estrodiol plus supplements

Hi, sisters.
Had an LAVH plus ovaries 7 months ago. Started on 1mg estrodiol six weeks later, then upped it to 2mg a few months ago and started taking the Walgreen's brand soy and black cohosh around the same time. That smoothed out the hot flashes and night sweats until about a week ago, and now they've gotten bad again. I'm wary of upping the estrogen any more because of severe endo, and it already looks like I have new adhesions on my colon.

Any suggestions as to what I can do to minimize the flashes and sweats without upping my estrogen any further?

Hope everyone is looking forward to a nice weekend. To all the sisters who are recently home and feeling miserable, hang in there.....it DOES get better!
Many blessings,
~k~

I, too, have endo, but I have my ovaries. Therefore, I am going to tell you right up front, I am not an expert in hormones. But from what I have learned, and from what I keep learning as I have been told I more than likely will eventually have a BSO, taking soy, black cohosh and estrogen is probably not in your best interest. Soy is a weak from of estrogen. There are some studies indicating black cohosh may affect estrogen levels as well. Also you should speak to your dr before taking black cohosh along with estrogen. Here is a link to an article we have about soy and black cohosh: https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/showthread.php?t=56930. You also may wish to read the home page of our Hormone Jungle were this is some valuable information: https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/view_hoj.htm.

Does your dr specialize in HRT AND Endo? If not, I would find one that does--maybe start with a reproductive endorchrinologist, who usually have more knowledge about endo. You may also wish to find a dr who will work with a compounding pharmacy with Bio-indentical hormones.

If you are having issues with adhesions, a gyn/oncologist may be a good choice, as they have special training that could be helpful with removing adhesions. We also have some adeshion resources that may interest you: https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/lin...o=browse&cid=5.

And you may want to read through other resources over in our database--just click on the Rescource tab at the left of your screen.

I wish you the best and I hope you are able to find a dr who will work with you to find what is best for you and your situation. Having endo and needing HRT can be a very tricky and trying situation. Many s to you!

I read somewhere (wish I remember where) that phytoestrogens like black cohash or soy actually interfere with hormone replacement because they compete for the same receptor sites in your body. So it is possible that your estradiol may not be as effective when taken with black cohash, and this could be triggering your hot flashes and other symptoms. I did find a site that discusses black cohash and if you scroll to the last paragraph at the bottom of the page there is a warning that black cohash may interfere with the action of hrt or birth control pills. If I were you I would make sure my doctor knows that I am taking both supplements together and see what he/she says. You may want to try just taking the 2mg of estradiol without the black cohash and see if things even out for you. Also be aware that hotflashes/nightsweats aren't necessarily a sign that you aren't on enough estrogen, but just that there is an imbalance. Too much estrogen can cause hot flashes also. Have you ever had your hormone levels tested? Such as estradiol, progesterone, dhea, cortisol, testosterone? It may be that you would benefit from one of the other hormones as well if they are low. Progesterone is another common hormone used along with estrogen for women with endo to inhibit further endo growth and protect against unopposed estrogen. You may want to ask your doctor about that option. Hope this helps!
ps. Here is the link I mentioned:
http://www.allvita.net/black-cohosh.htm