Today I had my first experience with acupuncture and craniosacral therapy at The Plumb Blossom Clinic whom I'd read a recommendation for on one of the in/fertility forums that I lurk on.
The appointment was earlier than I'd have preferred at 8.30am but it worked out to be a good choice of time as I've been floating and sleepy for the rest of the day! I'm impressed so far, as one of the main reasons to choose therapies from traditional chinese medicine is that it looks at the causes of health problems rather than the effects of them. Alison took a full medical history and we talked about stress and its effects on the body. This was the first time that I felt that I am being treated by investigating the whole picture of what's happened, not just instant fixing my missing oestrogen supply with Yasmin or HRT.
In case you're wondering, I could feel the needles going in but they just felt like pin pricks. I've had my ears pierced 3 and 4 times each, and my nose pierced before so wasn't worried about pain at all anyway. She started with my lower legs and toes, plus my hands where the I felt the needles more. They were left in for around 15-20 minutes and after a while I was so relaxed the needles felt like they warm and glowing or buzzing almost. Alison cradled my head and applied pressure there and above and below my pelvic bone.
As I'd read already in "The Infertility Cure" by Randine Lewis already, I have a Yin deficiency causing my body to have too much dryness and heat, hence the hot flushes and amenorrhoea. I need to restore the Yin which will replace the lost moisture in my body, and this is one of the main areas to be worked on. I have booked a further 5 sessions with Alison over the coming weeks and am looking forward to working with her again.
Friday 25 February 2011
Thursday 24 February 2011
My story so far, part 2
Fast forward one marriage breakup, a new relationship, two house moves and three years later to early 2010. Life is calmer than it was and a visit to a different (newly qualified) GP sparks his interest in why I'm on Yasmin when I've over 35 with high blood pressure and would I like to try the progestogen only mini-pill Cerazette instead? (I'd also been back to GP and off Yasmin for one month in summer 2009 for headaches which didn't go away when I came off)
I thought to myself that this was always going to need checking at some stage so why not now? Yes please, I'll switch to Cerazette. Not immediately but around 2-3 weeks later, back came the hot flushes with a vengeance, and back I went to the surgery to have another FSH blood test done. This time it was 82! So even worse than the 63 back in 2007. This time it dawned on me that there's something very wrong that could be permanently irreversible - and that realisation hit me hard.
I immediately bought myself another private gynaecologist appointment as I wanted answers. She confirmed I was in premature menopause/premature ovarian failure (interchangeable terms it seems - that's another discussion in itself), did an internal exam then asked about children as clearly I would need egg donation, and I could be referred to a clinic who could send me on a fertility tourism "holiday" to get "An Egg". She was obviously trying to help me as quickly and cheaply as possible but to me:
(a) I want further tests to see exactly what is wrong with my body
(b) no-one has looked at possible causes?? ...and
(c) if I wish to have children (this diagnosis is not just about having children!) then I may not necessarily want to "buy" a cheap, unidentified egg off some poor woman in Eastern Europe like I'm buying a pair of shoes???
I was offered and then unoffered an ultrasound, as she realised I had paid for the appointment directly, and didn't have health insurance to cover the cost. She then recommended I stay on Yasmin and not HRT, as that would prepare my body better for future egg donation pregnancy (didn't explain why?), and I was to come back once my partner and I had decided we wished to go ahead with egg donation. Great. So until that time then, it doesn't matter that my body has gone through menopause too early with all the possible long term problems that brings, all the concerns about me staying on Yasmin have gone out the window, and I'll just stay on pause then in the middle of medical nowhereville for an undetermined length of time......
I thought to myself that this was always going to need checking at some stage so why not now? Yes please, I'll switch to Cerazette. Not immediately but around 2-3 weeks later, back came the hot flushes with a vengeance, and back I went to the surgery to have another FSH blood test done. This time it was 82! So even worse than the 63 back in 2007. This time it dawned on me that there's something very wrong that could be permanently irreversible - and that realisation hit me hard.
I immediately bought myself another private gynaecologist appointment as I wanted answers. She confirmed I was in premature menopause/premature ovarian failure (interchangeable terms it seems - that's another discussion in itself), did an internal exam then asked about children as clearly I would need egg donation, and I could be referred to a clinic who could send me on a fertility tourism "holiday" to get "An Egg". She was obviously trying to help me as quickly and cheaply as possible but to me:
(a) I want further tests to see exactly what is wrong with my body
(b) no-one has looked at possible causes?? ...and
(c) if I wish to have children (this diagnosis is not just about having children!) then I may not necessarily want to "buy" a cheap, unidentified egg off some poor woman in Eastern Europe like I'm buying a pair of shoes???
I was offered and then unoffered an ultrasound, as she realised I had paid for the appointment directly, and didn't have health insurance to cover the cost. She then recommended I stay on Yasmin and not HRT, as that would prepare my body better for future egg donation pregnancy (didn't explain why?), and I was to come back once my partner and I had decided we wished to go ahead with egg donation. Great. So until that time then, it doesn't matter that my body has gone through menopause too early with all the possible long term problems that brings, all the concerns about me staying on Yasmin have gone out the window, and I'll just stay on pause then in the middle of medical nowhereville for an undetermined length of time......
Wednesday 23 February 2011
My story so far, part 1
My story dates back to 2006 when I decided it was time to give my body a break from pretty much non stop use of the pill, namely Dianette and Yasmin, since I was a teenager.
My periods were very light and started skipping and I began to get hot flushes and night sweats more commonly associated with a much later time of life. I remember naturally assuming that coming off the pill would mean my body would take time to reset itself and get back to normal. During that year, the threat of redundancies at work also came to light adding to the stress, hence not worrying overly about it.
In early 2007, things were still not right so I saw my GP who recommended a blood test in which my FSH levels were tested. FSH is Follicle Stimulating Hormone which is the hormone responsible for sparking up the menstrual cycle each month, sending a signal from your pituitary gland in the brain to the follicles in your ovaries to release an egg. A normal level for a woman before menopause would be approx from 0 to 10 (depending on who you talk to!), as a normally menstruating woman would not need much FSH to release an egg. From 10 - 20 indicates means you've got problems and anything over 25, we're talking menopausal ranges as it means that your brain is sending more and more of the FSH signal to get the egg released but your ovaries are not interested anymore.
My level came back as 63. Not just I've got a problem or I'm pre-menopausal even, but straight through to the other side. There it was on paper. I was post-menopausal at just 33 years old.
I made an appointment to see a gynaecologist though there were problems with when he could see me, so I decided not to see him. I was going through a hellish time with all the flushes every hour, no sleep, night sweats all sorts, plus I also had other stressful problems going on in my life too so what did I do next? I lied to the GP, said my periods were back, must be stress and I was happily back on Yasmin pretending none of that ever happened. Yes it was denial, but I thought that I needed to sort out all my other stresses first, then when my life had calmed down and I was more settled again, I'd come off the pill again and then everything would be back to normal, right?
My periods were very light and started skipping and I began to get hot flushes and night sweats more commonly associated with a much later time of life. I remember naturally assuming that coming off the pill would mean my body would take time to reset itself and get back to normal. During that year, the threat of redundancies at work also came to light adding to the stress, hence not worrying overly about it.
In early 2007, things were still not right so I saw my GP who recommended a blood test in which my FSH levels were tested. FSH is Follicle Stimulating Hormone which is the hormone responsible for sparking up the menstrual cycle each month, sending a signal from your pituitary gland in the brain to the follicles in your ovaries to release an egg. A normal level for a woman before menopause would be approx from 0 to 10 (depending on who you talk to!), as a normally menstruating woman would not need much FSH to release an egg. From 10 - 20 indicates means you've got problems and anything over 25, we're talking menopausal ranges as it means that your brain is sending more and more of the FSH signal to get the egg released but your ovaries are not interested anymore.
My level came back as 63. Not just I've got a problem or I'm pre-menopausal even, but straight through to the other side. There it was on paper. I was post-menopausal at just 33 years old.
I made an appointment to see a gynaecologist though there were problems with when he could see me, so I decided not to see him. I was going through a hellish time with all the flushes every hour, no sleep, night sweats all sorts, plus I also had other stressful problems going on in my life too so what did I do next? I lied to the GP, said my periods were back, must be stress and I was happily back on Yasmin pretending none of that ever happened. Yes it was denial, but I thought that I needed to sort out all my other stresses first, then when my life had calmed down and I was more settled again, I'd come off the pill again and then everything would be back to normal, right?
Tuesday 22 February 2011
Welcome to my blog
Having spent months and months trying to learn all I can about POF (that's the name I'll use) since the initial diagnosis in 2007, I've decided it's now time for me to share my journey: firstly for me so I can express my feelings and thoughts about it, and secondly so anyone else out there also on this journey or with friends/family on this journey can know that you're not alone.
I've personally found forums, communities, books and blogs to be tremendously insightful and educational, and will be adding links to the ones that have helped me the most during my journey so far.
I've personally found forums, communities, books and blogs to be tremendously insightful and educational, and will be adding links to the ones that have helped me the most during my journey so far.
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