Does anyone know anything about the herbal supplement, Evening Primrose Oil? I heard it is great for premenstrual support. I am adding it to my daily vitamins this month. I will let you know if it helps!

I too suffer from PMS. My doctor recommended Zoloft and I hate being on it.

A pharmacist friend recommended Evening Primrose Oil with CLA. I have been trying to get into the habit of taking it but i am really bad at taking vitamins and suppliments.

Good luck on the EPO and let me know how it works. I will try to get back in the habit of taking it too. Thanks for the reminder.

PS I am weaning off the Zoloft and doing just fine.

I've been taking Soy Isoflavanoids and Black Cohosh for a few years now. I think they have served me well.Estroven, and like products, have these herbs in them along with calcium. I took that before I developed hyperthyroid-producing too much calcium. The Soy on its own is available at any vitamin department,The Vitamin Shoppe, and AARP Pharmacy catalog.

We will all have to explore natural hormone replacement now that synthetic estrogen has been proven to create health risks. I found that Primrose Oil really helped with perimenopausal symptoms. Also, I couldn't have survived the changes without my natural progesterone cream. You can get it at Healthfood stores or through mail order Vitamin companies. I recently went away and forgot to pack it. I started with hot flashes and night sweats and was releived of them when I returned to my daily dose of Progesterone. Catherine Dalton's books about Progesterone are very informative. I believe one title is "Once A Month" There are various alternatives to prescription HRT.

FYI...update. This evening primrose oil really helped me last month. I had absolutely no bloating. Is it possible it made a difference?

I also had the most wicked cramps I have had since I was 20 years old. Anything about that?

Don't you love the fact that I am shouting to the world my personal *stuff*?

Yes, I absolutely believe that Primrose Oil helps with symptoms like bloating. Also, cramps do get more severe during the transitional stage of perimenopause. My gyn reccommends ibuprofen for cramps. You can take a large dose to slow down heavy bleeding as well. I took 400 mgs to slow it to a more managable pace. Oh what fun

Another update...the doctor believes I have a cyst on my ovary. I had several days of discomfort lately so I went to have an exam. Fun!

My first thought was...did the Evening Primrose Oil have anything to do with it?

Any thoughts about this?

I will keep you posted. I have a sonogram this week.

The severe cramps are related to the cyst. The primrose oil couldn't cause the cyst in a month. If you do a web search about cysts, you can read about them -- they happen very often, and disappear just as often. What our gyn's too often don't do, though, is to find the root causes of why our bodies do this.
I've found a doctor who is an MD and is using preventive methods. My insurance won't pay for all of it, maybe none of it, but it's fascinating to learn about and I'm becoming extremely healthy!

DJ, thanks for the info. I didn't think it could have caused the cyst that fast, but what a coincidence.

Glad to hear you are finding alternative ways to feel better!

Any other good vitamins or minerals peri-menopausals should take?

Here are some more herbal tips for menopause:

Licorice, black cohosh, fenugree, hops, don quai, vitex, and ginseng can be used to treat many menopausal complaints, including hot flashes. Black cohosh has been sold in European pharmacies to reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes.

A well known nutritional specialist, Dr. Robert Atkins says that hundreds of his patients who complained about hot flashes, approx 80% of them responded to ginseng.

Another good tip is to take Vitamin E with your herbs. It takes most women 2 - 6 months to begin noticing differences.

If you find that your menopausal symptoms include nervousness or ittitability, a good herbal relaxant to choose is hops. Its estrogenlike effects were first discovered when female hops pickers noticed changes occurring in their menstrual cycles. Hops causes estrogen levels to rise.

In a British study, Dr Gisela Wilcox and associates found that another combination of herbs increases estrogen level: red clover sprouts, flaxseeds, and soy flour when they were given to patients every day for two weeks.

Alfafa seeds and sprouts may produce a similar effect.

The plant products with the highest level of estrogenlike substances are:
pomegranate seeds
garden rhubarb stalks
pineapple

Remember, Vitamin E has been found to enhance the functioning of these herbs.

Don Quai contains vitamin E.

*** information culled from Herbs for Health and Healing by Kathi Keville

Vicki

[ March 21, 2003, 09:09 PM: Message edited by: Vicki M. Taylor ]