Can natural or bioidentical hormones help perimenopause symptoms?

            The majority of women that come to see me are in the perimenopausal phase. This is the time women feel the most emotional distress. I can’t tell you how many patients walk into my office and announce:

• “I feel like I am totally out of control.”
• “I cannot predict who I’ll be from day to day.”
• “I’m really going insane.”

Perimenopause is the hormonal transition that takes place before a woman stops menstruating. It is a challenging time as perimenopause often lasts for years on end, as your estrogen level fluctuates from high to low, and back to high again. This creates a set of inconsistent and highly distressful physical and emotional symptoms and behaviors.

            During perimenopause, your calming hormone progesterone is also at a lower level than normal. You may still have a monthly period, but it comes a few days closer together with a heavier flow than in the past and blood clots. Often doctors prescribe birth control pills to lessen the heavy, clotty, or more frequent periods. They may also recommend antidepressants to address emotional distress. Some doctors even recommend a D & C (dilatation and curettage) or hysterectomy to alleviate heavy bleeding while never presenting the option of bioidentical progesterone therapy. Taking bioidentical progesterone often eliminates the heavy bleeding without requiring surgery.