Early Menopause?

Hi,
I've read alot concerning women's health and read that hysterectomies often result in lowered libido. It's no fun. One option you may want to investigate is seeing a doctor about using testosterone cream. We all have small amounts of this hormone and it greatly affects sex drive. I used it for a while and it did help quite a bit. There can be some side effects, so these need to be discussed. My face kept breaking out, and later I decided to discontinue use.
The hot flashes often respond to Natural Progesterone cream sold at a health food store. The brand-Source Naturals worked for me. Some people swear that Vit. E helps.
You may want to check out the book The Wisdom of Menopause by Christiane Northrup, M.D. She gives lots of hints about staying comfortable during this time.
Hope this helps.
A.

I started the hot flashes when I was 37, and hit menopause at 49. I didn't have problems with my ovaries, but did have a failing thyroid that was removed this past Feb.(I'm now 51). I still get hot flashes and night sweats, but the other things that go along with pre-menopause are insomnia, memory loss, weight gain, inablility to multi-task, loss of desire; see your gyn re: the libido, there are things you can do like testosterone cream....
Oh, I tried the bio-identical hormones, but they didn't work for me at all although I know they make a world of difference for a lot of women. I did better with a very small dose of Xanax (0.25mg) that helped me sleep, and more sleep led to better coping.

hi L., i hit early menopause too, for no good reason that i can figure out. probably because my dh had just had his tubes tied and the gods laugh at me.
the hot flashes are miserable. i heartily second the poster's recommendation of susan weed's excellent book, and the other poster who recommended you avoid premarin. the mare pee isn't the awful part, it's how the mares whose pee is used are treated. don't be part of that industry. there are homeopathic remedies that aren't NEARLY as effective but far more ethical. keep a bowl of ice and a wash cloth by your bedside so you can cool yourself off during the night when the flashes wake you.
i found that the flat non-libido phase of menopause did pass, although the va-va-voom hawtness of young woman-hood sadly hasn't returned. however, there's something to be said for sex that's planned in advance and worked up to. it gives you plenty of time to get in the mood. after thinking my lovely sex life was over, it's nice to be discovering that post-menopausal scrumpage is delightful.
hang in there!
:) khairete
S.

Hi L.,

There is a book by Susun S. Weed called "Menopausal Years: The Wise Woman Way." It may help answers some of your questions.

Good luck. Hope this helps. D.

Hi L.,

I'm so sorry you are going through this challenging situation. Although I dont have any personal experience with it, I do know that acupuncture and chinese herbs could help alot. If you'd like more information, feel free to contact me: ____@____.com

I haven't experienced menopause yet but when our kids were newborns and sex was out of the question for a while my husband and i found that hugs, little caresses and romantic messages throughout the day (phone, email, notes left where the other would find them) helped to keep the physical side of our relationship going. And if you have a constant low level of this sort of romance going on, it can help make getting interested in something more serious easier. Perhaps the same sort of thing would help in this case?