estrogen dominance-what can i do? will i ever be better?
i originally posted in the menopause section.... but here might be more appropriate. can anyone help? i am starting to feel desperate!
i am a 25 yr female. i havent got my period for 10 months. during this time, i have gained about 20-25 lbs. which i really hate.
my other symptoms include:
- depression
- fatigue
- insommnia
- itchy skin
- craving carbohydrates (very strongly, very unusually, )
- bloatedness, edema
- crazy mood swings (crying, irritation, general craziness)
- weird body temperature changes
- occassionally weird taste in mouth
i went to the doctor to get my hormone levels checked, she said my thyroid was 'fine' and that it was a progesterone/ estrogen imbalance. she told me to start taking progesterone. i know there has been some debate about 'normal thyroid' levels, so i am going to post my results :
TSH: 1.296
normal= .35-5
(they didnt test my t3 or t4 since my tsh was ok)
the only other thing was that my bilirubin levels were elevated: 31 and normal = 3-17... i guess that has to do with my gallbladder?
my mom says that i alternatively act like a pregnant woman and/ or a menopausal woman...
does anyone see anything strange? should i ask to have my other levels tested? has anyone experienced this?
i feel like i am going crazy. i went to the doctor at the university before but all they do is prescribed antidepressants- i have tried every kind and they dont seem to do anything. thyroid problems also run in the family. i feel so out of control, i hate the weight gain, but i have these manic, intense cravings, crazy mood swings, lack of sleep that make managing (ie. eating sensibly) things very difficult..
how do i get better? pls help, pls.
has anyone experienced anything like this? please help if you can...
the doctor prescribed progesterone, to start my cycle up, but i am scared of taking estrogen, to keep things regular. what can i do? or should i just not worry?
Re: estrogen dominance-what can i do? will i ever be better?
I think you might need thyroid. Sometimes even though the tests look normal, people have borderline underactive thyroid. Also, your hormone levels look excellent, except you are low in progesterone. I use Progestacare by Lifeflo which comes in a pump bottle and it works good. Also, since I'm 50, I use a testosterone patch because my testosterone levels were low. I had almost no sex drives before starting on this patch and now I feel like a teenager again. Besides improving the sexual drives, it also improves my fatigue and mood.
Your testosterone levels are in a good range though. I started taking 2 grains of Armour thyroid even though my tests were normal. With exercise and diet and the thyroid and hormones, I have lost ten pounds and feel great again.
Trying going to an alternative medical doctor or find a website where you can get thyroid supplements. Good luck!
Re: estrogen dominance-what can i do? will i ever be better?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mu-mu
i originally posted in the menopause section.... but here might be more appropriate. can anyone help? i am starting to feel desperate!
i am a 25 yr female. i havent got my period for 10 months. during this time, i have gained about 20-25 lbs. which i really hate.
my other symptoms include:
- depression
- fatigue
- insommnia
- itchy skin
- craving carbohydrates (very strongly, very unusually, )
- bloatedness, edema
- crazy mood swings (crying, irritation, general craziness)
- weird body temperature changes
- occassionally weird taste in mouth
i went to the doctor to get my hormone levels checked, she said my thyroid was 'fine' and that it was a progesterone/ estrogen imbalance. she told me to start taking progesterone. i know there has been some debate about 'normal thyroid' levels, so i am going to post my results :
TSH: 1.296
normal= .35-5
(they didnt test my t3 or t4 since my tsh was ok)
the only other thing was that my bilirubin levels were elevated: 31 and normal = 3-17... i guess that has to do with my gallbladder?
my mom says that i alternatively act like a pregnant woman and/ or a menopausal woman...
does anyone see anything strange? should i ask to have my other levels tested? has anyone experienced this?
i feel like i am going crazy. i went to the doctor at the university before but all they do is prescribed antidepressants- i have tried every kind and they dont seem to do anything. thyroid problems also run in the family. i feel so out of control, i hate the weight gain, but i have these manic, intense cravings, crazy mood swings, lack of sleep that make managing (ie. eating sensibly) things very difficult..
how do i get better? pls help, pls.
has anyone experienced anything like this? please help if you can...
the doctor prescribed progesterone, to start my cycle up, but i am scared of taking estrogen, to keep things regular. what can i do? or should i just not worry?
thank you
I agree recheck your thyroid..im hypo trying to find the right meds to take for my thyroid and my hormones are screwed up..My progesterone is neg 17, estrogen normal, testerone "sp?" is a low by one number...Thats what a thyroid can do for you..It flips up everything in the freaking book...
Unless you are one of the lucky ones going into peri-menopause at a young age..
As for the progesterone dont be afraid to use it.It will help you!!Though I would take the more natural route..I use Natural Progesterone Cream made by Doctors Natural Therapy and Ive had no weird side effects.. : )
Hope you get to feeling better.. Take Care
Re: estrogen dominance-what can i do? will i ever be better?
3.04 is the top of the normal range on TSH. Most all labs are still way behind. IT was set a couple of years ago by the AACE (american association of clinical endocronologists) Doctors still tell you different labs have different values. (tell them you will pay them in ones, because you count your ones as tens). Maybe they will get the idea, that their answer was just plain stupid. A value is always the same if its measured in the same increments, volume etc. They need to test your t3..T4 is supposed to change to T3 (the most active form of the thyroid hormone) But as a biochemist told me, T4 cannot read and does not know that..We fought for 3 years with my mothers multiple doctors until we found one that would test her for t3 and treat for clinical hypothyroid symptoms. Even though her tsh was "within range" at 3.2, the doctor said it was not optimal.. Also her T3 was low. So much for TSH being an indicator. You might be low on magnesium.. You need to have an intracellular magnesium test, because serum magnesium is much different. Magnesium is intracellular. The weird taste in your mouth is a vital clue.
Re: estrogen dominance-what can i do? will i ever be better?
I agree you should get your free T3 and free T4 checked. I have a similar situation to yours. I went to see a Naturopath and found out that I have low progesterone/estrogen dominance. - I have been on synthetic thyroid hormone for years (had a thyroidectomy). My TSH was "normal" but my free's were low. - She told me that estrogen can interfere with the thyroid function. I started taking Vitex which is a completely harmless herb used to regulate your menstrual cycles (I hadn't had mine for 5 months) - Vitex helps to increase your body's production of progesterone. I know what you mean about feeling "crazy"...believe me I KNOW!!! It is so awful to feel so out of control. The Vitex takes a while to kick in but it does make a difference I have been on it for 3 months now and finally got a real period. I also noticed that my moods and cravings have been subsiding. As far as your bilirubin goes...I had read that increased copper levels can cause that, furthemore people who are estrogen dominant tend to store more copper in their systems. Do you have copper water pipes, I.U.D or are you on birth control? All of those can increase your copper levels. Alot of information I know, but I have been dealing with this for a long time!! I hope that you find some of it helpful. I definitely would not go on synthetic progesterone!!! All boards that I have read have horrible things to say about that. Find a good Naturopath or even better a good Osteopath. Good Luck!
Linear Mode
