QuestionHello,
I have an expansive history of problems that I believe are all due to hormonal imbalance. I was on birth control pills for about seven years straight and stopped to start a family. Since then I have had the following issues in order of appearance- endometriosis in rectal wall(uterus is retro), infertility(had daughter via ivf), post partum horrible atrophic vaginitis, now persistent vaginitis during and after ovulation, low libido, lax of lubrication, and constipation on going except during period. I had my hormones checked during fertility evaluation which were said to be normal but I don't think testosterone was evaluated or the levels were measured for things like estrogen dominance.
I go to a new doc on Tuesday and I really want to guide them in the Right direction. I have a history of gynecological cancers in my family and I want to figure out what is necessary to bring my body back in balance.
Angela
AnswerHi Angela,
I think the best way to guide your new doc is simply to state your history as accurately as possible. Estrogen dominance is a term used by many people, but doesn't have much relevance when trying to figure out how to help you. Low libido usually has nothing to do with testosterone levels, although sometimes testosterone treatment can be helpful. If a woman is out of balance hormonally, birth control pills may be helpful, since they take over for the ovaries, and a woman on the pill will have the same hormonal balance as every other woman on the pill (with minor differences due to pill differences). Often problems related to hormones are related to how a woman's body responds to normal hormones, rather than to an abnormality of the hormones. In general, the best way to help your body respond more normally to your hormones is by maintaining good health, namely by daily exercise, good nutrition, sufficient rest, avoiding too much stress and other toxic things. I hope things go well with your doctor visit.
