I started taking LoEstrin FE 1/20 in March '95 at the age of 42 in order to control the symptoms of endometriosis. My libido was immediately suppressed, however, I simply didn't care after years of pain and having to figure out the problem on my own--I had endometrial implants along the urethral path so it appeared for years as if I were having bladder infections. So, I was misdiagnosed and mis-treated with antibiotics for years for an infection that I did not have.

When I got the Pill and the pain stopped because the hormones--synthetic estrogen & synthetic progesterone--were regulated all month long by the dosage of the Pill, I was thrilled. I tolerated the Pill well and stayed on it, everyday, no break, because I never had a period anyway when I did stop at the month's end, so why have the hormone headache every month, until Feb 14, 2007, age 54.

My OB/Gyn told me that I should stop the Pill at some point so that we could see where I was relative to menopause. I sought a "weaning off" schedule online and could not find one so I, foolishly in hindsight, went off the Pill cold turkey. Big mistake. There are "weaning off schedules and I did find one later at [url] (outbound links only allowed by gold members-admin).

Prior to stopping the Pill, I read many books on menopause and reproductive hormones so that I could be prepared if I needed HRT as a menopausal woman. I read everything from Suzanne Somers's "The Sexy Years" to Dr. John Lee's "What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Menopause" and I came to feel that IF I did need HRT, I wanted to take bioidentical estrogen in the form of ESTRACE and I wanted to use a bioidentical PROGESTERONE--not synthetic progestin.

I found a cream that I felt comfortable with that had 600mg of USP Progesterone per ounce, bought it, and tucked it aside until I was sure I would need it. Then, to make a long story short and not torture you with the blow by blow of my descent into menopause Hades--cognitive problems, hot flashes, inability to sleep at all, etc.--I had the doctor prescribe a 1mg ESTRACE--bioidentical estrogen--and I began to take it once a day at night and apply my natural progestrone cream twice a day in the morning and at night. The ESTRACE was available through my HMO but I had to ask for it specifically, by name, or they would have tried to give me the old standard PREMPRO. I also requested by name, after checking with the pharmacist that it was available, ESTRACE CREAM to help with vaginal dryness and a susceptibiity to urinary tract infections that I developed post-the Pill. I use 1gram in a vaginal applicator 3 times per week--MWF, in my case.

Those are the HRT products that I chose to use after educating myself as much as I could by reading books and online information. So, there is an alternative to taking The Pill in one's 50s, but the HRT dosages are 4-6 times lower than what is supplied in the Pill and all of us who have had our brain chemistry bathed in a dosage of synthetic reproductive hormones 4-6 times stronger than what we are going to get with HRT will have to suffer the transition from one to other.

I only came to appreciate the implications of having taken the Pill for 12 years everyday when it came time to withdraw the Pill and I very definitely experienced withdrawal pain. Fortunately, I did not have a period for the entire 12 years on the Pill or the 6 months that I have been struggling to make the transition from the Pill to the HRT/ESTRACE & PROGESTERONE Cream. I just lost my ability to do my job without cognitive problems, sleep properly, live without hot flashes, unless I replaced the Pill with HRT. I came upon this website precisely because I, too, am looking for information and am interested in hearing about the experiences of women my age with this milestone experience.

I have not found the medical doctors that I have visited to be very interested or compassionate as concerns this phase of my life. I've had to go looking for information about the actual potential symptoms that one could experience when messing with the dosages of these hormones. I am actually glad that I had the intensely uncomfortable experience because it made it very clear to me what women were talking about when they talked about "menopause." Prior to 2/14/07, it was totally abstract to me. Then I got hit by the "menopause train" and it threw me for a loop. As with you, I was fine on the Pill, and, believe me when I say, "I wish I had stayed on the Pill and delayed the transition to another alternative.", because I had hand surgery on May 29th and went through menopause Hades and the post-surgical healing and rehab at the same time--very, very bad timing, I know now. Duh...

I hope that you will be able to let go of the Pill and transition to an HRT combo of progesterone and estrogen that will let your system settle down and become accustomed to a new level of reproductive hormones bathing your brain.

If anyone has had experience with having a feeling of low-grade buzzing throughout her body, most noticeable in the wee hours of the morning, but there 24/7, I would love to hear about it because that is my last vestigial symptom of full on menopause and I haven't been able to tame it yet.