Hello,

I am new to this board and feel so validated and so much less alone after just a short time reading.

Thank you all so much for sharing your stories and your advice!

I'm 40 years old, have a 3 year old, work full time, and my husband is a truck driver.  The last few months my short-temper has been getting worse.  At first I wrote it off to work/home/marriage stress, and my child's strong-willed temperament, constant activity, and frequent tantrums.  But I was (am) also SO tired all the time, and my first two days of periods had become so heavy as to stain many sets of sheets and pants.  I went to a new gyno for my annual, and she tested my hormones and said they are "normal for a woman in peri-menopause".  Since I am a smoker I cannot take birth control pills, and I had very bad side-effects from anti-depressants after my child was born (multiple brands were tried, all with very bad side-effects).  So I resigned myself to just do the best I could, and started taking "Estroven".  Well, the last couple of months have been so awful....in fact, last month I actually filed for divorce from my husband because we were fighting so much.  We immediately reconciled when he returned from the road, but still that was to me a turning point.  I used to be a really quiet, nice person!   Now I find myself short-tempered and hostile two weeks of every month, and getting more and more vocal about it!

I guess my question to you all is, do you know of any treatments for this, especially the short-temper, other than BCP or psychotropic medications??  I have done some reading on "biodentical" hormones...has anyone had success with that?  I sure appreciate advice.  And thanks again for all the encouragement I have been reading!