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Menopause? Scheduled for hysterectomy in 13 days...still deciding.

by Tracy
(New York)

Hello, I am 51, I will be 52 on January 4th. For most of my life I've suffered with bad pms. My cycles started at 12 yrs old. With that I also began to have very bad headaches, most often migraines. At 15 yrs old I was put on BC pills to "help" with the headaches & the pms symptoms. I gained a lot of weight and my headaches worsened so I was taken off of the pill w/in that year.

I now have 3 children, all were natural births and I've had no known miscarriages. The only time I was 100% headache free was during my (all 3) pregnancies. As a young adult I always had some sort of cysts and/or fibroids. Fibroids were even present during the pregnancies but seemingly dissolved shortly after giving birth. For the past 8+ yrs I have dealt with various symptoms....heavy periods, headaches, constant nausea, yeast infections, low libido, bloating, constipation, memory loss, inability to focus, dizziness, breast tenderness, fibrocystic breasts, ringing in my ears, and many others.

For the last 2+ yrs my cycles have gotten much worse, with very heavy bleeding and longer periods...my longest (October) being 23 days long. I've had many sonograms to measure and keep track of the fibroids, there are at least 6 of various sizes and my uterus is double the size it should be. In September 2015 I had a D&C done. All the tests done show no cancer. In October I met with my doctor and he recommended a hysterectomy, for the most part, because of the heavy bleeding and the fact that I am anemic, although not severe. He says he will leave the ovaries as long as he finds that they are healthy when he is in there. I am scheduled for surgery on 1/8/16. After such difficult years dealing with all of these things I decided perhaps it might be best to take his advice.

My sudden change of heart now is that for 2 months, both in November and December I had very light periods. They both lasted 3 days and never reached a level beyond "scant". I also have, for the past year, been experiencing night sweats, moodiness, and bouts of sadness. These symptoms have increased quite a bit in the past 3 or 4 months. Last spring a blood test showed no signs of menopause, but even my doctor said that the test is not accurate. I have a post op appointment on January 4th and I am leaning heavily toward not having the surgery to see if these menopausal symptoms continue and/or worsen and also to try natural progesterone therapy. The main issue has always been the bleeding and not so much the fibroids in and of themselves. If however my cycles were to continue to be as the last two were, the bleeding would no longer be an issue. I feel apprehensive & don't put a lot of trust in traditional doctors, yet I know I can not continue to have such heavy cycles as it completely wipes me out and leaves me feeling awful. I feel that perhaps the progesterone could help & I think it's certainly worth trying, but I guess that too is scary because I just don't know if it's the answer to my problems. Please help.

Sincerely, Tracy

Comments for Menopause? Scheduled for hysterectomy in 13 days...still deciding.

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Dec 29, 2015
 You can always postpone
by: Pam

It's easy to postpone. Not easy to undo!

So I would hold off and see what the progesterone therapy can do for you. I've been immensely pleased with mine!
Dec 30, 2015
 Menopause? Scheduled for hysterectomy in 13 days...still deciding.
by: Carol - Cape Town

Hi there

I am not a doctor but I don't think that having a hysterectomy is going to help with your symptoms. In fact, I think it could make them worse. As you are already questioning, your intuition is telling you that this is not the answer. You don't have to have a hysterectomy because your doctor says so and you have the right to change your mind.

You clearly have Estrogen dominance and should be supplementing with Progesterone. This sight has lots of information, so get reading :). All the best.
Jan 03, 2016
 Menopause? Scheduled for hysterectomy in 13 days...still deciding.
by: RJ

Hello Tracy!
Think about this...the only time you were free from headaches was when you were pregnant and the reason being is progesterone is made at its' highest level in our bodies while we are pregnant! I would try progesterone for six months since all your tests have come back negative for cancer. Start high...around 500 mg a day and see what happens. Yes, things will get worse before getting better but listen to your body and see if things change once you start the progesterone. Type in my name and read my story. I have been on progesterone for four years, non-stop at levels of 300-1,000 mg a day. Am I symptom free, no, but so, so much better than four years ago. Natural remedies do not work quick...remember you have been struggling since 12 with your cycles. But leave it to a man to say get rid of it and you'll quit bleeding. It's an easy, temporary fix to him that will cause lots of trouble down the road for you. Again, since there isn't cancer, try the increase in progesterone and see how you feel. Hang in there! God Bless! RJ

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