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[CLKD]

'gut wrenching' - good description!

 

[joziel]

Gilla, if that was day 21, it may not be too high. I mean, normal levels of estradiol for ovulation (leaving aside HRT, in a woman not on it) are up to almost 2000pmol: https://www.yorkhospitals.nhs.uk/seecmsfile/?id=4858

So if you're also taking HRT, it's really not too high. Something like 800pmol of that can easily be from you, meaning you might just be getting 150 odd from HRT. So when your own estrogen cuts out, you are wham back down at 150 with no rhyme or reason to it and nothing cyclical about it. THis is what causes the symptoms.

If you want to test estradiol, best to test during your period when your own estrogen is usually at its lowest and you can better tell exactly what you're getting from HRT. Even then you might need to test a few cycles and take the average rather than just go by one result.

[Gilla999]

Hiya Joziel - the normal range for  the luteal phase given from Medichecks lab is 222 - 854 and the NHS normal range for luteal phase is 205-786 pmol. (It was a venous test and not a finger ****).

I think maybe the higher figures you mentioned are for the ovulatory phase, when it peaks to its highest.

But as with all things hormone related, ultimately it's such an individual thing isn't it (what feels right or not).

I totally agree though that most of that will be coming from my endogenous and not the HRT, although I am a bit of a "super absorber" when it comes to all things transdermal... I know from experiments with both Estrogen and Progesterone that I tend to absorb much more than the averages given! (Sorry you probably hate me for saying that as I believe you have the opposite problem  ... wouldn't somewhere in the middle be nice for us!!)

I have done about three Day 3 blood tests before (which is when it would be at its lowest I believe) but as you said, there was a lot of variation between cycles so it was hard to gain any insight! But would makes sense to test then going forwards.

Thank you ladies for all your help, as always. I would be lost without this forum!

[joziel]

Yes, it is v hard to understand... I think - be led by symptoms. I mean, if you were at 3000pmol, then obviously that's too high... but if you felt good at 900pmol, that's totally viable. I've found some other women who swear they need it that high for symptom resolution.

Which is all to say, if you reduce and things don't get better, maybe go back the other way... It's all trial and error, with more error than trial 

[Gilla999]

So true! So much trial and error... mostly error