The Wisdom of Menopause

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thammond64: My wife has been told that she is perimenopausal, and she's rather depressed about it. What can I do to help her feel better? I know it's not easy for a man to relate, but I want to try.

chris_northrup_md: Thank you so much for being willing to be of support. Back in the days when I delivered babies, men would ask how best to support their wives during labor--another process that they could not experience directly. My answer was the same as it is now: Your job is to love your wife.

Compliment her, tell her what parts of her are beautiful. The woman you married has the same spirit she always had. Let her know that you fell in love with her essence, not her hormone levels.

I also think you can get her the book "The Wisdom of Menopause." :- )

shell_mabelle: Can you tell me, in this day and age with young girls starting their periods earlier, whether menopause starts earlier?

chris_northrup_md: No, it actually means that menopause may start later, and this has to do with the factors that bring on a menstrual period early, like body weight, percentage of body fat, diet, etc. These are the same factors that cause a woman to menstruate later in life.

Lekvar_5: I've heard that women in their 20s can be perimenopausal. Is this really bad news for them?

chris_northrup_md: Same goes for women in their 30s. It doesn't have to be bad news, but the body should not go for long periods with subnormal levels [of hormones] while in your 20s and 30s. This can lead to early osteoporosis and other problems. I always recommend hormone replacement whenever possible in these situations.

fluffyone2002: How safe is hormone replacement therapy?

chris_northrup_md: Hormone replacement therapy should be prescribed in individualized doses that match as nearly as possible those hormones that a woman's body may be lacking. Hormone replacement refers to three different hormone groups: estrogen, progesterone, and androgen.

Too often, people believe that hormone replacement means Premarin. Premarin is the most popular form of estrogen but probably the most dangerous. It is made from the urine of pregnant horses and its metabolic breakdown products in the body are biologically stronger than the parent compound. There are several disturbing studies showing that Premarin does DNA damage in breast tissue.

Premarin is the main ingredient in Prempro and Premphase, two very widely prescribed forms of hormone replacement. Better choices are patches such as Climara and Estraderm. When it comes to progesterone, the best choice is bio-identical progesterone, which is available in capsules as a 2% skin cream known as Prometrium and a vaginal gel called Crinone.

Unfortunately the most widely prescribed progesterones are synthetic, such as Provera. This [progesterone] is also the ingredient in Prempro. This type of synthetic hormone has been associated with narrowing of coronary arteries. I believe that it may be dangerous in some women.

As you can see, the question "Is hormone therapy safe?" depends on the person, the type of hormone, the dose, and the period of time over which it's used. We now know that estrogen replacement increases the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, the vast majority of studies which show this association have used Premarin and Provera hormones that are not natural to the female body.

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