Can you guys help with hormone level results please....

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My sister had BC and had surgery and radiation and she is cancer free right now.

But she has severe menopausal symptoms and her doctor didn't want her taking progesterone.

I will cover her symptoms and her lab results and can you guys tell me what you would do if you were her? She wants to know what natural bioidenticals she can use that will help with her symptoms.

I have told her about Dr. lee but her life, raising a down's child plus working full time, is overwhelming her and she asked if I would ask you all.

Her symptoms:

She is 51 years old 

low sex drive

had a small period recently but normally doesn't have menstruation 

cries easily

terrible hot flashes

fuzzy thinking

easily stressed 

terrible stomach bloating

fibrocystic breasts

Here are her recent labs, the bold are her results and the range is next to it

Progesterone =0.31 (Range: Follicular 0.2-1.5; Ovulatory 0.8-3.0; Luteal 1.7-27; Post Menopausal 0.1-0.8)

Testosterone = 13 (6-82 range)

Estradiol = 92.1 (ranges follicular 12.5-166; Ovulator 85.8-498; Luteal 43.8-211; Post Menopausal <5.00-54.7)

DHEA-S =86.0 (range 35.4-256)

TSH=3.32 (range 0.35-4.00) 

Ferritin = 31.9 (range 13-150) 

Vitamin D= 30 (range 30-100) 

Please tell me after looking at these which bioidentical cream you think a naturopath would consider safe.

Thank you so much in advance everyone. I too have many of her symptoms but i don't have cancer. I have started progest and it's helped me so much, but my sister wondered if it was okay for her to take too. 

Comments

  • hlth4513
    hlth4513 Member Posts: 267
    edited March 2011

    gscott-

    Kudos to you for helping your sister. Hormonal balance is crucial, but IMO, not something that should be done,on her own,  SHe really should work with a professional who has lots of experience with bioidenticals and breast cancer patients.  The TSH isn't really a meaningful marker - she needs a complete thyroid panel that includes freeT3 and freeT4.

    You might try calling your local compound pharmacist and ask them for a referral.

    I have also seen that some have used www.bodylogicmd.com for referrals.

     Best of Luck,

    Beth

  • gscott
    gscott Member Posts: 140
    edited March 2011

    i know she needs to see a specialist, but i was just wondering with those results what is your experience. Does it look as though this would make sense why she is having those symtoms and do you think a bioidentical doctor would allow her to take progesterone cream in bioidentical form?

  • hlth4513
    hlth4513 Member Posts: 267
    edited March 2011

    gscott-

    It makes sense to me that her symptoms could be cause by low progestrone/estrogen dominance. 

    Did you say what kind of BC your sister had - I know that some docs won't write an RX for an ER+ BC patient, but My doctor writes an RX for bioidentical progestrone and I am ER+, so there are doctors who will write the RX. Maybe you can do some groundwork for her in interviewing the doctors?

    I don't know what "phase" your sister was in when she did the test - At first glance - her progestrone looks low and her estradiol looks high - and the ratio of progestrone: estradiol looks way off - but I believe that hormones are complicated  and intertwined and need the guidance of a professional.

    Beth

  • gscott
    gscott Member Posts: 140
    edited March 2011

    Thank you so much. You are the second person besides myself who thought this. I am going to call around to the people you all have suggested who deal in bioidenticals and see if one of them will kindly give her an appt with the labs she just took. i think she is ER+ too and it was very tiny, caught early...so tiny they kept telling her it wasn't cancer after all of the tests she had, but she got a second and third opinion because she kept feeling this hard little pea near her breast that she knew was not normal.

  • gscott
    gscott Member Posts: 140
    edited March 2011

    and how about her vitamin d level. I can't believe her doctor didn't tell her to start taking some so it doesn't drop any further??

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited March 2011

    hi gscott,

    I also think her estrogen/progestorone ration is not balanced. However, if you want to be good to your sister, help her by taking care or getting someone to take care of her children, book her for an appointment with an endcocrinologist who may or may not prescribe progesterone cream.

    if she can forgo the hormone fed meat/poultry then ask her to replace her meals with organice juices/veggies/fruits to lessen her estrogen exposure.. stay away from places that are known to emit DIOXIN..

    her stomach bloating and fuzzy thinking seems to tell something more than just the estrogen dominance but also her digestive system might have been also compromised (just like my mother). please also get her tested for organic acid imbalance.. turned out that certain women (just like my mother) cannot process estrogen properly that it is not "digested" properly and excreted out of the body, which causes estrogen dominance.

    is she taking birth control pills? menopausal? all information need to be provided to the endocrinologist

  • gscott
    gscott Member Posts: 140
    edited March 2011

    Okay, she spoke with her ONC and she said "NO" to bio identicals, so my sister wants to get a second opinion. Can someone recommend someone in San Diego? I think I will start with contacting Dr. Melinda Silva?  Any doctors who don't charge an arm and a leg just for a consult in SD? please help.

    Not just for my sister, but I have fibro breasts and all of the major symptoms of low progesterone, so I am just as concerned. I am using progest and it is helping so far. I still get warm flushes, but so much better! 

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