Which test for female hormones?: After a bloody... - Thyroid UK

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Which test for female hormones?

24 Replies

After a bloody awful nightmare and waking up covered in sweat I did some googling.

Anyway; I am 100% convinced there is something not right with my hormones.

After testing my blood glucose for a few days (it's ongoing while I experiment) I suspect I've got a level of insulin resistance alongside various other 'perimenopause' symptoms but I'm likely too young for that at almost 37 plus mum was 50+ when she went through menopause... Although symptomatic from a few years earlier.

So I'm back to getting my female hormones checked again...

Any recommendations please?

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24 Replies
SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

What are your most recent B12, folate, ferritin and vitamin D results

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

Are you vegetarian or vegan

Low B12 can be cause of night sweats

in reply toSlowDragon

17/01/2023 - Monitor my health - ranges are funny because it was the anaemia panel so only checks deficiency.

B12: 81 (40 - ?)

Ferritin: 75 (15 - 300)

Folate: 4.9 (3 - ?)

Vit D: 53 - Adequate

No veggie or vegan anymore but can't keep ferritin up, it's been slowly dropping.

Taking: B12, B complex, Vit D, K2, and selenium. Although was shoddy with them so have moved them in the hopes I'll remember to take them! :D

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to

which brand of vitamin B complex

You probably don’t need separate B12 as well in no longer vegetarian

Get a weekly pill dispenser for vitamins and keep in kitchen ready to take after breakfast

in reply toSlowDragon

Igennus. I've only got a few weeks left of the B12 so I'll finish that up and just stick with the B complex then!

Suspect nightmare & sweats were linked to my period which is due any second. 🙃

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to

what are your most recent Ft4 and Ft3 results

in reply toSlowDragon

TSH: 1.1 (0.27 - 4.2)

FT4: 12.3 (12 - 22)

FT3: 5.8 (3.1 - 6.8)

Plenty of room for improvement but endo refusing to budge so this is it for now until I can afford to see an new endo... Or go off piste...

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to

How much levothyroxine are you taking

Obviously Ft4 is ridiculously low

Are you also taking T3

in reply toSlowDragon

Taking: 50mcg levo

10mcg T3

60mg Erfa

4 week previously results were:

TSH: 0.39 (0.27 - 4.2)

FT4: 11.3 (12 - 22)

FT3: 5.6 (3.1 - 6.8) and best I'd ever felt!

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to

oh well….on NDT Ft4 is often low

waveylines profile image
waveylines

The guidelines have changed for treating perimenopause symptoms. And your GP can treat you with HRT at your age too. The only proviso for you now is that the thyroid, ovaries and adrenal glands are all interlinked....going in & treating at one point will affect the others in the group. So is your thyroid optimally treated currently as it could be if not this would settle your perimemopause like symptoms. If it is then clearly your GP needs to consider prescribing hrt. Be worth looking up NICE guidelines.

in reply towaveylines

That's really helpful, thank you! I'll do that this morning. :D

That was part of my concern that adding HRT would disrupt everything else but equally, I'm still not quite right. My thyroid could be tweaked but I feel better now than I have in years... Probably back to 70% so maybe it's time to trial something else.

waveylines profile image
waveylines in reply to

There you go.....can't remember the name of the well known GP but she was on radio 2 recently, lunchtime and was explaining this problem of the perimenopause starting much earlier for some women. Hope it helps you. 🤞🤞

Sneedle profile image
Sneedle in reply to

I don't know where you are location wise, but I got referred to a menopause clinic (nhs) and was put on hrt oestrogen patches plus mirena coil and it has saved my bacon.I was a lot older than you but you can have early menopause, my sister in law did in early thirties.

The nhs menopause clinics seem to be a bit hidden from the public eye (someone told me some GPs don't know about them???!) - where I went they were awesome really knew their stuff and they test my blood once a year and I get a follow up phone call.

Menopause matters website is really good. Sorry not linked. They mention clinics where you can ask to be referred. Gp may well not know enough but can refer.

I've read about hrt patches not affecting thyroid meds in the way oral hrt does, not sure if correct.

I'm saying all this so you can factor it in to the whole picture alongside the thyroid research you're doing. In case it's relevant.

Good luck with it all 👍

radd profile image
radd

Witchinghour,

The usual hormones to test are LH, FSH (the drivers), oestrogen and progesterone tested on a certain cycle day. However, because it is normal in our Hashi dysregulated world to have cycles all over the place many are opting for cycle mapping. There are several brands available at clinics or for home testing that will map your hormone fluctuations across your entire cycle. Are you taking a hormonal contraception?

The well known GP is Louise Newman of Balance, and Wayeylines is right in that HRT is being offered during the last peri-menopausal stage now but I would be hesitant to accept this from a GP with limited knowledge other than latest NICE guidance. It's one thing to replace hormone levels declining from natural ovarian failure with research benefit back -up, but another to replace hormones messed up from Hashi or another hormone disrupter.

in reply toradd

I hear what you're saying and I too, would be extremely reluctant to place my health into the hands of an NHS GP given previous experience but that's what I'm facing.

I just don't think I have the time or the headspace to take charge again.

There is a menopause clinic near me that I've spoken to with knowledge of hashis but I'm looking at £175 for the initial consultation, then £115 follow up. Plus blood tests plus then the cost of a private prescription. I just can't keep haemorrhaging money on my health, especially when I'm looking at £700 to fix my car this month.

I think all my remaining symptoms are down to low estrogen (which was low in range a year ago (Day 3 - Oestradiol - 123 (45.4 - 854) 9%) So I thought it might be worth re-testing and go from there.

NIKEGIRL profile image
NIKEGIRL

blood test for female hormones is day1 of your cycle. However, I was asked where I was in my cycle, as in what day, and they wrote that on the paper. I happened to be day 3.

Regenallotment profile image
RegenallotmentAmbassador

My nightsweats stopped after getting TSH under 1 and T4 up over 17 and vitamins optimal. I’ve gone from waking every night dripping wet to getting slightly warm and a lot sweaty one night before my period. Life changing. HRT didn’t fix this for me it was the thyroid hormones and vitamin absorption that worked. I do seem to lose B12 very quickly 🌱

in reply toRegenallotment

My TSH has been under 1 for most of the last year.

Having googled this morning I think my nightmares/night sweats are from the drop in estrogen just before a period.

I'm just scratching the surface here but I think I'm on to something!

You're right though; it could be that my TSH has raised too much thus impacting my estrogen level potentially causing it to drop even lower triggering my symptoms.

After 3 years of tinkering with doses I think I needs to look more holistically now. Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree but perhaps supporting my other hormones will help my thyroid.

Maybe all I will achieve is cocking it all up but I do feel like I've done as much as I can with my thyroid for the moment.

Regenallotment profile image
RegenallotmentAmbassador in reply to

It’s so complicated and interlinked isn’t it. I’ve always been a sweaty betty so it’s a massive relief to find some balance. When menopause does come for me I can see I’ll be having to readjust and retest. 🌱

in reply toRegenallotment

It's SO complicated! I would dearly love to be able to just hand over the reins to someone else for a bit. I'm tired of figuring it out!

thyr01d profile image
thyr01d in reply to

Just a thought, could it be your PABA dropping? In many women it falls before periods although I don't know if nightmares and night heat are symptoms. There's a bit about it on my website, pennyjollyyoga.com, on the Healing Yoga page, and I'm not looking for business in any way.

How will any of those show me what my female hormones look like?

hba1c is 33.

Thyroid hormones are upthread.

Not sure how kidney, liver, and electrolytes would help?

I just wondered if I were missing something, that's all. That perhaps you knew a link I didn't!

Well, yes I can see why you, as a man, might feel defensive after posting on a thread asking for advice about female hormones, and then offering advice that has no relevance to female hormones.

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