Karin Banerd - Menopause Before 40: Coping with Premature Ovarian Failure

Menopause Before 40

Coping with Premature

Ovarian Failur e

Karin Banerd

Copyright 2004 Karin Banerd. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

First published in Canada in 2004 by

Your Health Press, a division of Sarahealth Inc.

in association with Trafford Publishing.

Cover and text design: P. Krulicki, Colborne Communications Important Notice:

The purpose of this book is to educate. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility for any injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book. While every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, the books contents should not be construed as medical advice. Each persons health needs are unique. To obtain recommendations appropriate to your particular situation, please consult a qualified healthcare provider. The herbal remedies recommended in this book are for educational purposes only and should not be used without consulting a qualified expert in herbal medicine.

Note for Librarians: a cataloguing record for this book that includes Dewey Classification and US Library of Congress numbers is available from the National Library of Canada. The complete cataloguing record can be obtained from the National Librarys online database at: www.nlc-bnc.ca/amicus/index-e.html

ISBN: 978-1-4122-2647-9 (ebook)

ISBN 1-4120-3464-7

This book was published on-demand in cooperation with Trafford Publishing. On-demand publishing is a unique process and service of making a book available for retail sale to the public taking advantage of on-demand manufacturing and Internet marketing. On-demand publishing includes promotions, retail sales, manufacturing, order fulfilment, accounting and collecting royalties on behalf of the author.

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Contents

by Your Health Press

Stopping Cancer at the Source by M. Sara Rosenthal, Ph.D. (2001)

Women and Unwanted Hair by M. Sara Rosenthal, Ph.D. (2001)

Living Well with Celiac Disease: Abundance Beyond Wheat and Gluten by Claudine Crangle (2002)

Living Well with an Ostomy by Elizabeth Rayson (2003)

The Thyroid Cancer Book, Second Edition by M. Sara Rosenthal, Ph.D. (2003)

Thyroid Eye Disease: Understanding Graves Ophthalmopathy by Elaine A. Moore (2003)

Healing Injuries the Natural Way: How to Mend Bones, Muscles, Tendons & More by Michelle Cook (2004)

Soon to be released...

Pediatric Glaucoma and Cataract Disease: Your Questions Answered by The Pediatric Glaucoma and Cataract Disease Foundation and edited by Alex Levin, M.D., F.R.C.P., Director, Ophthalmology, The Hospital for Sick Children TBA

Coping with Molar Pregnancy and Choriocarcinoma by Tara Johnson and Meredith Schwartz TBA

F irst and foremost, Id like to thank Dr. B. Norman Barwin, C.M., director of the Infertility and Gynecology Clinic and the Midlife and PMS Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, and past president of the Infertility Awareness Association of Canada for his review of the scientific and/or medical content in portions of Parts 1 and 2 and all of Part 3. Additionally, Your Heath Press gratefully acknowledges The Hormone Foundation (www.hormone.org), the public education affiliate of The Endocrine Society, for its balanced content on menopause management, which was necessary for the fact-checking of this text in light of the WHI study outcomes.

Over the past few years, the help of my medical practitioners has been vital to my continuing survival and my ability to attain some quality of life.

Dr. Peter Jechel was my family doctor for 12 years, and despite the glitches during my many visits, he vindicated himself many times over with his enduring compassionate ear and his constant support. The first time I met him, I was struck by how young he looked. The thought of him performing a pap smear on me seemed inconceivable. Years later I found out that were the same age!

Dr. Alan Preston was wonderful throughout our three years together during his partial retirement. I valued his support, ready ear, and above all his sense of humor. He believed I could eventually free myself from depression.

Maybe it is because they saw me through the darkest hours that I consider both men my friends.

Dr. Elaine Jolly and Dr. Suzanne Lago have been my gynecologists. The former is the director of a wonderful clinic, the Reproductive

Endocrinology, Osteoporosis and Menopause Clinic in Ottawa, Ontario; the latter, Dr. Lago, is a young and recent addition to the clinic who exhibits the same warmth, caring, and enthusiasm as Dr. Jolly and the other staff. The clinic has been very patient with my complicated history, but Dr. Jolly was the first one to take me seriously and to spend time fitting together the puzzle that set me on the long road of recovery.

I know Ive been a challenging patient for all of my doctors, and Im extremely grateful for their patience.

I owe enormous gratitude to Dr. M. Sara Rosenthal, my publisher, whose books on women and health speak with her warm, compassionate voice. This book was her idea. I wrote to her and she kindly responded. She suggested I might have something to say about the topic of premature menopause. To have someone I respect believe in me to that extent has been the beacon guiding me through some of my bleakest moments.

My editor, Larissa Kostoff, has guided me throughout process of writing this book with her patient suggestions, comments, and questions.

Im also blessed to have a real fairy godmothera very special relative, Dolores Banerd, who has always been there for me and whose presence in my life has become stronger over the past few years.

My father has been a great supporter, and is particularly proud of my writing accomplishments and my courage and determination. Its gratifying for me as an adult to have such a strong relationship with a parent.

Id also like to acknowledge my children, wholl never know how often theyve given me reasons to keep trying again and again and again. Watching them grow, witnessing their distinct personalities unfold, and sharing in their lives (in the small ways that teenagers allow) has been and will continue to be an endless source of pleasure for me.

Last, but not least, my husband has been my emotional anchor: He has provided steadfast support and nurturing, and safe harbour thats allowed me to continue to pursue my passions. He claims its all been worth it. I sure hope hes right.

Those of you familiar with feminist terminology may have heard the phrase: The personal is political. This means that within one womans story are the stories of many women, and often, the collective female health story. Karin Banerd first contacted me in 2001 by email. Karin had read the first edition of The Gynecological Sourcebook (now in its fourth edition) and was frustrated by its limited treatment of premature menopause and premature ovarian failure. At the time of Karins email, I was developing my on-demand publishing company, which was designed to cater to orphan or stigmatizing conditions that traditional health publishers ignore. Karin was correct; there was certainly a dearth of material in this area, and my book was no help at all to women going through premature menopause. Karin had been through premature menopause in the 1990s, when there was no Internet access, and no information to find. Women like Karin had only nuggets of often incomplete or inaccurate information. Shuffled between specialists and sent off to a psychiatrist to deal with very real, physical discomforts, thousands of women like Karin were lost in the health care system. Premature menopause is not just one event, but a process that changes the lives of women experiencing it. Its not just about flooding, irregular cycles, and hot flashes. Early menopause dramatically impacts womens relationships with their lovers or spouses, friends, children, colleaguesand most of all their relationship with themselves. A womans identity is so entangled with her natural cycle, its impossible to experience premature menopause in body onlyit affects our emotional and spiritual health. Some of this is also iatrogenic or doctor-caused trauma, in that recurring themes of incomplete information and an absence of informed consent and respect for persons dominate many womens experiences with premature menopause. I replied to Karin by email that perhaps she ought to consider writing about premature menopause rather than wait for someone like me to get around to it. I told Karin that if she wrote the book, I would publish it.