How often? How long do they last? How intense? How do you treat them? How do you react to hot flashes? How long have you been having hot flashes? Do you ever feel afraid duing a hot flash?Do they spawn panic attacks?Were they what you expected?
Share your experiences with power surges here.
I have read that it is better not to use hormones.
I am not sure right now.
Using hormones if they are synthetic may cause some side effects.
I use natural progesterone, which matches identically the progesterone in the body. I sleep well and all my hormones are balanced, most of the time. I even have my energy back.
This is the precursor to all hormones: estrogen, testoserone etc and will kick start your hormones naturally---even at our age!!
They call it "replenishing" our hormones.
Read: What Your Doctor May NOt Tell You about Menopause" by Dr. John Lee.
SandyXXXXX
I feel for you and you have come to the right place. I can only speak for myself and quite likely other meno sisters will jump in and help you too.
When I was confused about what to do, my friend lent me her copy of the book: "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause." written by Dr. John Lee.
This book and the ideas in it gave me the confidence to chart my own course, since my doctor's answer was to put me on HRT (synthetic: mares urine...NO WAY I am not a HORSE)
Dr. Lee says we have enough estrogen and suggests the use of natural progesterone cream, (to oppose andbalance our estrogen) twice daily , on the inside of the wrists, or anywhere else on the body where the skin is thin, so it goes right into the bloodstream.
The use of this natural hormone will begin to BALANCE the other hormones.
Then, once they are balanced, you begin to feel a lot better.
According to Dr. Lee, we do not need estrogen until later in the menopause. Much later. So I started putting on the little dab of natural progesterone, morning and evening.
Within a few days, I was sleeping all night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then I wasnt nearly as tired.
I got my energy back.
I started to lose the weight soon after that, since natrual progesterone is a natural dieretic. (spelling?)
Many women report that the hot flashes die down after this.
I urge you to get your hands on this book. It saved me and many other meno sisters on this board. The book will explain things about exactly how it works in your body and what to expect. Most doctors have no idea about this and are just learning about it.
You may be one of the many that can really benefit from using this natural hormone.
Do your homework. Read the book and stay in touch.
Sandy
ps: more is not better with natural progesterone. Just a bit works better than alot. You may get sleepy with too much. Then the symptoms may returnXXXXX
Welcome aboard!! Boy do I know the feeling....these flashes...the confusion, etc.etc. I never really knew where my hormones levels were until a couple of months ago (I'm now 55)!! The doctor didn't bother testing me until I was without a period for a few months...then he just wanted to confirm the obvious!!
Ya see it's hard to know....exactly...where your levels are!! They still fluctuate from month to month....even if a test confirms your peri or post or whatever....the next month (another test) could show something different!!
It's better to go by what the body is telling you and of course your age. You ARE in menopause!!There are many different things you can try....as Sandy pointed out the progesterone cream....there are the soy products....herbs....etc.It's best to educate yourself....as EVERYONE is different and will find different ways of dealing with it.
As for me I tried the HRT route....didn't work!! Can't take estrogen...can't take progesterone (of any kind)!! My body reacted worse to progesterone than estrogen (all forms)...synthetic and natural.....sooooooo.....I just had to go along with good healthy...eating...living!! **Groan** Boring!! Oh well....that's me!!Some gals do find the progesterone cream works well...some don't....some love the herbs and or soy "Revival"...some don't!! Like I said....it's education....and a little trial and error!! *Sigh*
I'm allergic to soy and most herbs....so one can expect ups and downs. Hopefully....you will find a solution much easier than I.By the way....here's a sample of range of the FSH tests...should you decide to have one:
Follicular 1.1 - 9.6Midcyle 2.3 - 20.9Luteal 0.8 - 7.5Pregnant less than 0.1 - 0.9Post 34.4 - 95.8+Contraceptives 1.5 -16.1
Perimenopausal women usually have an FSH reading of at least 20-30. Once over 30-35, you're definitely perimenopausal.
Like I said these can fluctuate each month. However now that I'm post my reading is 95.
Good luck to ya and keep posting....there's a lot of good stuff here on this site....lots of information you can use and the gals here are terrific.
(((Hugs)))
Look on page 271 of the book.
Dr Lee gives a list of his recommended suppliers of the cream. Each of these suppliers will send it directly to you.
If you like, e-mail me directly and I will give you the details of the cream I use and the telephone number.
Once you are using the right progesterone dosage, your symptoms may gradually disappear.
You could be really close to helping yourself sleep again!!!!
SandyXXXXX
Susan, there is a great deal of excellent information in the rest of this site and in the transcripts. I've been reading them all to learn all about my options.
Lots of women don't do well on the progesterone of any type. Dr Lee isn't the only one out there with a book and some ideas about what helps women. I know that many women here seem to think that he's got all the answers, but he dosen't.
If this isn't working, try something else. There are lots and lots of options these days. Personally soy - Revival - has been the magic solution for me and many others. From what I've read on these boards and in the chats, sometimes it takes a long time to find the ideal solution.
Oops - I got a bit off your question. i don't know any of my levels, either. I just go by how I feel.
HTH
I use Progestrone Cream but that didn't help my night sweats. I also take Evening Primrose, Vitamin E and Black Cohosh....nothing helped.
About 2 months ago in Dr. Northrup's Menopause book I read about Revival Soy Protein. I read the Revival web page and thought it sounded too good to be true, but worth a try. I have now been using Revival as a lunch replacement everyday for almost 6 weeks. After 3 weeks my hot flashes/night sweats decreased to 2 a night. At 5 weeks I no longer have night sweats. For me this is a miracle!
I mix the Revival with banana, strawberries and pineapple and look forward to drinking it every day. I don't know if it will work for you, but it has changed my life. I'd forgotten how wonderful it was to wake up after getting a good night's sleep.
I understand what you are going through and I wish you the best. If you do end up getting Revival, please e-mail me and I'll give you my yummy recipe.
Buy his book! Read page 200! Changed my life! You sound like a walking Multi level marketing person. I can not find a message where you have not referred to how wonderful natural progestrone cream and Dr. Lee are.
(Edited by cyberianlady at 2:40 pm on May 6, 2001)
I would like to try the Revival. It sounds like you went through exactly what I am going through. I have hot flashes and sweats all day and all night. Usually by 5 a.m. they stopped and I get a little sleep. I had them last year about this time and they lasted until September. I was free from the H.F. until March. Then they started again. Just about the time that my periods came back in full force.
I have a friend that said her Dr. told her not to use anything, that it will past. We won't be finished w/hot flashes until we have not had a period for 1 year. Jeez, I have a long time to go. Some people say this lasts from maybe 3 years. Oh I hope not. This is definitely not fun.
I am walking alot everyday and I also plan to start doing yoga exercises. I was told that this also helps w/menopause. I will give anything a try. LOL
I didn't begin to get hot flashes until my period stopped. Then they came with a vengence!
Mine also paused briefly at sunrise most mornings and I was then able to get a little sleep. But I was still very cranky.
The past few weeks have been wonderful. I can only attribute it to taking the Revival since I took all the other remedies for months to no avail. When I started Revival I said I would give it a chance for 4 months and if it didn't work I would stop taking it. Right now I plan on taking it the rest of my life.
I also have more energy. Don't know if this is due to sleeping through the night and/or if the soy is giving me an extra boost like they indicate at the Revival web page.
Now if the Revival will only make my migraines stop life will be perfect.
Good luck to you in your search for something that works. I do recommend the Revival but if you are not better after 2-3 months move on to something else.
How often? How long do they last? How intense? How do you treat them? How do you react to hot flashes? How long have you been having hot flashes? Do you ever feel afraid duing a hot flash?Do they spawn panic attacks?Were they what you expected?
Share your experiences with power surges here.
I have flashes about every 30-40 minutes throughout the day/nite...they last approx 5 mins....intensity on a scale from 1-10 (10 being unbearable) probably a 6 or 7; I'm trying to treat them with Revival (again), Remifemin, Estroven; eating organic whenever possible, using Pro-Gest cream and exercising every day (so far nothing helps); my reaction to HF's is OY VEY, here comes another one!!! Started with the HF's abt 4 yrs ago...; never afraid, never panic attacks with the flashes.....and YES, they are what I expected, after all I've heard before I started going through this....
When I first had a FSH test (4 yrs ago), my Dr. said it was in the 60's.....I was on Premarin for a little bit; then weaned off and was on Revival for almost a year, then started the flashes again; went to a Nurse Practitioner; she immediately put me on Premarin (2.6 dose to get me 'over the hump') without even getting a blood test. I had terrible side effects and 3 mos later I quit, for good!
So, now I'm back here seeking help and solace; I've read the book Natural Woman/Natural Menopause, and now am reading the one by Dr. Lee....I also feel that there's a definite 'imbalance' between Progesterone and Estrogen....do I really need to get a blood reading to see these levels? I'm still having periods, albeit irregularly, and will be 50 July 31st...I'm hoping I'll be in the mood for sex by then! HELLLLP
My power surges occurred every 15-20 minutes throughout the day and night, each lasting about five minutes and I perspired head to toe, literally. I didn't go red, however, or even pink!
I suffered this for five weeks while I studied my options. I then started taking Promensil which immediately reduced the hot flashes and night sweats considerably, and they completely disappeared after one week. They say it takes 4-5 weeks for the Promensil to "kick in" but I was lucky that it worked so quickly for me.
After reading Dr Lee's book, I also started using Natural Progesterone Cream shortly afterwards. Apparently this should be sufficient on its own so when the current pack of Promensil runs out, I will stop taking it and see if the cream will work alone.
One sign of a hot flash and I will be back on Promensil.
I will be 50 in August so we are almost the same age. My hot flashes last all day and all night also. I am exercising but I have not taken anything for the HF yet. My friend's doctor had suggested not to if at all possible. I am going to try yoga exercising too. Not only am I going through menopause and I also quit smoking and got off caffeine completely. Well, almost caffeine free. I love chocolate and I find when I eat chocolate the HF, Heart Palps, tremors, etc. are worst. I need to try to get off that completely too and see how that works. Jeez, I don't like this at all. LOL.
My power surges occurred every 15-20 minutes throughout the day and night, each lasting about five minutes and I perspired head to toe, literally. I didn't go red, however, or even pink!
I suffered this for five weeks while I studied my options. I then started taking Promensil which immediately reduced the hot flashes and night sweats considerably, and they completely disappeared after one week. They say it takes 4-5 weeks for the Promensil to "kick in" but I was lucky that it worked so quickly for me.
After reading Dr Lee's book, I also started using Natural Progesterone Cream shortly afterwards. Apparently this should be sufficient on its own so when the current pack of Promensil runs out, I will stop taking it and see if the cream will work alone.
One sign of a hot flash and I will be back on Promensil.
Hi Barbie. I don't turn red or pink either - but I certainly perspire alot!
I'm an avid user of progesterone cream - it has worked wonders for me - but I'm wondering why you would quit taking Promensil if it's working for you?
Do you get any side effects from it?
According to Dr Lee, it shouldn't be necessary to use anything else if you are using progesterone cream, which is why I thought I would try using the cream alone without taking Promensil. I am just experimenting really. Why pay money for something that may not be necessary? However, if the hot flashes return, it would mean, for me anyway, that the cream is not sufficient on its own, in which case I would go back to taking Promensil. No, I don't get any side effects from it.
I have been on the cream since last June and did great until the last two months with hot flashes and vaginal problems.
The saliva test I just got back said my estrogen has dropped from 7 to l. The progesterone is essentially the same and at the right level. The estrogen has changed from 7 which is peri to l which is post. I am not even post yet so that could explain the flashes.
So it may be over time going into meno we need a little estrogen in addition to the progesterone cream. The progesterone did not convert to the estrogen I needed in my body although for some it may. The thing is we need a minimal amount of estrogen to feel well.
I tried Promensil and it helped the flashes but I had fast heart rate. I have even had some trouble on the estriol and am working up to a dose that is effective.
I hate these hot flashes and hope to find an estrogen that works or maybe a phytoestrogen cream is a possibility.
I had hoped the progesterone cream was all I needed and apparently that will not be true for me.
Please consider the possibility that you may need both.
So it may be over time going into meno we need a little estrogen in addition to the progesterone cream. The progesterone did not convert to the estrogen I needed in my body although for some it may. The thing is we need a minimal amount of estrogen to feel well.
This doesn't surprise me about the progesterone cream. I had the same experience when I was using the NP creams. My progesterone plummetted. What about trying a very low dose of bi-est, such as what Pete prescribes for me? It's 80% estriol and and 20% estradiol, plant derived, of course. You might find that will do the trick. As I've said before, it helps me with the internal shaking when nothing else has. A low dose of this combination may be helpful to you as well.
Hope you find what works for you, Nancy.
What is the dose of hormones are in the Bi-est that you take? I am so sensitive to everything and need much smaller amounts than other people it seems.
My doctor prescribed a compounded estriol cream that I had fast heart rate reaction to at l/2 mg! But since then I have worked up to taking l/2 mg per day in two doses and I have the flashes still. I will go up to l mg tomorrow and see if I can tolerate that level. He wants me at 2 mg of the estriol. 2 mg of estriol is very low as he said this is equivalent to only l/4 mg of estradiol.
I know I have tolerated estradiol in the past but don't understand why I am having trouble with the estriol at such low doses. Maybe my body needs to do it gradually....? Would love it if the Bi-est did the trick....
My doctor uses Women's International Pharmacy so I can't use Pete's services. Guess I will keep bugging my doctor and may ask about the Bi-est if this estriol cream does not work...
Hopefully will figure this out before I am 95!! LOL!
Thanks.
Hello NancyV. Thanks for your response. Yes I realise I may need both the Progesterone Cream and the Promensil. I am just experimenting and the first sign of a hot flash, I will be happy to go back on Promensil without delay. It's just that according to Dr Lee in his book, he says we shouldn't need anything but the cream so I thought why pay good money for Promensil if I don't need it. I only have about five days worth left, so we will soon know. I will keep you posted. Thanks again. :biggrin:
Did you know that evey 7 minutes one of us Baby Boomers is turning 50!!!!!
By 2013 there wil be 50 million women of menopause. Imagine that!!!!!!!!!!! It is up to us to make our non-reporductive years the most powerful productive years of our lives. We baby boomers will never be downed. Right!!!!
Hey Snowbird,How do you put the smiley on this page. Let me know. I love it.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )HeHe!!!P.S. Make sure you check off the box below that says, "Do you wish to enable emoticons in this post?"....meaning yes you do!!
(((Hugs Y'all)))
I can just see all those bugaboo eyes looking back at me in all Snowbird's messages 
Thanks for being able to see that I am certainly not selling anything. I should have known better than to try to help someone .... This happened on the other board...
Enthusiastic supporters of anything always get run off this board.
SandyXXXXX
Your not selling anything ....just sharing your information with us meno-buds...and its up to us to see how we use this information....whether we use it or not.As for myself as you would know I love the cream - didnt wish to take HRT and as for Dr. Lees book its my bible so to speak ....although there are a lot of other good books out also re this cream.Take Care
( Grrrrr!!(((Hugs)))
I can just see all those bugaboo eyes looking back at me in all Snowbird's messages Dearest....just checking to see if you were paying attention!! *GRIN*It won't become a habit.....I LOVE this BOARD )
(((Hugs and God love You)))
but you might get a little slippery -heeheeHang in there ladies, hugs, jeanne
Many of you say "hang in there"....well, I'm at the end of my rope....4 weeks of flashes every 30 minutes.....waking up every hour; cooling off then dozing and then waking up again....at work I turn beet red! Fan on, fan off, fan on, fan off....
I'm trying to go 'natural'....Black Cohosh (Remifemin), Estroven and Revival aren't working for me....nor is the Pro-Gest cream; I read Pete Heuseman's transcript....he said that he recommends progesterone cream when a woman is first in peri; no wonder it's not working for me! I'm in it 4 yrs already! I'm going to be 50 in July....
I've read Dr. Laux's book Natural Woman/Natural Menopause and now am reading Dr. Lee's book...it makes sense about the progesterone. I've made an appointment with a new female Dr. on May 24th (if I can hold out that long)....I'm going to try to address my concerns and HOPE she can help! I can no longer live like this!
Sucha"AtTheEndOfHerRope"Bear :-(
Understand how the how flashes can be maddening....I don't have them like that but several times a day and some during the night.
I have been on progesterone cream with no flashes for a while and a few months ago the flashes started again when my estrogen dropped dramatically. I took a saliva test to confirm this. My doctor recommended estriol cream for this. Today I increase the dose of estriol as at first it brought on fast heart rate and now I am ready to up it hopefully. I have seen an improvement with severity of flashes but need to get the dose increased to see real improvement and hopefully elimination of these flashes...
How long have you been on Remifemin? Did that help at all? I think progesterone helps a lot but then some sort of estrogenic thing is needed in addition at some point for some as estrogen falls very low...
Have you considered a small dose of a compounded estrogen? Hang in--something will work....
I've been using the natural progesterone cream since December, and it's helped a lot. I used the Tri-est also, but the prescribed dose caused sore breasts, water retention, etc. so I've been using almost none of it. Recently, though, I seem to be getting more hot flashes again.....I'm wondering if my estrogen is dropping more (like NancyV mentioned). I guess we have to remember that this is an ongoing process, and while we (hopefully) improve as we go along, we also backslide and/or our hormones continue to change while our bodies struggle to get used to it.
It's like an hormonal pin-the-tail-on-the-gynocologist game!
Take care,
You both mentioned 'compounded hormones'....I haven't tried them....I've been using the OTC stuff. As I understand it, (unless I'm not understanding correctly), you have to see some sort of Naturopathic Dr. to prescribe those things....I have no idea about how to find one...so on Thursday, I'm going to see an OB-GYN. But, I'm so miserable, that I just don't think I can do 'natural' for a while and go through this trial and error.
Thanks for responding! Hugs to you! :-)
I find that walking and doing yoga has helped me tremendously. Sure I still get the flashes, etc., but it is better. I do try not to get upset about things. I try doing like the yoga instructor says --- Long, soft inhalation, Long, soft exhalation. LOL. It does work. HEH! :smile:
) ) :o)
I usually can't offer much help but i can give a good pep talk I've been told. Just not informed enough to offer anything but common sense stuff. Hope you feel good thru all this and keep coming back to tell us how you're doing .hugs, jeanneThe Symptoms of menopause
1.Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling 2.Bouts of rapid heart beat 3.Irritability 4.Mood swings, sudden tears 5.Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats) 6.Irregular periods; shorter, lighter periods; heavier periods, flooding; phantom periods, shorter cycles, longer cycles 7.Loss of libido (see note) 8.Dry vagina (see note) 9.Crashing fatigue 10.Anxiety, feeling ill at ease 11.Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom (see note) 12.Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion 13.Disturbing memory lapses 14.Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence (see note) 15.Itchy, crawly skin (see note) 16.Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons (see note) 17.Increased tension in muscles 18.Breast tenderness 19.Headache change: increase or decrease 20.Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea 21.Sudden bouts of bloat 22.Depression (see note) 23.Exacerbation of existing conditions 24.Increase in allergies 25.Weight gain (see note) 26.Hair loss or thinning, head, pubic, or whole body; increase in facial hair 27.Dizziness, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance 28.Changes in body odor 29.Electric shock sensation under the skin and in the head (see note) 30.Tingling in the extremities, (see note) 31.Gum problems, increased bleeding 32.Burning tongue, burning roof of mouth, bad taste in mouth, change in breath odor 33.Osteoporosis (after several years) 34.Changes in fingernails: softer, crack or break easier 35.Tinnitus: ringing in ears, bells, 'whooshing' buzzing etc. Just thought you'd like to see the list of possible symptoms
I too am very concerned about osteoporosis and heart disease! It's in the family!! I can't take HRT.....especially Premarin and Provera!!I tried it for years and my body rejected it over time.....lost my gall bladder as the result!! Although, there are different kinds/types you might be able to consider!!I can't take herbs or soy products......but many here do.....and find they help a lot with the meno symptoms and general health issues.I take a scripted med. called "EVISTA" for my bones!! I find it is very good.....no side affects for me, (although some gals claim to have joint pain and hot flashes from it)!! It has been recorded that Evista is also good in protecting the breasts from cancer.......that sound good to me! It has no affect on protecting the heart!! *Sigh* I do have hypertension and I take a beta blocker for that.....other than that my heart is fine!!
Keep posting.....keep reading.....keep asking questions!! I understand your concern about HRT!! There are many gals here who can add to what I have just said!My doctor isn't very approachable either......if I could I'd find another one.....but here in Canada it's not easy!!Anyhoo....again welcome aboard and hope to hear more from you!!All the Best to ya and God luv you!!(((Hugs from a Canadian Gal)))Nanc
As she progresses through perimenopause, a woman may decide to add estrogen to the natural progesterone cream to see if that helps. Others use various forms/brands of hormone therapy -- see the estrogen table -- bio-identical, naturally compounded Bi-est (estriol and estradiol) or Tri-est (estriol, estradiol and estrone - the latter often not recommended for postmenopausal women because estrone is the estrogen most associated with breast cancer).
Hormone therapy may work for a while, but for many it stops working. For others, it causes many adverse side effects, so they simply stop it entirely.
Unfortunately, there is no magic cure. I've seen many women turn to HRT out of absolute desperation and I understand it. From my experience in talking with the women who've passed through Power Surge, those who go on HRT usually do either because 1) their doctors tell them they must, or 2) they've tried everything else and are ready to tear the hair out of their heads.
You simply must keep trying to find what combination works for you. It's highly recommended that you have your hormone levels checked before starting HRT and WHILE using HRT. This is the most accurate way of determining how the dose is working for your body. Saliva testing is supposed to be the most accurate when it comes to hormones. You can check with Aeron Life Cycles Labs if you need info about saliva testing. They're a very reputable laboratory and experts in the area of hormones. You can also do the saliva testing through College Pharmacy. If you check the Resources Page of the Web site, you'll find the info you need.
And, if you're looking for natural ways to treat your menoausal symptoms, most everyone is aware that I and many other women have had success with Revival Soy Protein -- using it for three years now. You can also check the recommendations page of the site for many options in treating your various complaints.
Forgive me, but I don't recall who asked -- I haven't been to this board for a while -- but when I do use the bi-est only when the internal shaking becomes intolerable, I use .625 mg. (estriol and estradiol) and occasionally 50 mg. natural micronized progesterone (I use it on an as needed basis -- but Power Surge does not recommend that other women use HRT the same way).