Is it perimenopause?

Hi all,

I am brand new here. This group sure has a lot of spam!

Anyway, I am 38 and have been dealing with thryoid issues, it seems for a
while now (but just recently diagnosed and starting treatment). I believe my
thryroid problem has caused (or at least not helped) some other health
problems, including ovarian cysts. I also feel like I might be on the
fringes of menopause.

My question is, is it common to have "brain fog" and extreme fatigue in the
first two weeks of one's cycle? Starting with my period, I feel just awful
until mid-cycle, when things miraculously clear up and I feel loads better.
I started watching the calendar, and now I'm actually starting to plan my
life around this foggy bad phase. This means only half of my life is good
right now! Then I get PMS, and it starts all over. Could this be an estrogen
problem?

Incidentally, when I was trying (unsuccessfuly) to resolve an ovarian cyst
without surgery, my doctor had me on femHRT. I sure felt better when I was
on that, but he wouldn't let me stay on it because I'm not yet menopausal. I
know femHRT is majority progesterone with a small amount of estrogen.

Thanks in advance,
Elizabeth

On Mar 4, 9:19*am, "Elizabeth" <esniv...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I am brand new here. This group sure has a lot of spam!
>
> Anyway, I am 38 and have been dealing with thryoid issues, it seems for a
> while now (but just recently diagnosed and starting treatment). I believe my
> thryroid problem has caused (or at least not helped) some other health
> problems, including ovarian cysts. I also feel like I might be on the
> fringes of menopause.
>
> My question is, is it common to have "brain fog" and extreme fatigue in the
> first two weeks of one's cycle? Starting with my period, I feel just awful
> until mid-cycle, when things miraculously clear up and I feel loads better..
> I started watching the calendar, and now I'm actually starting to plan my
> life around this foggy bad phase. This means only half of my life is good
> right now! Then I get PMS, and it starts all over. Could this be an estrogen
> problem?
>
> Incidentally, when I was trying (unsuccessfuly) to resolve an ovarian cyst
> without surgery, my doctor had me on femHRT. I sure felt better when I was
> on that, but he wouldn't let me stay on it because I'm not yet menopausal.I
> know femHRT is majority progesterone with a small amount of estrogen.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Elizabeth

Hi, Elizabeth,

What you are describing sounds like the start of perimenopause:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/perimenopause/DS00554
http://www.4woman.gov/FAQ/perimenopause.htm

The ovarian cysts bring to mind endometriosis, from which I suffered
in my 30's and 40's:

http://www.geocities.com/lindascheimann/endo.html

I myself am very cautious about hormone therapy, There should be
others here, though, who will comment on those issues.

About the spam: to fight back against spammers directly can provoke a
counterattack on one's own email, etc. One of the regulars here had
that unpleasant experience a ferw years ago. And groups in the alt.
hierarchy of usenet cannot be moderated, at least as far as I know.

Welcome! Please keep checking in.

Linda Scheimann (aged 56)

"Elizabeth" <esnively@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:13sqq37k6roglc2@corp.supernews.com...
> Hi all,
>
> I am brand new here. This group sure has a lot of spam!
>
> Anyway, I am 38 and have been dealing with thryoid issues, it seems for a
> while now (but just recently diagnosed and starting treatment). I believe
> my thryroid problem has caused (or at least not helped) some other health
> problems, including ovarian cysts. I also feel like I might be on the
> fringes of menopause.

Yeah... I've noticed that too; one hormone system can impact another one -
domino effect. (I'm slightly hyper-thryoid.)

> My question is, is it common to have "brain fog" and extreme fatigue in
> the first two weeks of one's cycle? Starting with my period, I feel just
> awful until mid-cycle, when things miraculously clear up and I feel loads
> better. I started watching the calendar, and now I'm actually starting to
> plan my life around this foggy bad phase. This means only half of my life
> is good right now! Then I get PMS, and it starts all over. Could this be
> an estrogen problem?

Everybody's different, but it certainly could be the start of peri. For
example, I'm now 57 & have been post-menopausal for 11 years, but in
retrospect, peri started at 38 - 39 with joint/muscle achiness, then my
periods started going wacky at age 40. And the second half of each cycle
(when there *was* a recognizable cycle in peri!) was always filled with PMS
symptoms - lower backache, crampiness...

Cathy

>
> Incidentally, when I was trying (unsuccessfuly) to resolve an ovarian cyst
> without surgery, my doctor had me on femHRT. I sure felt better when I was
> on that, but he wouldn't let me stay on it because I'm not yet menopausal.
> I know femHRT is majority progesterone with a small amount of estrogen.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Elizabeth
>

x-no-archive: yes

Cathy F. wrote:

> Yeah... I've noticed that too; one hormone system can impact another one -
> domino effect. (I'm slightly hyper-thryoid.)

It's all one hormone system, and any time there's even a small change
anywhere in the system, the incredibly sensitive feedback loop starts
adjusting every other hormone to it, sometimes in a good way, sometimes
in a bad way.


Susan

On Mar 4, 1:15*pm, Linda <lindascheim...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Mar 4, 9:19*am, "Elizabeth" <esniv...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Hi all,
>
> > I am brand new here. This group sure has a lot of spam!
>
> > Anyway, I am 38 and have been dealing with thryoid issues, it seems for a
> > while now (but just recently diagnosed and starting treatment). I believe my
> > thryroid problem has caused (or at least not helped) some other health
> > problems, including ovarian cysts. I also feel like I might be on the
> > fringes of menopause.
>
> > My question is, is it common to have "brain fog" and extreme fatigue in the
> > first two weeks of one's cycle? Starting with my period, I feel just awful
> > until mid-cycle, when things miraculously clear up and I feel loads better.
> > I started watching the calendar, and now I'm actually starting to plan my
> > life around this foggy bad phase. This means only half of my life is good
> > right now! Then I get PMS, and it starts all over. Could this be an estrogen
> > problem?
>
> > Incidentally, when I was trying (unsuccessfuly) to resolve an ovarian cyst
> > without surgery, my doctor had me on femHRT. I sure felt better when I was
> > on that, but he wouldn't let me stay on it because I'm not yet menopausal. I
> > know femHRT is majority progesterone with a small amount of estrogen.
>
> > Thanks in advance,
> > Elizabeth
>
> Hi, Elizabeth,
>
> What you are describing sounds like the start of perimenopause:
>
> http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/per...imenopause.htm
>
> The ovarian cysts bring to mind endometriosis, from which I suffered
> in my 30's and 40's:
>
> http://www.geocities.com/lindascheimann/endo.html
>
> I myself am very cautious about hormone therapy, There should be
> others here, though, who will comment on those issues.
>
> About the spam: to fight back against spammers directly can provoke a
> counterattack on one's own email, etc. One of the regulars here had
> that unpleasant experience a ferw years ago. And groups in the alt.
> hierarchy of usenet cannot be moderated, at least as far as I know.
>
> Welcome! Please keep checking in.
>
> Linda Scheimann (aged 56)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I suffered from ovarian cysts for a couple years just before meno, so
those of us without uteruses get them too. I don't know for sure, but
the cysts seemed to be part of the process. One of them keeps getting
twinges even now, three or four years postmeno.
I understand estrogen replacement is harmful during peri because
hormones spike up and down. Does FemHRT have synthetic progesterone?
That stuff has its downside, though I can't remember the details.
Les

"Elizabeth" <esnively@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:13sqq37k6roglc2@corp.supernews.com...
> Hi all,
>
> I am brand new here. This group sure has a lot of spam!
>
> Anyway, I am 38 and have been dealing with thryoid issues, it seems for a
> while now (but just recently diagnosed and starting treatment). I believe
> my thryroid problem has caused (or at least not helped) some other health
> problems, including ovarian cysts. I also feel like I might be on the
> fringes of menopause.
>
> My question is, is it common to have "brain fog" and extreme fatigue in
> the first two weeks of one's cycle? Starting with my period, I feel just
> awful until mid-cycle, when things miraculously clear up and I feel loads
> better. I started watching the calendar, and now I'm actually starting to
> plan my life around this foggy bad phase. This means only half of my life
> is good right now! Then I get PMS, and it starts all over. Could this be
> an estrogen problem?
>
> Incidentally, when I was trying (unsuccessfuly) to resolve an ovarian cyst
> without surgery, my doctor had me on femHRT. I sure felt better when I was
> on that, but he wouldn't let me stay on it because I'm not yet menopausal.
> I know femHRT is majority progesterone with a small amount of estrogen.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Elizabeth
Thanks all. I feel like I've just begun a bumpy journey. I hope I am up to
it.

Elizabeth

Thanks for the links!

Elizabeth

"Linda" <lindascheimann@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:a273f0c9-0799-4821-b8fb-52d106f1a62a@s13g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
On Mar 4, 9:19 am, "Elizabeth" <esniv...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I am brand new here. This group sure has a lot of spam!
>
> Anyway, I am 38 and have been dealing with thryoid issues, it seems for a
> while now (but just recently diagnosed and starting treatment). I believe
> my
> thryroid problem has caused (or at least not helped) some other health
> problems, including ovarian cysts. I also feel like I might be on the
> fringes of menopause.
>
> My question is, is it common to have "brain fog" and extreme fatigue in
> the
> first two weeks of one's cycle? Starting with my period, I feel just awful
> until mid-cycle, when things miraculously clear up and I feel loads
> better.
> I started watching the calendar, and now I'm actually starting to plan my
> life around this foggy bad phase. This means only half of my life is good
> right now! Then I get PMS, and it starts all over. Could this be an
> estrogen
> problem?
>
> Incidentally, when I was trying (unsuccessfuly) to resolve an ovarian cyst
> without surgery, my doctor had me on femHRT. I sure felt better when I was
> on that, but he wouldn't let me stay on it because I'm not yet menopausal.
> I
> know femHRT is majority progesterone with a small amount of estrogen.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Elizabeth

Hi, Elizabeth,

What you are describing sounds like the start of perimenopause:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/perimenopause/DS00554
http://www.4woman.gov/FAQ/perimenopause.htm

The ovarian cysts bring to mind endometriosis, from which I suffered
in my 30's and 40's:

http://www.geocities.com/lindascheimann/endo.html

I myself am very cautious about hormone therapy, There should be
others here, though, who will comment on those issues.

About the spam: to fight back against spammers directly can provoke a
counterattack on one's own email, etc. One of the regulars here had
that unpleasant experience a ferw years ago. And groups in the alt.
hierarchy of usenet cannot be moderated, at least as far as I know.

Welcome! Please keep checking in.

Linda Scheimann (aged 56)

On Tue, 4 Mar 2008 10:19:38 -0500, "Elizabeth"
<esnively@earthlink.net> wrote:

>This group sure has a lot of spam!

What spam?

We have a lot of spam?

I haven't seen any in ages.

Hmm.



Dana©

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

"Dana©" <AneeBear@ownmail.com> wrote in message
news:4ivrs39lqjbfr8u29pljpt7pnp4t79tu94@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 4 Mar 2008 10:19:38 -0500, "Elizabeth"
> <esnively@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>>This group sure has a lot of spam!
>
> What spam?
>
> We have a lot of spam?
>
> I haven't seen any in ages.
>
> Hmm.

Took me a minute... there's been a spate - I think maybe coming from one
persistent source. But I've paid little attention to it.

Cathy


>
>
>
> Dana©

On Mar 4, 10:19 am, "Elizabeth" <esniv...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I am brand new here. This group sure has a lot of spam!
>
> Anyway, I am 38 and have been dealing with thryoid issues, it seems for a
> while now (but just recently diagnosed and starting treatment). I believe my
> thryroid problem has caused (or at least not helped) some other health
> problems, including ovarian cysts. I also feel like I might be on the
> fringes of menopause.
>
> My question is, is it common to have "brain fog" and extreme fatigue in the
> first two weeks of one's cycle? Starting with my period, I feel just awful
> until mid-cycle, when things miraculously clear up and I feel loads better.
> I started watching the calendar, and now I'm actually starting to plan my
> life around this foggy bad phase. This means only half of my life is good
> right now! Then I get PMS, and it starts all over. Could this be an estrogen
> problem?
>
> Incidentally, when I was trying (unsuccessfuly) to resolve an ovarian cyst
> without surgery, my doctor had me on femHRT. I sure felt better when I was
> on that, but he wouldn't let me stay on it because I'm not yet menopausal. I
> know femHRT is majority progesterone with a small amount of estrogen.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Elizabeth

hi elizabeth,

i am one of the miserable ones around here (that probably has multiple
meanings). i started having changes in my late 30s & am not having
too much fun at 44. i get the brain fog & fatigue, as well as almost
everything on the typical multi-symptom meno list. i used to have a
more predictable pattern to symptoms, so i can relate to what you are
describing.
there's tremendous individual variation in the course of the
transition. hope you find some ways to help you ease the journey.

ellen

"ellen" <epdpster@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:9a70054a-f9d2-4665-9998-df70ff70f457@2g2000hsn.googlegroups.com...
> On Mar 4, 10:19 am, "Elizabeth" <esniv...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I am brand new here. This group sure has a lot of spam!
>>
>> Anyway, I am 38 and have been dealing with thryoid issues, it seems for a
>> while now (but just recently diagnosed and starting treatment). I believe
>> my
>> thryroid problem has caused (or at least not helped) some other health
>> problems, including ovarian cysts. I also feel like I might be on the
>> fringes of menopause.
>>
>> My question is, is it common to have "brain fog" and extreme fatigue in
>> the
>> first two weeks of one's cycle? Starting with my period, I feel just
>> awful
>> until mid-cycle, when things miraculously clear up and I feel loads
>> better.
>> I started watching the calendar, and now I'm actually starting to plan my
>> life around this foggy bad phase. This means only half of my life is good
>> right now! Then I get PMS, and it starts all over. Could this be an
>> estrogen
>> problem?
>>
>> Incidentally, when I was trying (unsuccessfuly) to resolve an ovarian
>> cyst
>> without surgery, my doctor had me on femHRT. I sure felt better when I
>> was
>> on that, but he wouldn't let me stay on it because I'm not yet
>> menopausal. I
>> know femHRT is majority progesterone with a small amount of estrogen.
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>> Elizabeth
>
> hi elizabeth,
>
> i am one of the miserable ones around here (that probably has multiple
> meanings). i started having changes in my late 30s & am not having
> too much fun at 44. i get the brain fog & fatigue, as well as almost
> everything on the typical multi-symptom meno list. i used to have a
> more predictable pattern to symptoms, so i can relate to what you are
> describing.
> there's tremendous individual variation in the course of the
> transition. hope you find some ways to help you ease the journey.
>
> ellen

Thanks so much. Even though I have no idea what I'm in for, you all sure
seem like nice folks.

Elizabeth

On Mar 5, 10:26 am, "Elizabeth" <esniv...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> "ellen" <epdps...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:9a70054a-f9d2-4665-9998-df70ff70f457@2g2000hsn.googlegroups.com...
>
>
>
> > On Mar 4, 10:19 am, "Elizabeth" <esniv...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> >> Hi all,
>
> >> I am brand new here. This group sure has a lot of spam!
>
> >> Anyway, I am 38 and have been dealing with thryoid issues, it seems for a
> >> while now (but just recently diagnosed and starting treatment). I believe
> >> my
> >> thryroid problem has caused (or at least not helped) some other health
> >> problems, including ovarian cysts. I also feel like I might be on the
> >> fringes of menopause.
>
> >> My question is, is it common to have "brain fog" and extreme fatigue in
> >> the
> >> first two weeks of one's cycle? Starting with my period, I feel just
> >> awful
> >> until mid-cycle, when things miraculously clear up and I feel loads
> >> better.
> >> I started watching the calendar, and now I'm actually starting to plan my
> >> life around this foggy bad phase. This means only half of my life is good
> >> right now! Then I get PMS, and it starts all over. Could this be an
> >> estrogen
> >> problem?
>
> >> Incidentally, when I was trying (unsuccessfuly) to resolve an ovarian
> >> cyst
> >> without surgery, my doctor had me on femHRT. I sure felt better when I
> >> was
> >> on that, but he wouldn't let me stay on it because I'm not yet
> >> menopausal. I
> >> know femHRT is majority progesterone with a small amount of estrogen.
>
> >> Thanks in advance,
> >> Elizabeth
>
> > hi elizabeth,
>
> > i am one of the miserable ones around here (that probably has multiple
> > meanings). i started having changes in my late 30s & am not having
> > too much fun at 44. i get the brain fog & fatigue, as well as almost
> > everything on the typical multi-symptom meno list. i used to have a
> > more predictable pattern to symptoms, so i can relate to what you are
> > describing.
> > there's tremendous individual variation in the course of the
> > transition. hope you find some ways to help you ease the journey.
>
> > ellen
>
> Thanks so much. Even though I have no idea what I'm in for, you all sure
> seem like nice folks.
>
> Elizabeth

elizabeth,

just wanted to mention one other thing. there is a plethora of
confusing information about all of this. i have tried to do some
reading when my brain works enough to do so. so much of what is
available can be contradictory. in my own experience i have found
elizabeth vliet's books to be a decent starting point - her 'it's my
ovaries, stupid' is geared at women your age & younger, though it is a
good overview of her 'screaming to be heard' analysis.

you will also find discussion threads of book recommendations that
others have found useful.

ellen

"Elizabeth" <esnively@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:13stes0ng8nts2d@corp.supernews.com...
> "ellen" <epdpster@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:9a70054a-f9d2-4665-9998-df70ff70f457@2g2000hsn.googlegroups.com...
>> On Mar 4, 10:19 am, "Elizabeth" <esniv...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> I am brand new here. This group sure has a lot of spam!
>>>
>>> Anyway, I am 38 and have been dealing with thryoid issues, it seems for
>>> a
>>> while now (but just recently diagnosed and starting treatment). I
>>> believe my
>>> thryroid problem has caused (or at least not helped) some other health
>>> problems, including ovarian cysts. I also feel like I might be on the
>>> fringes of menopause.
>>>
>>> My question is, is it common to have "brain fog" and extreme fatigue in
>>> the
>>> first two weeks of one's cycle? Starting with my period, I feel just
>>> awful
>>> until mid-cycle, when things miraculously clear up and I feel loads
>>> better.
>>> I started watching the calendar, and now I'm actually starting to plan
>>> my
>>> life around this foggy bad phase. This means only half of my life is
>>> good
>>> right now! Then I get PMS, and it starts all over. Could this be an
>>> estrogen
>>> problem?
>>>
>>> Incidentally, when I was trying (unsuccessfuly) to resolve an ovarian
>>> cyst
>>> without surgery, my doctor had me on femHRT. I sure felt better when I
>>> was
>>> on that, but he wouldn't let me stay on it because I'm not yet
>>> menopausal. I
>>> know femHRT is majority progesterone with a small amount of estrogen.
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance,
>>> Elizabeth
>>
>> hi elizabeth,
>>
>> i am one of the miserable ones around here (that probably has multiple
>> meanings). i started having changes in my late 30s & am not having
>> too much fun at 44. i get the brain fog & fatigue, as well as almost
>> everything on the typical multi-symptom meno list. i used to have a
>> more predictable pattern to symptoms, so i can relate to what you are
>> describing.
>> there's tremendous individual variation in the course of the
>> transition. hope you find some ways to help you ease the journey.
>>
>> ellen
>
> Thanks so much. Even though I have no idea what I'm in for, you all sure
> seem like nice folks.

But of course we are! ;-)

One book that you might like is Lonnie Barbach's "The Pause". A calming
book IMO, since so many symptoms of peri - which at first blush appear to be
weird as hell - are mentioned; IOW, one realizes that they're normal.
Annoying, but normal.

Cathy


>
> Elizabeth
>