QUOTE (DollieDee @ May 3 2009, 11:09 AM)

Hi,
My name is Dee and I am new to the boards. Please forgive me if you see so many posts from me, but I have so many questions, and like everyone here, am desparately looking for asnwers.
A year ago this month, was the happiest time in my life. I was 39 and newly in love. I was planning my (first) wedding to a man who made my life magical and beautiful.
In the months, following a series of very stressful events and situations seemed to create a change in my body and my emotions. I went into a gradual decline of emotional and physical health beginning last July and culminating in full-blown peri symptoms, with the worst being emotional panic, depression, anxiety and total craziness.
I noticed that this seemed to come out of nowhere after I had experienced a very bad and frightful trauma in August of last year.
Does anyone else here feel that they entered Peri after an unexpected trauma or prolonged bout of stress or stressful situation?
Please let me know...
Thank you so much,
Dee
Dear Dee,
Stressful situations can bring about hormonal changes. If you haven't done so, I would suggest getting your hormones checked in the follicular phase (days 1, 2, or 3) AND in the luteal phase (days 19, 20, or 21) of your cycle. Hormones to be tested are estrogen, TOTAL and FREE testosterone, and progesterone. Since most women also suffer from decreased thyroid performance during this time, getting your TSH, Free T3, Free T4, and thyroid antibodies tested would also be helpful.
In addition, many women have vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well so a nutritional profile could be helpful which should include your vitamin D3, ferritin, B12 levels, etc... This information will at least give you a starting place in terms of what hormones are declining, etc. Finally, please get a copy of your test results because usually doctors will call you or send you a letter stating that everything is "normal" but this is not always the case. What is "normal" for someone else may not be "optimal" for you! If your numbers are at the lower end of the bell curve, then you may need to supplement in some form of another. Whether that is BHRT, natural food supplementation, or herbs, that is up to you but you will at least know what your body needs!
Because doctors feel that you are still too young to be going into peri, they will probably poo poo the idea of hormone testing. Instead, they will usually opt for BCP's, but please be persistance and tell them that you would like the testing done first and make sure they order exactly what you want! Hormonal imbalances can wreak havoc on your body, as you are already experiencing, and for some people it can get worse quickly.
Good Luck!
TJ