Finding Balance - Hormone Replacement Therapy
Original post date: 5/3/19
In my quest to balance raging menopausal hormones and find a “cure” for the myriad symptoms I was suffering, hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, has loomed large as an option, mostly because of the sheer volume of anecdotal evidence that it works. Ask ten of your friends about it, and I guarantee that at least half of them have gone that route.
The pellet in particular has incredibly enthusiastic fans: “I feel ten years younger!” “I’m horny all the time!” “My workouts are amazing!” It’s hard to argue with the testimonials, I admit. But I remain a little skeptical. I really hate the idea of introducing drugs and hormones (bio-identical or not) into my system, it just seems risky. And the reviews are definitely mixed in the medical community – for every doctor that told me, “Yes, go for it!” there were two that advised against it. But it turns out that I hated the way I felt even worse, so off I went to the doctor.
I started with a D.O. because I like the more holistic approach they tend to take towards health, and there is one that my husband had seen for several years that he really liked. He took a lot of time with me and went over the blood work in detail – it confirmed that the levels of any hormone at all in my system was basically zero, so he recommended a course of bioidentical hormones including a testosterone cream plus progesterone pills. I was optimistic!
I started the progesterone that night, as this was the magic pill that was supposed to ease my night sweats and let me sleep like a baby. It felt like the opposite, however, and the next day I felt oddly fat. Ditto for nights two and three, and the days had me feeling so heavy and slow I was not surprised at all when I stepped on the scale to see that I had gained four pounds.
On the fourth day, the testosterone cream arrived from the compounding pharmacy and I wasted no time at all in applying my two clicks. A week or two passed and I was confused: the testosterone was absolutely having an effect – I felt less fatigued, more energetic; but at the same time I was really aggravated, and I was gaining weight, not sleeping at all, and the hot flashes were worse than ever.
Here’s where I started experimenting with the dosages (disclaimer: I do not recommend doing this on your own!). I stopped the progesterone entirely to see what would happen, as I had a feeling that was the culprit. A-ha! The heavy, fat feeling goes away; and the testosterone alone leaves me feeling pretty good, if just a little aggressive and irritable. So I cut the testosterone dose in half, and apply just one click a day. Better! But now I am freaking out about cancer and other side effects, and the hot flashes are not subsiding. So I do what a normal person would have done from the start, return to the doctor for a follow-up. He is understandably concerned about my predilection for self-medication, and I am suitably reprimanded.
Another round of blood work, and he adjusts my dosages way down. I hope for the best, but it is not to be. Even at 50% of the original dosages, I have the same reaction on both fronts so I quit all the hormones cold turkey. I won’t lie – I am disappointed. I had hoped that HRT would be the answer for me, but for whatever reason, I won’t be joining the ranks of my energetic, skinny, horny friends. Yet.
My search for a solution persists!