Menopause & PeriMenopause
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Menopause & PeriMenopause
Oct 2008
My current gyn is about to retire. I have a complicated gyn history
and am looking for an outstanding female gyn with medical expertise
AND a thoughtful and caring bedside manner. I am preparing to have
a D&C and may need surgery after that. I also have a bicornuate
uterus. The more recent your experience, the better.
In Need
I highly recommend Dr. Risa Kagan of the East Bay Physicians Med. Group.
After 2 high risk ''later in life'' pregnancies,I started to experience
some'' uncomfortable'' changes with my body for almost 2 years.My
Internist ordered tests ranging from hormone tests to ultrasounds all
with normal results. I was frustrated! Dr. Kagan resolved my issues in
my first visit with her! She is a straight forward,no nonsense,doctor
who is extremely knowledgeable with women who are perimenopausal and
menopausal. Dr.Kagan is located in Berkeley. Phone #(510)204-8190
Denise
Katarina Lanner-Cusin, M. D. of Berkeley and UCSF and
Marilyn Honegger, M.D. of Berkeley and Orinda are fabulous. Hopefully you could get in to
see one or both. Dr. Honegger is my gyn, and a great diagnostician who
is much in demand for surgery. Kararina performed surgery on my grown
daughter, who flew back here from a job in Hawaii for the surgery
because there was no one as good there. You might research their
specific areas of surgical expertise, if you can. Both are also
wonderful people, by the way. Best of luck.
Judy
March 2008
My partner, already treating for long-term depression, is having a really
hard time with a new job and now is pre-menopausal as well. It's become
pretty bad, and we're thinking she might get a fresh look at an old problem
with a different psychiatrist. She'd like to try a female doc this time -
maybe one who deals a lot with these issues, so she'd have a more invested
grasp of current meds or ideas that might help get us through this. Any
suggestions?
-anon
I usually prefer female practitioners myself, but I have to recommend Randy Bloch
in Walnut Creek. He's worth the drive. Google him & check out his website &
credentials.
Suzanne
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!
May 2005
I am wondering if anyone can recommend a good book about
menopause. I'm 43, and I think I'm entering perimenopause. My
monthly cycle is getting increasingly shorter, and the last few
months I've had a lot of spotting irregularly during the
month. I have a feeling I'm probably experiencing more
symptoms of perimenopause than I realize, because I am really
quite uninformed. I'd like to get a cleared sense of what lies
ahead.
Thank you.
I don't know about books, but a friend told me about this
website, which had the kind of information I wanted:
http://www.menopause.org/
Ginger
hands down- the best book is ''What Your Dr May Not Tell You About
Premenopause''- your hormones from age 30 - 50 by Dr. Lee- this is a book i think
every woman should read- very infrormative, easy to understand and very user
friendly
helaine
A couple of good books on menopause as a natural life event are: Susun S.
Weed's ''The New Menopausal Years'' and Dr. Christiane Northrup's ''Wisdom of
Menopause.'' Both books are wonderfully comprehensive and address
menopause holistically. Happy reading!
M
This is advice as much as a recommendation. Call your
gynocologist and make an appointment. Your doc will probably
have you keep a record of your cycles for several months.
Mid-cycle spotting is not a sign of perimenapause. It can be a
sign of endometrial cancer as well as other gynocological
problems. I had mid-cycle bleeding and my self-diagnosis was also
peri-menapause, but it turned out I had endometrial cancer (after
a year of keeping records of my cycles, which was longer than it
should have been). If it is caught at the earliest stages (called
hyperplasia, if I remember correctly), it can be managed with
hormones, rather than with surgery.
During my research, I found that mid-cycle bleeding is not normal
and should be investigated. Other risk factors for endometrial
cancer are being overweight, and having a history of preclampsia.
Be assertive in investigating what's going on. If you want to
contact me, ask the moderator for my email.
anon
I love the book New Menopausal Years: The Wise Woman Way,
Alternative Approaches for Women 30-90 (Wise Woman Ways)
by Susan S Weed
It says it's for anyone over 30. You can read more about it at
http://www.powells.com/s?kw=susan+weed+menopause
Susan
I recently read the book on menopause by Christiane Northrup.
She is an M.D., but has a very holistic approach. She also
describes how this time can be a tremendous time of personal
growth for women. I found it to be very motivational and inspiring.
eve
May 2005
I am looking for a recommendation for an OBGYN or MD (preferably
berkeley/oakland area) who can provide advice and support on
managing menopause symptoms. I have had menopausal-related
depression and also formication (which is not nearly as fun as
it sounds - excessive itching and the sensation that bugs are
crawling over your body! really!!!) I have Healthnet Insurance.
Thanks,
anon
Recommended:
Arzou Ahsan
May 2004
Hello, I have looked thru the archives to see if I could find
anything about this but didn't see any info. I am a 50 year old
woman who is still getting my period but getting alot of
periomenopausal symptoms. I am looking for a OB/GYN who is very
knowledgeable about alternative hormonal therapies; bio-
identicals or ''Natural'' hormone therapy. If anyone knows of
someone who fills this request please recommend. Thank you.
Recommended:
Risa Kagan (ObGyn Fertility Group)
Other advice
I know you requested an OB/GYN specifically, but it occurs to me
that a medically trained person may know medicine and/or
pharmaceuticals best (or only). I get all my GYN care from
homeopath Christine Ciavarella at the Hahnemann Medical Clinic,
524-3117, in Albany. As well as doing Pap smears, she treats me
as a whole person, hot flashes, insomnia, forgetfulness, and
all! I also see Dr.Sada Anand Miller, a chiropractor in
downtown Oakland, 208-3224, who knows a lot about Chinese herbs
and nutritional supplements that really helped with the above
symptoms. May I remind you that these days, OB/GYN docs are
mainly (merely) surgeons? Good luck.
Bonnie
August 2003
I'm in my 40s, and am starting to have the first symptoms of
peri-menopause. At least I think that's what happening. My
ob/gyn recently left the area, and for my well-woman visit this
year I saw one of the new doctors in the practice. She was
fine, but, well, so dewey-fresh and I felt a little like asking for
a guided tour of a mysterious place from someone who had
never been there. All her answers felt rather text-book. Can
anyone recommend a woman ob/gyn who is over 40 and
can be a good guide for this difficult landscape?
feeling a little lost
Recommendations received:
John Girard Berkeley-Orinda Women's Health
Marilyn Honegger Berkeley-Orinda Women's Health
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