Progesterone

[jart45]

I think with our insurance she has to be referred. but good idea! I appreciate all the post.

[sassy69]

You could get a private lab test done - full female hormone profile - no doctor - you just go in to one of the private labs like LabCorp, pay for the particular panel and they send you the results directly. It is then up to you to interpret the numbers, but at least you'd have it instead of guessing.

E.g. directlabs.com

You can often find a discount code if you google the testing company and "discount". You'll have to look at the particular company and see what private lab it has contracted w/ to do the testing, and then locate one near you.

[Suzanne]

You could get a private lab test done - full female hormone profile - no doctor - you just go in to one of the private labs like LabCorp, pay for the particular panel and they send you the results directly. It is then up to you to interpret the numbers, but at least you'd have it instead of guessing.

E.g. directlabs.com

You can often find a discount code if you google the testing company and "discount". You'll have to look at the particular company and see what private lab it has contracted w/ to do the testing, and then locate one near you.

I have looked into these also since Drs can be such a pain in the ass!

Full female hormone panel was somewhere around $500

I just had gyno run mine at my yearly checkup cost me nothing but i was refered to this dr so i knew he would run the it. My last dr for a general physical would not run hormones unless you hadn't had a period in 6 months - stupid!

[katt981]

I have looked into these also since Drs can be such a pain in the ass!

Full female hormone panel was somewhere around $500

I just had gyno run mine at my yearly checkup cost me nothing but i was refered to this dr so i knew he would run the it. My last dr for a general physical would not run hormones unless you hadn't had a period in 6 months - stupid!

I had the same thing with my regular gyno doctor (who is female) she doesn't believe in HRT at all... and she looked a little 'miffed' at me when I told her I went to a specialist.. Hellooo... but I'm not going to spend the next 30+ years being a raving lunatic! ha ha

[Suzanne]

I had the same thing with my regular gyno doctor (who is female) she doesn't believe in HRT at all... and she looked a little 'miffed' at me when I told her I went to a specialist.. Hellooo... but I'm not going to spend the next 30+ years being a raving lunatic! ha ha

My gyno place does do all that stuff the testosterone pellet, bio identical hormones etc

[sassy69]

I think this is really backs up what musclemilf was saying - the number of doctors in general who will look at a hormone profile before starting to prescribe everything else seems miniscule.


RE: cost of labs. For one, how much have you (jart45) spent on OTC stuff that doens't do anything? And here:

https://www.directlabs.com/OrderTest...S/Default.aspx

Not promoting this particular company, but check their Tests list - "10 Most Important Tests (Female)" - Our cost: $309

Then google directlabs & coupon - with a little work you can find a 10% off deal. That brings you to about $280, and you have all your answers within 2 days after getting the bloodwork done.

[musclemilf]

I have looked into these also since Drs can be such a pain in the ass!

Full female hormone panel was somewhere around $500

I just had gyno run mine at my yearly checkup cost me nothing but i was refered to this dr so i knew he would run the it. My last dr for a general physical would not run hormones unless you hadn't had a period in 6 months - stupid!

This kind of statement from an ignorant doctor pisses me the ef off! You can have regular periods and have massive swings in estradiol and progesterone levels during the month. That's why it's called perimenopause. Most doctors will not acknowledge such a condition exists. Yet countless women become so frightened because they don't understand why they're having heart palps, anxiety, panic attacks, night sweats, hot flashes, inexplicable weight gain, hair loss, the list goes on. Sorry, didn't mean to hijack your post with my rant, Suzanne lol!

I do want to make a comment about testosterone and women who are in menopause - based on the info I've gathered from various women's forums, women do much better with testosterone therapy (as it converts to estradiol), then traditional HRT or BHRT. My gyno is in agreement with me. I wish there were actual clinical studies out there to help prove this theory.

[musclemilf]

Also, I would like to add that doctor's can test your luteinizing hormone by testing the FSH levels during perimenopause. This will indicate you are not ovulating. I'm really guessing at the threshold here... it will run way higher than someone who is not going through menopause (>70 ??).

[Suzanne]

I am sure in the case of my general Dr it was a matter of being on an HMO and what can be covered. Insurance is nuts!

[sassy69]

I am sure in the case of my general Dr it was a matter of being on an HMO and what can be covered. Insurance is nuts!

How depressing when your ability to investigate things, particularly as broad and basic as "female stuff", is limited by the ins billing framework.

[BB'nMom]

How depressing when your ability to investigate things, particularly as broad and basic as "female stuff", is limited by the ins billing framework.

QFT. It's a scary trend in healthcare though. I've had similar problems getting specifically female issues resolved.

Ever wonder why many insurance plans cover viagra, but not birth control? Eh, getting this thread off topic now.

Is 31 too young for perimenopause? I wonder since I've noticed hot flashes starting as well as sleep disturbance. Periods are becoming more irregular (but not stopping or skipping) and are much lighter. Sex drive (which has been high ever since I hit puberty) just seems to die out for months at a time. It makes me wonder if I could benefit from some HRT in the near future.

[foxbody351w]

Is 31 too young for perimenopause? I wonder since I've noticed hot flashes starting as well as sleep disturbance. Periods are becoming more irregular (but not stopping or skipping) and are much lighter. Sex drive (which has been high ever since I hit puberty) just seems to die out for months at a time. It makes me wonder if I could benefit from some HRT in the near future.

I am 24 and have had "female" issues for a little over a year now. All of which have been related to..ironically..being in shape, and having my tubes tied. I have went to countless "doctors" I will never step foot in another doctors office unless Im on the verge of dying!! Traditional doctors, specialists, they are all the same...I ONLY found help from a Naturopath Hollistic practitioner(shes not even a doctor not exactly sure what her title is)...anyways
NATURAL progesterone will not bloat you or give you negative symptoms if you are using 100% natural and not synthetic or prescribed HRT..Progesterone cream you use throughout your cycle is not a lab made pill, its an all natural hormone replacement with no negative sides. Also to note, it takes much longer to notice improvement, and I also found out that if your synthetic and xeno estrogens are too high then natural progesterone cannot work properly or will not work at all!! Being in really good shape you are naturally at a lower than average bodyfat, which lowers your female hormones, and if you have your tubes tied, or not, you just exacerbate the problem even more.
I was having terrible thyroid problems, hair falling out, facial hair, deepening of my voice and acne, NOT ABLE TO SLEEP AT ALL, MISSING PERIODS, the symptoms were unreal, a main symptom I was having as well was a bigger stomach and hips something Ive never had. Using face and body lotions, creams, makeup, hair products, shampoos, etc. with parabens and silicones and synthetic chemicals in them makes you estrogen dominant, as does drinking tap water, and using plastic cookingware, pesticides on vegetables and fruits. For progesterone to work properly you need to eliminate all sources of xenoestrogens and use natural and organic products and drink filtered water.
You experience weight gain with estrogen dominance because estrogen competes with the thyroid hormone at the receptors and this isnt something the doctors can check, not that they even would-you can have perfectly normal levels of T3 or TSH and feel like crap because your body cant use the hormones properly because your estrogen is too high.

Trust me, I used to be the first person against female HRT and anything related to raising female hormones in fear it would make me fat or make me lose my muscle. The Estrodex and related products dont do anything for a woman, you could make your own "stack" and use things like stinging nettle or Saw Palmetto if you feel the need to, google estrogen dominance and you can find tons of herbs to take and foods to avoid.
My two cents are to see a Natural doctor to discuss the best option for you, to avoid xenoestrogens, and to look up products such as Desert Essence which is free from all chemicals.

Progesterone cream has helped me tremendously, to the point where I no longer need thyroid hormones, and my hair has started growing back, with proper dieting and exercise I have managed to shrink my womanly hips and stomach back to where they were before I started experiencing problems, and Im sleeping a little better-its been since September? since I started using the cream..

[GKharma]

QFT. It's a scary trend in healthcare though. I've had similar problems getting specifically female issues resolved.

Ever wonder why many insurance plans cover viagra, but not birth control? Eh, getting this thread off topic now.

Is 31 too young for perimenopause? I wonder since I've noticed hot flashes starting as well as sleep disturbance. Periods are becoming more irregular (but not stopping or skipping) and are much lighter. Sex drive (which has been high ever since I hit puberty) just seems to die out for months at a time. It makes me wonder if I could benefit from some HRT in the near future.

no, your hormone levels start to decline in your 30's. I am on BHRT. I am taking armour Thryriod which is T4 and T3, estradiol, and progesterone. One should get the blood work done because low estrogen can mimic the symptoms of too much estrogen. It also interferes with your thyroid levels and can turn into a huge vicious cycle. The best you can do with OTC without know which issue you have is to see if it makes the symptoms better or worse.

K