Peri-menopause Pause

Hello from the Flint Hills!
Women considering having their tubes tied for convenience sake so they won't get pregnant PLEASE READ THIS ONE.
This blog message has to do with being peri-menopausal, hot flashes, heavy menses, TUBAL LIGATION, hormonal imbalances and more...as I ramble abit.

The day after Christmas my so called monthly "VISITOR" arrived with me already having a full house. Being peri-menopausal has been an awkward, tiring and messy thing to go through with much learning that has led to much research. I'm still experiencing this phase of life that I had no idea even exsisted until I was in my forties. I was aware of menopause...that BIG CHANGE OF LIFE THANG! But I had no idea that the peri part could take years to lead up to the meno part. Had heard that menopause means to pause which can cause one to think and ponder a great deal about life. What I have learned is that while waiting for the pause in menses and to think, I am doing a great deal of thinking about life already and wondering when the laborous part of inching my way to the meno part will take place and OH LORD, PLEZ DON'T LET ME BE ONE OF THOSE WOMEN THAT HAS WHAT IS CALLED late menopause AND STILL HAS MENSES UNTIL SHE'S 60!!!!!

While waiting for the CHANGE OF LIFE to happen, this waiting for the big event to happen is causing CHANGE with how I conduct my day to day life. How to handle getting out of the house to shop, socialize, do good deeds, react to relationships, grooming, sleep habits, cleaning the house, laundry, etc. Just being around people in general has changed so much.

After much time surfing on the web and reading what some others have gone through and what I know I have experienced, I am a firm believer that women should NEVER have their tubes tied. This surgical procedure is called a tubal ligation and is a way to sterilize the female.

What I have learned about what comes across as a simple procedure that has minimal side effects is this...what seems like a solution to birth control can lead to a hormonal imbalance that causes the menses to be too heavy or light. Which leads the female to the conventional doctor that suggest synthetic hormones (HRT or hormone replacement therapy) be taken which can lead to cancer, stroke, heart attack, and in the long run of using HRT, dementia. The HRT may not calm the savage beast that has come to life due to the hormonal imbalance that has come from having the tubes tied. In fact, you'll probably be led to taking antidepressants to numb or soothe the mood swings that are happening.

The hormonal imbalances can lead to uterine fibroid tumors which seem to grow when too much estrogen (also known as estrogen dominance) is in the system. The hormonal imbalances may lead to migraine headaches, unwanted weight gain and additional facial hair. The fibroids may cause heavy menses (anemia can occur), a bloated abdomen in appearance, fatigue, cramps, uncomfortable internal pressure elsewhere in your body, frequent urinating, difficult bowel movements due to constipation, lack of interest in sexual relations, irritation toward others. The hormonal imbalance can cause the uterus to enlarge as if having a false pregnancy without a baby in the womb. As a woman advances to being peri-menopausal, the enlarged uterus and hormonal imbalances leads to heavy menses which continue to get heavier with age producing blood clots, gushing and flooding. Don't forget the hot flashes. Which leads the female back to the conventional doctor that suggests putting her on birth control pills to help with the heavy menses and HRT to help ease the hot flashes or a gynecologist that suggest a hysterectomy. Which means after the hysterectomy she will be instructed to take synthetic HRT which can lead to cancer, stroke, heart attack and dementia.

Couldn't the birth control pill which plays with the estrogen level so you stop bleeding go ahead and feed the fibroid which will cause it to grow????

A vicious circle.

Take good care of yourself. Have test done to make sure you don't have cancer, thyroid problems, infections, other things that might cause heavy menses before getting a hysterectomy.
Take a good quality daily vitamin and IRON. Take the iron until you are actually menopausal. Heard that too much iron after menopause isn't good for you and can cause other health problems. Don't forget the old fashion remedy of drinking hot water with molasses.

DURING THOSE TIMES WHEN THE MENSES ARE FLOWING TOO HEAVY use over the counter Motrin IB (NSAIDs) to help slow or stop the heavy menses.
Give yourself a break and take a warm bath to stop menses.
There are natural progesterone creams and pills that you can take that your conventional doctor probably won't tell you about. Available at health food stores and mail order catalogs. Also some all natural HRT are on the market now that you might consider using.
There are certain surgeries available that remove only the fibroids and keep the uterus in tact for future pregnancies.
You may need an D and C to stop the excessive flow and to check the uterus lining for other problems.
Extra large, thick and long sanitary pads to wear are available. There are thicker pads available for those with urinary problems that work very well for heavy menses flow. These pads are thicker and more absorbant than the regular sanitary pads that I have used.
May want to make your own sanitary pads to assure that you are wearing 100% cotton pads that are next to your body. I have often wondered what the petro chemicals used to make sanitary pads does to the health of the wearer.
Throw away panties that people with urinary problems wear can be worn to add extra protection for those times that you gush blood that you had no warning was going to come.
You may want to avoid excessive amounts of caffeine from coffee and tea.

And above all else, rest and pray.

If you are in the age group that's getting very close to crossing over into menopause and you want very badly to retire with your organs than you may need a cheering section from a support group as you tough this time out. Remind yourself that the convenience that a hysterectomy has to offer may not be so convenient in the long run with the side effects it has to offer. Doctors can admit that they don't know all there is to know about hormone production and what hormones the woman will produce from still having a uterus after menopause. Just because you are no longer going to have babies is not a good enough reason to have the uterus removed!

When I was 24 years of age, I wanted an easy, convenient way to have sex with my husband and not get pregnant. Spontaneous SEX. We already had 3 healthy children and I had talked myself into thinking that 3 was enough. I never asked the GOOD LORD if I should get sterilized by having my tubes tied. I never asked Him how many children He wanted to bless me with. One doctor I had visited with told me that I shouldn't have anymore children after the age of 28 due to having had Rheumatic Fever when I was six years old that left me with a heart murmur.

I regret not turning to the Lord as I had gone off of what a doctor had to say alone.
I weighed this man's opinion over God's.

I have had a great deal of time with pain to rethink what led me to getting my tubes tied and all the troubles this mind set and surgery gave me. The end results has not been convenient at all.

As for spontaneous SEX...I have come to know that God never intended for us to have spontaneous SEX. His plan is far higher and better than what man reasons as acceptable sex.
God is into PLANNING and PREPARING.

Sex can be a very pleasurable act. It is meant to be that way with godly, protective guidelines which are for our health, safety and enrichment...not punishment. The covenant commitment that is to come within one's marriage that nurtures sexual intimacy between husband and wife is a higher PLAN for humans. When selecting a spouse, we should give great thought as to their character and integrity. When choosing a spouse it should take deep thought that shouldn't be clouded by sexual attraction before examining a person's relationship with Almighty God and how they will live their life. How they will treat you and others. How they will conduct their estate and business.

Marriage is something that we should not enter into lightly. We need to plan and prepare for marriage, actually get married before sex happens. The covenant relationship that comes from becoming one in marriage should take place first, then be blessed with sexual intimacy.

Then we are to plan our sexual time. Clean our bodies and prepare for this private and intimate activity between husband and his wife. Sexual intercourse was never meant to be JUST BECAUSE WE CAN. It was never meant to be just when ever, with whom ever, where ever.

Back to being 24 and getting my tubes tied. I was young, stupid, rebellious and insecure. My God walk was not a high priority at the time. I had believed that a tubal ligation was for me to prevent future pregnancies and would allow spontaneous sex. Carefree and wonderful. Kind of like no strings attached. Wow have sex and not have to worry about getting pregnant sounded great.

This procedure happened after my third child was born on a Saturday in April. I had surgery on Monday. By December I came down with a kidney infection. Years of Urinary tract infections after tract infection began. I do mean years of them where I was plagued with fatigue, discomfort, pain, multiple visits to the doctors and specialists (where I was told, we just sometimes don't know why these happen) to the financial, physical and emotional expense involved by them. Along with the unanswered questions and disruption in life as a wife, mother to 3 active children and homemaker that relocated on the average of every two years due to husband's career. Do I suspect these infections came having had a tubal ligation? Yes, I do.

Weight gain slowly started to make itself present. PMS increased. After, the urinary tract infections stopped, then the night sweats started while I was in my early 30s. Fibroid tumors were discovered during a physical in my late 30s. Starting in my early 40s brought migraine headaches with vomitting. Mid 40s brought on heavy menses with small blood clots. Early 50s an increase in heavy and longer periods with huge clots.
And yes, I do believe that all of these struggles were brought on by a tubal ligation that caused these troubles.
The devil presents things to you that look inviting and exciting that he wants to offer as a solution to your problems and challenges you're encountering in life. He will present what may look like a workable solution to dealing with what's going on in the here and now. It may appeal to your desires and lusts or your ignorance and simple minded thinking. He will never tell you the horrific consequences that you will have to deal with after you have believed his lie and fallen for his con job. There are aweful consequences to not leaning on the Lord and knowing His point of view about all things.

KNOWING God begins with having been introduced to Almighty God and then experiencing being spiritually BORN AGAIN (when we willingly accept for ourselves God's perfect plan of redemption for mankind through Jesus Christ becoming our saviour and our original sin forgiven), getting filled with the Holy Spirit, spending time in God's presence while praying and reading the Bible (HIS WRITTEN WORD), meditating on His Word, talking to God about what you've read.

Being tender and sensitive to the Holy Spirit and doing what God would like for us to do will lead to knowing God.

I will continue later...
Til then, don't forget to pray.
May your Home be a Haven full of God's love.
Deanna