Women’s stories
“My clothes even fit better!”
Karen first entered perimenopause at 44. She was just a mess back then, she says, with “non-stop hot flashes and night sweats, around the clock. I was generally feeling miserable and really tired, and suffering from palpitations too. I had to get some kind of relief just to function.”
Her doctor prescribed HRT, but it was a struggle at first. She began with Estrace, but had side effects, and her doctor kept changing doses and formulas until deciding Karen’s body just wouldn’t accept oral estrogen. Karen was switched over to the Vivelle estradiol patch and Prometrium. It worked, and she stayed on it for seven years.
At 51, Karen decided it was time to stop HRT. She felt confident she was over the hump of menopause misery and ready to take the next step — but wasn’t sure how. She just needed some guidance. At a dinner with friends someone told her about the Women to Women website. She checked us out and signed up for the “get off HRT” version of the Personal Program.
After three months on her Program, Karen is happy to report, “I feel better — and more alive!” She loves the Essential Nutrients and is really pleased that with guidance from her Nurse Educator she’s on a very gradual weaning schedule. She’s cut her daily HRT dosage in half and hasn’t suffered any withdrawal symptoms or side effects.
Karen also said, “I’m sleeping better, not dragging myself around, and I’ve lost a few pounds! And after cleaning up my diet and adding the Nutrients, my bloating is gone too. So my clothes even fit better!”
And Karen isn’t the only one — her spouse and adult daughter are following the dietary guidelines and they’ve lost weight too. As Karen exclaimed, “This diet plan is good for our whole household!”
Karen will soon be completely off her HRT. And she’s improving her Program every week as part of her new commitment to self-care. Next up: adding more soy to her food plan. She’s even started walking daily for exercise. What an inspiration!
Click here to return to Women’s Stories.
Our Personal Program is a great place to start
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.
- Articles on women’s health — the collective wisdom of our practitioners on the topics that concern you most.
- A personalized, at-home program for hormonal balance based on our natural approach. We’ve helped thousands of women feel like themselves again. To learn more, read how it works or call us at 1-800-798-7902.
- Patient care at our medical clinic for those who can make the trip to Yarmouth, Maine to see us.
Last Modified: 08/17/2009