Hi ricekrispie
Well I am very pleased that you are feeling better but for the benefit of others reading this thread I feel bound to comment in general on your treatment.
I am very concerned to read about the money you have had to spend on a very unorthodox treatment. Every time I read about the Marion Gluck clinic i wonder where on earth she gets her ideas from as they are not based on research and from what I recall she is not a gynaecologist nor even an endocrinologist - but perhaps someone can put me right there?
I am also extremely concerned to read about women maxing out their debts in order to get help
. The charges at the clinic are outrageous and if you really get no joy from your GP (or a different doc) and can't get an appt with a menopause clinic nearby, if anyone is going to spend money then please go to one of the well known gynaecologists - the specialists are all listed on this site (very top menu - blue writing - specialists) and find out about their interests before making an appointment. Those who are members of the British Menopause Society would be the best ones for a start.
As has been asked - if you have had a hysterectomy, then did you keep your ovaries? If you are getting symptoms then oestrogen is the first thing you should be taking before thinking about testosterone as T on its own is not advisable as others have said.
If you have low progesterone then it means you are either in the first part of your menstrual cycle ( if you have not yet reached menopause and still have your ovaries) , or you are not ovulating at all. You do not need to replace this and especially not for fatigue - it is likely to make you more tired as it is a sedative and no gynaecologist would prescribe this for fatigue!!!!
Re the 75 mg dose of progesterone - I presume this will be by way of compounded cream and such products are unregulated so you can't tell anyway how much is absorbed. Anyway as I said you don't really need this!
re the thyroid - yes an in depth look at thyroid issues (usually if one is referred) may result in 4 things being testsed - TSH, T3, T4 and the presence of anti-bodies. I see from my blood tests back in the 90's that T4 was tested routinely but no longer. I'd be interested in your thyroid results which one was low and what was your TSH?
Re the testosterone - again that dosage is not one of the proprietary products available and I guess it is also a specially compounded formulation for women. That is also a very low dose to be almost negligible - and depends on how it is absorbed - whether it is a cream or gel?. One tube of Testogel for example contains 50 mg and is intended to last approx 10 days (so approx 5 mg per day) although I do use less than this - maybe 3 mg. Absorption rate will have been rigorously tested though as this is a licensed product. You are using 1 mg per day - so you will be unlikely to get any androgenic side effects. Also some side effects such as this (hair growth, deeper voice) will tend to occur over a long period of time if they are going to - several months - so longer use is needed to assess this. Maybe that very small amount is having a positive effect - but you would be better off getting it from proper gynae (NHS or private) or GP and not spending such huge amounts of money on unregulated products.
Blakeygray - we have posted the info on the NICE Guidelines and testosterone regularly on here. Re research on Testosterone and women - there is so little information out there - and so little research. As far as I know there are no long term studies on T replacement and risks and all sorts of measurable parameters. - but if you have come across some research into long term T and women, and especially trials please do post the links as there are lots of us who would like to read them.
ricekrispie - just to say again - I am so pleased you are feeling better but I would caution other women to go down the same route when there are better and cheaper ( free?) treatments out there.
Hurdity x