QuestionI am a 29 year old woman who has suffered from bad hormone imbalances for years. I have been tested and i have excessively high levels of progesterone throughout my cycle, yet have very irregular and frequent bleeding which i understand should not be the case if i have excess progesterone. i also have high female testosterone levels.I have polycystic ovaries but not the actual syndrome. I have taken numerous types of the contraceptive pill which did not control the bleeding and made my mood swings unbearable - to the point i was put on anti-despressants (which didn't make any difference). (i came off them 2 years ago and the moods are better but still up and down) i suffer PMS symptoms nearly all the time such as mood swings, hot flashes, bloating, cravings and hormonal fatigue, which is very bad at times. ihave been in and out of hospital for years and nothing is making a difference and they don't know what to do. i take all the evening primrose, B6, agnus cactus etc to try and help my hormone levels as well but to no avail. I need help!! Any ideas, suggestions as to what might be wrong and what i can do? i understand high progesterone indicates infertility too, but at this stage it's my health i'm trying to manage first. My symptoms seem to suggest i should have low progesterone not overly high levels! Thanks in advance!
it is excessive days 1-13 and 21 -30. i bleed on a 2 week(ish) cycle.
AnswerHello Danielle,
It definitely sounds like you have PCOD. The problem with PCOD is that the ovary is dysfunctioning and therefore it leads to a hormone imbalance. The best solution is to use a birth control pill caused Yasmin. It is composed of Estradiol and Drospirenone (a different type of progesterone that blocks the testosterone receptors). The other pills don't work as well because they have the standaard progesterone in it, which leads to the mood swings, anxiety, etc.
You should have your insulin levels checked as well. In 50% of PCOD patients, the insulin level is elevated which is part of the problem. Using an anti-insulin medication, such as metformin, will decrease the insulin levels and possibly return your ovarian function to normal.
If none of these medical treatments work, then the last resort would be to have a surgery called a laparoscopy and have ovarian drilling or a wedge resection of the ovaries done. This has been shown to work in the past but does not always work. Therefore, it is a treatment of last resort. This procedure can lead to infertility problems as well because of scar tissue formation.
I hope that helps,
Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
