A doctor has told a woman experiencing several non-specific symptoms in
relation to her menstrual cycle that she appears to be in 'perimenopause'
and that it could be caused by breastfeeding her 2 year old, and that she
should therefore stop cold turkey.  The mother declined, and was offended.

As I understand it, menopause is pretty much a one-way street, and once you
have entered perimenopause, you don't turn around and go back to
pre-menopause.  It is also well established that perimenopause can last for
years.  Further, there is no risk to the child or to the mother from
continuing to breastfeed during this time.  I'm with the mother on this one.
There isn't much to support the doctor's theory that breastfeeding is
causing her symptoms, and certainly nothing at all to support weaning as a
strategy to deal with them or the underlying cause.  If she indeed is in
perimenopause, she is unlikely to get a lot more chances to breastfeed
either, so if she and her child are still enjoying it, why stop?

She might, however, want to find a doctor who is more versed in the workings
of the mature female body.

Rachel Myr
Possibly perimenopausal, but definitely not premenstrual, in Kristiansand,
Norway

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html