Common Menstrual Concerns

I’m 49 – why am I getting even more facial hair now?

I’m getting increased facial hair even though I’m using laser therapy! I am 49 and just started skipping periods—I seem to alternate between a skip and two periods a month (!) with lots of stretchy mucus and constant breast pain. I don’t have PCOS and I’m not heavy. I first had a problem with facial hair when I was 24. I associate this starting when I was put on a progesterone only pill for painful periods.
Would the hair get even worse if I took progesterone again now?
Can a Blood Test Tell Me Whether I Am in Menopause?

There are several hormone levels that physicians may suggest ordering. For health care providers (HCP) these may include estrogen (our own estradiol is what laboratories can measure), luteinizing hormone (LH) or follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). In general it is reassuring to have a test ordered because your doctor doing something and that makes us feel…
Do Fibroids Cause Heavy Flow in Perimenopause?

In this article written for Ask4UFE, Dr. Jerilynn Prior weighs in to clear up some of the popular assumptions and misconceptions about uterine fibroids and their association with heavy menstrual flow during perimenopause.
How Can I Tell I Am in Perimenopause?

What’s going on? Why can’t I sleep normally, why am I so grumpy or suddenly anxious, why am I abruptly hot and sweaty? Could I be in perimenopause? CeMCOR believes that if: —our experiences have changed (see the Table of characteristic changes) —our hormone levels have changed (scientific evidence says that perimenopausal estrogen levels are…
Activity level, Cramps and Heavy Flow

I used to play a lot of sports between the ages of 13-17 and my period was always regular with a normal amount of flow lasting between 3-4 days at max i never used to get cramps and my period was not an experience that i would ever dread as it was easily controllable. I now am 19, not as active and suffer from severe cramping, a high flow and periods that last up to 8 days. They sometimes are not as regular and do come as often as every two weeks. What should I do?
Perimenopause Frequently Asked Questions

Dr. Jerilynn C. Prior answers FAQ’s from Perimenopausal Women 1. My doctor has prescribed Clonidine 50mg and Prometrium 100mg daily to treat my hot flushes. Should I start both? In general, it is important to do ‘one at a time’ when trying out medications or any intervention for a symptom or a problem. If you…
Documenting Ovulation with Quantitative Basal Temperature (QBT)

If our cycles are regular – about a month apart we assume we are ovulatory – meaning releasing an egg and making normal amounts of progesterone. However, ovulation is highly variable for all women. Progesterone raises our first morning (or basal) temperature a little bit. But so do many other things. Thus “basal body temperature”…
Perimenopause is a time of “Endogenous Ovarian Hyperstimulation”

“Perimenopausal endogenous ovarian hyper-stimulation” is the exact opposite of “The Myth of the Shriveling Ovary”: High estrogen levels during perimenopause, coupled with characteristically intermittent ovulation, can explain much of the misery of perimenopause. My hypothesis is based on the assumption that inhibin production decreases while there are still viable follicles (capable of producing both estrogen…
Manipulating Menstruation with Hormonal Contraception — what does the Science say?

The flood of recent articles and magazine reports and even books (1) about so-called “menstrual suppression” describe taking the Pill continuously or for longer than 21 days with seven days off. The advertising suggests that this is giving women a “choice” to do away with menstrual flow or menstrual problems. The Federal Drug Agency in…
Young Women and Osteoporosis — Good news about treatment and prevention

Osteoporosis and broken bones are an old woman’s disease-right? No, that is not right! Young women do get osteoporosis-although rarely. The sooner we understand that young women can and do fracture bones and develop osteoporosis the better. Also, the sooner we accept that the bone we build in our childhood and teen years provides a…