Trisha
Appearances
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Dr. Sharon Malone on Everything You Need to Know About Menopause
I would say my perimenopausal symptoms started about two years ago. I was 47. I didn't know that that's what was happening, but I had a 90-day period that was so heavy, I really thought I might have uterine cancer. I was really freaked out.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Dr. Sharon Malone on Everything You Need to Know About Menopause
Went to my doctor, got checked out, and she said, I think this might be the beginning of perimenopause, and suggested I try an IUD, which I did, which was great. for a while, but then I started experiencing the most intense night sweats.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Dr. Sharon Malone on Everything You Need to Know About Menopause
I mean, really just waking up, feeling like I had 104 fever, whole body shakes, soaked through to the mattress pad, trying not to wake up my husband, you know, putting a towel down. And and then, you know, consequently having tons of daytime fog the next day and just feeling really, really bad about that. So I went to my doctor who is great and who I love.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Dr. Sharon Malone on Everything You Need to Know About Menopause
And she just kind of said to me, yeah, well, that's perimenopause. And I remember saying to her, well, OK, is there what should I do? And at the time she said, well, it's just this is just kind of. just kind of to get through it. And I said, are there blood tests or anything that could measure this for me? And she said, no, your hormones really fluctuate a lot, so we can't really do those tests.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Dr. Sharon Malone on Everything You Need to Know About Menopause
So I left feeling like, oh my God, I guess this is just my future. It just all felt so... haphazard to me and sort of nebulous especially as someone who gets their physical every year gets their mammogram you know colonoscopies right on schedule this um this issue to me felt like oh my gosh it doesn't feel like there's a rule book here and
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Dr. Sharon Malone on Everything You Need to Know About Menopause
My question is, I understand that the absence of a period for 12 months or longer is sort of the definition of, OK, you've been through menopause.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Dr. Sharon Malone on Everything You Need to Know About Menopause
But my question is, now that I have an IUD and I don't have a period every month, how is someone like me supposed to kind of know where they are in the process, especially because it's not like there are these blood tests that can sort of say, OK, here's your marker and here's where you are in this whole thing?
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Dr. Sharon Malone on Everything You Need to Know About Menopause
So are you on hormones? I did start the patch, the estradiol patch. I had to kind of go up a few notches, but it really has definitely helped with night sweats. I've seen a big change there.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Dr. Sharon Malone on Everything You Need to Know About Menopause
Getting there. Thank you.