Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure your hormones change in your mid-40s but I am really not clear why everyone wants to jump on the medicalization bandwagon. Just do what you know you should do - eat better, exercise more, lift weights. Most likely you have several more years until you hit any particular symptoms to be treated (if ever).

It's okay to just not participate in this conversation if you don't have anything helpful to add. I would LOVE to not jump on the "medicalization bandwagon" but when you're in your early 40's and "doing what you know you should do" but still experiencing symptoms like waking up nightly in a pool of sweat, random crippling anxiety with no explanation, joint pain, mood swings and crazy periods, it's pretty hard to tolerate. When you've ruled out most other things, probably worth trying the "medicalization" route. HRT has resolved just about all of it. It must be nice that you haven't experienced any of that and assume other people are just dumb sheep, we're all really happy for you.

Anonymous wrote:Sure your hormones change in your mid-40s but I am really not clear why everyone wants to jump on the medicalization bandwagon. Just do what you know you should do - eat better, exercise more, lift weights. Most likely you have several more years until you hit any particular symptoms to be treated (if ever).

Anonymous wrote:Tests only show one day, and are therefore not diagnostic because in peri our hormones shift daily - it’s not a linear decline.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your doctor is an idiot. Blood draws are only a one day snapshot in time, and do not show the progression of your hormone cycles compared to years prior.

I'm a 45 year old research scientist, and out of curiosity, I've been using the Inito monitor to track my hormone levels for the past few years. Ostensibly sold to become pregnant, it's actually very informative for any issue that might arise from the reproductive hormones it tests (urine metabolite of progesterone, urine metabolite of estrogen, LH and FSH). It can demonstrate whether you have PCOS, for example.

What I've noticed is that my estrogen and LH variations are a lot wider than in previous years, which explains some of my peri symptoms of insomnia and anxiety. When my progesterone craters, I feel tired. When my estrogen peaks, I can't sleep. It's interesting. (Confounding factor: hydration levels can mess with the results, so it's important to be hydrated to about the same level every day, so that urine concentration is as stable as possible.)

But if you were to take one single snapshot of any day of my cycle, it would tell you nothing, apart perhaps that I'm not in full menopause yet.

If you have symptoms of perimenopause and you're in your 40s, chances are you're in perimenopause.

However you want to check your thyroid and iron levels, and perhaps other things, to make sure no additional medical problem is causing your symptoms. Fatigue is a common factor in many diseases, including hypothyroidism, which is quite frequent past middle age, and also a symptom in anemia.

Op here. That's what I was thinking about the test and coming to a conclusion. I do have PCOS and Hashimoto(low thyroid) and have been losing my hair and gained weight. I am not sure what else to do but I'll definitely go to my OBGYN.

Anonymous wrote:Your doctor is an idiot. Blood draws are only a one day snapshot in time, and do not show the progression of your hormone cycles compared to years prior.

I'm a 45 year old research scientist, and out of curiosity, I've been using the Inito monitor to track my hormone levels for the past few years. Ostensibly sold to become pregnant, it's actually very informative for any issue that might arise from the reproductive hormones it tests (urine metabolite of progesterone, urine metabolite of estrogen, LH and FSH). It can demonstrate whether you have PCOS, for example.

What I've noticed is that my estrogen and LH variations are a lot wider than in previous years, which explains some of my peri symptoms of insomnia and anxiety. When my progesterone craters, I feel tired. When my estrogen peaks, I can't sleep. It's interesting. (Confounding factor: hydration levels can mess with the results, so it's important to be hydrated to about the same level every day, so that urine concentration is as stable as possible.)

But if you were to take one single snapshot of any day of my cycle, it would tell you nothing, apart perhaps that I'm not in full menopause yet.

If you have symptoms of perimenopause and you're in your 40s, chances are you're in perimenopause.

However you want to check your thyroid and iron levels, and perhaps other things, to make sure no additional medical problem is causing your symptoms. Fatigue is a common factor in many diseases, including hypothyroidism, which is quite frequent past middle age, and also a symptom in anemia.