Did anyone find that their thyroid function improved after addressing hormone imbalance issues via HRT?
My NHS endo has suggested trialling HRT. Im only 33 but my female hormones have never worked properly. My estrogen doesn’t fluctuate and stays low in range, progesterone is low, my endometrial lining never thickens and I’ve never had a period (unless I’m on contraception, which oddly seems to HELP my thyroid function!?) every thing gets so much worse when contraception is stopped and things are less awful symptom wise on it.
She also unhelpfully suggested I don’t need thyroxine yet and that if it’s causing such an aggressive allergic reaction to stop it and wait till TSH is over 10… however I will still have this aggressive reaction to thyroid meds at TSH 10 so that doesn’t seem to solve much? Plus I have hypo symptoms now at tsh7-8 so that doesn’t really resolve anything…?
I’m convinced that levo/lio combo and mono (any brand, liquid or pills, tried almost all!!) are spiking my histamine levels and then over time causing constantly sky high histamine levels and aggressive allergy symptoms. Which are then exacerbated every time I eat…this issue persist off of thyroxine but is much much much milder.
(Link shows Thyroxine treated rats have much higher histamine levels)
Weirdly when I stop thyroxine, the week after stopping it I feel like I get the benefit of it and feel pretty good as my histamine levels falls I can convert better (high histamine levels inhibit t4-t3 conversion) as well but obvs this tapers off after a short while.
I have trialled a low histamine diet but this makes little to difference as it seems the levo itself is what’s making histamine spike…also tried many antihistamines but still I react within an hour of taking thyroid meds (pics in comments but will probs delete later for anonymity) since taking thyroid meds last year I have also developed ‘allergic shiners’ which have never gone away.
I’m very hopeful if I can get on the right amount of estrogen and micronised progesterone this will help me hugely (micronised P is supposedly great at calming mast cells and helping manage histamine levels. I had some benefit with this when I trialed Utrogestan off of the pill but obvs it did nothing for my low estrogen symptoms)I’ve only been subclinical hypo the last 2 years but hormones issues started in teens so hopeful addressing this will help thyroid.
Not really sure what the point of posting all this here is. Just at all time low really and hoping my experience will hopefully be relatable to someone else feeling as hopeless as me. (Unlikely tho as I’ve never encountered any other woman whose hormones just do completely nothing by themselves and have never had a period)
Oh well. Grateful for any HRT insight anyway…
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GreenTealSeal_
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My situation is not the same as yours so my experience might not apply at all.
For me, it was the other way around. My hormones were jumping all over and I was constantly changing my hrt doses. The better my thyroid levels have been, the more stable my estrogen has been.
It almost seems like I am completely back to front. My females hormones have always been low…even when Tsh was well under 2 for decades!
My bloods on levo are bizarre too almost ike it makes me more hypo (sends prolactin sky high and testosterone too low!) then my bloods also suggest over replacement with a SHBG so high it can’t be read at 200+++ …this all normalises when levo is stopped.
Jamima posted this recently, unfortunately it coincided with the Panorama documentary about Louise Newson so, disappointingly, the post was closed. You’ve probably already come across this through your extensive research, but, if you Google Louise Newson Thyroid, you’ll get quite a few results. I was also reading or watching something the other day and there was mention about thyroid hormones normalising once sex hormones were ‘stabilised’ (if that’s the right word?) so I’ll have some more coffee and have a ponder.
I’m not sure if this is what I’m thinking of but I’ve been watching Felice Gersh’s YouTube videos recently - here’s some links which might be of interest:
Oh thank you!! Yes I think I’ve read and watched some of her stuff too! Will check out these vids in a bit!
Thankyou so much. You’ve made me feel like I’m not completely mental to have some hope in HRT.
I’ve been on the contraceptive pill on/off for a long time and it’s kinda helps but apparently body identical hrt os better and has less side effects and more health benefits 🤞🤞🤞
Thank you for sharing! I’ve just gone and found her post and it certainly gives me a little glimmer of hope!
Hormones are supposed to fluctuate but mine have never done so it appears. I took a year off contraception (and was so physically and mentally unwell I couldn’t work or do much of anything) but my hormones were monitored and constantly were low/low in range and did nothing 🤦♀️
I have also watched the channel 4 documentary and felt so sad for the women affected. For me the benefits of any kind of hormone far outweighs the risks so I’m hoping to trial it soon and then perhaps in time my thyroid will settle!🤞
I’m not hashis and the guy who did my thyroid ultrasound said it was ‘pristine’ 😂
Really good question. I think it’s worth pursuing, after all, they have so many practitioners working for them these days that there’s bound to be someone amongst them who’s had relevant experience. At least you’d hope that they would.
Haven’t used them *yet* although it’s something I’d consider. Just getting some ducks in a row, as it were.
It might even be worth creating a separate post regarding this, you never know….
GreenTealSeal_ Have you had your early morning cortisol and DHEA levels checked? (You would have to be off HRT and oral contraceptives for 6 weeks before doing an early morning cortisol test, as well as avoiding steroid-based inhalers, tablets etc prior to the test on the day and ideally the afternoon before).
I did yes, earlier this year and cortisol was deemed normal. I also suspected adrenals for a long long time and my endo suspected late onset adrenal hyperplasia but it doesn’t look as likely now.
It defo seems like some kind of aggressive histamine issue that just makes me feel like I’m allergic to everything!
Edit: haven’t had DHEAS checked ever I don’t think but I’m guessing they’d be high as I have polycystic ovaries
GreenTealSeal_ Do you know the numeric result of your cortisol blood test? Were you off HRT and oral contraceptives for 6 weeks before the test?
Cortisol levels impact the immune system, allergic response mechanism etc., along with all sorts of other things. Changes to HRT and oral contraceptives impact cortisol levels, so you could see changes when you start/stop HRT or OCPs. Adrenal issues can result in lower levels of DHEA, which particularly in females affect sex hormones. Personally (as a male), when I developed adrenal insufficiency and subsequently started taking hydrocortisone to manage it, I found that I had to increase my thyroid medication, increase my antihistamine use, and take DHEA (even though it is thought less significant in males). Adrenal issues are deemed a rare condition (about 9000 cases of primary adrenal insufficiency in the UK, thought to be about double that for secondary adrenal insufficiency, and an unknown number with tertiary adrenal insufficiency). As a result, doctors (both GPs and endo's) are even less on-the-ball about adrenal insufficiency than for thyroid issues, so always check the numbers from blood tests yourself and double-check everything they tell you about adrenals, cortisol etc. There are first-hand reports in adrenal groups online pretty much every day about doctors getting it wrong.
[Edit: TBH, that fact that your endo mentioned late onset adrenal hyperplasia suggests that he/she is more clued up than most]
I’ll have to dig it out but I remember it was an am cortisol test and was around 360. So it was done 5.5weeks off contraceptive pill because I could not manage any longer sadly (I’m already a hair away from losing my job and can’t take 6 weeks off so it’s an impossible situation) however I did do saliva cortisol which can be done after 2 weeks off the pill and my am result was very normal!
She is clued up and helpful but very very very slow at actually organising anything which is so frustrating.
Thank you for the Facebook link too, I’ll join and have a read through later!
The other super weird thing is…I’ve seen 3 endos now and all delight in telling me I don’t classically fit the picture for PCOS….and yet I still seem to have an extreme version of it?
So I don’t have insulin resistance, I don’t struggle with my weight and if anything I struggle to not be underweight. I don’t have excessive unwanted hair growth. I don’t have high estrogen or irregular periods.
They have also tried loads of PCOS treatments and none of them have worked so far (provera cycles, inositol, metformin) which has them a bit confused. I feel like low estrogen is a big part of my puzzle here.
GreenTealSeal_ Just seen your edit about polycystic ovaries. I suggest posting in the Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/1759489... asking about any links between polycystic ovaries and endocrine issues, particularly cortisol and DHEA. The majority of members there are female, and may be able to offer advice.
Have you come across any research or compelling anecdotal evidence during the course of your time on various Addison’s/AI forums/reading to suggest that transdermal oestrogen affects serum cortisol levels? I’ve read what I can on the subject and the suggestion is that we only need to worry about oral oestrogen. But I’m bothered by the paucity and scope of research into this. My most recent cortisol blood test (last month) gave a reading of 313. Last December is was 381. Both tests done just before 9am. I’m on transdermal HRT. GP has referred me to endochronology but I’m not holding my breath. Saliva cortisol tests conducted a year ago showed low cortisol throughout the day and below range DHEA.
Apologies for hijacking your post GreenTealSeal_ but hopefully it’s relevant. 😊
I think HRT is worth a go in your situation. I use patches but I have friends who do the oestrogen gel which gives you more control over how much you apply.
I started HRT before thyroid meds. It had no impact on my thyroid hormones. I felt a nice little uplift in mood and less stressed.
PS we don’t need to stop taking HRT to do cortisol saliva testing. There’s instructions in the test kit and you do the test halfway between patches/dose, within certain cycle days (if still having periods).
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