| Re: Elmhar......and anyone else who has thoughts for me :)
Hi Schao,
From the numbers, thyroid looks pretty good.
What jumps out most, of course, is the low DHEA & sex hormones, along with the high sex hormone binding globulin. The low testosterone correlates with high SHBG.
Your estrogen was low; may have been related to time of cycle? But I would want to keep an eye on that. Too-low estro predisposes to osteoporosis, and is a common culprit in postmenopausal (surgical or normal process) pain syndromes. Low estrogen can cause disturbed sleep, hot/sweaty spells, brain fog, heart palps. Estrogen that is either high or low can cause breast pain.
Can't remember whether you've had a thorough OBGYN workup. Are you approaching menopause? My perimenopausal symptoms started in my early 30's -- my neighbor is 52 & going through symptoms I had at 35 -- people do vary immensely.
If I were you, I would find a doc to prescribe transdermal testosterone. It bypasses the liver & the SHBG boondoggle to some extent. Testosterone is essential for females, in tiny amts, for the repair of muscle, ligament, and tendon. Without it, the little everyday wears & tears don't get fixed & we get pain. I've used T gel for years, swear by it. The neat thing about the transdermal is that you can regulate the amt. you get, so that if you start to get hairy or too horny (testosterone OD), you can cut back.
BUT, if your estro is fairly low throughout your cycle, that may need to be addressed as well, otherwise you could end up with a relative T:E2 imbalance.
And I would continue taking DHEA. Very important. Too little DHEA & too little testosterone can predispose you to developing autoimmune disease. Who needs that?
Your B12 is midrange; however, it may not be optimal. I would consider taking an oral supplement a few times per week. Mostly because, there are so many miracle stories out there of people with pain who've had great success with extra B12. The most absorbable form is methylcobalamin; sublingual tabs should run under $10 for a 6 mo. supply, if you're only taking a few per week. I found it interesting that in Europe, the reference ranges for B12 are set much higher than they are in the USA.
Best wishes.
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