South Carolina
Summerville
“I have never been a fan of hormonal, oral contraceptives so ...”
I have never been a fan of hormonal, oral contraceptives so I used them very little, choosing alternative options. In perimenopause, I was introduced to a commercial topical cream to help me with my worst symptoms (breast tenderness, migraines, mood swings). When I became menopausal, this was no longer effective, so with the help of my gynecologist, I sought out another OBGYN professional who had extensive knowledge on the topic of bioidentical; because as in my birth control efforts, I wanted to avoid taking hormones to treat. Bioidenticals were a more comfortable option for me to consider. At the time I began this part of my journey, I was struggling significantly with irritability, migraines, hot flashes, insomnia, occasional night sweats and weight gain (with efforts to lose or maintain my weight futile). While still not thrilled about using/taking anything, I gave them a try and saw remarkable results. After a couple of years, I decided to try to go without them, hoping I no longer needed them. After a few months I realized I'd made a terrible mistake (my husband and those closest to me realized it much sooner than I did, but I did not connect the dots as readily). My irritability, night sweats and hot flashes had returned with a vengeance. I returned to my doctor (whom I saw routinely every 6 months) to discuss my situation and we decided to do a full blood study of my hormone levels at that time and choose a course of treatment to resume ASAP. While I wasn't happy to still need these bioidentical hormones to be a more fully functioning human being, I was thrilled and relieved to have the option to make that return to life! I still hope that in the coming years I am able to discontinue my use of these hormones, but for now, I cannot imagine having to go without them. I know HRT would be a viable option, should I be forced to consider them, but my reluctance to them is so high I'm not sure I would choose to go that route which means that my life would be drastically altered in ways that would not be good for me or those around me. I prefer treating with an option that brings less risk to my health (bioidenticals) than increased risks associated with it (ie. increased risk of female related cancer(s). I'm praying I'm not put in the position to be forced to make that decision in the future.
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