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Dazzle13 · 01-28-2012, 01:34 AM

Hello all,

I have some questions that could be covered in different topics, this site seems so large but I figured this was the proper forum.

Some details: I am a 22 year old female. I recently went to my dermatologist as I was experiencing thinning with my hair (or possibly hair loss) Either way, my hair changed in thickness drastically.

He ordered some blood tests to check my CBC's, ANA's, and Ferritin levels as well as my testosterone, DHEA-S, and thyroid levels.

Results came back great for everything except my DHEA-Sulfate levels. While the reference interval on the sheet says norm is anywhere from 148 - 407 (units ug/dL) my levels are a pitiful 84.5, which is very worrisome to me.

So far, what I've read around the internet was that this is connected to heart disease, infertility, adrenal issues, and so on. None of these make me feel better, especially the first two.

However, I always see that people with low DHEA levels also have thyroid issues or low testosterone, whereas both of mine are fine - right in the middle range.
I don't have HIV, or any autoimmune disease as no antibodies have been detected. (I also have several HIV tests in the past, all negative - haven't been sexually active since)

BUT, I AM on birth control (35mcg of hormones) and have been for four years now. Would these have anything to do with my low DHEA levels?
Why would someone young have such low levels? I'll be seeing my doc Monday, but right now I'm in a lot of distress over this, I'm afraid I'll never have kids, or get sick with something major

Please help! Any info is appreciated. I know I won't get a proper diagnoses until I see my doc but I would love a point in the right direction or some peace of mind. Thank you all in advance.

juner50 · 01-30-2012, 01:34 PM

Hi,
Why don't you post your other test results with normal ranges. I'm a little curious about your thyroid because you said it was "right in the middle". That may not be where you want to be but it depends on which thyroid tests were run.
So I'm sure if you post all your results we could get a clearer picture.

Dazzle13 · 01-30-2012, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juner50

Hi,
Why don't you post your other test results with normal ranges. I'm a little curious about your thyroid because you said it was "right in the middle". That may not be where you want to be but it depends on which thyroid tests were run.
So I'm sure if you post all your results we could get a clearer picture.

Thank you for replying

My testosterone serum was 34 ng/DL (reference range 8 - 48)
Free Testosterone (direct) was 0.2 pg/mL (r.r 0.0. - 2.2)
T4 Free (direct) 1.20 ng/dL (r.r. 0.82 - 1.77)
TSH 2.230 uIU/mL (r.r. 0.450 - 4.500)
ANA Direct was Negative
and Ferritin Serum was 78 ng/mL (r.r. 13-150)

I also did some digging online, apparently for females ages 20-29 DHEA levels can range from 65 - 400 ug/dL, however the refernce ranges for the lab on my results is 148 - 407, not sure if that makes a difference.

juner50 · 01-31-2012, 08:15 AM

Aside from the hairloss, how do you feel? Have you noticed any changes physically? Some Drs might treat you with a low dose of thyroid medication with a TSH of 2.230 because the newer ranges go up to 3.0 but a lot of labs don't use it and many Drs aren't up to date.
I'm not a Dr and I don't play one on TV. Try posting on the thyroid board.

Also have you tried Minoxidil or any other products? I'm hypothyroid and have hair shedding from time to time so I started using Costco brand Rogaine and it just helps slow down the loss. I still have a pretty good head of hair and I'm in my 60's. Continue to pursue the possible cause .

Dazzle13 · 01-31-2012, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juner50

Aside from the hairloss, how do you feel? Have you noticed any changes physically? Some Drs might treat you with a low dose of thyroid medication with a TSH of 2.230 because the newer ranges go up to 3.0 but a lot of labs don't use it and many Drs aren't up to date.
I'm not a Dr and I don't play one on TV. Try posting on the thyroid board.

Also have you tried Minoxidil or any other products? I'm hypothyroid and have hair shedding from time to time so I started using Costco brand Rogaine and it just helps slow down the loss. I still have a pretty good head of hair and I'm in my 60's. Continue to pursue the possible cause .

Oh, that is interesting. Guess I probably shouldn't trying to interpret my results without a doc. Sadly, my appt was cancelled yesterday so I'll have to wait until Friday.
Lately, more so than before, I've been feeling sluggish, lethargic, tired, a general sense of "blah" ness. It could be due to the season and that it is dark and cold all of the time, but I hardly ever want to get out of bed.
When I was working (I was laid off, I just go to school now) I felt very frazzled and stressed out, kind of overwhelmed by everything.

My dermatologist mentioned trying Rogaine for women and others, if I wanted to try to see more growth. From what I understand, though, is that the hair will shed again once off the shampoo. I was thinking of trying a biotin shampoo first, since my hairloss isn't critical at least yet.

juner50 · 02-02-2012, 03:12 PM

Try to find a Dr that will Rx Armour and or other thyroid meds. I don't take Armour, some people love it but it didn't work for me. So if you need to be on thyroid meds you want a Dr that will Rx any thyroid med that will help you and not just Synthroid. Nothing against Synthroid as I take Synthroid and Cytomel and it's been the best I could find and believe me I've tried them all.

Maybe you just have the winter blahs but maybe not. See what the Doc says. Good luck and hope you feel better.

Dazzle13 · 02-02-2012, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juner50

Try to find a Dr that will Rx Armour and or other thyroid meds. I don't take Armour, some people love it but it didn't work for me. So if you need to be on thyroid meds you want a Dr that will Rx any thyroid med that will help you and not just Synthroid. Nothing against Synthroid as I take Synthroid and Cytomel and it's been the best I could find and believe me I've tried them all.

Maybe you just have the winter blahs but maybe not. See what the Doc says. Good luck and hope you feel better.

I'll look into Armour and see what my Doc says. Thank you very much for the help!

frasa · 01-12-2013, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dazzle13

I'll look into Armour and see what my Doc says. Thank you very much for the help!

Dear,
I am 33 year old and i have a very similare issue. Very low dheas and a bit low testosterone. Hear thinning on the front part of my head. I am checking out with doctors but still nothing.
What information and solution have you got ? Thank you very much!

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