EXAMPLE OFAWOMAN IN PERIMENOPAUSE
When it comes to Perimenopause, it affects many women in their thirties or forties, but many are unaware of what is going on with their bodies. Dr Steven R. Goldstein is a Perimenopause Specialist in NYC and co-author of the book “Could it be….Perimenopause?” gives an example of how Perimenopause affected one of his patients.
This forty-seven year old woman went for her annual exam with her doctor. She tried to discuss the many differences was experiencing in her health recently – subtle and hard to pinpoint, but very definite differences that when added up were making her feel unlike her natural self.
She’d gotten her last period weeks before she expected it, and it caught her at work, completely unprepared. She said “It reminded me of junior high, having to search the halls for an understanding teacher or someone who could loan me a tampon or a pad”.
Her doctor listened carefully. She continues. “He said that since I was still having periods, there was no reason to do hormone levels. Then he told me that since my daughter was a teenager and I probably would not be planning any more children, I might as well have a hysterectomy. His suggestion was – see if it helps. I stood there, stunned”.
Dr Goldstein listened carefully to this new patient. There was every reason to do hormone levels, which Dr Goldstein did. There was absolutely no reason for a hysterectomy. Dr Goldstein gave this woman a detailed explanation of what was happening inside her body by explaining Perimenopause to her. He also gave her the options she could take if her symptoms did not improve. It was enough to dispel her worries and lead her on a path to feeling better during this new stage of her life.
Perhaps you’re experiencing the same symptoms. Or perhaps like another patient, there are only eight to ten days per month that you feel good, and the other days are a roller coaster of emotions, racing thoughts, depression, anxiety and more. If so, you may be experiencing Perimenopause.
If you can identify with what is written above or you are in your thirties or forties and have irregular bleeding, spotting, not bleeding for weeks, foggy memory, free floating anxiety, insomnia, occasional hot flashes, an inability to concentrate, or mood changes, then a consultation with Dr Goldstein, a Perimenopause Specialist in NYC may be appropriate.