Joni’s life was busier than ever. She recently turned forty. Her career was where she wanted it to be at this point in her life. She and Michael had been married for 10 years and have a 5 year old and a 2 year old. They didn’t want to wait any longer to start their family because they weren’t ready before then. They had career goals they wanted to establish first, but it all worked out in her opinion.
About a year ago, Joni started feeling more tired than usual. It wasn’t a feeling of “tired” as much as it was sheer exhaustion. She found it difficult to keep up the pace at work. Crunching numbers at her desk weren’t the same anymore. It used to be so easy for her to tally things in her head but now she felt like she was in such a fog that she had to double-check herself more often than not.
She tried making a point of going to the gym when she could but she was usually too tired and rushing around doing chores she had gotten behind in. That baby weight she gained during both pregnancies never really went away. She tried to watch what she ate but it didn’t really change anything. Her weight didn’t make her feel as sexy anymore. She found herself avoiding sex most of the time. She just didn’t desire it much as she used to. Joni still had menstrual cycles but they weren’t as regular as before.
Joni found these changes very difficult. She used to think she was Superwoman. She used to excel at anything she put her mind to but now something seemed amiss. She snapped at everything and everybody, for every little thing, and sometimes realized it was for no reason at all. She found herself anxious a lot and sometimes her heart would race even when she was relaxing. One night she even snapped at Michael just for asking which movie she would like to see that night. She was feeling depressed at times and found life to be overwhelming. She realized she needed help.
Joni talked to a lot of her friends about how she was feeling. It confirmed to her that her hormones were “all out of whack”. She had an idea that was her problem after seeing a lot about the subject on television and reading magazines. It convinced her then to find a doctor who would check her hormone levels and deal with them in the most natural way possible, something her regular doctor told her she was not familiar with. It was not something all doctors practiced.
Joni did some research and found a doctor that specialized in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. Her results surprised her. Joni’s lab work showed that she was low on estrogen and had about half of what she should have for optimal health. She had very little progesterone and her testosterone level was almost nonexistent. This explained a lot of her symptoms. She had a major imbalance. She felt validated and relieved to hear the news because it meant that she “wasn’t going crazy” after all.
Joni’s new doctor gave her bio-identical hormone replacement for her estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, and it was not a very large dosage either. He also advised her on what supplements to take and what diet changes to make to help her maintain her optimal levels. He suggested that she keep her regular exercise routine going. Joni followed the plan and within a few weeks noticed major changes. She didn’t realize she would feel so much better that fast. She looked at life with a renewed attitude and looked forward to work and her regular activities again. It certainly made Michael happy to put a new spark into their sex life also.
Does this sound like you? Do you see a few or many similarities between yourself and Joni? If you do, then getting a consultation with baseline lab work may give you an idea of how your hormone levels are functioning.
Don’t allow yourself to feel any worse. LongevityMed specializes in hormonal balancing and maintaining optimal health. Making a consultation can change your life too, just like it did for Joni.
