Dear Pamela,
A recent hormone test through my GP showed my estrogen and progesterone as super low, but my doctor won’t prescribe me hormones.
I am 48 and still menstruating. She actually suggested I try resistance training and eat more protein.
I was so pissed. I am at the gym six days a week, lift plenty of weights, and eat my share of protein.
I have plenty of symptoms. Extra fatigue and brain fog are affecting my work. I get so bloated through the day that by the evening I look like I swallowed a kettle bell. I do too much planking and eat too many salads to look that way.
Why won’t she just give me a boost? I swear all of my friends are on estrogen and progesterone. Why not me?
Sincerely,
Hormone Flatliner
Dear Flatliner,
This is hella frustrating to read. Feeling unheard by your doc is not ok, and it happens to us Ladies of Perimenopause more often than not. Grrrr.
The good news
By leaving you hormone-free and frustrated, you were given a gift. That’s clearly not the doc you want at the helm of your maiden voyage into hormones and you are now a free agent.
Let’s help you find a better fit.
What you want in a doc
The doctor who will lock elbows with you on deck for your HRT voyage should fit this bill:
Listening Skills.
You want someone who will listen to you vent about your symptoms as if it were celebrity gossip. Your initial appointment will be like speed dating with your pants off and if you tell her that your vaginal dryness makes you want to hump a hairbrush, let’s have a follow-up question please.
Empathy.
When you mention how your evening abdominal-kettlebell feels like a cruel joke, she should nod with her head slightly tilted to the side, as if she understands this to be totally unacceptable.
Experience.
I don’t mean only experience with prescribing hormones, but experience prescribing them to ladies like YOU. If she stares at you with a blank-inside look when you mention your six-days-a-week workout schedule, hurdle that exam table and sprint of the door. If she starts talking about what works best for her other gym-elite-level clients, settle in, you have a winner.
Why it is hard to find the right HRT doc
Menopause used to be covered in med school as a brief mumble hidden in a cough, but as the market for treating women in this age group grows, new research is being done and more doctors and nurse practitioners are specializing in this field. YAY!
A hidden gem can be a Menopause Society-certified nurse practitioner working under a GYNie doc. These ladies live and breathe menopause and aren’t rushing out to deliver babies, so they have space for you in their calendars and brains.
What if HRT isn’t for you?
You might find the perfect doctor who makes you feel seen and heard, but still thinks you should try some other tactics before diving into HRT.
That’s ok. The whole peri-ride lasts an average 4-8 years. Likely any suggestions will pair well with HRT down the road and be aimed at supporting your best longterm health.
Be dogged in you insistence for both the medical care you deserve and the care you provide for your own body.
You are worth all of the time, hustle, and co-pays.
Bon Voyage,
Coach Pamela
