Hormones Question

[leeleeaub]

I had a total hysterectomy at 33. I have been alternating between hormone shots and estratest. It is really expensive and I have been reading a lot about the dangers. Does anyone know of anything that works besides shots or prescription meds? I have nothing to produce any hormones so when I have hot flashes they are BAD!

[Julia Kimber]

Well I find that soy tablets help with mine, they don't stop them completely but do cut them down. You could give them a try.
I had my hysterectomy at the end of 2004.

Julia

[canadian gardener]

I had my total a couple years back, and I've been on a patch, which is straight estrogen delivered thru the skin (transdermal).

I found my exhaustion and brain fog started to clear up when I was on the slow steady dose of estrogen after the surgery. They put me on the lowest dose patch possible. because I had no ovaries or uterus left I didn't need progesterone at all. Straight estrogen.

Prior to the hyst, I'd been really struggling with fatigue, brain fog, and problems some of which were r/t my thyroid.

With that patch, suddenly things cleared up a lot, but not totally.

A year afterwards, I went back for a "tune up" to my dr, and he sent me to an endocrinologist (glands dr) for my thyroid.

While at the endocrinologist he said my fatigue was less about my thyroid and more about too low a blood level of estrogen.

So I went on thyroid hormone to keep my thyroid from swelling and hurting (which works fine)

and the next higher dosage of estrogen on my patch.

Voila, a good chunk of my remaining fatigue and fogginess lifted and I've felt a LOT better ever since.

I still have to watch it that I don't get over tired, and stress really kicks me into fatigue and fog-- more like stress still overloads my circuits

but I function fine most of the time now.

OK a web site to go to for all things estrogen and hysterectomy related is hystersisters.com

(and they are like any group of ladies who deal with a problem, they share and help and swap tips and make life simpler)

where there are groups of women in various support groups, some who are on chemo and tamoxifen to remove ALL estrogen from their bodies as they fight cancer

and some are facing a possible hyst and want answers about should I or shouldn't I, what are my alternatives?

and some have had partial or total hysts and are searching for answers on the right type of hormone and delivary system that works for them

while others need help dealing with endometriosis, or PCOS, or fluctuating hormones around the whole peri menopause time.

It's a great site, not run by drs or drug companies, but by real women who are going thru the same things. It happens to be the best place to grab the latest info on all things hormonal, as people post tips and stuff that works and the latest research findings.

So far the transdermal or patch method is the safest delivary method as it bypasses the liver where the problems with estrogen often arise.

[canadian gardener]

oh and most of my migraines cleared up too.

Mine were caused by too low a dose of estrogen in my blood which I've been struggling with for years even before the hyst.

I was getting them about once a week, sometimes oftener and out for a day or two, sometimes 3 days when they happened.

The endocrinologist (I HIGHLY RECOMMEND SEEING ONE BTW!) said Oh yeah, the higher dose of estrogen will fix that!

I'm a nurse, I'd always thought it was a high estrogen that CAUSED them!

Which is why I recommend the endocrinologist. They know more than the avg nurse or dr about hormones.