That was me four years ago. Short term memory loss was one of the things that about put me over the edge. Of all the symptoms that I experienced in menopause, that was clearly the one that scared me the most. It was one thing to no longer be in control of my internal thermostat and my sexual well-being, it was a whole other issue to not be able to remember my name.
If you ask me what kind of car I drove I could tell you the make but not the color and that would happen every day. That’s what happens to women whose hormonal levels drop. If you read one of Dr. Vliet’s book “The Savvy Woman’s Guide to Testosterone” or “Screaming to Be Heard” or “Women, Weight and Hormones,” she talks about how women need three times more testosterone for brain function than men. And a man’s levels will run from 500 to 900 and a woman’s should run from 30 to 50. They’re small amounts but we need three times as much for brain function.
So 30 to 50 would be considered normal rates for women. What I’m trying to tell you is that you need to get your blood tests done and you need to go to a doctor that actually knows how to read them. You’ll need certain tests. Estrogen turns into testosterone as well. I don’t know. I’m not a doctor but I hear this all the time. In my own case, having a complete hysterectomy and having no estrogen showing and no testosterone -- once I was able to get the balance of the two (and I take an FDA-approved patch and I use a small amount of testosterone cream) -- those two things brought my memory back to the point that I could start my own Web site, which is pretty amazing considering I wasn’t sure if life was worth living because I couldn’t think and I couldn’t remember.
Also, create a notebook when you have your blood work done. You’re going to have to advocate for yourself. You can pull it off of herplace.com. I don’t know if you’ve had a hysterectomy or not, but that all plays into what blood tests you have done. If you have your ovaries and uterus, you have to have two sets of blood work done – before your period and after your period. In my case, when I had a complete hysterectomy, I participated in fasting labs and I have my blood drawn early in the day and then head back a second time four hours after taking all of my mediation to see where my levels are and that tells a really great story. Because if one of your medications isn’t working well, your numbers aren’t going to be that great. And that’s a great indicator of whether something isn't lasting long in your system or even getting into your system. The one thing about hormones that no two bodies are the same. What works for me is not going to work for you and what works for you isn’t going to work for your mother. It’s individualized that I’m on a time clock of when I take medication. And I make take it over the course of the day. I may have to take it at 8 a.m., then at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.again. And it’s what keeps my stable because I metabolize things quickly. Some women don’t.
Some women can put on an estradiol patch and it works great. They can turn around and use a different brand and it won’t work at all. So for me, it was the Climara patch, which is an estradiol patch (FDA approved) and it worked great work. I tried the vivelle patch estradiol and it did nothing. It never got into my system at all. But yet my girlfriend -- she can do the latter but nor the former. That’s how individualized this process is for women and their hormones. It is not a one-size fits all program. I started with Premarin and it didn’t’ work at all. In fact, my symptoms got worse because it wasn’t the right thing for me.
I found the program that worked for me. You will find the program that works for you. Don't give up, stick with it, follow your intuition and you won't go wrong. You need to find a great doctor. It took me nine.
Don’t forget what I said. The good news is you can keep coming back and re-reading this. I only wish I had somewhere to go where I could do the same when I was experience.
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That was me four years ago. Short term memory loss was one of the things that about put me over the edge. Of all the symptoms that I experienced in menopause, that was clearly the one that scared me the most. It was one thing to no longer be in control of my internal thermostat and my sexual well-being, it was a whole other issue to not be able to remember my name.
If you ask me what kind of car I drove I could tell you the make but not the color and that would happen every day. That’s what happens to women whose hormonal levels drop. If you read one of Dr. Vliet’s book “The Savvy Woman’s Guide to Testosterone” or “Screaming to Be Heard” or “Women, Weight and Hormones,” she talks about how women need three times more testosterone for brain function than men. And a man’s levels will run from 500 to 900 and a woman’s should run from 30 to 50. They’re small amounts but we need three times as much for brain function.
So 30 to 50 would be considered normal rates for women. What I’m trying to tell you is that you need to get your blood tests done and you need to go to a doctor that actually knows how to read them. You’ll need certain tests. Estrogen turns into testosterone as well. I don’t know. I’m not a doctor but I hear this all the time. In my own case, having a complete hysterectomy and having no estrogen showing and no testosterone -- once I was able to get the balance of the two (and I take an FDA-approved patch and I use a small amount of testosterone cream) -- those two things brought my memory back to the point that I could start my own Web site, which is pretty amazing considering I wasn’t sure if life was worth living because I couldn’t think and I couldn’t remember.
Also, create a notebook when you have your blood work done. You’re going to have to advocate for yourself. You can pull it off of herplace.com. I don’t know if you’ve had a hysterectomy or not, but that all plays into what blood tests you have done. If you have your ovaries and uterus, you have to have two sets of blood work done – before your period and after your period. In my case, when I had a complete hysterectomy, I participated in fasting labs and I have my blood drawn early in the day and then head back a second time four hours after taking all of my mediation to see where my levels are and that tells a really great story. Because if one of your medications isn’t working well, your numbers aren’t going to be that great. And that’s a great indicator of whether something isn't lasting long in your system or even getting into your system. The one thing about hormones that no two bodies are the same. What works for me is not going to work for you and what works for you isn’t going to work for your mother. It’s individualized that I’m on a time clock of when I take medication. And I make take it over the course of the day. I may have to take it at 8 a.m., then at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.again. And it’s what keeps my stable because I metabolize things quickly. Some women don’t.
Some women can put on an estradiol patch and it works great. They can turn around and use a different brand and it won’t work at all. So for me, it was the Climara patch, which is an estradiol patch (FDA approved) and it worked great work. I tried the vivelle patch estradiol and it did nothing. It never got into my system at all. But yet my girlfriend -- she can do the latter but nor the former. That’s how individualized this process is for women and their hormones. It is not a one-size fits all program. I started with Premarin and it didn’t’ work at all. In fact, my symptoms got worse because it wasn’t the right thing for me.
I found the program that worked for me. You will find the program that works for you. Don't give up, stick with it, follow your intuition and you won't go wrong. You need to find a great doctor. It took me nine.
Don’t forget what I said. The good news is you can keep coming back and re-reading this. I only wish I had somewhere to go where I could do the same when I was experience.
June 12, 2008 - 2:31pmThis Comment
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