Hi girls! I haven't been here in several months, looks like things have changed a bit! Anyway, Cadillac, I see you live in Pittsburgh, cool! Where do you live? I live in the South Hills and work in Oakland.

I'm on the Estrostep BCP which is a low dose pill they often prescribe to women as they move into menopause (I'm 47). My doctors seem to think I'm to young to start menopause or even be premenopausal which I think is crazy. I had a terrible time w/anxiety earlier this year (and I do mean terrible, ready to admit myself into a hospital and take a leave from my job) which I also blamed on possibly menopause or even my thyroid meds. I'm hypo and take 100 mcg Synthroid every day; this has been tested and just recently retested and my endo says my numbers are perfect and beautiful.

As far as the sex drive, I went off the pill in the hopes of it resurfacing again, but it wasn't much better off the pill. My gynecologist says that is the number 1 complaint she hears all day long, from women young and old, that they are concerned about their sex drive. So that made me feel better! I have just had to accept the fact that my sex drive is going to ebb and flow and I try not to worry about it too much. My DH is 7 yrs younger than me and he is concerned about it too, but he now sees that it comes and goes and has relaxed about it more too.

I totally had to step away from the TSP II stuff because after reading her book, it was making me crazy! I still lean more toward TSPI, am forever off of caffeine, watch the sugar, and I know that reduced simple carbs and more complex carbs is definitely the way to go, for me anyway. But the other thing is recently I've been eating anything I want, not really worrying about it all that much, and I feel fine and am sleeping fine. When I was on TSPII I was worried every time I ate a small bite of chocolate or some sugar that it would keep me up all night, and it would, don'tcha know??

I think someone like me who is prone to anxiety just had to stop interrogating everything I ate and its affect on me, whether or not I'm IR or IS, whatever. I am forever grateful to Dr. S for opening my eyes to many things, esp not eating processed food, etc., but I can't buy her whole deal. For me, it's just unrealistic and I'm okay with it.

I still would like to lose 20 lbs and am working on a modified carb lifestyle like Dr. S suggests; I'm also leaning more toward integrating her low saturated fat more into her regular mod carb diet.

Anyway, too much info, I'm sure, but I just got so excited when I saw you were from Pittsburgh! Rosemary

PS Hi Wanda! I've missed you!