Women’s stories

“I was a skeptic...”

Jo entered perimenopause in her early to mid 40’s, and began HRT as a way to help stabilize her hormones and emotional symptoms. After a year and a half she was having second thoughts, so she tried to wean off HRT on her own, but without success. Skeptical at first of the Personal Program’s ability to help her where she’d failed on her own, she was soon astonished to find herself off HRT — without the emotional problems she’d experienced previously. Now she’s a believer.

“Before I started the Personal Program, I was a skeptic — as I certainly can be! I was on HRT, and went on your ‘Going off HRT’ plan. I didn’t believe that it was actually going to work without me feeling horrible. So I was very pleased and surprised to find out as I went along that I felt really okay!

“As I went along I decreased the estrogen patch a little, then decreased it a little more, then decreased it some more, until I was off it. I kept waiting for some horrible symptoms, but they didn’t come. I felt okay. And I kept feeling okay. I was blown away! The reason I was so happy — and the reason I’m still astonished — is that it went as well as it did. You see, I had tried to wean myself off alone. And I couldn’t do it. I got sick, my symptoms came back, and I had to go right back on the full patch. I couldn’t do it alone.

“I must have been 45 when I started to go through menopause. I started perimenopause earlier than most women, and my sister started even earlier. It must be in our genes. Mine were more emotional symptoms, as opposed to sweating and hot flashes. I was crying from the minute I woke up to the minute I went to bed.

“When I started the hormones, through my gynecologist, it was mainly because my emotions were so much of a problem. What happened was that my estrogen plummeted virtually overnight. A blood test showed it had hit rock bottom. My vagina dried up, and I was crying every day. I already had problems with constipation because of a medication I have to take, and I couldn’t even go to the bathroom. The lack of estrogen dried my whole body up, including the colon. I was miserable. I was so upset.

“When I found out I had virtually no estrogen in my body, that’s when I started on the hormone replacement, April of 2006. I was on Vivelle Dot, and along with that I took Prometrium to protect the uterus. I know now that these are bioidentical hormones, but I don’t remember my gynecologist telling me that. Sometimes I have a hard time understanding her.

“And of course, friends were saying, ‘Get off that stuff,’ and ‘You don’t want to be on that stuff!’ I didn’t want to be on it, but at the time I felt I didn’t have a choice. So it was about a year and a half that I was on it, before I started the Personal Program — mid to late summer, perhaps, about three months ago or so. Right away I was instructed to go ahead and cut that patch down. I started with cutting the estrogen patch, using the endocrine support, using the supplements, all at once.

“I’m trying to adopt new eating habits and exercise, too. And what I’ve been trying to do is just eat smaller meals. I don’t like eating big meals anyway. So I’ve been doing the fruit, vegetables, whole grains — small amounts through the day. The hard part is cutting back on sugar. That’s my downfall.

“I’m exercising as best I can. What I noticed right away was I had a little bit more energy, and felt a little more like my old self. I’ve signed up for a water aerobics class. I grew up on Cape Cod, across the street from the ocean, so I’m a water baby. I do pretty well. And so, obviously, the supplements alone, I think, did a lot of good.

“It’s been two weeks now since I’ve been off the estrogen patches altogether. I’m still on Prometrium and progesterone cream, and I received instruction on how to use that, and that will soon be gone, too. It’s been three weeks so far without the estrogen, and — knock on wood — I’m not crying. Since I’ve only been off the estrogen a short time, if I were going to have sweating and crying and all of that, I think something would have started by now. Whatever you’re doing, it’s working.

“Aside from the fact that the physical aspect of the Program works, I can’t say enough good things about the staff. What I like about it is that when I’m on the phone with one of you, I feel like I’m the only one. I don’t feel like there are a thousand other women out there you have to attend to. I’m the important one at that moment. I always have your full attention, whether it is a Nurse–Educator or someone else. You actually take the time to listen.

“In fact, I got more support and more information from you than I did my own gynecologist. My Nurse–Educator’s knowledge base is huge. And she is sharp. She knows exactly what I’m going through. I’m so impressed with her expertise. I always take lots of notes, and we always used our full half hour. Probably because I had a lot to say!

“For someone who really doesn’t want to be on hormone replacement, it’s the only way to do it. At least, for me it was. The whole weaning process went as smoothly as I think it could possibly have gone. As I said I didn’t believe it in the beginning. But now I’m a believer, and an advocate for your program. I couldn’t do it without your help.

“I will recommend you to anyone and everyone. My friends are in perimenopause. And they’re going to start getting symptoms, and when they do, I will say, ‘Go to Women to Women. Spend the money, follow the Program, and you’ll be fine.’ Women go out and spend over a hundred dollars on a dress without batting an eyelash — why not spend some on a program that’s going to help you get your balance back?”

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The Personal Program promotes healthy hormonal balance with nutritional supplements, gentle endocrine support, dietary guidance, and optional phone consultations with our Nurse–Educators. It is a convenient, at-home version of what we suggest to our patients at the clinic.

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Original Publication Date: 10/16/2007
Last Modified: 02/19/2008