Menopause with no hormone treatment?

What i've always taken is with my vitamins is vitamin gelatin, vitamin e , vitamin c, evening primrose and plenty of water, this will help your skin elacticity, other than my other vitamins i take like b,calcium etc.black cohosh for sweats. hope this helps, it works for me.

You are so very welcome. After you look into the sites, if you have more questions please let us know.

Going to your regular doctor is fine for a little while, but you need a gynecologist over time, especially with the different symptoms you are dealing with. When you are ready, I would look for another one -- and be sure she or he shares information with you and that you don't feel "pushed" into things. If you try going hormone free to see how you do with that, you can always research hormones later and start them if you feel that you need to. This is not a decision that needs to be made once and for all -- it's a decision that's individual for every woman and can be changed from time to time depending on what she needs. If you think about it like that, maybe it won't be so hard to try a new doctor or another kind of treatment if you need to.

Flash Fighters from Vitamin World took away my hot flashed. It could work for you. Not a hormone but herbal. I was skeptical, but it really does work to bring you back to normal.

Anita,

Welcome to EmpowHER! I really hope we can be of some help to you.

So let me be sure I get this right:
You had a full hysterectomy; so that included both ovaries?
How long ago was that?
And after the hysterectomy, you were put on .05 estrodial patch? Anything else at the same time?
And now you have been taken off that patch due to your headaches; what does your doctor say about trying another form of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)?

There are many different forms of HRT and I'm wondering if another kind would help you without causing the migraines. (Were your migraine headaches before your hysterectomy linked to your cycle?)

One thing you might do is seek out a naturopathic doctor in your area. Naturopathic physicians consider the whole body in their treatment and often have many holistic and natural recommendations for our physical and mental ailments. They do have medical training, though not as much as MDs. There is a find-a-doctor link on this page:

http://www.naturopathic.org/

Hormones do have many, many functions in our bodies and you are smart to explore this issue. They affect our moods, our ability to sleep, our metabolism, the health of our bones, our skin and hair and nails, and many other things. Without hormones, you may also suffer hot flashes for two or three years (have you had any problem since stopping the estrodial?).

If you have not heard of Dr. Christiane Northrup's book, The Wisdom of Menopause, I suggest you find a copy and read the sections about hysterectomy, hormones and hormone supplementation. Her book is available at amazon.com or at her website, which is here:

http://www.drnorthrup.com/

You may also find some answers at womentowomen.com, a website run by naturopathic doctors in Maine with expertise in hormonal areas. Here's their page of FAQs about hysterectomy and hormonal balance:

http://www.womentowomen.com/hysterectomyandalternatives/faq.aspx

Here are some pros and cons of estrogen replacement therapy:

http://www.questdiagnostics.com/kbase/dp/topic/tn9713/dp.htm

There's also a wonderful post-hysterectomy support website that connects women who have had the procedure with one another (for women of all ages, not just older). They have a lot of informative articles on their site as well as forums.

http://www.hystersisters.com/

Here's a specific page where they're talking about post-hysterectomy hormonal support:

http://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/forumdisplay.php?f=111

And if you put "migraines" into the search box, you'll get several responses. Here's one:

http://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/article_97116.htm

Does this information help? Please look at it and let me know. There's a lot you can do to feel better, and that's what we want.