I don’t know if you’re still looking for stories. Mine is not as dramatic as some—but I’m being encouraged by friends to tell you so here goes.

I’ve been on the protocol since October of 2003. At that time I was just turning 61. I had started into menopause at 46, was put on hormone replacement and couldn’t take the phony stuff (fortunately for me) so I set out to find a substitute. I was lucky enough to find a doctor that did bioidentical hormones (realize this is 16 years ago) and so I did variations on that theme for the next 14 years. I had my period for a couple more years and then it stopped. I was healthy except for ongoing aches and pains resulting from a family tendency toward autoimmune problems, looked a good 10 years younger than my age, was happily married with a good sex life and generally felt I was about as well as I could be at my age.