Oh yes, the change we can believe in

Some people age gracefully and others just grow old. I'm afraid I'm just growing old. I'm pushing 48 and I'm going through "THE CHANGE". Nicole asked me what it was like to go through menopause. I told her it's like having PMS for months at a time. Your body gets swollen, you get tired and cranky and you have trouble sleeping. Didn't Obama promise us change?

Speaking of menopause, I do not take hormones for it. Sometimes I would like to but I’ve read it can increase my risk for cancer....

hormone replacement therapy (HRT). This may be a quick and strong way to combat hormonal imbalance; but, unfortunately, it entails serious side effects and increases the risk of different types of cancer among women, as the following study has proven.



In 1991 the National Institute of Health (NIH) launched the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), the largest clinical trial ever undertaken in the United States. The WHI was designed to provide answers concerning possible benefits and risks associated with use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). This study was canceled in July 2002, after it was proven that synthetic hormones increase risks of ovarian and breast cancer as well as heart disease, blood clots and strokes. The findings were published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and to this date have not been disputed.

I'm not opposed to using drugs, but cautious about treating one problem with something that can cause another problem. My symptoms aren't actually so bad...I hope it stays manageable. Menopause is a subject I have not heard much about. I guess folks are too embarrassed to speak of such things. I just try to face facts. I'm getting older and this is part of that normal process. I always get the best advice from my readers when I'm honest. I guess by writing this I hope to gain some wisdom from you.

HERE is a site called 34 Menopause Symptoms.