website: http://www.gottfriedcenter.com/

Re: BHRT Specialist for Menopause, MD or PAC
I would contact the Gottfried Center for Integrative Medicine in Oakland. Sarah Gottfried specializes in menopause. She has completely turned my life around. Good luck. Grateful

Re: Gyn who specializes in bioidentical hormones?
Dr. Sara Gottfried in Oakland. She is excellent and knows ALL about bioidentical hormones, perimenopause and menopause. Not sure about insurance as I pay out of pocket, but it is COMPLETELY worth it. (I had chronic insomnia, sweats, awful mood swings and heart palpitations. Kaiser's answer for me was birth control pills.) May take awhile to get an apointment so call soon. ~~ Balanced

Re: Experiencing mood changes with menopause
Hi, Need to make this quick, but wanted to empathize and offer you Sara Gottfried's info. She is at the Center For Integrative Medicine on Lake Merritt in Oakland, and she is wonderful. She is a Harvard-trained MD but is very into natural and alternative means of treating hormonal imbalance, primarily perimenopause/menopause. When I first saw her a couple of years ago I was CONSTANTLY exhausted, pissed off, hagard, had low-grade depression and did I say pissed off? PLUS chronic insomnia. It felt like bad PMS that was becoming more and more my natural state.

She put me on bioidentical hormones and supplements, and I now sleep through the night MOST nights, am not depressed, have very good energy, and **LOVE** my life again.

It may take awhile to get an appt., and after that it may take a few months to get yourself ''balanced'' (she does blood/saliva testing and bases treatment on that) but it is SO WORTH IT!

Her website is www.gottfriedcenter.com/index.html Phone is 510.893.3907 Best of luck to you! Anonymous

Re: Consult about hormones, exercise, and diet?
You've described Dr. Sara Gottfried, M.D., OBG, complementary medicine practitioner, yoga teacher. I took a yoga for menopause class with her, which she co-taught. Really great and helpful. A close friend is a patient of Dr. G's and has been been sharing with me the play-by-play of her work with with Dr. Gottfired. She has experienced major improvements in all areas of health, including overall energy, sexual energy, mood, digestion, etc. Dr. Sara Gottfried, Oakland (510)601-7111 I recently referred a client who told me there is about a month wait for first appt. Dr. S. is good about collaborating with other medical practitioners. You can google her and learn more. (Also, the book The Wisdom of Menopause, has lots of good info.) take care

Re: Psychiatrist for pre-menopausal depression?
Hi, I do realize that your question specifically asked about a psychiatrist for your partner, and I'm afraid I can't help there, but since you also mentioned medical issues and depression associated with pre-menopause, I wanted to wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Sara Gottfried. Her Oakland practice is called Integrative Medicine for Women. She is a Harvard-trained, board certified Gyn who specializes in bioidentical hormone balancing in perimenopausal and menopausal women. She provides a great balance between western/allopathic and alternative/holistic medicine, and REALLY knows her stuff. At 46 with a 3-year-old (yikes), I was having a horrendous time with insomnia, exhaustion, depression, terrible mood swings, heart palpitations, zero libido, ETC. when I found Dr. Gottfried, and she has truly been a Godsend for me (and my family!). All of my symptoms are now at least 90% better, and I love my life again! I am a Kaiser fan, but their solution for me was to offer me the Pill, which makes me nuts and severely depressed. Dr. Gottfried's website is www.doctorgottfried.com. Best wishes to you and your partner. Feeling SO much better!