saliva testing results

I talked to the lady at my compounding pharmacy today about my saliva testing results. She said I was low in everything (estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, cortisol-am and pm, and DHEA). I am supposed to go in on Thursday for a consult. Would being low in all these things make me fat around the middle and thighs and also make me retain water? I don't want to spend time and money if using the compounds won't help. I can't seem to lose weight and that is my one big complaint. Any advice would be appreciated.

Phyllis

Being "out of balance" will cause weight gain and water retention.

Hi Phyllis!

Being out of balance can cause all kinds of symptoms. If you're low in everything, chances are getting your levels up where they should be will be helpful.

Just as a note of caution, I hope you won't go into this thinking that you'll have instant success at finding balance. Even with testing you may still go through a period of trial and error trying to find your balance. The testing is a guide, as are the symptoms you have. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones who gets the right hormones in the right doses on the first attempt at this, but don't be disappointed if it doesn't work out that way.

Generally it's much easier to work with one hormone at a time. Usually estrogen is started first and then progesterone and or testosterone are added, one hormone at a time, until balance is achieved. If it's suggested that you start all of the hormones at once, at least have them compounded separately so that you can tweak doses individually. It's impossible to tell which hormone is causing which symptoms if they're all mixed together. You might want to keep a journal throughout the process to keep track of any symptoms you have. That can be a valuable tool to share with your doctor and compounding pharmacist.

Let us know how your consultation goes, okay?

s