Saliva Testing Results........Lauren?????

I just received my saliva results & have several questions. I'll post the results & then ask the questions.

Estradiol .05 Normal range 1.0-1.5
Progesterone 56. Normal range 25-100

Testosterone 29 Normal range

DHEAS 5.6 Normal 3-10
Cortisol Morning 11.8 Normal 3-8

My paperwork lists the estradiol and progesterone as being too low.

My major complaints are no libido, lots of hot flashes during the day, night sweats... very poor sleep.

Until now I was using .625 Tri-Est W 50 mg progesterone (capsule). Two times a day. also 1 mg topical testosterone

Dr. just upped my NHRT to C-Tri/P/T1/11.25MGCAP

I do not know how to "read" what the doseage means.
Can anybody interpret this for me?

Also, My Cortisol is off the chart....way too high. I have no idea what to do about it. The pharmasist says they sell a product called cortisal B5-B6 that may help. They were out of stock on it. What can I do to get the cortisol back to normal range. I was told that my lack of libido, tiredness & lack of sleep was due to the cortisol being out of wack. I thought it would have been because of low testosterone but that was in the normal range.

The testing was done thru my pharmacy. I saw my Dr. on Monday about other issues (cystocele) and told him I had saliva testing done. His opinion was that it was a waste of money and that symptoms were a better indication of what was going on. I undertood where he was coming from but with already having had the testing done, I was hoping that he would approve. I am sending him a copy of the results. It can't hurt anything.

All thoughts, suggestions, and ideas will be greatly valued. Thank you for your help.

When cortisol is high, then the sex hormones (progesterone, testosterone, estrogen) can be slighted. I'm not that knowledgable on the adrenal hormones but I think the only way to decrease the cortisol is to decrease stress. I realize that's easier said than done--getting a good night's sleep, eating vegetables, grains, and fruits, cut out the caffeine, exercise, etc. When the cortisol gets in the normal range, then the other hormones will probably work better. However, I think in your situation you will have to get your sex hormones balanced so to get the cortisol lowered.

I'm not sure what the dosages of your compounded hormones are. I think you'll need to ask the pharmacist about that one. Because of hot flashes, low libido, insomnia and night sweats, I think an increase of your hormones is the next step.

I had cortisol levels off the chart, when my hormones were really wacked--it was real high. Last blood work-- my hormones were more in a balanced range and my cortisol levels were normal. What a victory!!!! But, it took time and small adjustments in hrt to get to this point. So it seems when hormones get more in a balanced position cortisol falls into place. But, they really watched my cortisol levels closely for awhile, and it corrected itself.

Just my experience, Janet

Hello Norma,

You might want to look into the supplement phosphatidylserine, which is said to significantly reduce cortisol levels. It's available at most health food stores, but it's quite expensive.

Hopefully, though, your new HRT regime will help bring the cortisol into balance.

Thanks for all the replys. I just re-read my post and realized that I had a mistake in the NHRT regiment. It should read 1.25MGCAP. That may help with trying to figure out what I am taking. I will also call the pharmacist to find out what exactly what changes were made.

JKay: Thanks for your response. Was your cortisone brought down strictly thru adjusting your hormones?

I will be checking out the suppliments.

My Dr. thinks saliva testing is a waste of money. I'm not sure if I should send him the results or if I should see if he will do blood testing. Any suggestions? Thank you for your help.

www.drgaila.com/radio/040701.htm

If you have Real Player on your PC, you can go to the above URL and click on "Health Connection - Segment 1", for a talk on balancing cortisol levels.

I don't think there's any harm in showing the results of the saliva test to your doctor. It might be interesting to get a blood test done as well, and see how they compare.

I don't want to make it sound to simple, like I adjusted my hrt and cortisol came down. It was small gradual changes, being on a program that was slowly woking and slowly coming together. But, I do think one is directly related to the other. Plus time for things to come together. I did nothing except work on getting hormones together and the cortisol finally responded, even before I felt balanced. I was convinced when I had my last blood work drawn that it would be really high again, and it wasn't. Doc. said OK, we are making some progress. My doc. doesn't believe in saliva testing either, feels as if you have to get to the serum levels of the blood for reliable results.

I am still a work in progress, but I am definitely starting to see improvement. Wow, what a journey this can be for some of us. Good Luck Norma, Janet

Thanks sisters for your replies. You have been so helpful.

I talked to my pharmacy about the new HRT mix. Here it is.


Tri-est 1 ml
Progesterone 100
Testosterone 1.25 mg

The above is compounded into a capsule to be taken 2 times daily. How does this new mix seem? I have been on it for 2 days and realize it is too soon to see change. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I see results soon. Thank you for the responses. You all are wonderful!!!