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[EllaAurora]

Hi all,
I know estradiol lab values are highly individual, and a good value for one person doesn't mean it's the same for other women.
But, I'd really like your advice / experience here, for what I feel is an imbalance between my lab value and symptoms.

I've written elsewhere about my struggles over the past months, trying to get to the right dose. I've been increasing from initial 1 daily pump of Estrogel in March (when all the worsening of symptoms started), and now reaching 3 pumps/daily. Had lots of back and forth along the way, as I tried first to go too fast (or at least that's what I think the problem was) and was getting bad reactions from increasing the gel. So I've increased very gradually, first adding half pump, then another half, another half and finally a few days ago got to a dose of 2 pumps pm/1 pump am. As most of my symptoms have gradually eased along the way, I've assumed I'm on the right path, though I've still suffered from really bad anxiety which started at the same time as the other worsening of symptoms this year.

Now, strangely, as I've finally reached the target dose which was aligned with gynae, the past week has been simply horrible from anxiety perspective.  I've felt worst than in months, so I had my estradiol level tested yesterday. I felt I had to understand what's going on and if I'm now getting already too high on the estrogen and that could explain the sudden worsening of anxiety.

The result came today and to my surprise, reading was 241 pmol/L. From what I've understood, isn't this quite good value actually?
Or at least not particularly high. The blood was taken 12 hours after my evening dose, so it should reflect some kind of base level I suppose.

Now I'm really unsure what to do next. I already had to cut down the dose again to 1.5pm/1 am, as I simply couldn't function yesterday. But I can't understand how the value 241 can be too high -or maybe its still too low and I should further increase and push through the anxiety.

All experiences and advice here would be so much appreciated as I'm clueless! Thanks xx

[Mindfulmoomins]

Hi Ella, I am following your post with interest. I am so sorry to hear things are difficult. It’s all so confusing isn’t it?

I am experiencing a great deal of anxiety after being well for a few years on HRT. I had my Estrogen levels tested and they have come back as 304. When they were last tested in 2018 they were 616.

I am so confused. I hope someone can come along and help. I am going to email the menopause clinic as I am wondering if I need more estrogen at the moment.

Take care and I hope you (and I!) get some answers soon. Xx

[EllaAurora]

Hi Mindfulmoomins,

true, its just so confusing and annoying -feels like all energy going into managing my hormones -which is probably part of the problem as I know I'm focusing way too much on how I feel and exploring every sensation in the body and mind.. which of course only makes it worse but is difficult to get rid of when not feeling well.

What regime are you currently on? Has anything changed in that, or you just started to feel worse, went to test and learned estradiol levels have dropped? Were you feeling great on the 616? As far as I know, the level 304 you had now is not low either, but as said many times, these are so individual so maybe for you its low and the 600 would be ideal. Maybe your own hormones have dropped in the background and you need more. Will be interesting to hear what you will learn from the meno clinic!

[Floo36]

Everyone has a level that is right for them so it’s very individual.  Usually the dose is increased to improve symptoms.  Absorption can vary 10 fold between us, so if poor absorber much higher doses are needed.  If you are peri your hormones will be fluctuating and can sometimes be dramatic.  I have been in low hormone mental health crisis for the last week, still struggling to get the Estrogen into me.  Blood tests have caused more stress and I ended up having 6 close together, the first 5 we’re off the scale high then the 6th one was low so it proved major fluctuations on the same dose of Estrogen.

It’s very much trial and error.

[Mindfulmoomins]

Hi Floo and Ella,

I totally identify, I have a kind of hyper vigilance around how I am feeling and various sensations. I didn’t have that at all pre peri.

I am on 4 pumps of Estrogel, utrogestan 100-200 mg vaginally 7 days a month and testogel.

Yes, I was feeling ok but wonder if my hormones are more erratic in the background currently and if I am nearing actual menopause.

Floo are you on gel or a patch?

The mental health side of everything is so hard. Xx

[EllaAurora]

Everyone has a level that is right for them so it’s very individual.  Usually the dose is increased to improve symptoms.  Absorption can vary 10 fold between us, so if poor absorber much higher doses are needed.  If you are peri your hormones will be fluctuating and can sometimes be dramatic.  I have been in low hormone mental health crisis for the last week, still struggling to get the Estrogen into me.  Blood tests have caused more stress and I ended up having 6 close together, the first 5 we’re off the scale high then the 6th one was low so it proved major fluctuations on the same dose of Estrogen.

It’s very much trial and error.

Thanks for sharing your experience Floo, very helpful! Its true fluctuations can be dramatic during peri as seen also in your blood tests.
When you had the blood tests, do you remember feeling different during the time when test was very high, vs the time when it was low?

I'm also curious to understand what you mean when you say that at the moment you struggle to get estrogen into your system. Do you mean that you don't absorb well, or that you get some adverse reactions from increasing? (I'm having the latter so that's why I'm into this topic)

[Floo36]

I don’t absorb well.  I have tried spray, Everol patch, estrogel, Sandrena and now tablets nothing has helped. 

I felt the same when all my bloods were take so they are just fluctuations and actually when my own Estrogen rises my mood is good but still have all the usual low Estrogen symptoms.

It is trial and error.