Before you grab that prescription from your gynaecologist and dim the lights the jury is still out on the benefits of taking testosterone to increase your sex drive.  Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, Internist at the Mayo Clinic says, “testosterone therapy isn’t recommended to improve low sex drive. For women, other factors are generally more important in determining sex drive — and much remains unknown about the effects of testosterone therapy in women.”

No long-term studies of the risks and benefits of testosterone therapy in women exist.  Pretty scary huh?  And testosterone therapy isn’t safe for every woman.  “Testosterone therapy isn’t appropriate for postmenopausal women who have a history of breast or uterine cancer or those who have cardiovascular or liver disease,” advises Dr. Sandhya.  Might be time to do a little more research before pulling up to your local drive through pharmacy. 

There’s no question that testosterone levels decline at menopause but is a lack of testosterone the only reason for our loss of libido?  Stress, depression, fatigue – name your poison.  Or is it that we’re unhappy with our partners or unsatisfied with our marriages?  A truckload of testosterone won’t improve an unhappy woman’s sex drive.  In the words of Maya Angelou, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” 

See you next Tuesday.

This mangled Glad Cling Wrap box was a victim of one of my particularly bad perimenopausal days.  I’m not sure about you, but some days I have absolutely no patience with anyone or anything.  I can be reading the label on a can of chicken noodle soup and get this overwhelming surge of emotion – like I’m going to cry – for no reason at all!  Since when does mechanically de-boned chicken and monosodium glutamate make me feel sad???  Grossed out maybe, but not sad.  It’s crazy.  Or I’m crazy!

But the books and the medical experts assure me that it’s perfectly normal (tell that to my family members as they’re running for cover).  According to the folks at the Mayo Clinic (you know I love their website), perimenopause is defined as, “the interval in which your body begins its transition into menopause…lasting anywhere from two to eight years.”  Eight years???  I hope my cell mate doesn’t snore! 

Since straight jackets are out of fashion this season, I’m reading an excellent book written by Dr. Christiane Northrup, The Wisdom of Menopause to try and stay sane.  Dr. Northrup states that, “Approximately 40 million American women are going through the menopause process today” (I’m sure plenty of Canadian women are “transitioning” too).  So we’re certainly not alone.  She has an awesome website www.drnorthrup.com and is a real advocate for women’s health issues.

Irritability and mood swings are common symptoms of perimenopause.  I know my hormones can swing from low to high voltage without flipping a switch.  I’ve found that if I take a few deep breaths and tell myself that this wave of emotion is all a part of “it,” the surge passes.  Sounds simple but accepting that my body will feel like it’s been invaded by aliens for awhile is still a real challenge. 

And the aliens seem to be turning up my body’s thermostat.  A few of my friends are really struggling with hot flashes too.  I get them just before my period starts.  I’m all sweaty like I’ve been out in the hot sun and then I get chilled when the sun moves behind the clouds!  I have to wring out my t-shirt in the mornings because of night sweats (real romantic eh?).  Dr. Northrup suggests yoga, meditation and acupuncture to help relieve the discomfort of hot flashes.   

So, I’ve bought myself a pretty orange mat and a yoga DVD.  I’m sure I’ll get used to the young, slim, beautiful yoga instructor.  If not, I’ll blame my pal perimenopause for the twisted pile of metal that once resembled our DVD player.

I automatically assumed that I have carpal tunnel because I spend my days with my fingers glued to the keyboard and my wrist resting on my desk.  But who invited menopause to the party?  More women over 50 than men suffer the crippling pain of carpal tunnel.  Those dreaded hormone fluctuations strike again!

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
The median nerve runs through the carpal tunnel in your wrist and provides sensation and motor function to your thumb, index finger, middle finger and the inner side of the ring finger.  Anything that puts pressure on the nerve will reduce the space for it in the carpal tunnel and cause pain, tingling, numbness and weakness.  I don’t have pain in my baby finger because the median nerve doesn’t provide sensation to that finger.

What Causes Carpal Tunnel?
Although menopause and repetitive injuries can cause carpal tunnel, so can:

1. Diabetes
2. Thyroid disorders
3. Fluid retention during pregnancy
4. Rheumetoid arthritis
5. Size of your carpal tunnel. It could be more narrow than average (I wish my hips were).

Women are three times more likely than men to develop the condition. And heredity can strengthen the odds of you developing carpal tunnel. My sister has it too!

Stiff As A Baseball Glove
Pins and needles don’t begin to describe the painful tingling and numbness in my fingers and hand that would greet me every morning – more like knives and razor blades!  The fingers on my right hand never woke up in the morning – probably the only part of my body that went to “sleep” in the first place!  The painful stiffness was aggravating and made the most simple tasks difficult if not impossible.  I can’t tell you how much I dreaded washing my hair in the mornings.  Raising my arms over my head was absolute torture.  So I had a lot of bad hair days back then! 

Relief At Last
Having the pain at night and waking up in the morning with my symptoms gave the doctor a pretty good idea that I had carpal tunnel.  Some tests also exist to determine if you have it and you should talk to your doctor about them.

What’s working for me to relieve the symptoms are:

1. Taking a vitamin B6 supplement.
2. Wearing a wrist splint at night.
3. A beanbag support that I lean my wrist on when I’m typing on the computer.

My sister takes Devil’s Claw (a root extract) that acts as a natural anti-inflammatory and she wears a wrist splint at night.  I haven’t tried Devil’s Claw so I can’t make any claims about its effectiveness.  These remedies have worked for us but we’re all different so talk to your doctor.  It seems like when something in my body isn’t quite right, menopause is lurking in the shadows.  Just remember you’re not alone.  Help is out there! 

Share your story.  Comments are always welcome!