Betsy Estrogen/Progesterone Meadow! Dana

[Sunshine1]

Hi Betsy,

It fasinates me that you weigh what you do and i have another ?
Isn't it something that the Endos always focus on those great 17 hydroxylaseprogesterone test but I want to know at what result to the estrogen and I know that the estrogen being higher leads to all sorts of trouble too. Meadow and Dana! would like your input on this also, I might be way off with this stuff and i need those that are more familiar in these issues. Meadow, I am understanding why people that trans like us!


thanks aimee

HAPPY FOUTH OF JULY TO EVERYONE

[Meadow]

Hi Aimee!

I would be happy to discuss any hormone issues, but I guess I would need some clarification as to more of the specifics of what you desire to know. The first thing is to figure out what type of patient we would be discussing: A cycling natal female, a pregnant female, a trans female, a woman on HRT, or some other person not described above. Of course, the range, especially in the cycling natal female, for both estrogens and progesterones would be wide as they are heavily involved in the menstral cycle, and play opposite roles.

Estrogens are those hormones primarily responsible for female development. Of course, getting too high of levels in any type of female can result in blood clots and other problems, thus, the warnings associated with taking the pill and other HRT formulations. The goal is to take as low a dose as needed for effect and minimize any side effects.

Progesterone is the hormone of pregnancy. Trans women can take it as well as it is relatively inexpensive and competes with testosterone, causing the production of testosterone to go down and thus freeing the trans woman of undesirable masculine effects.

Now, with respect to endocrinologists, frankly, I don't know what each might want and why. Again, that would depend upon the type of patient involved. (In the horse world, we check for progesterone levels to see if a horse is producing enough to maintain a pregnancy. If not, we supplement with a synthentic oral progestin which is quite successful. Often, later tests will show that the patient is doing fine and the supplement can be suspended.)

I hope this gives you some information upon which to clarify any further questions.



With regard to the Fourth, and I'm pretty sure my neighbors are probably not reading this, I'm trying to stay in my bunker, as outside my domicile there is that unique combination of fireworks and alcohol!! I'm trying to counteract that effect by listening to Puccini's Turandot!

[Sunshine1]

Meadow

Dear Kathleen,


Thanks for the information. It was very helpful and I have a feeling that my estrogen trouble is more related to eating habits, reduction in exercise, and reaction to situations and that was how it would get off track vs. not having enough cortisone supression for the adrenal gland excessive androgens and to help with physical stress.

The endos always go you have great progesterone levels but also at one time the gyno wanted to give me progesterone. The blood clots and heavy bleeding was something that I dealt with for a very long time but each Endo would blow it off and the lady Endo dismissed it as mucus but the heavy bleeding looking back did seem to flare up with weight gain, family, and work stress but it does make wonder if just maybe the progesterone levels could of been better? Not one of them thought the bleeding was that serious and my guess really did believe me but I had anemia for the longest time that got worse and they just kept telling me to take the iron pills at one time the hemoglobin was 3.5 and it was the same just take the iron pills and vist us weekly, eventually I went also for weekly IV iron but after passing out in a bloody mess had Blood transfussions was told I was normal and then the tumor was found . I'll aways wonder if the low phD and low oxygen hemoglobin 3.5./lack of exercise from being anemic contributed to the gyno cancer forming among other things. I could be off about all that but I've also just found out that I have hashimoto thyroditis which it seems like I've had the symptoms from that on and off since the teen years, I read that causes bleeding also. No doctor ever told me what it was but they did ask questions that I now know from looking a sites were thyroid related.

It was a light bulb moument when I connected how someone that trans into the body they were meant to be in would find something like CAH interesting. Thank you for answering the medical information and it must be wonderful to be a vet to help Gods creatures.

I'm watching fireworks going on outside as I write this. I'm guessing the music was classical or opera that you were listening to? Which must of been a great way to bring in the Fourth!

Aimee

[Betsy]

Hi Aimee,

I've never really paid attention to the actual hormones in relation to the 17-OH levels. As I've mentioned, my 17-OH level runs really high but I menstruate very regularly, and it wasn't until I went outside of the "norm" that my breasts even grew.

I'm not a believer in the "book values" as they simply didn't work for me and it was only when I learned how to do a lot of self-managed care for myself did things get right.

Don't even get me started on progesterone. When I had "perfect level", I never got my period and would take progesterone every 6 months or so for a few days to induce a period. It would lead to me practically bleeding to death because my periods were so heavy and for a long time. It wasn't a healthy way to treat my body.

One thing I didn't mention with the tests that were done when I got ill was that I'm running low on Vitamin B-12. The doc felt a big part of that was a result of how little meat I was eating so I've been trying to get a serving or two of red meat in weekly, along with taking some B-12 supplements. If the supplements don't work, I'll order some b-12 injections online and just do that weekly. Since I started the supplements though, I am noticing that I am getting up earlier and have a bit more energy, especially early in the day.

Girl and I went for a 5 mile hike today which was really nice. LOL...it wasn't supposed to be five miles but we were walking and climbing and lost track of time. I finally realized that we had been going more or less in one direction for a couple of hours. The sucky part was that the trek back was up hill. I think next time we need to reverse that and make it downhill on the way home. :pat: I'm pretty pooped as a result this evening--vitamin B-12 and extra prednisone notwithstanding.

Betsy