the pharmacy or grocery store, it always came up 130s/80s - 140s/90s.  After my physician put me on a therapeutic dose of ACE inhibitors, my BP dropped right down into the normal range.  These days it usually runs from 110s/70s – 120s/80s, although I still occasionally have white-coat hypertension in the doctor’s office. 

It stinks to have the BP problem, but it could be so much worse.  And, at least my healthier diet (lots of veggies, very little red meat and junk food) and exercise routine (yoga, yard work, jogging when the weather is tolerable) has had a positive effect on my cholesterol.  It’s never been high, but the last time I was tested my total level had dropped 26 points from the previous reading, my HDLs and LDLs were excellent, and my triglycerides were in the double digits. 

[anthroid]

As for estrogen in the pill, it is, anymore, so minimal that it shouldn't affect your BP all that much, though, if you have a sensitivity to the condition, of course you must be concerned. 

<stern voice>

You don't smoke, right?

I'm not so sure about that.  My family's medical history caught up with me last year and my BP, which had always been squarely in a good place, suddenly became elevated.  Once it became clear that it wasn't going to come back down on its own, the first thing the docs did was take me off my low-dose birth-control pill.  And, sure enough, there was a noticeable drop in BP.  (Not enough, but that's the family genes at work.)

P.S.  As it turned out, I was probably on the pill a good year longer than I needed to be, which may explain why I didn't go through the whole hot-flash/night-sweats thing.  After all, the pill is the ultimate HRT!

I think it's so idiosyncratic that it's hard to know.  I was on the pill for probably two years too long (!) and I suspect (unconfirmed by any proof of any kind, of course) that being on too long intensified the hot flashes and the mood swings.  Once I went off, the symptoms went away immediately.  BP stayed about the same, FWIW.

I suppose this (our opposite experiences) is the very reason that the plural of anecdote isn't data! 

Okay, now who wants to take bets on whether infopri or anthroid is the outlier?  ;-)

I wanna be the outlier!  I wanna be the outlier!  Please?  Can I be the outlier, please?

Luddite, I wanted to mention as well with regard to treatment of cramps:  in addition to Advil and gin, an application of chocolate is most soothing.  I have been dosing myself liberally today and am feeling mighty fine.