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Post by amber84 on Sept 12, 2010 13:44:56 GMT -5
I have started doing some research regarding hormone testing. Unfortunately, many doctors want to throw drugs at us before even testing. Some of you my have experience with hormone testing (blood or saliva), hormone imbalance and treatments. This can be a forum to share your experiences. For those of us considering this at an option this will be a great place to ask question and share information.
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Post by amber84 on Sept 12, 2010 13:48:01 GMT -5
This was my original question that I directed to Karen in a personal message. She will post her very helpful response. They (doctors) throw drugs at us without even knowing what they are treating. It's like someone who is a diabetic never checking their sugar and just injecting insulin. That would be ludicrous and dangerous. So my husband and I found a website about using kits for saliva testing to find hormone levels. This is the link: www.johnleemd.co/stor/prod_stest.html#323 Have you ever read any info about this method?? You seem to have some experience in this regard so, I thought you may have come across something. I want to find someone reputable so I need to do research on who to go through, but I don't know if it is a waste of time.
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Post by Karen on Sept 12, 2010 13:57:37 GMT -5
Regarding hormone testing, the link that you posted didn’t work for me but I see it’s from Dr. John Lee’s website. He’s the expert when it comes to progesterone, and he has some good books out there. I read a basic handbook on balancing hormones, but he has more in-depth books that go into a lot more detail. What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You About Premenopause might be one worth checking out from the library. I haven’t read it yet, but it’s on my list of things to read.
Basically, he’s all about saliva testing and balancing hormones using progesterone cream. For most people, all is good with that approach, and something they can do on their own without doctor supervision. I was super excited about it and tried it faithfully for a few months (minus the hormone testing). I saw a few minor improvements, but for the most part, was sadly disappointed… Anyway, I wasn’t convinced it wasn’t the right idea, but I just needed a different approach. I was turned down by a few docs to test my hormones so when my therapist suggested a MD with a private practice that specialized in natural healing and women’s issues, I jumped all over it!
Turns out, the level of progesterone I was getting with the cream wasn’t nearly enough. She immediately put me on a higher dose (oral form) and tested my hormones (blood test) after I had been on it for a bit. That was kind of my baseline, and we’re going from there. I think I started in May? I’m feeling great! I don’t know if it would have the same affect on anyone else, but for something that has so few side effects, especially compared with the alternatives, I think anyone with endo should at least look into it!
Anyway, she and I talked a bit about saliva vs. blood testing. In her experience, she felt the blood test was more accurate and gave her a better picture of what was going on. She’s been doing this a while, and she’s a licensed doctor that’s off the beaten path so I trust her. So I asked her why there are all these saliva kits out there claiming they are better. Her response was that if you’re not a licensed professional, you can’t draw blood, and if you can’t draw blood, you’re going to promote something that doesn’t require you to draw blood. Does that make sense? Now mind you, there could be some other good reasons out there to use saliva tests, but now that I’m working with a doc that knows what she’s doing, I’m perfectly happy with the blood test.
So here’s something else to think about… These saliva kits may give you a pretty good idea of your hormone levels, but what are you going to do with them? You’ll probably get your results and suggestions via mail, but unless you’re working directly with a doctor, your only option to supplement your hormones would be an over-the-counter progesterone cream. They pretty low in strength, and it’ll be a guessing game to figure out if you’re on the right path. And if you look at the cost of some of those tests, that can add up if you need to keep checking your levels to see where you’re at! However, if you work with an actual doctor, regardless of how your hormone levels are tested, you can get a prescription for something stronger, which you may need. And, you’ll have the doctor’s experience to adjust things accordingly based on symptoms and future tests. Does that make sense?
So then there’s the question of how to find a doc that’ll not only test your hormones, but will actually prescribe something based on your hormone levels. There’s only one form of bio-identical progesterone (Prometrium) available from a regular pharmacy, and I believe it’s only in 2 doses. My guess is that with most ‘traditional’ docs, that would be your only option, and whatever dose they feel will do the trick... Some women swear they’ve had an awful response to Prometrium, but I suspect it’s often because their doc went for the over-kill route and gave them waaaaaaay too high of a dose because they don’t understand what’s going on. The goal isn’t to overwhelm your body with progesterone to minimize estrogen, the goal is to balance out your hormones so they work in beautiful harmony and you feel great! I started out on Prometrium but had to adjust my dose, so I went to a compounded formula at a level made just for me. Most traditional docs wouldn’t go this route, at least not around here.
Just as important, there could be some underlying issues that explain why your hormone levels are the way they are. For example, my new doc discovered that my DHEA level was borderline low. Guess what? DHEA is necessary for your body to produce all the sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone)! So if that’s low, no wonder some of my hormone levels were low! She also found some other things that were out of whack and we’re working on them, too. I’m certainly not implying that you have some other things going on, but I’m just hoping to shed some light on why it’s important to work with a doc that KNOWS hormones and all the stuff that goes with it. I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you’re going to spend some cash on figuring this out, start out with someone right off the bat that can help you all the way through.
It took me forever to find a doc that was exactly what I needed, so I threw together a thread on the natural treatments thread. Have a look - it may give you some insight to look for places in your area. Towards the bottom of the thread I think there’s a link to find providers that focus on anti-aging medicine. Don’t let the name fool you – they are all providers that focus on more natural ways to balance hormones, deal with inflammation (which I’m assuming you could also use!), and a whole host of other things. You can search for providers in your area, and though I can’t guarantee the ones in your area will be qualified, it’d at least be a good place to start calling people and asking what they know and what their approach is. Other options would be to see if your health care provider has a complementary medicine section. They’re often hard to find but many do, in fact, offer some services, and if anything, they may be able to tell you who to go see.
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Post by Karen on Sept 12, 2010 14:03:41 GMT -5
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Post by ohmandie on Sept 23, 2010 20:36:59 GMT -5
This is EXACTLY what has happened to me. No one tested my hormones before they threw birth control pills at me. I've had symptoms of PCOS for about 5 years now and no one has suspected it until now. Unfortunately, I truly believe that my first hormone test last month was skewed by the use of birth control pills. Plus, no one has ever tested on the 3rd day of my cycle.
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