Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Kikie]

This is an really interesting thread. A friend of a friend (so not close enough I can in all conscience pester) is a top gynaecologist who works with bio identical products and is at a high level of research, suggested I try DHEA (on top of the hrt) first, then prednenalone, then testosterone but the latter only the care of an HRT specialist.  Ive been sporadic with the DHEA but perhaps I should stick with it.

[Dawncam]

Ooh kikie - that's really interesting! I'm definitely going to give it a whirl. What protocol were you using?

Dxx

[Hurdity]

Hi Dawncam - I'm still not sure why you want to try DHEA if you are already using testosterone? What is it you are not happy with? Also remind me where you are in menopause and how old (sorry I can't keep everyone's stories in my head!!!)? Sporadic pieces of research (especially those carried out on mice like the last link) are very interesting but should not be used as the basis on which to try out something! Surely your specialist gynae's advice is the one to go on as s/he will be totally up to date with research and what's what?

Having said that, if you take it instead of testosterone, at a very low dose and you are already taking oestrogen, and progestogen to protect the womb, and if it has been shown not to have any ill effects then maybe no harm in giving it a try for a few months? If I hadn't been given testosterone I might have been tempted although I would always be very cautious about products which are not standardised and which don't have trials to back them up re dosage and long term effects!!

There is some information - this one is probably out of date now as I think there have been some more favourable studies since then - but it's the meta-analyses and reviews of current studies that are the ones to look for rather than individual pieces of research - as these search the literature and pull together all the known findings to date. Cochrane reviews are good. I'm sure some of these have been linked to recently?

http://press.endocrine.org/doi/full/10.1210/jc.2010-2888


Hurdity x

[Kikie]

Ooh kikie - that's really interesting! I'm definitely going to give it a whirl. What protocol were you using?

Dxx

I'm not sure what you mean by protocol but I was initially on 2 pumps of oestrogel and 1 tablet utrogestan 100.  When fluid retention started I dropped to 1 pump, which I've been on for a few weeks now.  I'm trying to be regular with the DHEA now but its early days.  I must admit my instincts say my body is crying out for testosterone! Actually I'm going to post another thread with a funny story about that, under the humour section. :-)

[Dawncam]

Many thanks menomale and kikie - I wouldn't take the dhea without first stopping T. I'm aware there's a correlation between the 2. I was at an all time low yesterday due to low E levels when I saw your post Kikie and made a knee-jerk decision which, in all honesty, I wouldn't act on without careful consideration. I've changed my brand and dose of E and am already feeling better. I'll continue with this protocol ie E and T and keep dhea in mind whilst doing further research. Thanks for your comments.

Dxx

[Blakeygray]

Hi Dawncam - I'm still not sure why you want to try DHEA if you are already using testosterone? What is it you are not happy with?

http://press.endocrine.org/doi/full/10.1210/jc.2010-2888


Hurdity x

Ok so I actually read the above study and in layman's terms and a nutshell  despite some women who took part in the trial reporting an increase in libido and all things sexual, it concludes that there isn't enough evidence to categorically state this, as the numbers involved were too small,  so  more testing, studies etc needs to be done. 

Response to dhea also depends on age,  where you are on the Menopause spectrum,  if you still have your adrenals etc etc etc. Similar to the consensus about  Testosterone.

I'll try anything once so won't rule out testosterone or dhea (after talking to my gp of course).

[Dawncam]

I really think we should all be allowed to come to our own conclusions on dhea and if and when we want to use it.

Dxx

[Dawncam]

Thank you menomale - I'm afraid we're guinea pigs at almost every stage of life - my youngest son is going through a newly introduced examination system when most of his teachers agree there was nothing wrong with the old one! I've heard of something similar happening in Oz and it was so disastrous they reverted to the original.

We've seen this many times with the arguments over hrt (and I also remember a bcp scandal) and all the while we as women have to make the decision on how we proceed with these drugs.

Like you say, arm yourself with the facts and make the best decision FOR YOU as an individual.

Dxx
Dxx

[Dawncam]

Quite.

Dxx