I am with everyone on this too.. I was able to provide FULL HOT sun and water once a week, even in the winter when it thrived..Here is the catch. It was in a small place, on a shelf, with glass on all sides, where it would get hot in there, even in the dead of winter. It was always in bloom, especially, this time of year. Once I had to switch work places, there was no where to put it, so I put it outdoors in the spring through summer last year, and it never flowered or looked the same after that, even in the hot summer sun. In fact, I lost my plant just last week!!!:-(((( I was watering it exactly the way I use to before, only it was not in a hot sunny place, only in a sunny place where room temps were always just in the 70's, I guess cool by their standards...It rotted out from the stump and collasped..I almost cried.In fact my self worth, was almost bruised too..I felt I failed that plant I had an attachment to.. I learned that next time, I would rather hold back on the watering even though, even if I think the soil is dry, until I can give it HOT sun.. I wish you luck with yours! I wouldn't worry so much about undwatering since it is not getting the hot sun they love and thrive in..That could explain the not so hard trunk and stems..Mine always had a very HARD trunk, when it was getting the heat and sun..Then softened, once the ehat was robbed of it, but not the sun..Maybe they require more hydration when they get the heat and sun together, which could explain the reason for hardness..A well hydrated plant..? I wonder myself.. I am sure it will be alot better once it gets both!I did notice the ones at HD were loosing their firmness too. They have theirs in full sun also..They were stiff when they arrived, and the women told be they were use to growing in hotter conditions too.. I saw those beauties at HD this am, and I was hesitant to buy one, because I wish I could provide desert like conditions in which they thrive on.. P.s..I will say that the only time that my plant even came close to looking as good as it did in the past, was when I had it on the hot tarpped roof in full sun July, until the wind blew it right off..So no more hot tarp.. Wishing you luck ;-)

Hello, I'm so glad I found this forum, I've been reading some old posts and finding so much of myself in them! I'm 44 and all of my problems started when I went off of birth control pills after being on them consistently for most of my adult life. I launched into hot flashes, night sweats, heart palpitations, terrible anxiety, prickly skin, muscle pains, and my concentration and memory became so foggy I thought I was getting alzheimers. My periods became erratic, and I'd skip one only to have two later on. Sometimes light, then othertimes so heavy that I thought I was losing too much blood. I went to doctor after doctor but none of them felt that it had anything to do with hormones. And none of them thought that at 42 that I was going through menopause. They said I was having anxiety problems and recommended a psychiatrist!!!!! I finally found a naturopath and ended up on five different herbs, and began using a natural progesterone cream every day. Now, the night sweats are gone, hot flashes come once in a while, my periods are still whacky, but the anxiety is almost non existent. And I usually sleep thru the night. I would be interested to know more about amino acid treatment. I still feel foggy in the head alot, and forget names and things that I am doing sometimes. I hope that people are still writing to this group, I sure need the help. Hope to talk more with you more mprw1. Cat

I recommend reading Suzanne Somers book: The Sexy Years. I did and ended up with bioidentical hormones. While she doesn't specifically talk about subcutaneous pellets, that is what I have. I wrote a thread here with alot of detail. It's called Bioidentical Hormone Pellets" In short, I get estrogen and testosterone pellets implanted in my hip. They are the closest to what I make, not metabolized by the liver and does not have near the breast risk that synthetics or pills do. The deliver a consistent low dose. I get them every 3-4 months. I do not believe in suffering with symptoms when there are options. I would never use synthetic from a pregnant mare. I've read how they are abused to obtain the urine. I have never felt better in my life. I'm 54, had a hysterectomy 20 years ago, have never had kids. I also recommend seeing a doctor that specializes in bioidentical hormones and menopause. Good luck! njw

Do you know that perimanopause starts around mid 30's? I suffered from migraines for years, since mid 20's. Now I am doing much better by using the followings, Organic yam base progesterone cream Vitamin B complex with Co Q10 Iron supplement (during and after periods) Lady's Mantle herbal tea (brewed from dried herb) Fruit smoothies (for better circulation) I hope the above suggestions will help you, especially stop your bleeding. When I had my periods for 6 weeks, Lady's mantle tea mixed with a little Shepard's Purse was my lifesaver. My ultrasound results were also normal at the time. There are many books you can find online relating to women's health and perimenopause. If you want to know more about natural progesterone, you can start with books written by Dr. John Lee and Dr. Virginia Hopkins. Good luck to you.