Quote from: japple on January 22, 2011, 05:56:51 PM
Men shouldn't take iron because there is no way to get rid of it.

I might have to agree with this.  It is a lot easier to correct a low iron problem than a high iron problem.  The body has few ways to eliminate iron other than bleeding.

Signs of Iron Overload
# Post-menopausal women should watch for these signs that suggest the possibility of having an iron overload: chronic fatigue, pain in the joints, pain in the stomach, an irregular heart beat, lack of interest in sex, hair loss, change in the color of the skin and the cessation of periods.

Read more: Post-Menopause Iron Supplements | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5422410_postmenopause-iron-supplements.html#ixzz1BsVKuaDp

Somehow a cessation of periods as a sign of high  iron in a post menopausal woman makes no sense.

It does make sense to not need iron supplements but you do still need iron. You just aren't losing as much as you used to.

Quote from: LordKAT on January 23, 2011, 10:57:16 AM
Somehow a cessation of periods as a sign of high  iron in a post menopausal woman makes no sense.

Not necessarily.  Remember, the body has limited resources.  More iron doesn't mean that you'll have heavier menstruation to remove the excess iron.  The body only has so much ability to move, transport, and remove the excess iron from the body.  If there is too much iron, the body will favor storing the iron, even though there will be limited means to remove that iron later.  Thus, cessation of periods is a completely logical result of iron toxicity, as the body doesn't have enough resources to properly remove the iron.

This is the thing that I hate about biochemistry.  It is not intuitive.  While it's true that bleeding is the best way to remove iron from the body, it's not true that iron toxicity causes one to bleed more.

If you think about the body in intuitive terms, you are going to completely miss what is really going on.  Or, to quote the great Charles Darwin, whether or not something seems absurd to our sensibilities is not an indication of whether or not it is true.

EDIT:  Nevermind, I think I misunderstood your comment.  It seems that you're saying that cessation of periods as a sign of high iron in a post-menopausal woman makes no sense.  In which case, I agree, seeing as how cessation of periods is a defining attribute of post-menopause.  It seems that the article needs to be rewritten.

It took ya a second but you got what I meant.

Quote from: LordKAT on January 23, 2011, 11:29:56 PM
It took ya a second but you got what I meant.

Yeah.  Sometimes I miss the simple details because I always have too many things on my mind.

I'm sure that some of these changes by now are not just my mind playing tricks on me. I hate to be blunt but to use a variation of the Wizard of Oz song: "Ding Dong the Dick is Dead." My sex drive has gone down by probably about 80% and my functionality down by 60%. Something I actually don't miss.

How is everyone doing now?  Hugs shannon

I kept a hormone diary for about a month, but then my laptop died and I lost the file. But as far as I can remember the changes I've noticed have so far been:
24 hours - calmer, no more anxiety
1 week - fat started moving towards the breasts
2 weeks - skin went from oily to normal/dry
1 month - breasts started hurting, glands started growing behind the nipples
2 months - b-cups, body hair grows much slower

I haven't noticed any changes in my face, but I might be missing changes because I look in the mirror so much every day. But I think my eyes might look more awake and open now, which might be from the hormones. And my upper lip maaaaaybe looks slightly fuller. The downstairs bit is sleeping most of the time, but every once in a while it decides to wake up before I do.

Breast growth. Nipple changes. More weight in my face hips thighs butt and tummy

Quote from: japple on January 23, 2011, 12:15:36 AM
... but they should look for general multivitamins without iron and shouldn't take "Women's" or "Prenatal" vitamins without their doctor checking for iron.

Is the doctor really a necessary step here? Everyone should read labels (though I've been guilty of buying then reading). In the USA, at least, iron content of vitamins must be listed (unless it's 0%). It's more dangerous to ask a third party than to check yourself... if you don't trust yourself, find someone else to double check it for you.

We probably should be asking our doctors about what supplements are necessary and when. I'm not on HRT yet, but I have a reduced diet and take a multi (men's - 'til they run out, anyway - then non-gendered). I'm also taking Tums (Calcium) and probably shouldn't be until AAs or E starts.