I was 49 and in very good health, when I suddenly started getting symptoms that I thought were probably due to hormonal imbalances. I got hot flushes that came every twenty minutes. My body heated up as if I was in a sauna and my heart raced. Because the hot flushes occurred all through the night I couldn’t sleep, and they were so bad I couldn’t work when I was having one. It was extremely stressful as I was always anticipating the next one.
At the same time, my periods started coming every two weeks and were very heavy and painful. And my memory went – I couldn’t think, I couldn’t even remember my best friend’s name! I also had problems with my shoulder and couldn’t raise one arm.
Up to this point, I had never had any health problems at all and took regular exercise. But suddenly, my health had changed overnight. It was a terrible shock and I felt I’d rather die than live like this. After researching online, I took some herbal remedies. But they did nothing to sort out my symptoms, which I assumed were connected to either the perimenopause or the menopause. (I didn’t know whether my shoulder problem was linked to the menopause or not.) I didn’t go to a GP because I knew I’d need to be referred and I needed help immediately. I searched online and found Dr Kalentzi. I saw her in January 2019, three weeks after my symptoms started.
Because Dr Kalentzi is a GP as well as a menopause specialist, she was able to refer me to any specialists I needed to see. She immediately arranged a number of blood tests. One showed that a particular hormone, prolactin, was sky high, and Dr Kalentzi referred me to a hormone specialist. I had a brain scan, as the high levels of prolactin could have been due to a brain tumour – thankfully, the scan was normal. The blood tests also showed I was anaemic and Dr Kalentzi prescribed iron. My eyes were checked and I had a smear test. I saw a shoulder specialist and then had physiotherapy, which sorted out my shoulder.
Dr Kalentzi’s diagnosis was that I was in the perimenopause. The continual hot flushes had caused physical stress and this had sent my prolactin levels very high.
After taking my and my family’s medical history, Dr Kalentzi prescribed HRT, having first explained all aspects of the drug. I had done my own research and asked for bioidentical HRT and this was what Dr Kalentzi prescribed. The HRT treatment was tailored to my particular needs.
After a trial period of three months, I saw Dr Kalentzi again, and because the treatment worked so well, no adjustments were necessary. As soon as I started taking HRT, everything changed. The hot flushes stopped, I felt calm and was able to sleep. My periods became light, painless and regular again. I stopped being anaemic, and my memory and energy came back. In short, I got my life back. My prolactin levels are now normal.
I see Dr Kalentzi for a check-up every six months.
My message to everyone is that herbs don’t help during the menopause. They can’t replace hormones and hormones are so important to your health. In the situation I was in, I needed specialist help, and the fact that Dr Kalentzi is both a menopause specialist and a GP meant that my problems were sorted out extremely fast. I can’t recommend Dr Kalentzi’s services highly enough.