Posted by BarbaraCat on August 27, 2003, at 12:12:24
In reply to Re: Receive Mail-In Hormone test from home » BarbaraCat, posted by galkeepinon on August 27, 2003, at 1:44:27
I've read that estrogen can have an effect on serotonin. There are many estrogen receptors in the brain and estrogen is needed to prime serotonin receptors. Now whether it works in reverse, and serotonin affects estrogen, I don't know. You won't be getting periods if your estrogen is in excess and your progesterone is low. The rise and abrupt fall of progesterone and fall of estrogen at the end of our cycle is what causes the uterine lining to shed.
Progesterone 'opposes' estrogen and if you don't have enough, or if you're taking into your body too many estrogenic compounds, one can become 'estrogen dominant'. This is becoming a very common condition anymore, even with males. Many of our pesticides, chlorine compounds in drinking water, hormones used to fatten cattle and increase milk production, are endocrine disruptors. Not only can excess estrogen cause amenorreah, it can cause breast and uterine cancer.
I was getting too much estrogen because I wasn't properly absorbing progesterone in my menopause regime and ended up with endometrial hyperplasia, a precancerous thickening of the uterine lining. Stopping estrogen and taking a mongo dose of progesterone for 14 days made that puppy shed like crazy. Because I'm menopausal, I'm not getting periods anymore, however, it did take care of the excess estrogen problem and hasn't come back. Of course, I'm now taking my hormones transdermally instead of orally, which is necessary for me. You probably don't have endometrial hyperplasia but this just goes to illustrate the mechanisms of progesterone loading.
Sounds like you needed that progesterone to 'oppose' the estrogen to create that uterine shedding. The test will be if you continue to cycle normally if not supplementing with progesterone. Hopefully, your 7 day progesterone course may have reset your hypothalamus towards more balanced hormonal sigalling. If you return to amenorrhea then you have a good clue that you're progesterone deficient or and/or estrogen dominant. I believe there's a difference in one over the other, i.e., estrogen dominence isn't always caused by progesterone deficiency and may require more sleuthing to figure out why. You might also benefit from a good progesterone cream applied for 14 days, but only if it's indicated by your health practitioner. Forget the wild yam creams that don't contain real progesterone. They're worthless. A good one is Pro-Gest by Emerita, but really, don't use it if you don't need it. Excess progesterone can cause depression. Such a fine line we walk. - Barbara
> Hey Barb~~~a woman thing here but I have amenorrhea, have had it for years. I started on the Lex 4 weeks ago. I took a 7 day trial of Progesterone and got a period. Then 2 weeks later w/o progesterone got another one on my own. Now I am happy for this because it is healthy.
> But do you have any clue as to what is going on?
> I'm wondering if some of these SSRI's can alter the effects of a woman's reproductive *cycle*?>
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> > One thing to keep in mind is that blood tests portray a range that is for the average person (and many times this average person is a healthy 25 year old male). It does not take into account age, weight, reproductive age, medications being used, etc. My serum hormone values were 'within range, however on the low side' according to the serum values. When my naturopath applied the algorhythms used to compensate for my age, my reproductive status, my weight, medications, and the values then matched. The saliva company I used (ZRT Labs) had a questionnaire that asked all these questions and proceeded from there.
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> > Your problem may not be hormonally related, and not the cause of your problems. But if you DO have a hormonal imbalance, it must be addressed before any lasting change can be expected. Also, if your blood values come result in the 'low/low/normal' or 'high/high/normal' range, explore further.
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> > > You must have posted this while I was replying to the post. lol Will you let us know after you compare the 2? I would be really intrerested in how they compare!??
> > > I've had so many blood test workups on my hormones because of some major problems and they always turn up ok. It's frustrating, I guess I'm always up to finding something new.
> > > Please let me know?
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> > > > Dr. Elizabeth Vliet who wrote "Screaming to be Heard" says the saliva tests are not valid and a waste of money. She recommends the serum blood tests for the all important hormone levels. According to her, they are much more accurate and the saliva tests do not give accurate results. I had blood drawn today for my hormones and sent the saliva sample about a week ago, so am curious to compare results. I wouldn't waste my money on the saliva tests, but that is just my opinion.
> > > > best of luck in whatever you choose.
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poster:BarbaraCat
thread:253283
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030823/msgs/254704.html