Following on from my previous post I've gone back over previous bloods.
These were done 10 months ago so need re-doing but I'm wondering if the low estrogen has something to do with my short menstrual cycles and nonexistent libido.
Does anyone here take OTC HRT? Is it something I should leave well alone? Or is it worth a punt?
Yes, only a couple of years before but I wish I'd started earlier, thought it was my thyroid causing all the issues 🙄 my estrogen levels were the same as yours when I started though.
Peri-meno is a bloomin nightmare but I can recommend the body identical HRT really helps the thyroid too 🤗
Didn't try over the counter stuff as it's unregulated, ask your GP if no joy go to a menopause/ wellwoman clinic
Now post meno my level is
It's just such a puzzle. I did go to my GP at the time who dismissed the results out of hand and wouldn't even entertain my concerns. I've just put it to rest since hoping that when I was 'optimal' with thyroid it would all come right but as yet nothing!
I've just read this:
"First, if there is a low estradiol level coupled with high FSH levels and high LH levels, this can indicate a condition known as premature ovarian failure or primary ovarian insufficiency. This means that, even with proper hormonal stimulation, the ovaries are failing to produce a normal amount of estradiol. This can sometimes be due to a genetic condition, such as Turner syndrome, an autoimmune disorder, or exposure to certain toxins."
I know I don't have 'high' FSH or 'low' estradiol but both are high and low in their respective ranges. LH is mid-range-ish though so that doesn't fit.
AH! It's just such a nightmare trying to solve the puzzle without the picture!
I don't want to start medicating something that doesn't need medicating but equally, I can't be doing with 23-day cycles with the odd random 13-day cycle, for the next decade.
My levels fell off dramatically after the first Covid jab, even though using Evorel 50 patches, at the time and didn't recover which is when I went to a Meno Clinic for advice and upped my dose.... apparently they had a huge increase in demand at that time as our immune systems run on estrogen 😬
I'm surprised they didn't offer you the pill to regulate your periods? That's the usual tack... nice and cheap 🙄 and aids your hormones
I've refused the pill in the past. I hate it!
I'd recommend a clinic else you've a rocky road ahead, once they have sorted you out they pass the prescribing over to your GP
Body identical transdermal puts you in control
I feel a bit silly going to a menopause clinic at 36!
but something isn't right and needs someone to take me seriously! Even if it's just to explain my results properly and with some knowledge to reassure me.
Get over yourself, I had a lovely mid 20's girl draw my blood last time and she is on it after all sorts of mis-diagnoses for other things that put her in a mental unit.... and she worked for the NHS 😩
Peri-meno kicks in 10 years + before or maybe triggered by other things like your thyroid which messes with all of your hormone balance.
I recommend to everyone early intervention rather than wait until you are on your knees..... same with thyroid.... it's imbalance you are dealing with
🤣🤣 tough love.
Yes, you're right I just don't want to be dismissed again like the GP did. It's humiliating.
Soz, said with motherly love and encouragement to get the right help 🤣🤗 and with a helping of I wish someone had told me sooner! (Daughter gets the same tough love)
As we all now know GP's aren't that bothered about our wellness! They just aren't that up on hormones it would seem, be they thyroid or sex 🙄
They call them Well Woman more now as they treat girls with PCOS, Acne, endometriosis, hair loss all sorts of imbalance conditions
Witchinghour,
You could be in perimenopause BUT what day did you test? Oestradiol will be low and quite rightly so on certain days of your cycle.
drbrighten.com/when-is-the-...
Progesterone can also drop for many women after the age of 35 so this can contribute towards shorter cycles. You also may not ovulate in each cycle which means less progesterone and shorter cycles. Our hormones all work together like a dance. So if you're under stress for example, don't sleep well, blood glucose isn't balanced, excessive exercise etc then this will add to the hormonal imbalance/shift which is quite common at this age. Combined with other things going in our lives at a personal level. Before you consider adding more hormones at this stage I would recommend looking at how you can improve diet/lifestyle factors, blood glucose management is key because having oestrogen is insulin sensitising so having less or erratic levels of oestrogen can set a lot of women up for blood glucose imbalances. All this can place an extra hit on your adrenal glands and stress. See Professor Jerilyn's Prior's diagram on this page:
larabriden.com/real-reason-...
Lara Briden has written an interesting article on her work but I will also say that supplementing your way through this doesn't work if those key imbalances remain in place. I do think that magnesium is really helpful and beneficial. Lara does recommend things to take but the most effective strategies are the simplest ones like rest and relaxation. Your thyroid and the medication you take will also play a role in this.
HRT - does it take effect quickly?
Does anyone take Aventis Cynomel?
Hair loss, thyroid, menopause, HRT!
Does anyone take magnesium supplements? 
