Hey Gang,

I don’t know how many of you watched the Oprah episode on menopause and hormone replacement therapy. As a women in the latter half of her forties I found it very interesting. I’ve been experiencing many of the symptoms over the last 4 months or so, apathy, constant exhaustion, weight in the mid section, lack of sex drive, and incredible forgetfulness. The whole process is very confusing and scary. I told a friend I feel like I did at sixteen, I’m not comfortable in my own skin (skin that seems to have aged 10 years in 4 months).

I’ve decided to take action! I’m going to see a hormone specialist in Southern Ca next month. I went to her 5 years ago when I thought I was starting the whole perimenopause phase and she ran extensive blood work. I loved her because she spent at least a half hour talking to me about my life in addition to a physical exam. After the blood work came back she sat me down and told me I was healthy as a horse and I needed to focus on getting more sleep and add a few vitamins to my daily regimen. I followed her advice and she was right.

This is so much different. I feel so exhausted, not a good thing for a trainer. I refuse to go down without a fight. I enjoy my life too much to let this continue unchecked. I’m also really focusing in cutting back on caffeine and paying attention to my diet. I’m also reading everything I can find about bio-identicals so I can manage my own health.

I’ll let you know what happens. Anyone else out there have any experiences to share?

Dr. Arvantely’s practice is in Newport Beach Ca. Check out her site www.drarvantely.com.