Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, O My!!

I am new here and overwhelmed with all the information.

I have been on vivelle dot for years. I had my hysterectomy about 13 years ago. I have taken nothing else. I remember years ago I asked my doctor about progesterone and she said I didnt need it now that I had a complete hysterectomy.


I noticed that lots of people here are on Testosterone, Progesterone and estrogen.

I havent wanted sex in years and trust me, I dont get a lot of sleep. I am now 62 but my Husband is 58 and we do have an active sex life except I never initiate it or really want to bother. I think he and I deserve better.

I am wondering if these other 2 hormones would help me.
I am also wondering how much they would cost. I send out for my estogen in the mail so, it is so much cheaper that way. I have insurance for my prescriptions.

Hi, Maryanne12! to HysterSisters!

I'm glad you found this site because it's an amazing place to come to connect with others who can relate. You're not alone!

When you say you had a complete hysterectomy, do you mean that your ovaries were also removed? The terms can be confusing so to help explain, on this site a complete hysterectomy means that the uterus and cervix have been removed. If your ovaries and fallopian tubes were also removed, that surgery is called a bilateral salpino-oophorectomy, or BSO for short. Here's a link that will help you decipher the abbreviations we use on this site: Abbreviations.

There are women who do fine on estrogen alone but many of us find that we need estrogen along with progesterone and/or testosterone. I fall into that category. This symptom list can help you determine if adding progesterone and/or testosterone is needed: Too Much/Too Little. You may want to print off the list, check the ones that apply and then make an appointment to discuss your concerns with the doctor who prescribes your hormones.

It would be a good idea to have your free and total testosterone levels checked to see if they are low. If so, using testosterone could be beneficial. There can be causes for low libido other than missing testosterone, such as using other medications and thyroid imbalance.

As for cost, that depends. You can buy over-the-counter progesterone that may be strong enough for your needs (if it's determined that you need it at all). If you buy it over-the-counter, be sure to look for Natural Progesterone USP with at least 400mg per ounce, such as the kind sold in the HysterSisters Store. The progesterone I use is made for me at the compounding pharmacy and I pay $15 a month for it because it's covered by my insurance.

I use 1% compounded testosterone cream which is made up for me by the compounding pharmacist in my town. My insurance covers it the same as any prescription so it costs me $15.00 for one jar. Since I rarely need to use it anymore, a jar lasts a long time. I get it a refill every six months only because my pharmacist said it has a six month shelf life. Otherwise, that one jar would last over a year. Without insurance the jar of testosterone cream would cost $50 which is a bargain when you consider that it really helps the problem I had and also that it's extremely cost effective based on how long that one jar lasts.

If your doctor isn't familiar with compounding pharmacies, there's lots of information about them (along with a link to locate a compounding pharmacy that you can use free) on this site: www.iacprx.org.

There's lots of good reading in this link: Hormone Jungle Articles and you're welcome to ask questions as you think of them.

I'm sorry to have given so many links and don't intend to overwhelm you. I do hope you find the information helpful!

We look forward to sharing more with you!

s

Thank you so much for clarifying. It's so simple for my Doctor to just tell me I will grow lots of extra hair if I go on testosterone.

I am willing to try them all. I am tired of not getting the proper sleep. I can see the list you have attached have many of my symptoms.

I have had what I call complete Hysterectomy ( BSO). Everything is gone.
I walked around like a dead person for the first 7 or 8 years and I think now I am just use to it. The estrogen stops my hot flashes.
I have a great husband and marriage. I'm pretty lucky .
But more sleep and happier sex would be nice.
Thank you

I've used testosterone for more years than not post-op and I've not ever grown any unwanted hair from it. I'm careful not to use too much so that I can avoid unwanted side effects--it's all about balance.

I use just a tiny amount of progesterone at night, about the size of a large pea, right before I go to bed. It really does help me sleep better. I know it helps because when I forget to use it, I don't sleep as soundly.

If you do opt to add both progesterone and testosterone to your estrogen, I suggest adding just one at a time and adjusting to it with your estrogen before adding in another hormone. If you were to add both at once it can be very difficult to figure out which hormone is causing problems if you don't happen to hit on the right dose. Slow and steady wins the race in the Hormone Jungle.

If your doctor isn't willing or able to help with your hormone concerns, please don't hesitate to find a doctor who can help. One way women find such a doctor is to call a compounding pharmacist and ask which doctors use the pharmacy services. Use the locator link in my first reply if you need to find a compounding pharmacy.

I wish you the best with this--and hope that you'll keep us all posted!

s

P. S. - Now that we know you also had your ovaries removed, I've moved your thread here to the Hormone Jungle which is ideal for Sisters without ovaries who are well past initial recovery and already established on some sort of hormone therapy.

April Dawn

Just wondering.....What is the dosage of your compounded progesterone? I use OTC prog and I'm wondering if it is too mild. My serum progesterone level runs very low and my sleep could be better.

Thanks!!!

I mentioned my compounded testosterone is 1% and forgot to mention that my compounded progesterone is 30mg/ml. I used to measure the dose with a needle-less syringe but after all these years it's easier just to eyeball it.

s

If using the natural progesterone here on this site. Does it have to be refrigerated?

Here is another thought. i am a gyn and I treat quite a few women in your situation, and even have started women at 82yo on testosterone for a number of its benefits. The clinical research shows benefits to women of all ages of supplementing estradiol and testosterone. However, the data is limited with progesterone. Generally, most women do not need any, if they do not have a uterus. If they do have a uterus, it helps to protect the uterine lining from overstimulation, and then even so, my patients only get it 10 days every three months.

Make sure your estradiol first is either transdermal or vaginal. oral estradiol increases sex hormone binding globulin, which binds free testosterone and makes it useless. The transdermal or vaginal preps do not.

Then, I suggest starting at 2mg per day, and increasing or decreasing to the desired effect. You can go as high as 50mg per day before you start to get facial hair, etc...so there is a lot of room. The 2mg dose is available in a cream or gel at 2mg/gm, from the Women's International Pharmacy (womensinternational.com) for $19.38/month with a $5.35 Priority shipping charge. Your physician can call in the Rx and they will ship it to you in a couple of days with the bill to pay after you get the cream. Most men I know are more than willing to pay $25 a month for this....

The other benefits of testosterone are also significant. It performs over 100 functions in your body, including regenerating your cardiovascular system, building muscle when you exercise giving you more benefit from exercise, it stimulates new neurons in your brain, stabilzes mood, improves skin thickness and pliability, improves self-confidence...and yes, improves your sex drive.

Hope this helps.

Hi Maryanne To answer your question, no... you do not have to refrigerate OTC natural progesterone cream, but it's good to keep it in a cool dry place (ie not in a steamy bathroom or near a heater). I keep mine on my dresser and it is just fine there.

While it's true that from the standpoint of protecting the uterus from endometrial proliferation, those of us who have had a hysterectomy theoretically don't need to use progesterone, the reality is that many of us do use it and have good reasons to. For example, women with a history of endometriosis generally use either progesterone or some type of progestin to minimize the likelihood of endometriosis returning. Women like myself with a history of breast cancer, and women who experience fibrocystic breast condition while on unopposed estrogen, use it to help with those issues. Some women find it helps with swollen hands and feet, and some women find that it helps them sleep better.

I personally started out on estrogen only, but later (at about a year post op) added a very small amount of progesterone cream (750mg/gram of cream) every night and found that it completely eliminated the occasional bouts of soreness from breast cysts.

I had my hyst/BSO seven years ago and have, at times, used all three hormones (estrogen in the forms of the Vivelle-dot patch and Vagifem at present; the abovementioned OTC natural progesterone cream; and 1% compounded natural testosterone cream), though I have not needed the testosterone at all in the past three or four years. I have found for myself, and observed in women posting here over the years, that our requirements vary widely and that the optimum dose likewise varies over a pretty big range. For me, I can tell when I'm getting too much when my face starts to get oily and I get a pimple or two; then it's a simple matter to just use less/use it less often. I had gotten to where I was only using it once or twice a week, a very small amount each time; then I started taking DIM (diindolylmethane), a natural aromatase inhibitor, and had to stop using it completely because my skin became quite oily. The reason was that my body was now making enough testosterone for my needs on its own, and that testosterone was no longer being converted to estrogen, so if I supplemented I was getting too much. If I'd continued to use it and not listened to my body's signals, I could conceivably have ended up with facial hair fairly easily on a relatively small dose. As it is, I keep some around but my libido, energy level and skin tone tell me that I don't need to use it at this point in time.

Have you considered finding a different DR who is more supportive of your efforts to find balance? You might consider asking a local compounding pharmacist which DRs in your area prescribe HRTs through them; that doesn't mean you have to buy the HRTs at that pharmacy, it just finds you someone who might be more willing to help.

I hope this helps!


-Linda