Friday, February 19, 2010

Visited by a lost friend

Attention readers: This post is another one of my very informative posts. It's a little graphic and loaded with women topics. So, if you're not into that, you may want to skip today's reads and return tomorrow. If you are open to it all and like to read about anything and everything, then more power to ya! Enjoy.

In this post, I briefly wrote about my health. My woman health, to be more exact. To sum up the post, I have been without a period for approximately the last two years. Two years is way too long to not have a period. After having an extensive amount of lab work done, finding out that all of my levels are extremely healthy, except for the way too low levels of estrogen and progesterone. If you are not aware, estrogen and progesterone are the female hormones. Without these, you do not have a period, skin and hair are dull, quality of sleep is lowered, mental clarity is fogged, etc., etc. The list goes on and on. Essentially, for the last two years, I have been in menopause. What?! I'm 25 years old. It has been a little depressing.

Aside from all of that junk, I have tried numerous things to jump start my hormones. I have, and still do, taken Maca and added more fats into my diet. I tried using thyroid medication and estrogen patches, both without success. My boss (also MD) suggested I try HCG injections. These are a "last resort" type thing. HCG is a fertility treatment that has some unwanted side effects, along with being expensive and now used as the latest weight loss fad (not recommended!). Pass on that one.

I have done tons of research on why the lack of periods and hormones. I have seen gyno's, endocrinologists, internists, and had two types of ultrasounds. All signs point to Polycystic Ovary Syndrom, PCOS, but to me, this is just a general term that masks an huge underlying problem. Hmmm, sounds like what all these docs have told me to take to "fix" the problem: Birth Control. And no, I'm not saying don't take BC, but in my opinion, this is not the answer for my hormone problems.

So, no luck.

Until...

After one last bout of Google searches and forums, I decided there was one more thing left to try. I decided to try Clomiphene Citrate. Clomid, the brand name form, is an oral fertility treatment, also used for treating PCOS. It works by stimulating an increase in the amount of hormones that support the growth and release of a mature egg (webmd.com). The side effects are less than with the injectible HCG treatments and my boss recommended I use half of the recommended dose. I took Clomid for 19 days. No luck. I stopped. This was about eight days ago. Today, my friends, I started my period!!! Ha, hence the post title, Visited by a lost friend. Honestly, it was nice not having a period for two years but it's great to know I am able to have one and finally have!

Aside from finally being healthy in that aspect of my life, at least for now, I decided to let my digestive tract (and achie tummy) rest and made myself a wholesome, delicious, and refreshing green juice and a smoothie for dinner.
Blueberry Mint Avocado Smoothie (in an almost-empty container of Chocolate Alkamie Ice Cream)

Ingredients:
  • 1 whole avocado
  • 1/2 cup frozen young coconut meat
  • 1 1/2 cups of water
  • 1-2 cups spinach
  • handful of fresh mint
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 scoop chocolate hemp protein powder
  • spearmint extract
  • vanilla extract
  • handful of raw rolled oats (just for fun)
  • 1 dropper full Chocolate Stevia (thank you, healthy sugar-free alternatives!)
  •  Ice cubes, however icy you'd like it
Blend all until spinach and mint is liquefied and add 1/8 tsp xanthan gum (optional). Blend again, briefly.
(Please excuse the messy container. The ice cream was enjoyed, thoroughly)
Pour into a glass empty ice cream container and top with more frozen or fresh blueberries and a drizzle of yacon syrup.
I'm new to the whole avocado-in-the-smoothie-train, and let me just say, Wow. I love avocados in a smoothie. This one I devoured ate was very good. It was fluffy like a mousse but icy like ice cream. And so minty fresh. De-licious.

Happy Friday!!!! The weekend is almost here...

13 running thoughts:

Ally's Sweet and Savory Eats said...

Lori...I've never had a "period" problem, but I have had my fair share of issue trying to get pregnant. After two miscarriages, we finally have our beautiful 5 mo. old Drake. So, not that my case is anything like yours, I do feel for you, as I know all about hcg numbers, ultrasounds, etc, etc. Good luck and the good thing is now you are in know and maybe someday if you wish to have children, you'll already have a heads up on your female problems. Best of luck!

Lori said...

Ah Ally, thank you! I appreciate the happy thoughts and wishes! I'm doing all that I can to take care of myself, and hormones, nutritionally and lots of other ways. Hopefully everything pays off and the period stays for a long time.
And I'm happy that you were able to have your little boy! That is exciting and I'm sure it means the world to you.
:)

Kelly Michelle said...

hmmmm are you sure you guys didn't plan this!?!!?

http://www.pure2raw.com/2010/02/hormones-and-comfort-foods/

and I'm pretty sure I found your blog through theirs... would have been just too much if it had been Lori over there too though...

Kelly Michelle said...

oh lol, just read your comment over there! too funny

Lori said...

Kelly,
I know, so weird, huh! I swear we didn't plan it! And what is even weirder is that yesterday I talked to Michelle on the phone... first and only time... maybe she caused it! Yay either way!
:)

Maggie said...

Thanks for your comment on my blog. I actually have been without a period for almost a year now and I have tried a bunch of different things. I am hoping that my recent animal fat kick will be the trigger... who knows.

Pure2raw twins said...

HAHA Love your comments with Kelly Michelle!! It is pretty fun how it all worked, both of us got our periods, but Lori is jealous of us too. Maybe you are really my other twin not Lori (over here). : )
Glad you are doing better!! And that green pudding is my type of pudding...YUM

Camille said...

yay for periods!!!! :) happy for ya girl. that smoothie looks DELISH!

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

Between you and the Pure Twins, it's just alot of Visits going on today! I would love to be next! Since giving birth my cycle is whack. I am trying to move back to CA from AZ and once i get there will start up w/ my Ob/Gyn there who i trust. Was there any negative side effects to the clomid? Do you think it was the half dose of a hcg injection or the 19 days on clomid that did the trick? And yes, i agree PCOS is a nebulous diagnosis that is like a bandaid thing...there's more to it if you keep on digging type of thing.
Anyway I love this topic :)

Nelly said...

Ya I have the same question..was it the clomidor the hcg that kicked it in?

Lori said...

Thank you everyone for your amazing support on this crazy topic (well the life of women's issues. ha)!!

I don't think I was very clear on my post...haha! I did not try the HCG injections.. but I DID use Clomid (oral pills).
I did do the Clomid for 19 days until I decided that they weren't doing much. Although they did help with clearing the mental fog that comes along with low estrogen, I didn't feel safe using it for that long.

So, I'm assuming that it was the Clomid that worked. From the research that I have done, you are suppose to use 50 mg (1 pill) for 8 or so days. Stop for the next 22 days (like cycling for your period) and then start again for 8 days. Some women use it for 6 months, cycling, others do not. Some even use 200 mg- which I think is WAY too much. But most women do use it to help get pregnant.

Either way, I have my friend back! ;)

Lori said...

Pure2Raw Twins, weird huh!!!
Hmmm maybe the Lori's are getting mixed up somehow... haha!

chrystad72 said...

oh wow! So sorry to hear about your struggles with this. Sometimes its amazing what we take for granted in life, ya know? Im so super happy for you that you finally found something to kick start your body again! Thats fantastic! Your avacado smoothie sounds absolutely delish! Take care hon!

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