I feel that I stopped menstruating at age 47 way too early, mostly because my older sister was about 53 when she stopped (menarche for me was 12 yrs, her 13 yrs old). I have had several major surgeries (back, neck, arm) and as a side effect of menopause (or amenorhhea?) I now have severe osteoporosis and very brittle bones. I stopped taking Actonel per my doctor, so now what? I made the decision to start bioidentical hormone therapy with cycling to protect my bones (and skin) and so far my bust has increased, my waist decreased and clothes fit again, bones feel stronger (no more shooting pains in my shins when I try to walk my 3 tiny dogs around the block) and overall I FEEL good. That's in spite of the cramps, headache and bleeding (for a week). I think it's the way to go at this point. So much of medicine is hit and miss, I believe the best way to remain healthy is to take responsibility for yourself. If I continued down the path I was on "naturally" I would be at risk for diabetes AND osteoporosis. As far as I am concerned, so much about my lifestyle is "unnatural", just coloring my hair every month is an example. (Not to mention the neck and spinal fusion surgeries I have undergone).
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I feel that I stopped menstruating at age 47 way too early, mostly because my older sister was about 53 when she stopped (menarche for me was 12 yrs, her 13 yrs old). I have had several major surgeries (back, neck, arm) and as a side effect of menopause (or amenorhhea?) I now have severe osteoporosis and very brittle bones. I stopped taking Actonel per my doctor, so now what? I made the decision to start bioidentical hormone therapy with cycling to protect my bones (and skin) and so far my bust has increased, my waist decreased and clothes fit again, bones feel stronger (no more shooting pains in my shins when I try to walk my 3 tiny dogs around the block) and overall I FEEL good. That's in spite of the cramps, headache and bleeding (for a week). I think it's the way to go at this point. So much of medicine is hit and miss, I believe the best way to remain healthy is to take responsibility for yourself. If I continued down the path I was on "naturally" I would be at risk for diabetes AND osteoporosis. As far as I am concerned, so much about my lifestyle is "unnatural", just coloring my hair every month is an example. (Not to mention the neck and spinal fusion surgeries I have undergone).
October 3, 2011 - 7:11amThis Comment
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