Alright, I have recently unearthed some women's health advice that really surprised me.
As you may have deduced by now, I'm a rather big fan of anything that can make a women's life better. Naturally, the pursuit of knowledge and Oprah fall at the top of my list of things that ameliorate the female journey.
I was watching this sex webinar of sorts on Oprah.com. Dr. Laura Berman, a sex therapist, and Oprah were discussing all sorts of things surrounding sex. The topic of hormones and menopause came up. When addressing the issue of one's hormones being all out of whack during menopause, Dr. Berman recommended women get their hormone levels checked BEFORE menopause. WAY BEFORE. Go to about the 9 minute mark to listen to her explanation.
Her point is that if you get your hormones levels tested when they are normal, say around your 20s and early 30s, then later, when they aren't normal and your doctor is messing around with them to get you where they need to be, it will be a heck of a lot easier. It seems every women's hormones are as "unique as her fingerprint." If you test them when you are at a happy and normal place, you are making things easier down the road.
Well now, doesn't that make sense! I'm in my thirties (Decade Four - get it? Remember this: Decade Three vs. Decade Four ?) so I have not yet been blessed with the wonder and mystery of menopause, or even childbirth for that matter. Naturally, there are women in my life that have been. And, I'm not sure they would use the word "blessed." I'm not looking forward to menopause so naturally, anything I can do now to ease the transition is welcome.
So what do you say ladies? Has anyone out there heard of having your hormones tested earlier in life? Has anyone gone to their doctor and asked about it? What did the doctor say? Did they think you were crazy? Did they think it was a great idea? Was the doc old, young? Male? Female? Are you planning on bringing this up with your doctor?
I'll be poking around the web for some more info on this topic and if all goes well, I will probably ask my doctor about this. In the meantime, please send along your comments about any experience or knowledge you might have!
2 comments:
I really wish women commented on this post. Maybe most are too ashamed? I am about to call my regular dr to have my hormones checked since my ob/gyn doesn't seem to believe me. I am almost 35 and "just know" something isn't right. Thanks for posting this!
Dear 35life - thank you very much for your comment. I agree, I would really like to see other women weigh in on their experiences with this.
I "went there" with this post because I'm not afraid to do or say things that other people find scary or unsettling - I do it because I want progress for women and I think there are miles to go when it comes to an open dialogue about women's health - remember that when Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were fighting for women's suffrage, it was considered vulgar for a woman to speak in public.
Good luck getting your hormones checked - don't let doubting doctors deter you - you know your body better than anyone else. I hope in my heart you find the information you need.
Please keep us posted if you are comfortable. You can also email me at decadefour@gmail.com in confidence.
Fingers crossed,
-D4
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