\u201cMy hormones are out of whack!\u201d That\u2019s the single most common sentence I hear from my patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It can come from a 25-year-old with irregular periods and industrial-strength PMS whose energy has gone down the tubes. Or from a 45-year-old (on the threshold of pre-menopause) who continues to gain weight even though she\u2019s eating less and exercising more, and who adds that her brain feels like mush and her sex drive is a distant memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of my current patients have previously seen other doctors and were given prescriptions for hormones to \u201ccure\u201d these ills. Hormones came in the form of birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy<\/a> (Premarin). Sometimes an antidepressant was thrown in for good measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is definitely and categorically the wrong approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s start with a few facts: First let\u2019s discuss a strategy to get your health insurance to pay for as much of this testing as your policy allows. Good hormone testing is pricey. (Those $30 kits that test all your hormones are only moderately accurate, especially when it comes to estrogen and progesterone. If you\u2019re having periods, levels of these hormones change virtually every day, and trying to get an accurate picture with a single day\u2019s result is a waste of your money.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to get your doctor to sign off on hormone tests is to arrive prepared, knowing what you want, and being able to counter a response like \u201cYou don\u2019t need those tests.\u201d This would be your opportunity to say something like (obviously you\u2019ll describe your own symptoms) \u201cI\u2019m miserable and all my other tests are normal. I\u2019m tired and cold, gaining weight, and my periods are a mess. Believe me, women know their hormones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doctors are almost always in a hurry and since your doc\u2019s not paying for the tests, she may capitulate to your request rather than argue. Your doctor can order most of the following tests from whatever lab she regularly uses. The nurse will draw your blood and your doctor will receive the results in a few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a WholeHealth Chicago patient, just contact one of our assistants to schedule a lab-only appointment for drawing blood. This won\u2019t require a visit until after your test results are back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thyroid hormone testing<\/strong> Low levels of thyroid hormone (called hypothyroidism) are extremely common, causing fatigue, puffy facial features, a sense of feeling cold, dry skin and hair, weight gain, and irregular periods. Consider low thyroid especially if thyroid problems run in your family. Ask your doctor for these tests: TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), free T-3, free T-4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adrenal hormone testing<\/strong> Definitely under-appreciated by many physicians as a cause of chronic symptoms, especially fatigue, \u201ccrashing\u201d in the late afternoon, salt cravings, and low blood pressure. Ask your doctor for these tests: DHEA, AM and PM cortisol levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sex hormones testing<\/strong> If you\u2019re in your late thirties, early forties, or beyond AND your periods are becoming irregular, two hormones produced by the pituitary (the master gland) are measured to determine if you\u2019re entering menopause. Ask your doctor for these simple blood tests: FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone).<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re menstruating, the best test measures your hormone levels throughout a single cycle. The \u201cFemale Hormone Panel\u201d by Genova Diagnostics supplies you with a take-home kit containing ten plastic vials to collect specimens of saliva over a period of one month. When you FedEx the kit back to the lab, they\u2019ll measure your levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, and graph the results for you. Your doctor can order the kit here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She may prefer to test your blood for these hormones. This requires returning to the office at least three or four times over a month to have your blood drawn at appropriate intervals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember: if you have chronic symptoms and your doctor tells you everything is fine, the problem is probably a hormone imbalance. But you already knew that, didn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You yourself can balance your sex hormones\u2013estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone\u2013by making some key lifestyle choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking these steps will also help you look and feel spectacular (exercise, good foods, and supplements really do work):<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most useful daily supplements to help you balance your hormones<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are menstruating:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are in the menopause transition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be well, \u201cMy hormones are out of whack!\u201d That\u2019s the single most common sentence I hear from my patients. It can come from a 25-year-old with irregular periods and industrial-strength PMS whose energy has gone down the tubes. Or from a 45-year-old (on the threshold of pre-menopause) who continues to gain weight even though she\u2019s eating less […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2087,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,82,246],"tags":[173,1658,430,1657,425,813,366,511,539,124,260,431,428,432,429],"class_list":["post-7933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-knowledge-base","category-o","category-thyroid-adrenal-sex-hormone-issues","tag-adrenal","tag-adrenal-hormones","tag-estrogen","tag-gut-health","tag-hormones","tag-hyperthyroid","tag-hypothyroid","tag-hypothyroidism","tag-lifestyle","tag-menopause","tag-perimenopause","tag-progesterone","tag-sex-hormones","tag-testosterone","tag-thyroid"],"yoast_head":"\r\n
\u2022 Hormones are immensely powerful molecules<\/strong> The cells in your body have specific receptor sites for each of them. To give you an idea how potent hormones are, current birth control pills and thyroid replacement are both dosed in micrograms (that\u2019s 1\/1,000,000 of a gram). The active ingredient in a birth control pill is invisible to the naked eye.
\u2022 Unlike a man\u2019s testosterone<\/strong>, your estrogen and progesterone levels change constantly, and you feel these changes. This continues after menopause even though you may not have enough hormone to trigger a menstrual period.
\u2022 Hormones definitely affect how you feel day to day<\/strong> in a variety of ways, and when they\u2019re out of balance, you can feel pretty crummy. However, since imbalance isn\u2019t a disease, your routine blood tests will be normal.
\u2022 Sex hormones and stress-buffering serotonin are closely linked<\/strong>, like two cars of a roller coaster. When your estrogen falls (as it does during PMS or pre-menopause\/menopause), it pulls feel-good serotonin down with it. This can cause you to cry at a Hallmark commercial or snark at your loved one.
\u2022 Imbalance of thyroid and adrenal hormones are often involved too.<\/strong> There\u2019s no actual disease, but rather \u201cfatigue\u201d of these glands. One symptom of thyroid and\/or adrenal fatigue is (you guessed it) fatigue.
\u2022 Your sex hormones are very much affected by lifestyle choices:<\/strong> primarily diet, exercise, and stress levels.
\u2022 Hormone imbalances can be corrected without prescription drugs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nMeasuring hormone levels<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Drug-free hormone balancing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
David Edelberg, MD<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"