I had quite a major lap 3 mths ago and although I feel like I'm on an upward curve in general, I'm still struggling with the same symptoms as before: FATIIIIIIIGUE, foggy head, mild depression, aches & pains, no temperature control, low libido etc etc! All that hormone stuff. I'm taking Microgynon and tricycling it to not have as many periods. But with all these symptoms my hormones are obviously still playing havoc.
I've just found out about bio identical hormones and functional medicine and wondered if any of you have had any experience with this? Can I be referred to see someone about this? By NHS or private?
My diet is good and strict, more or less the endo diet, I believe it really helps my symptoms, but I still struggle to feel vaguely normal. I feel so 'hormonal' though and wondering if bioidentical hormones might be 'the answer'! I know I'm asking a lot, endo is endo, and we all have to deal with what we've got but its worth a try...!
I see my consultant on Weds and wonder what my next realistic steps will be. I fear that his job is done (excisional surgery). Will he laugh at a request for bioidentical referral??
Thanks girls, any knowledge gratefully received :-). Love to you all. Xx
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Chiligirl
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but it didn't sound too hopeful. I like the sound of it, but perhaps it is too expensive in the UK for the NHS to customise HRT according to the individual patient's hormone levels.
There's no harm in asking what the NHS does offer, and if they don't then at least you can report back that it's not possible on the NHS.
There was some information about this on the Endo Resolved website the other year, maybe try doing a search on the forum. It's more US based, but worth a look if its something you are interested in x
Good book to read is by Dr Michael Lamb "Estrogen Dominance" and "The Miracle of Bio-identical Hornomes" by Dr Michael E Platt. I found these books to be most informative and thought provoking.
Apparently, the reason GPs and consultants do not generally prescribe bio-identical hormones is because they can only work with and prescribe drugs patented by the pharmaceutical companies. Their medical training only focusses on patented treatments also. Apparently bio-identical hormones cannot be patented as they are not synthetic (at least I think that is the reason - not really sure about that).
There is a consultant in Harley Street who is of the same ilk as Dr Michael Platt but consultantions with that lady are very expensive at £350.00 per consultation. I am not sure whether this would be covered on any health insurance, probably not as it is not part of medical school training.
Over time I have had 3 of the conditions possibly attributed to estrogen dominance (cervical erosion, prolactinoma (benign tumour of the pituitary gland that secretes prolactin, and advanced stage 4 endo) so I can see a definite link between these 3 conditions having read the book.
Estrogen dominance does not mean there is too much estrogen but just that you may have higher estrogen compared to the level of progesterone which counterbalances what can be unwanted effects of estrogen if left unbridled. We also are getting much more estrogen now than ever as it is in food and plastics used for packaging, bottles, containers etc and also in the water supply as as a result of the pill and hrt (apparently).
I use Wellsprings bio-identical progesterone which is available from their website along with articles and information / Q&A. I did have a blood test at my GP to make sure I was not meddling and I did have low progesterone. I think it is important to discuss it with your GP and I definitely would not advocate trying to self-diagnose what your hormones may or may not be doing. Ideally a full hormone profile should be run but GPs tend not to do this. My GP could not prescribe bio-identical progesterone and could only offer synthetic progesterone. I declined as this does not work at all in the same way with your body as bio-identical and can actually increase estrogen levels.
The Wellsprings website is informative but the books are worth reading if you are interested in bio-identical hormones.
I found it fascinating to read how hormones affect you. We tend to think of them from a reproductive perspective mostly but they control so much more.
Michael Platt believes the time will come when doctors are trained for preventative medicine rather than reactive and dishing out synthetic drugs that have their own side effects, rather than getting to the root of the problem which is often hormonal.
So consultant is delighted with surgery and agrees all my issues are to do with an obvious hormone imbalance. I do have to stay on the pill (unfortunately, but I do accept this!) to discourage the endo from returning but he suggests I swap to another variety such as Yasmin and basically trial and error to find one which balances my hormones better, as microgynon obviously is not right.
He doesn't know anything about bio identical stuff, no surprises there, and has referred me back to original gynae (whom I didn't really like!) to further discuss pill options...
So my feeling is that I will swap to Yasmin as quick as poss and hope I return to my normal self ASAP. I have another alternative therapy option, called Vega testing which apparently is great for hormone imbalances, waiting in the wings... Will ask the forum about this!
Thanks for all your advice and support, sorry I can't further this enquiry myself at the moment! Xx
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