Perimenopause

Do Fibroids Cause Heavy Flow in Perimenopause?

In this article written for Ask4UFE, Dr. Jerilynn Prior weighs in to clear up some of the popular assumptions and misconceptions about uterine fibroids and their association with heavy menstrual flow during perimenopause.
How Can I Tell I Am in Perimenopause?

What’s going on? Why can’t I sleep normally, why am I so grumpy or suddenly anxious, why am I abruptly hot and sweaty? Could I be in perimenopause? CeMCOR believes that if: —our experiences have changed (see the Table of characteristic changes) —our hormone levels have changed (scientific evidence says that perimenopausal estrogen levels are…
When Should I Have Sex to Get Pregnant?

I am a 36-year old woman and we have been trying to conceive for a while. I know my fertile window is 3 days before ovulation the day of and after ovulation. Does that mean that you cannot fall pregnant if you engage in sexual activity a week before your next period? Thank you for your…
Stopping Depo-Provera

Many women experience difficulty when they stop taking Depo-Provera contraception – everything from heavy flow to amenorrhea, sore breasts, mood swings and weight gain. In this article based on a re:Cycling blog post for the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research (SMCR), Laura Wershler interviews Dr. Jerilynn Prior about what causes these adverse effects and what…
Perimenopause Frequently Asked Questions

Dr. Jerilynn C. Prior answers FAQ’s from Perimenopausal Women 1. My doctor has prescribed Clonidine 50mg and Prometrium 100mg daily to treat my hot flushes. Should I start both? In general, it is important to do ‘one at a time’ when trying out medications or any intervention for a symptom or a problem. If you…
Science based Natural Remedies for Hot Flushes and Night Sweats

Women may feel there are no effective improvements in hot flushes and night sweats except hormone therapy or perhaps a newer type of anti-depressive medication. They rightly may not want to take either of these kinds of medicines and feel instead they must either suffer or go through the pharmacy aisles to try all manner…
Documenting Ovulation with Quantitative Basal Temperature (QBT)

If our cycles are regular – about a month apart we assume we are ovulatory – meaning releasing an egg and making normal amounts of progesterone. However, ovulation is highly variable for all women. Progesterone raises our first morning (or basal) temperature a little bit. But so do many other things. Thus “basal body temperature”…
Perimenopause is a time of “Endogenous Ovarian Hyperstimulation”

“Perimenopausal endogenous ovarian hyper-stimulation” is the exact opposite of “The Myth of the Shriveling Ovary”: High estrogen levels during perimenopause, coupled with characteristically intermittent ovulation, can explain much of the misery of perimenopause. My hypothesis is based on the assumption that inhibin production decreases while there are still viable follicles (capable of producing both estrogen…
Preventive Powers of Ovulation and Progesterone

This series of articles, originally published in the CeMCOR newsletter, illustrate the importance of ovulation throughout women’s reproductive life. Scientific evidence shows that ovulation (and therefore an approporiate progesterone level) is necessary for the optimum development and functioning of several physiological systems in women’s bodies. The articles explain what ovulation is and address some of…
Very Heavy Menstrual Flow

When a period (meaning menstrual bleeding) is very heavy, or you are experiencing “flooding” or passing big clots you have what doctors call menorrhagia. We’ll skip the fancy term and just call it heavy flow. The purposes of this article are to define what is expected or “normal”, what we mean by very heavy menstrual flow,…