Guest guest Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Laurie, are you still having periods? If so, why take progesterone at all? You may still be producing enough of your own progesterone. Tell us more about what kind of BHRT you took. I took sublingual triest. After five months, my estradiol level was <15 (i.e., none). I now use Estrogel, available quite inexpensively. Val -----Original Message----- From: rhythmicliving [mailto:rhythmicliving ] On Behalf Of clowgerl Hi my name is Laurie. Will try to give a semi-brief history here. I am 44 and started on BHRT in 2009. My doctor put me on estradiol (daily), progesterone (2 weeks of the month) and testosterone (daily) creams. I thought I was doing okay but after about a couple of years I began to not tolerate progesterone well so in July 2011 I stopped and have been trying to re-work it back in but so far without luck. I also have had a tough time keeping my estrogen up so thought maybe the route wasn't right for me. Briefly tried a new doctor who put me on the Vivelle Dot but it didn't seem to be enough for me and she and i didn't mesh well at all so I had to move on. I gave Premarin a 3 day run and felt horrible on that. Went to see Uzzi Reiss last month and he put me back on a Bi-est cream. Saw him again last week and he wanted me to try a progesterone suppository. They are 100mg each. He wanted me to use a 1/3 for about 3 days and then move to a half and so on until I reached a full suppository for 2 weeks. I didn't make it past 3 days. I was cranky, irritable, depressed, facial flushing, lots of heat. All those were the reasons I stopped it back in 2011. I emailed Uzzi to tell him and he said that my body uses progesterone paradoxically and it pushes down my estrogen. He told me that we would have to try homeopathic progesterone for 3 days every 3 months and see if that will be enough. Has anyone heard of that? I just wonder what homeopathic progesterone is? Also, through my bloodwork he said that my SHBG was very high. I had it tested before last summer and it was high then. Uzzi told me there is a supplement he sometimes uses to help lower the SHBG and release estrogen BUT it also releases testosterone which can cause some unwanted side effects. I'm not sure what the supplement is because he wouldn't tell me. I even asked him in the recent email and he ignored it. lol...I did some googling and I think it might be Stinging Nettle but I'm not sure. Does anyone here have experience with high SHBG levels? I'm trying so hard to get my estrogen up and it's taking a lot of estrogen I guess to try to overcome that SHBG. It's frustrating. I have spent the last 2 years working on low thyroid, low adrenals, high blood glucose, and low sex hormones. Lots of juggling going on here and I know it's all connected. I read so much on all of the issues above but am always baffled by something so I am here to try and learn and offer what I can. Also, I don't know how much longer I can see Uzzi because he is expensive and he pushes all of his own supplements so I am still in the process of finding someone within my insurance network. Thank you for any thoughts or input! I really am curious about the SHBG and how to lower that and I also would love to figure out how to take progesterone so that i'm not using estrogen unopposed. Laurie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Hi Val, No, I haven't had a period for quite a long time. The last two doctors that I saw told me that I would 100% get uterine cancer if I didn't take progesterone and shed the lining. In fact, I had to get a pelvic/vaginal ultrasound in January because it freaked them out. It came back fine. Uzzi was the only one not too concerned about it. He said it's mostly the younger doctors who freak out about that stuff. That's an interesting thought about my possibly producing enough progesterone on my own but the labs don't tell that story. The numbers are always in the negative. Well, I was on the same estradiol cream through a compounding pharmacy for over 2 years. My levels were checked every 3 months and they were either very high (300's) or very low (in January my estrogen was a measly 38)despite being on the same amount. I thought my estrogen was doing the roller coaster thing. Uzzi thinks that the cream (even if dried) was being scooped up by the needle sometimes when labs were drawn thus the high levels. So he said that he feels my estrogen has just been very low all along. Then it was the Vivelle Dot for a very brief time (maybe 3 weeks) and I had terrible low estrogen symptoms. My doctor at the time wouldn't even consider upping the dose. She tried to blame my symptoms on my thyroid medication. Uzzi put me on this Bi-est that I've been taking since the 3rd week of February. It's 3mg (estriol = 2mg, estradiol = 1mg) per 2 clicks and I take total of 8 clicks a day. So 12mg a day of estrogen. He keeps telling me that I should get those symptoms of high estrogen (very sore breasts)and that's when I need to back off a bit but I've yet to have high estrogen symptoms. So maybe not taking progesterone is okay even with a uterus? Oh, I was also taking testosterone because that is always in the negative on labs too but Uzzi told me to stop that too. I guess it's just getting all bound up in the SHBG? lol...crazy making. Is Estrogel OTC? Have you had the best luck with that? <15 is horribly low. You must've felt terrible. Thank you for responding. I really appreciate it. Laurie > > Laurie, are you still having periods? If so, why take progesterone at all? > You may still be producing enough of your own progesterone. Tell us more > about what kind of BHRT you took. I took sublingual triest. After five > months, my estradiol level was <15 (i.e., none). I now use Estrogel, > available quite inexpensively. > > Val > > -----Original Message----- > From: rhythmicliving [mailto:rhythmicliving ] > On Behalf Of clowgerl > > Hi my name is Laurie. Will try to give a semi-brief history here. > > I am 44 and started on BHRT in 2009. My doctor put me on estradiol (daily), > progesterone (2 weeks of the month) and testosterone (daily) creams. I > thought I was doing okay but after about a couple of years I began to not > tolerate progesterone well so in July 2011 I stopped and have been trying to > re-work it back in but so far without luck. > > I also have had a tough time keeping my estrogen up so thought maybe the > route wasn't right for me. Briefly tried a new doctor who put me on the > Vivelle Dot but it didn't seem to be enough for me and she and i didn't mesh > well at all so I had to move on. I gave Premarin a 3 day run and felt > horrible on that. > > Went to see Uzzi Reiss last month and he put me back on a Bi-est cream. Saw > him again last week and he wanted me to try a progesterone suppository. They > are 100mg each. He wanted me to use a 1/3 for about 3 days and then move to > a half and so on until I reached a full suppository for 2 weeks. I didn't > make it past 3 days. I was cranky, irritable, depressed, facial flushing, > lots of heat. All those were the reasons I stopped it back in 2011. I > emailed Uzzi to tell him and he said that my body uses progesterone > paradoxically and it pushes down my estrogen. He told me that we would have > to try homeopathic progesterone for 3 days every 3 months and see if that > will be enough. > > Has anyone heard of that? I just wonder what homeopathic progesterone is? > > Also, through my bloodwork he said that my SHBG was very high. I had it > tested before last summer and it was high then. Uzzi told me there is a > supplement he sometimes uses to help lower the SHBG and release estrogen BUT > it also releases testosterone which can cause some unwanted side effects. > I'm not sure what the supplement is because he wouldn't tell me. I even > asked him in the recent email and he ignored it. lol...I did some googling > and I think it might be Stinging Nettle but I'm not sure. Does anyone here > have experience with high SHBG levels? I'm trying so hard to get my estrogen > up and it's taking a lot of estrogen I guess to try to overcome that SHBG. > It's frustrating. > > I have spent the last 2 years working on low thyroid, low adrenals, high > blood glucose, and low sex hormones. Lots of juggling going on here and I > know it's all connected. > > I read so much on all of the issues above but am always baffled by something > so I am here to try and learn and offer what I can. > > Also, I don't know how much longer I can see Uzzi because he is expensive > and he pushes all of his own supplements so I am still in the process of > finding someone within my insurance network. > > Thank you for any thoughts or input! I really am curious about the SHBG and > how to lower that and I also would love to figure out how to take > progesterone so that i'm not using estrogen unopposed. > > Laurie > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 I started using Estrogel a couple of months ago. The first month my hair began to come out. It is better now. Has anyone else had this happen? Very frightening as I have very fine, thin, hair anyway. I am 64. Thanks Joan Laurie, are you still having periods? If so, why take progesterone at all?You may still be producing enough of your own progesterone. Tell us moreabout what kind of BHRT you took. I took sublingual triest. After fivemonths, my estradiol level was <15 (i.e., none). I now use Estrogel,available quite inexpensively.Val-----Original Message-----From: rhythmicliving [mailto:rhythmicliving ]On Behalf Of clowgerlHi my name is Laurie. Will try to give a semi-brief history here.I am 44 and started on BHRT in 2009. My doctor put me on estradiol (daily),progesterone (2 weeks of the month) and testosterone (daily) creams. Ithought I was doing okay but after about a couple of years I began to nottolerate progesterone well so in July 2011 I stopped and have been trying tore-work it back in but so far without luck. I also have had a tough time keeping my estrogen up so thought maybe theroute wasn't right for me. Briefly tried a new doctor who put me on theVivelle Dot but it didn't seem to be enough for me and she and i didn't meshwell at all so I had to move on. I gave Premarin a 3 day run and felthorrible on that. Went to see Uzzi Reiss last month and he put me back on a Bi-est cream. Sawhim again last week and he wanted me to try a progesterone suppository. Theyare 100mg each. He wanted me to use a 1/3 for about 3 days and then move toa half and so on until I reached a full suppository for 2 weeks. I didn'tmake it past 3 days. I was cranky, irritable, depressed, facial flushing,lots of heat. All those were the reasons I stopped it back in 2011. Iemailed Uzzi to tell him and he said that my body uses progesteroneparadoxically and it pushes down my estrogen. He told me that we would haveto try homeopathic progesterone for 3 days every 3 months and see if thatwill be enough. Has anyone heard of that? I just wonder what homeopathic progesterone is? Also, through my bloodwork he said that my SHBG was very high. I had ittested before last summer and it was high then. Uzzi told me there is asupplement he sometimes uses to help lower the SHBG and release estrogen BUTit also releases testosterone which can cause some unwanted side effects.I'm not sure what the supplement is because he wouldn't tell me. I evenasked him in the recent email and he ignored it. lol...I did some googlingand I think it might be Stinging Nettle but I'm not sure. Does anyone herehave experience with high SHBG levels? I'm trying so hard to get my estrogenup and it's taking a lot of estrogen I guess to try to overcome that SHBG.It's frustrating.I have spent the last 2 years working on low thyroid, low adrenals, highblood glucose, and low sex hormones. Lots of juggling going on here and Iknow it's all connected.I read so much on all of the issues above but am always baffled by somethingso I am here to try and learn and offer what I can. Also, I don't know how much longer I can see Uzzi because he is expensiveand he pushes all of his own supplements so I am still in the process offinding someone within my insurance network. Thank you for any thoughts or input! I really am curious about the SHBG andhow to lower that and I also would love to figure out how to takeprogesterone so that i'm not using estrogen unopposed. Laurie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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