Estrogen Level of 22

Hi everybody. Sure hope someone can answer my question. Yesterday when I called in for my blood test result the nurse said I have an estrogen level of 22....but that's all she could tell me. Said she didn't know exactly what that means. Anyway, doctor wants to switch my meds from Premarin 1.25 to either the Vivelle Dot or the Climara Patch. My question is, does anyone know what the number 22 represents? I mean, does this mean that my estrogen level is too low? Physically I've been feeling okay. I have no trouble sleeping, no night sweats, no hot flashes...but I have absolutely NO SEX DRIVE!!! I also think I'm suffering a bit of depression (and this has been going on for months).

Unfortuantely when I brought all this up to the doctor she just seemed to want to focus on what's going on with my life now instead of what I was trying to tell her. My sister has been very, very sick. She has been in the hospital since Oct. 23 and there is a very good chance that she may die. So yes, I do know I am depressed over this..not to mention stressed. And she kept repeating to me over and over again...well, stress does affect your sex drive, blah, blah, blah, but she did agree to check my estrogen level.

So my question is, anyone out there on either one of these patches, has your sex drive improved any or am I going to feel the same way as I did on Premarin? Any other suggestions? And does anyone know what the 22 stands for?

I have a little bit of time yet before I actually start on the patch. I have to go have an ultrasound of my left breast because something showed up on my mammogram (which I had because I had pain in my left breast) and I want to talk to the doctor doing my ultrasound to make sure that it isn't estrogen related. So anyone out there with any helpful advice I'd really appreciate it. To be perfectly honest I'm so sick of dealing with this (and I know it hasn't been that long) that I'm really just thinking of not taking anything.

Thanks in advance to any who have any advice. Take care.

Lisa

Hi Lisa my latest blood test showed my estrogen levels at 80 and my Dr said he wants to get them up to 200........so 22 sounds extra low. But I am just the average person with no medical training so I'm only guessing. Get your Dr to explain it to you.........I also had no sex drive but have improved a little bit since taking the bioidentical hrt. I was originally only on estrogen replacement but am now on progesterone, dhea, biest and testosterone. From what I've read estrogen alone won't get your sex drive back. So sorry to read about your sister.........big hugs to you and I hope she pulls through.

Lisa I have just read about estrogen dominance and can cause cysts in the breast. Here is an extract from it:

5. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT with estrogen alone without sufficient opposing progesterone such as the drug Premarin should be banned. This increases the level of estrogen in the body. Premarin, a estrogen only drug commonly used in the past 40 years, is the mainstay of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). It is a patented, chemicalized hormonal substitute that is not the same as what you have in your body. It contains 48% estrone and only a small amount of progesterone which is insufficient to have an opposing effect. The indiscriminate and over-prescription of Premarin to many who may not need it is the problem. Symptoms include water retention, breast swelling, fibrocysts in the breast, depression, headache, gallbladder problems, and heavy period. The excessive estrogen from ERT also lead to increased chances of DNA damage, setting a stage for endometrial and breast cancer.

The URL to this page is:
http://www.drlam.com/A3R_brief_in_do...ominance.cfm#8

I believe hormones have to be balanced.........you are only being given estrogen like I originally was.............hope this helps and gives you something to think about

Serenity, thank you for your reply and the link you provided. I will make sure I read it carefully and possibly print it out to show to my doctor.

And thank you for your hug and well wishes for my sister. I actually got to go see her today (and it's hard only seeing her once a week or so, but she's two hours away from home & it's hard with work & everything). I feel much better after meeting with her group of doctors, but as of now they are providing us with hope. No guarantees, of course, but hope. I so desperately needed that hope today, because I had begun to lose hope. It's so very, very hard when there are no answers simply because they have no answers. But your hug was very much appreciated.

Again, thanks for your quick response and hopefully it will help me through this hormone jungle. And I will be talking to my doctor about my numbers as the nurse wasn't helpful, but that will wait until after my ultrasound.

Hugs to you and take care.

Lisa

I have never taken Premarin and for the past two years only used compounded estriol and progesterone and I have had three mammograms and three unltrasounds and the radiologist doesn't want me to take any horomones. My GYN says it's ok to start the hormones again as the last mammogram and ultrasound showed the cysts weren't growing. I am still afraid since I have two cysts in each breast.
Trish