posted August 16, 2003 07:31 AM         

I still get nauseous, although not as bad now. I am now suffering from nightsweats even though it is Winter here. I can still feel emotional from time to time, but the nightsweats are bothering me. I am thinking of going to an Acupuncturist.

posted August 16, 2003 02:56 PM         

Of course I'm no expert, but I can share what I know based on my own experiences.

Plain and simple, it sounds like your hormones are still out of whack. I remember going through many of the same symptoms when my youngest weaned herself. For me, it was periodic hot flashes instead of night sweats...but the outcome was the same; being uncomfortable!

May I ask...have your menses returned with regularity yet? If not, that could be an indicator of your symptoms re your body still trying to regulate itself to its "pre-baby, pre-nursing" status. This could take some time, depending on your history re menses.

There are several ways you could go with this. One, your doctor could suggest some type of temporary hormone therapy to get you back on track and minimize your symptoms...either BC pills, or just estrogen or progesterone. If you'd rather avoid this (as I did, because I didn't handle any of the hormones well)...you could try a more natural approach via vitamins/herbs.

Because I went through a premature, surgical "menopause" and had complications from hormone therapy, I now take vitamin E daily which keeps the hot flashes in check. I've also taken black cohosh and tried incorporating soy products into my diet, as both are said to aid the body in producing estrogen naturally. Of course, there are other otc products available (I think one of them is called Estroven?) for the same purpose.

I don't know how old you are, so it's hard to guess that you may be in the very early stages of peri-menopause. I do know however that symptoms of eventual full-scale menopause can begin as early as the late 20's/early 30's.

At any rate, if your symptoms persist and/or worsen, seeing your doctor to discuss your concerns and possible solutions wouldn't hurt. My doctor was very respectful of my feelings about hormones (both post weaning, and later, post hysterectomy) and was very helpful with alternate treatments. Good luck to you, and please let me know how you're doing.

posted August 18, 2003 06:04 AM         

I am now on the normal pill and I got my periods back as of yesterday (Sun - 17/9). I had a feeling my first period of 20 months might be a bad one, but the only discomfort besides the usual crampy pain, was really achy legs and pelvis!! I do feel better today and not so emotional. Plus I didn't get any nightsweats last night.

Thankyou so much for your reply though. It really made me feel better. Being a woman isn't easy and having a baby has made me realise that the female form is a delicately balanced one!!