Re: How are skinny people processing hormones?

[Guest guest]

I became over-weight when my hypothyroid went undiagnosed for at least eight years. I "should" have enough E in my body to last a lifetime but without exogenous E, my E2 = <15.

Val

-----Original Message-----From: rhythmicliving [mailto:rhythmicliving ]On Behalf Of lynnelalala@...

Gee, we have a number of skinnies in this group having problems.

We have to think about this. Statistically, don't people with more body fat have less menopausal symptoms? Is 30 lbs extra fat like having an extra ovary? I raise this because some of the hormone-blocking drugs given to breast cancer patients act on hormones produced by the fat cells (besides other places).

Lynne

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Cora. This was very helpful information. It sounds like you have a very informed doc. So 2 patches counteract your P symptoms. What kind of P are you taking and for how many days?

Lynne

Cora writes:

In May I increased my estrogen patch which has increased my weight - in the same above areas , enlarged my breasts, improved sleep, and lowered anxiety. An overview of all of my various blood tests reveals I am low in just about everything. According to dr., supplementation of hormones is very important for my type and will be necessary for the rest of my life to ensure quality of life. The exception is P which plays havoc with my system. When I take P to clear the uterine lining every couple of months, even though I also increase my E to counter the P effects, I get heart palpitations, cold and sweaty body, high anxiety and fatigue. Dr. said this happens more with slender, fast metabolism women. She advised me to add another E patch and those symptoms should disappear within 4 hours – the length of time it takes for the E patch to enter blood stream. She was absolutely right. Within 4 hours, all those symptoms disappeared.

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Cora. This was very helpful information. It sounds like you have a very informed doc. So 2 patches counteract your P symptoms. What kind of P are you taking and for how many days?

Lynne

Cora writes:

In May I increased my estrogen patch which has increased my weight - in the same above areas , enlarged my breasts, improved sleep, and lowered anxiety. An overview of all of my various blood tests reveals I am low in just about everything. According to dr., supplementation of hormones is very important for my type and will be necessary for the rest of my life to ensure quality of life. The exception is P which plays havoc with my system. When I take P to clear the uterine lining every couple of months, even though I also increase my E to counter the P effects, I get heart palpitations, cold and sweaty body, high anxiety and fatigue. Dr. said this happens more with slender, fast metabolism women. She advised me to add another E patch and those symptoms should disappear within 4 hours – the length of time it takes for the E patch to enter blood stream. She was absolutely right. Within 4 hours, all those symptoms disappeared.

[Guest guest]

I am a skinny, small- boned person also, except for the belly/thigh area. My dr. told me that women with less body fat usually have a more difficult time with menopausal symptoms due to a low production of estrogen which lives in fat cells. My Body Mass Index is about 19% which means I have low fat cells for my 5’ 5” frame.

In May I increased my estrogen patch which has increased my weight - in the same above areas , enlarged my breasts, improved sleep, and lowered anxiety. An overview of all of my various blood tests reveals I am low in just about everything. According to dr., supplementation of hormones is very important for my type and will be necessary for the rest of my life to ensure quality of life. The exception is P which plays havoc with my system. When I take P to clear the uterine lining every couple of months, even though I also increase my E to counter the P effects, I get heart palpitations, cold and sweaty body, high anxiety and fatigue. Dr. said this happens more with slender, fast metabolism women. She advised me to add another E patch and those symptoms should disappear within 4 hours – the length of time it takes for the E patch to enter blood stream. She was absolutely right. Within 4 hours, all those symptoms disappeared.

I am still working on the HL – and that is not improving. Low Ferritin just showed up after being normal at 70 in April – had HL even then. More on that later.

Cora

[Guest guest]

I am a skinny, small- boned person also, except for the belly/thigh area. My dr. told me that women with less body fat usually have a more difficult time with menopausal symptoms due to a low production of estrogen which lives in fat cells. My Body Mass Index is about 19% which means I have low fat cells for my 5’ 5” frame.

In May I increased my estrogen patch which has increased my weight - in the same above areas , enlarged my breasts, improved sleep, and lowered anxiety. An overview of all of my various blood tests reveals I am low in just about everything. According to dr., supplementation of hormones is very important for my type and will be necessary for the rest of my life to ensure quality of life. The exception is P which plays havoc with my system. When I take P to clear the uterine lining every couple of months, even though I also increase my E to counter the P effects, I get heart palpitations, cold and sweaty body, high anxiety and fatigue. Dr. said this happens more with slender, fast metabolism women. She advised me to add another E patch and those symptoms should disappear within 4 hours – the length of time it takes for the E patch to enter blood stream. She was absolutely right. Within 4 hours, all those symptoms disappeared.

I am still working on the HL – and that is not improving. Low Ferritin just showed up after being normal at 70 in April – had HL even then. More on that later.

Cora

[Guest guest]

Yes, that might give insight into the hair loss.  Too much systemic P seems to throw some of us into hell and hairloss!  Provided the thyroid is ok.  Hey, does ferritin and progesterone have any relationship that might be important here? It is so odd that Lynn is low ferritin considering her diet! Laurel Thanks, Cora. This was very helpful information. It sounds like you have a very informed doc. So 2 patches counteract your P symptoms. What kind of P are you taking and for how many days? Lynne Cora writes:In May I increased my estrogen patch which has increased my weight - in the same above areas , enlarged my breasts, improved sleep, and lowered anxiety.  An overview of all of my various blood tests reveals I am low in just about everything.  According to dr., supplementation of hormones is very important for my type and will be necessary for the rest of my life to ensure quality of life.  The exception is P which plays havoc with my system.  When I take P to clear the uterine lining every couple of months, even though I also increase my E to counter the P effects, I get  heart palpitations, cold and sweaty body, high anxiety and fatigue.  Dr. said this happens more with slender, fast metabolism women.  She advised me to add another E patch and those symptoms should disappear within 4 hours – the length of time it takes for the E patch to enter blood stream.  She was absolutely right.  Within 4 hours, all those symptoms disappeared. 

[Guest guest]

Yes, that might give insight into the hair loss.  Too much systemic P seems to throw some of us into hell and hairloss!  Provided the thyroid is ok.  Hey, does ferritin and progesterone have any relationship that might be important here? It is so odd that Lynn is low ferritin considering her diet! Laurel Thanks, Cora. This was very helpful information. It sounds like you have a very informed doc. So 2 patches counteract your P symptoms. What kind of P are you taking and for how many days? Lynne Cora writes:In May I increased my estrogen patch which has increased my weight - in the same above areas , enlarged my breasts, improved sleep, and lowered anxiety.  An overview of all of my various blood tests reveals I am low in just about everything.  According to dr., supplementation of hormones is very important for my type and will be necessary for the rest of my life to ensure quality of life.  The exception is P which plays havoc with my system.  When I take P to clear the uterine lining every couple of months, even though I also increase my E to counter the P effects, I get  heart palpitations, cold and sweaty body, high anxiety and fatigue.  Dr. said this happens more with slender, fast metabolism women.  She advised me to add another E patch and those symptoms should disappear within 4 hours – the length of time it takes for the E patch to enter blood stream.  She was absolutely right.  Within 4 hours, all those symptoms disappeared. 

[Guest guest]

Lynne...Glad my info was helpful, and I also feel my dr. is very informative. Hormones/menopause are her specialty. In answer to your question...About every 4 months, I get a shot in my bottom of 125 mg of micronized bio-identical P. Supposedly it is in my body for only 7 days. A day or two after that 7 days, I get a bleed which lasts about 3-4 days. That’s it. The uterine lining is cleared out. I know it works because I also get a pelvic sonogram every year to double check. A shot isn’t as bad as it sounds and my dr. recommends it as the best solution, which I didn’t believe at first, so I tried all the other methods. Prometrium for 10 days, P suppositories for 2 weeks, etc. After all that experimentation, I proved to myself she was right. The most positive aspect of the shot is that the P side effects and bleed are over in about 2 weeks. The other methods prolong the whole process. The Prometrium was the worst for me. The suppositories produced a lesser degree of P symptoms, but was messy and longer.

Here’s something I have noticed and I don’t know what to make of it. My usual E dose was .075 Vivelle patch. OK, so then I would get my P shot and while at the dr. she would slap on another .0375 Vivelle patch. For the next couple days I would feel fabulous – like the old days. Then about day 4 the decline would happen...fatigue, irritability, hypersensitivity, depression. Another .0375 patch would be replaced 3 days later. I never, ever feel as good but in those few days that happen every 4 months. Don’t know what that is about other than more E. My dr. is working with that info.

After several rounds of this, my dr. and I have figured out the necessary amounts of increased estrogen I need to counteract P. Who knows where my HL fits into this picture. I still need to observe further, but it seems like my HL increases after the P shot, but I am not positive. She isn’t sold yet on the hormones being responsible. I have other health issues that are surfacing slowing like GI problems (mal-absorption?), possible Hashimoto, low iodine, low ferritin, low cortisol, low DHEA. I don’t know where to focus the HL trigger. Many possibilities. where are the connections, and which one is primary.

Cora

[Guest guest]

Laurel...I don’t know if I could say I have too much sytemic P. My blood level is a consistent 0.5 except for when I do the P shot. My thyroid has been completely normal and I had HL even then, but it is now shifting to early signs of Hashimoto. I don’t know about the relationship of ferritin and P, but I do know this. I eat an extremely healthy and nutrition dense diet. I can’t imagine why my ferritin is low. One holistic dr. suggested I had absorption problems due to some test results that showed food allergies, sensitivies, parasites, bad bacteria, you name it. I saw a GI and he said I looked way too healthy to have any absorption problems and everybody has parasites. I just have to create an indesirable environment for such things using probiotics. The only thing he could offer was an endoscopy or a procedure to check my intestinal villi. I had an test which showed I did not have a gluten problem, but a stool test from another lab said I was gluten intolerant. I have much more info about this if anyone is interested. Just to be safe I have eliminated all gluten from my diet.

Cora

[Guest guest]

Thank you, Cora,

very interesting and right on the ball for someone like me who's "skinny" too!

Love,

Charlotte

Re: How are skinny people processing hormones?

I am a skinny, small- boned person also, except for the belly/thigh area. My dr. told me that women with less body fat usually have a more difficult time with menopausal symptoms due to a low production of estrogen which lives in fat cells. My Body Mass Index is about 19% which means I have low fat cells for my 5’ 5” frame. In May I increased my estrogen patch which has increased my weight - in the same above areas , enlarged my breasts, improved sleep, and lowered anxiety. An overview of all of my various blood tests reveals I am low in just about everything. According to dr., supplementation of hormones is very important for my type and will be necessary for the rest of my life to ensure quality of life. The exception is P which plays havoc with my system. When I take P to clear the uterine lining every couple of months, even though I also increase my E to counter the P effects, I get heart palpitations, cold and sweaty body, high anxiety and fatigue. Dr. said this happens more with slender, fast metabolism women. She advised me to add another E patch and those symptoms should disappear within 4 hours – the length of time it takes for the E patch to enter blood stream. She was absolutely right. Within 4 hours, all those symptoms disappeared.I am still working on the HL – and that is not improving. Low Ferritin just showed up after being normal at 70 in April – had HL even then. More on that later.Cora

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[Guest guest]

Thank you, Cora,

very interesting and right on the ball for someone like me who's "skinny" too!

Love,

Charlotte

Re: How are skinny people processing hormones?

I am a skinny, small- boned person also, except for the belly/thigh area. My dr. told me that women with less body fat usually have a more difficult time with menopausal symptoms due to a low production of estrogen which lives in fat cells. My Body Mass Index is about 19% which means I have low fat cells for my 5’ 5” frame. In May I increased my estrogen patch which has increased my weight - in the same above areas , enlarged my breasts, improved sleep, and lowered anxiety. An overview of all of my various blood tests reveals I am low in just about everything. According to dr., supplementation of hormones is very important for my type and will be necessary for the rest of my life to ensure quality of life. The exception is P which plays havoc with my system. When I take P to clear the uterine lining every couple of months, even though I also increase my E to counter the P effects, I get heart palpitations, cold and sweaty body, high anxiety and fatigue. Dr. said this happens more with slender, fast metabolism women. She advised me to add another E patch and those symptoms should disappear within 4 hours – the length of time it takes for the E patch to enter blood stream. She was absolutely right. Within 4 hours, all those symptoms disappeared.I am still working on the HL – and that is not improving. Low Ferritin just showed up after being normal at 70 in April – had HL even then. More on that later.Cora

No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.5/406 - Release Date: 8/2/2006

[Guest guest]

This is very interesting...and unique. Where do you live, and who is your

doctor who specializes in menopause? Does she know how to clone

herself?

At 01:56 PM 8/3/2006, you wrote:

Lynne...Glad my info was

helpful, and I also feel my dr. is very informative.

Hormones/menopause are her specialty. In answer to your

question...About every 4 months, I get a shot in my bottom of 125 mg of

micronized bio-identical P. Supposedly it is in my body for only 7

days. A day or two after that 7 days, I get a bleed which lasts

about 3-4 days. That’s it. The uterine lining is cleared

out. I know it works because I also get a pelvic sonogram every

year to double check. A shot isn’t as bad as it sounds and my

dr. recommends it as the best solution, which I didn’t believe at first,

so I tried all the other methods. Prometrium for 10 days, P

suppositories for 2 weeks, etc. After all that experimentation, I

proved to myself she was right. The most positive aspect of the

shot is that the P side effects and bleed are over in about 2

weeks. The other methods prolong the whole process. The

Prometrium was the worst for me. The suppositories produced a lesser

degree of P symptoms, but was messy and longer.

Here’s something I have noticed and I don’t know what to make of

it. My usual E dose was .075 Vivelle patch. OK, so then I

would get my P shot and while at the dr. she would slap on another .0375

Vivelle patch. For the next couple days I would feel fabulous –

like the old days. Then about day 4 the decline would

happen...fatigue, irritability, hypersensitivity, depression.

Another .0375 patch would be replaced 3 days later. I never,

ever feel as good but in those few days that happen every 4 months.

Don’t know what that is about other than more E. My dr. is working

with that info.

After several rounds of this, my dr. and I have figured out the necessary

amounts of increased estrogen I need to counteract P. Who

knows where my HL fits into this picture. I still need to observe

further, but it seems like my HL increases after the P shot, but I am not

positive. She isn’t sold yet on the hormones being

responsible. I have other health issues that are surfacing slowing

like GI problems (mal-absorption?), possible Hashimoto, low iodine, low

ferritin, low cortisol, low DHEA. I don’t know where to focus the

HL trigger. Many possibilities. where are the connections, and

which one is primary.

Cora

[Guest guest]

This is very interesting...and unique. Where do you live, and who is your

doctor who specializes in menopause? Does she know how to clone

herself?

At 01:56 PM 8/3/2006, you wrote:

Lynne...Glad my info was

helpful, and I also feel my dr. is very informative.

Hormones/menopause are her specialty. In answer to your

question...About every 4 months, I get a shot in my bottom of 125 mg of

micronized bio-identical P. Supposedly it is in my body for only 7

days. A day or two after that 7 days, I get a bleed which lasts

about 3-4 days. That’s it. The uterine lining is cleared

out. I know it works because I also get a pelvic sonogram every

year to double check. A shot isn’t as bad as it sounds and my

dr. recommends it as the best solution, which I didn’t believe at first,

so I tried all the other methods. Prometrium for 10 days, P

suppositories for 2 weeks, etc. After all that experimentation, I

proved to myself she was right. The most positive aspect of the

shot is that the P side effects and bleed are over in about 2

weeks. The other methods prolong the whole process. The

Prometrium was the worst for me. The suppositories produced a lesser

degree of P symptoms, but was messy and longer.

Here’s something I have noticed and I don’t know what to make of

it. My usual E dose was .075 Vivelle patch. OK, so then I

would get my P shot and while at the dr. she would slap on another .0375

Vivelle patch. For the next couple days I would feel fabulous –

like the old days. Then about day 4 the decline would

happen...fatigue, irritability, hypersensitivity, depression.

Another .0375 patch would be replaced 3 days later. I never,

ever feel as good but in those few days that happen every 4 months.

Don’t know what that is about other than more E. My dr. is working

with that info.

After several rounds of this, my dr. and I have figured out the necessary

amounts of increased estrogen I need to counteract P. Who

knows where my HL fits into this picture. I still need to observe

further, but it seems like my HL increases after the P shot, but I am not

positive. She isn’t sold yet on the hormones being

responsible. I have other health issues that are surfacing slowing

like GI problems (mal-absorption?), possible Hashimoto, low iodine, low

ferritin, low cortisol, low DHEA. I don’t know where to focus the

HL trigger. Many possibilities. where are the connections, and

which one is primary.

Cora