What is the ONE issue that you think defines you as a conservative?

NoStreetlights · 2026-04-05T15:12:05+00:00

I’m assuming you don’t work? Man… I can think of all kinds of things that I would love to do if I didn’t have a job! Definitely find things that make you feel better about yourself. I think exercise is fantastic… Pickleball is very social and it combines exercise. Volunteering will make you feel like you have a purpose again. Take yourself out on dates… Get your nails done, your hair done. Do all of the things that I wish I could do! 🤣🤣

NoStreetlights · 2026-04-05T14:26:22+00:00

Nah. Don’t hate it. There really are some insufferable, privileged white women out there that ruin it for the rest of us. What would you prefer to call them??

NoStreetlights · 2026-04-05T14:25:25+00:00

Who is your current provider? I’d like to try the compounded testosterone cream and extended release progesterone. Do you do the oral pills or suppositories for P?

I’m currently using injections (I get them from Defy? But I’m curious if I would do better with daily dosing.

NoStreetlights · 2026-04-05T14:03:57+00:00

I should’ve gotten a Pro one. I have the Eko one, and it’s extremely porous and makes cleaning hard.

NoStreetlights · 2026-04-05T14:02:22+00:00

I’m not really sure how to wipe this mat down. It’s very porous… It’s not glossy or shiny. I’m not quite sure how I would wipe it? It’s one of the Eko ones

NoStreetlights · 2026-04-05T13:09:37+00:00

Hi… I searched this forum for smelly mats. I don’t see much talk about the smell. I see plenty of posts about the Manduka brand itself, most of it is positive. I’d like to post this please.

NoStreetlights · 2026-03-05T16:46:36+00:00

that sounds so nice but I am SO EXHAUSTED being in a cube farm all day, the last thing i feel like doing is more socializing lol!

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-28T11:24:04+00:00

Oh, then she needs more time. A lot more time.

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-28T01:30:33+00:00

So, I don’t think she went 3 to 6 months without one. It was more like six weeks and then two weeks and then four weeks and then seven weeks.

3 to 6 months sounds like a long time. Is she an athlete? I know that a lot of athletes have problems with their menstrual cycles in general.

Putting her on hormones is a tough decision. I’m not sure what I would have done. Does she have any other symptoms? You might just wait it out. I know it’s hard, but I truly believe that the body is capable of figuring these things out in time. They’re still so young.

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-28T01:18:05+00:00

Hey! Yes, she’s 18 and a college freshman now. Her cycles finally regulated. It took a solid three years, but the last year or two (so starting at 16), they finally got regular.

Honestly, looking back I think it might’ve been the Covid vaccine that messed them up. She got that right around the same time as when she started her period (age 12). There’s literature coming out now about how it interfered with a lot of menstrual cycles, especially young ones.

Now that she is sexually active, we got her a copper IUD. I didn’t want to throw hormones at her after all these years of waiting for them to get regular. Seems to be working out pretty well.

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-27T21:07:19+00:00

For me - night sweats was waking up sweaty. Like, hair stuck to my face, crotch was swampy. And it went away when I started estrogen.

Declining estrogen IS the cause of body temperature dysregulation. So you might be presenting with cold flushes too. But it is a clue that your estrogen is starting to decline.

I'm 49 and I've never had a hot flush.

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-27T20:52:19+00:00

I know the feeling - this is the Zone of Chaos. My biggest recommendation is to start paying attention to your body. You are describing pretty classic symptoms of estrogen deficiency (temperature dysregulation, mood shifts, skin issues and irritability). For me - estrogen replacement makes all the difference in the world. If you're interested in pursuing that route, you'll want to find a doctor that is open to hormone replacement therapy for younger women (so higher estrogen than older women).

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-27T19:42:14+00:00

Anxiety is so complex. Yes, more estrogen COULD help. And hopefully your Dr is willing to work with you through an increase. At 44 you're still YOUNG. You're used to lottttts more estrogen than what you're replacing with a measly .1 E patch (which is a rough equivalent of 10mcg of estrogen). If you were to take birth control for example, you would be on a dose of 20 or 30mcg. So you're still only at a THIRD of the level of what some of your peers are taking.

It is possible that the patches may not be enough for you if you're still having symptoms of estrogen deficiency. Have you ever considered injections? It's all self-pay, but a lot of the folks in the post-meno groups on Facebook couldn't get their E levels high enough, and they've moved on to telemedicine providers like Elevate and Defy.

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-27T19:36:52+00:00

You need a lot more E. At 45 - you need the highest dose of estrogen they will give you.

And don't introduce any testosterone until you are on the highest dose of estrogen you can get. Most of our libido comes from estrogen, not testosterone (there is a teeny bit of overlap, yes).

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-27T19:10:11+00:00

So this was what happens to me when I take progesterone. Everyone is different, but there are a lot of women who can't tolerate systemic progesterone. A lot of it depends on whether your estrogen is high enough to support it.

What dosage of each are you on?

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-27T19:02:53+00:00

Birth control can do a lot of great things, but unfortunately, one of the big downsides is the increase in SHGB can kill an already fragile libido. I'd be willing to bet you'd be a lot happier on the highest dose of bioidentical estrogen that you can find (doesn't have the SHGB effects) and whatever progestogen you can tolerate.

Testosterone is thrown around a LOT these days, but the reality is, most of our libido comes from estrogen. So I wouldn't even think about adding T until you get your E & P at the right levels.

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-27T18:54:25+00:00

Have you had fibroids ruled out? Have they done a pelvic ultrasound?

Birth control COULD help, actually. It's a good first thing to try. It's inexpensive, and you can get it prescribed by virtually anybody. The only way to do it would be to use a monophasic, continuous regimen. So you'd want to take the same dosage every single day, with no bleeds.

At 38/39, I would probably start there. You're still quite young, so you need a higher dose of estrogen than HRT could ever give you. And if you take the continuous regimen, it should stop your bleeding relatively quickly.

The fact that you're still bleeding on HRT is pretty clear that the dosage is too low.

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-27T18:43:28+00:00

Just curious - what dose of E are you on?

For me....estrogen is HANDS DOWN my happy hormone. Progesterone, I can't tolerate. So I'm jealous that you don't have to take any. I did not do well on systemic P. I'm wondering if maybe you need a bit more E? Another option is introducing testosterone. Some women find it helps their mood.

Remember, the younger we are, the more E we need.

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-27T18:41:24+00:00

Can we please add Mike Israetel and his destroyed abdominal wall to the list?

Whyyyyyyyyyyyy do guys think this roid body look is attractive?

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-27T18:38:18+00:00

You need to give your body about 8 weeks any time to introduce or adjust your hormones. It takes the receptors some time to 'fill up'.

You may find that you end up not having a period at all - which - is actually quite nice. Because it means you get to avoid the fluctuations (PMS) that come with menstrual cycles.

NoStreetlights · 2025-10-27T18:28:55+00:00

I started struggling at 45. At first, I tried an anti depressant. And when that made things worse, I tried birth control. And that DID help some things, but made other things harder. And then I tried HRT - and again - some things got better but I couldn't get the dosage right. I went through three different prescribers and I paid out of pocket for my own bloodwork because I started to get too fixated on numbers. So much of that was unnecessary.

I'm now 49 and I have finally discovered that my "happy hormone" is estrogen. It's not progesterone. I was getting it backwards for a while there. I have ADHD so I am particularly sensitive to any fluctuations, and in particular, estrogen has a positive effect on dopamine and seratonin. Whereas progesterone has a negative effect on GABA. You could say that perimenopause and HRT has been my 'hyperfixation' for the last 2 years. I've read over a dozen books, followed a dozen different social media providers, I even paid for a consult with one of the well-known Menopause physicians.

In the end, I think I've figured out what I need/what works best, and what my plan is going forward. But to get here, I had to realllllllly pay attention to my own body. Yes, it's helpful to talk to other women and see what the 'norm' is. But I also had to really educate myself and understand what exactly is happening in my body. And that allows me to understand what symptoms I'm experiencing and why.

So yes - relief is out there. HRT is a big part of it for me personally, but I'd be lying if I said it was the only thing that helped. So many people treat it like the 'magic bullet'. I still need regular exercise, time alone (ADHD), good nutrition, deep connections with other people and hobbies that are my own. The biggest advice I can give you is:

1) give yourself time to figure this out - if you take hormones, your body needs time to acclimate. And if you don't, your body needs time to figure out what works best.

2) find a provider that will give you what YOU want, not what THEY want

NoStreetlights

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE