Bioidentical Hormones

Hello
I haven't taken BH, however, at age 49 and as someone who has had many of the PM symptoms that you have, it's been my experience that the anxiety is more over-whelming in your early 40s (due to the first BIG drop of estrogen) .. That said, doctors were of no help to me... so I began to read up on PM on my own and discovered a great book called, Screaming to be Heard by Dr. Elizabeth Vliet... it covers BH, stages of PM thru to menopause itself... it's a great book and I thought you might find it helpful...
It also talks about anxiety, insomnia, weight gain and so much more..
I got so much out of it... and now that I have some knowledge as to what the heck is going on with my body.. :) it makes things so much easier.... for me and for my family...
check it out, I think it's a must have for all women..

good luck !

Never took anything. Just dealt with symptoms. Just a part of life.

I talked with my gyn about them and she said something interesting to me about using them instead of HRT. She said that what is identical to our own hormones is what isn't necessarily working. I got to thinking about that and thought it made sense.

You're mighty young to be starting all of this, and I'm heartily sorry for you. Mine started around 47 or so and I waited almost 5 years before starting HRT. I kept hoping that the hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and "brain fog" would go away on its own, but it didn't and I was miserable. I am now using an estrogen patch and taking progesterone. It has helped me SO much. However, I'm a lot older than you and I wanted to wait as long as I possibly could so that when the time comes that I should go off of it, that there's a real possibility that I won't go back to the same miserable symptoms I had before. They don't want us to be on hormone replacement for too long.

That being said, if I were in your shoes, I'd try diet and exercise rather than using hormones, whether they are bioidentical or not. Find some peri-meniopause sites to figure out what changes in diet to make. And make sure that you get your hormone levels checked with a blood test (assuming you aren't on the pill. If you're on the pill, you need to be off for 6 months or the test results are skewed and there's not much reason to bother getting the testing done.)

I'm 40 and have been feeling like you for a while. I was on birth control pills for a few years and I was a moody mess. I also wasn't sleeping well. I was skinny though while taking them. Then I got off of them and was severely depressed and gained 30 pounds. I haven't been able to get the weight off. I have no motivation to work out like I used to

I read a few of Suzanne Somers' books and saw an episode about perimenopause on Doctor Oz. I had all the signs . I saw a doctor who specializes in bioidentical. I had a checkup but never went back because I was worried about what it would all cost. Insurance doesn't cover that.

I have been using the over the counter progesterone cream for a few months. At first it was great. I slept so much better. I was so much happier too. My moods were better. I wasn't flying off the handle all the time. Then I experimented with different brands because of price and now it doesn't help me quite as much. I feel grumpy again. I don't always sleep soundly.

I am considering going back to that doctor. She takes insurance for the office visit and some bloodwork. I will let you know how it goes. I'm just nervous about what this is all going to cost.