Hi everyone! I lurk here a lot and have learned so much for you all! I am hoping someone could please provide some insight regarding my labs. I am a 33 year old female and my symptoms are:
-low body temperature
-cold hands/feet/butt
-fatigue/lack of motivation
-fluid retention
-food intolerances
-eczema (but this is clearing with the use of probiotics)
-exercise intolerance (easily injured and gain fat with regular exercise)
-easy weight gain, extreme difficulty in weight loss
-constipation
-CONSTANT hunger
Lab results:
I now know that saliva is the best way to measure hormones, but this is all I have for now.
I suspected that I was suffering from estrogen dominance, so the labs match there. But I was not expecting to have normal thyroid levels (or cortisol levels, for that matter). My understanding was to get my thyroid functioning properly before supplementing with progesterone and I had intended to use my free T4 and T3 levels to determine how I need to proceed to treat my suspected hypothyroidism, but now I’m not sure what to do. I know Dr. Peat says a TSH below 1.0 is ideal and my T3 is on the lower end of normal, so should I try T3 to see if it helps? Or should I start with trying to overcome the estrogen dominance first and see if that corrects the hypothyroid symptoms?
I am trying to prepare to offset any flare-up of estrogen dominant symptoms, particularly weight gain/bloating, before I begin to supplement with progesterone. I really don’t know what to expect because most experiences that I’m reading of people who use progesterone have PCOS, absent or irregular periods, or are in menopause. I have very regular periods (~26 days), although I do have brown spotting on the first day and sometimes throughout. Do people who suffer the most from flare-ups already suffer from high estrogen or does it matter? My estradiol is mid-range, but I don’t know what my xenoestrogen load is, so my total estrogen may in fact be high anyway. Since my SHBG is on the upper end, I suspect it may be. I’m taking Vitamin E (400mg gamma), but I think it may be making me sneeze and it is definitely causing nausea. I’m also considering Vitex and DIM. I question DIM because I would think that could suppress thyroid function--does anyone have any experience with this? I’m debating on taking aspirin (leaky gut). And I’m confused about coffee—Dr. Peat recommends it for metabolism, but it’s estrogenic. I don’t drink much as I am REALLY sensitive to caffeine, so I’m not sure which way to go with that. I know I need to get more fiber and I am trying to work on that.
I know the recommendation is to use a high dose of progesterone to offset the estrogen dominance flare-up, but I am really sensitive to caffeine and some supplements (oh and orange juice, apparently), so I’m not sure if that’s an option for me. Slow and steady is how I have to begin everything else or I’ll get heart palpitations. Would transdermal be a safer way for me to start since it would be a slower-release or will that just exacerbate the estrogen dominant symptoms more?
-low body temperature
-cold hands/feet/butt
-fatigue/lack of motivation
-fluid retention
-food intolerances
-eczema (but this is clearing with the use of probiotics)
-exercise intolerance (easily injured and gain fat with regular exercise)
-easy weight gain, extreme difficulty in weight loss
-constipation
-CONSTANT hunger
Lab results:
I now know that saliva is the best way to measure hormones, but this is all I have for now.
I suspected that I was suffering from estrogen dominance, so the labs match there. But I was not expecting to have normal thyroid levels (or cortisol levels, for that matter). My understanding was to get my thyroid functioning properly before supplementing with progesterone and I had intended to use my free T4 and T3 levels to determine how I need to proceed to treat my suspected hypothyroidism, but now I’m not sure what to do. I know Dr. Peat says a TSH below 1.0 is ideal and my T3 is on the lower end of normal, so should I try T3 to see if it helps? Or should I start with trying to overcome the estrogen dominance first and see if that corrects the hypothyroid symptoms?
I am trying to prepare to offset any flare-up of estrogen dominant symptoms, particularly weight gain/bloating, before I begin to supplement with progesterone. I really don’t know what to expect because most experiences that I’m reading of people who use progesterone have PCOS, absent or irregular periods, or are in menopause. I have very regular periods (~26 days), although I do have brown spotting on the first day and sometimes throughout. Do people who suffer the most from flare-ups already suffer from high estrogen or does it matter? My estradiol is mid-range, but I don’t know what my xenoestrogen load is, so my total estrogen may in fact be high anyway. Since my SHBG is on the upper end, I suspect it may be. I’m taking Vitamin E (400mg gamma), but I think it may be making me sneeze and it is definitely causing nausea. I’m also considering Vitex and DIM. I question DIM because I would think that could suppress thyroid function--does anyone have any experience with this? I’m debating on taking aspirin (leaky gut). And I’m confused about coffee—Dr. Peat recommends it for metabolism, but it’s estrogenic. I don’t drink much as I am REALLY sensitive to caffeine, so I’m not sure which way to go with that. I know I need to get more fiber and I am trying to work on that.
I know the recommendation is to use a high dose of progesterone to offset the estrogen dominance flare-up, but I am really sensitive to caffeine and some supplements (oh and orange juice, apparently), so I’m not sure if that’s an option for me. Slow and steady is how I have to begin everything else or I’ll get heart palpitations. Would transdermal be a safer way for me to start since it would be a slower-release or will that just exacerbate the estrogen dominant symptoms more?