Estrogen tests

[[ca...]]

Hi all! I’m trying to see if estrogen dominance is the reason for some of my symptoms and I got a requisition from my doctor.  Here’s the problem.  It just says estrogen and progesterone.  Shouldnt it be testing for Estradiol?  Or will labs automatically test for estradiol once they see estrogen? Dont know much about this.

[[La...]]

Hi castillo,

Here's some useful info from the Cleveland Clinic:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22353-estrogen

 

What is estrogen?

Estrogen is one of two sex hormones commonly associated with people assigned female at birth (AFAB), including cisgender women, transgender men and nonbinary people with vaginas. Along with progesterone, estrogen plays a key role in your reproductive health. The development of secondary sex characteristics (breasts, hips, etc.), menstruation, pregnancy and menopause are all possible, in part, because of estrogen.

Estrogen plays an important role in other body systems, too. For this reason, although AFAB people have the most estrogen, all genders make this hormone.

What are the types of estrogen?

There are three major forms of estrogen:

• Estrone (E1) is the primary form of estrogen that your body makes after menopause.
• Estradiol (E2) is the primary form of estrogen in your body during your reproductive years. It’s the most potent form of estrogen.
• Estriol (E3) is the primary form of estrogen during pregnancy.

I don't think you have to worry too much about estrogen vs. estradiol. When I've had my hormone levels tested, both the requisition and the results said "Estrogen". The other hormones I had tested at the same time were progesterone, leutinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). They all fluctuate, depending on where you are in your cycle. If you're in perimenopause, the levels can change quite a lot.

 

[[ca...]]

Thank u!  Very helpful!  And thats where it gets confusing.  I dont know where I’m at with cycles cause I bleed continuously after a detox mishap.  And there must be a universal way to see estrogen dominance.  Whether the ratio is just too high compared to progesterone or whether prolactin is too high.  I don’t have the funds to get one of those fancy tests, so my bloodwork is all I will have. I dont trust my doctor because when all this started, I believe my test results showed higher ratio compared to progesterone.  He didnt give any suggestions.  I think it’s because they don’t believe in the term estrogen dominant.  So i’m stuck figuring this out myself.

[[La...]]

Hi castillo,

I'm not at all familiar with the concept of estrogen dominance, but if you're bleeding continuously, I really hope you can get the help you need. It doesn't seem like something you should have to figure out by yourself

[[ca...]]

17 hours ago, [[L...] said:

Hi castillo,

I'm not at all familiar with the concept of estrogen dominance, but if you're bleeding continuously, I really hope you can get the help you need. It doesn't seem like something you should have to figure out by yourself

I agree! I shouldn’t have to go this alone! They put me here so they should fix it.  But honestly my trust in them should have been very limited from the beginning. They nearly almost killed me again.  Most important at the moment is I get the tests done.

[[La...]]

Are you able to get a second opinion? If you don't feel comfortable with this doctor, can you see another one instead?

[[ca...]]

7 hours ago, [[L...] said:

Are you able to get a second opinion? If you don't feel comfortable with this doctor, can you see another one instead?

I’ve seen four in total.  So what i’m gonna do is ask for specific tests with one of the doctors,  that way it’ll force him to see a bigger picture.

[[La...]]

Wow....four! Are you hearing similar things from them? Why don't you trust any of them? Are they gynecologists or endocrinologists?

It might be worth doing some of your own research online to see what you can find out. You'd have to find reputable sources of info, since there's a lot of B.S. available online.

Before I made the decision to use HRT, I did a lot of my own research. My sources of info were all MDs, since some really good ones made their info available via YouTube or in books. I read two books and watched many YouTube interviews with these doctors. Putting all that info together was really useful for me. Maybe you can do something similar with your own questions.

[[ca...]]

6 hours ago, [[L...] said:

Wow....four! Are you hearing similar things from them? Why don't you trust any of them? Are they gynecologists or endocrinologists?

It might be worth doing some of your own research online to see what you can find out. You'd have to find reputable sources of info, since there's a lot of B.S. available online.

Before I made the decision to use HRT, I did a lot of my own research. My sources of info were all MDs, since some really good ones made their info available via YouTube or in books. I read two books and watched many YouTube interviews with these doctors. Putting all that info together was really useful for me. Maybe you can do something similar with your own questions.

Yes that is what i’m currently doing.  Gathering as much as I can.  The tests I’ll be asking for are ones my doctor isnt familiar with but I know would be important to show balance. But that’s why I asked about the ratio.  There’s great information online BUT how to interpret numbers.  Since ranges vary so much. My doctor didnt seem concerned with my range but to me, estrogen looked a bit high but I’m not 100% sure.  I went to 2 doctors and 2 gynecologists.  They all gave me the same generic tests and treatment.  I walked out of each session just frustrated.  

[[La...]]

I think it would be hard for any non-doctor to be able to interpret someone else's blood test results. They're complicated and usually involve looking at a number of factors in order to determine what is going on. The thing with hormones is that they can vary so much over the course of time and during one's cycle.

When I was doing my research about perimenopause and menopause, the advice I came across a number of times was not to focus on the blood test results, since there's so much variation during this period. So, while I did get a couple of hormone tests, I realized that they weren't necessarily going to give me any useful information about where I was in terms of perimenopause/menopause.

I know I can't offer much in the way of solid info to you on the question you have about "estrogen dominance", castillo, so I can only wish you the best at this point. Maybe someone else will have something to add here.

 

[[ca...]]

6 hours ago, [[L...] said:

I think it would be hard for any non-doctor to be able to interpret someone else's blood test results. They're complicated and usually involve looking at a number of factors in order to determine what is going on. The thing with hormones is that they can vary so much over the course of time and during one's cycle.

When I was doing my research about perimenopause and menopause, the advice I came across a number of times was not to focus on the blood test results, since there's so much variation during this period. So, while I did get a couple of hormone tests, I realized that they weren't necessarily going to give me any useful information about where I was in terms of perimenopause/menopause.

I know I can't offer much in the way of solid info to you on the question you have about "estrogen dominance", castillo, so I can only wish you the best at this point. Maybe someone else will have something to add here.

Thank you!  This discussion has been helpful nonetheless!  I appreciate it <3. I am looking into the DUTCH test for more clarity. Not sure if you are finally in menopause but maybe it will be helpful to you if you have not found a good source to look at levels in one comprehensive test.

[[La...]]

Youre' welcome!

Actually, I'm already using HRT and probably in menopause, but it's a bit hard to tell. I don't plan to do any blood tests for this, because it wouldn't give me any useful information at this point. I'm a big ol' wuss when it comes to blood tests anyway, so the fewer vials of blood required for a given test, the better!

I wish you all the best with that, and I hope you can get the answers you need, castillo.

[[ca...]]

10 hours ago, [[L...] said:

Youre' welcome!

Actually, I'm already using HRT and probably in menopause, but it's a bit hard to tell. I don't plan to do any blood tests for this, because it wouldn't give me any useful information at this point. I'm a big ol' wuss when it comes to blood tests anyway, so the fewer vials of blood required for a given test, the better!

I wish you all the best with that, and I hope you can get the answers you need, castillo.

Oh DUTCH is urine.  You can still use it to see the balance of your hormones.  No needles!  Good luck! Ill write back if i find any solutions.

[[La...]]

Ah, okay, good. Urine is easy! Yes, please do let us know how you do.