BHRT Confessions: My Not-So-Secret Weapon

I was scheduled for my quarterly bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) treatment this week.

My body was already registering its complaints last week, letting me know I was experiencing a drop in my hormone support. Reminiscent of those terrible PMS days, I have been muscling through, working hard to ignore the many crappy ways I’ve been feeling.

The BHRT Path:

“I was despondent, feeling like I was losing control of my life.”

As a woman navigating menopause, I’ve relied on BHRT pellets for the past four years. These pellets are a game-changer, helping me conquer my menopause symptoms and embrace life once again. I do not exaggerate when I say that even if I were told they might result in my acquiring a vestigial tail, I’d still keep them. That’s how bad it was for me before embarking on this journey. I’d figure out something costume-wise to include my new appendage.

Four years ago, I was in a dark place, weighed down by the burdens of menopause. The symptoms were relentless — a 30-pound weight gain, emotional dysregulation, vertigo, anxiety, and brain fog that clouded my every thought. I was despondent, feeling like I was losing control of my life. I went on a journey to solve the menopause labyrinth. Believe me, I tried it all – supplements, exercise, CBD, and more. I would have built an altar and sacrificed a goat if someone had told me it would help.   

After much trial and error, I discovered BHRT. It was then my life took a positive turn. The pellets my doctor inserts every three-plus months, containing estrogen and testosterone, are nothing short of miraculous for me. Additionally, I take progesterone orally on a daily basis to complete the hormonal balancing act.

BHRT has transformed my life. The pellets brought back the vitality and vigor that menopause stole from me. Now, I typically wake up every day with a sense of purpose and enthusiasm, and life is worth living again. However, as any BHRT user knows, these pellets have a limited timespan of efficacy, and when they start to wear out, I can feel the shift within myself.

What Goes Up Must Come Down:

“As I wait a bit longer for my appointment, I’m reminded of the significance of these pellets in my life”

When my BHRT pellets begin to lose their effectiveness, my emotional rollercoaster starts back up. I become quieter, more introverted, and the once-clear skies in my mind cloud over with negative thoughts that seem to run wild and unchecked. Suddenly, everyone around me appears wrong or mean, which is far from the truth. It’s a struggle to maintain control over my emotions and thoughts during these periods of hormone imbalance.

Unfortunately, my most recent appointment was postponed last minute by my doctor’s office. It’s frustrating to be at the mercy of someone else’s schedule when your sanity relies on timely hormone replacement therapy. Crestfallen by the unwelcome rescheduling, I needed a perspective change. As I wait a bit longer for my appointment, I’m reminded of the significance of these pellets in my life and how they’ve enabled me to regain control over my emotional and physical well-being. I am doing my level best to forcefully remind myself of this — that I actually do have some control over my physical and emotional health.

I’m going to have to white-knuckle my way through the next few days of hormonal imbalance, reminding myself that it’s just temporary and that I’m lucky to have discovered BHRT in the first place — to have been given back my life and the best version of myself.

In the meantime, until that rescheduled date with my doctor, I’ll “enjoy” these days of hormonal imbalance with gratitude as a reminder of how good I usually have it now. If I don’t rip someone’s face off first.

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