Personalized women's wellness in Metairie, LA. Patient-focused, award-winning, compassionate care. In my mid-forties, my body and mind went through a drastic change. At the age of 43, I started waking up at 3 AM every night. I was the one who would normally bring a jacket to the restaurant, because I was always freezing and then one day on a beach vacation it all changed. I was at dinner with my family, and I kept taking my jacket on and off because one minute I was freezing and the next minute I was burning up. I told myself, “I must just be feeling this way because I was in the sun all day, so that must explain why my body temperature is all over the place”. Then my spouse looked at me and said, “Honey, you haven’t had a period in 3 months. I think you may be going through menopause.” I said, “That’s ridiculous. I’m only 44. And I should know because I’m an expert on menopause since I’m an OB/Gyn”. I was in denial, but down deep I knew my spouse was right. How could this be happening? I’m a healthy 44-year-old woman who eats right, exercises regularly, and has no medical problems. This can’t be happening! But it was. When we got home it hit me like a ton of bricks. I would have waves of heat that would start in my feet, travel up my entire body, and make me dizzy. I suffered from palpitations and moments of unexplained anxiety I had never experienced before. My bed was like a swimming pool at night, to the point that I had to replace the sheets from the holes that developed from all the constant dampness. I was very edgy and impatient and didn’t want to be around anyone. I immediately felt “old”, as if my youth and attractiveness were gone. I had always been a person who exercised regularly. I was an avid runner and participated in a few half marathons every year since I was 35 years old, but all of the sudden I had no energy and didn’t feel like working out. I was in a great relationship and had a healthy s*x drive and suddenly, it was almost nonexistent because of the fatigue. I never had an issue with my weight, and now I had fat around my midsection that just wouldn’t go away. So, I checked my hormone levels, and indeed I was going through the change. I thought…” Well OK. I can fix myself…I’m the expert” …I was wrong. I tried everything I was taught we should do for our patients and nothing worked. That’s when I decided, it’s time I educate myself better…I mean after all, I’m supposed to be the expert. Both of my grandmothers died of breast cancer, my paternal grandfather and uncle both died of massive heart attacks in their late forties, my parents developed memory issues late in life, and everyone in my immediate family had some sort of cancer. So, what could I do? I, like many women, was concerned about the risk of breast cancer and heart attack if I took hormones, but I also didn’t want to feel and look older than my age by not taking hormones. Additionally, I knew a lack of hormones, especially at such a young age, placed me at much higher risk than other women my own age who were not menopausal for issues such as dementia, osteoporosis, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Like many physicians, I was confused about hormones but didn’t realize the extent of my knowledge deficit in this area of gynecologic care. I knew “synthetic hormones” increased the risks of breast cancer, strokes, heart attacks, and blood clots, but I didn’t understand that bioidentical hormones were different. I actually didn’t even understand what bioidentical hormones were and most of my colleagues still don’t. So, I started taking courses on hormone replacement therapy and reading original journal articles incessantly. I learned that the majority of the medical evidence shows bioidentical hormones do not increase the risk of breast cancer, heart attacks, strokes or blood clots and may lower the risk of many diseases, including breast cancer, diabetes, dementia, and osteoporosis. After failing to get relief of my symptoms through the medication regimens I was taught in residency and throughout my career, I found the solution. Once I optimized my hormones through bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, my quality of life returned, and I knew I was improving my health without the risks associated with synthetic hormones. It changed my life and can do the same for you!
