Too little......too much?? + plus i'm vanishing

[Joanna]

Hi ya

I have been reading threads on here about Estrogen Dominance (ED) and using progesterone.  I have also been reading about low levels of E causing certain symptoms.

Well I seem to be having a mixture of all the above   I have been on E for 1 Year TODAY..OMG I have just realised (Happy bithday to me ) and started Triptorelin (GnRH) back in April.  Just recently I have been experiencing the following

- Cold hands and feet
- Dry skin on my body (a little bit flakey)
- Depression and lots of crying
- Sore boobs (always welcome)
- Constipation
- Headaches (dull headaches)
- Emotional neediness

It seems to come and go in phases.  I will feel like this for a month or so, then it wil abate for a few weeks then come back again.  It's like PMS I suppose.  The cold hands and feet, constipation and sore boobs could suggest ED, but the depression and headaches would suggest too low levels of E?? I dont understand.  It's got to be one or the other.

I am not due to see my Gender Specialist until Dec to ask his opinion.  My GP, although very pleasent, doesn't have a clue when it comes to this type of thing.  The worst thing is the depression and the crying.  When i start crying i cant seem to stop   I was put on anti-depressants but  they gave me insomnia and I felt like I was tripping.  I was very alrming and I felt extremely anxious.  I stopped them after a week as i felt exhausted.

Any ideas on any of the above would be great.

So the "im vanishing"part...

Well, since starting HRT last year I have lost 2 and a half stone (roughly 35lbs).  I am still losing weight.  It has slowed down a bit.  I havent changed my diet and eat 3 square meals a day.  I exercise 1-2 times a week.  I am not complaining but I dont really want to lose anymore.  One bonus is that I went from a 35" waist down to my current 28" with ease .  I have  38 A breasts.  Which is ok but I have quite broad shoulders, so of course I want more.  Before HRT my chest measurement of 43" but i did have a lot of muscle there. My hips were 36, they are now just over 37.  My bottom has changed shape and filled out a bit.  It mainly looks more obvious becasue I have a smaller waist.  I recently spent a lot of money on work clothing.  UK size 12 on the bottom/14-16 on the top because of my shoulders.  I tried a couple of things on the other day as i am switching into these now...they were too big!  Some of the tops were really big on me.  My fave skirt almost falls down.  I have now gone down to a size 10.  I am 5ft 10"  of medium to slim build, when will this end???

A lot of people talk about how they have put on a lot of weight since starting HRT? Can i expect a bit more gain in year 2?  Who knows.  Has anyone else had a similar experience? I would love to know.

Thanks very much

Jo xx

[ZoeNicole]

Not sure about the rest of it, but I too have been losing weight and not gaining since starting hrt. Rather rapidly in the first month losing 22 pounds and then a further 11 in the 2 weeks since then. Then I got sick and my exercise routine has stopped so I'm standing still for the last two weeks.

[Rena-san]

I've only been on HRT for 2 months now. I have very sore nipples, and I cry at the strangest things--for example the movie The Avengers, when Iron Man sacrifices himself at the end, yep it had me in tears. LOL!

I personally enjoy crying and being emotional. It makes me feel human which is something I enjoy. I've been a crier my whole life, and I'm not ashamed of it. Unless you feel suicidal or can't function, I'd highly recommend dropping the antidepressant. Those things are bad if you ask me. And you should not be having an LSD like trip from it! 

Yes, I do get headaches, now that you mention it, I do feel constipated at times. I don't have any dry skin, but then its not really cold where I am yet. I'm sure once it gets cold I'll have to "crack" out the skin lotion to prevent "cracked skin."

And yeah, I can't keep my weight up at all. I weight 95lbs on a good day. But since I started HRT, I eat and I eat and I don't gain any weight. I think it has to do with the loss of muscle, since muscle weighs more than fat. But the downside to that idea is that without muscle my body shouldn't be burning as many calories which should mean I would be putting on weight. I don't know. I'm not too concerned about it. Things will happen as they are meant to.

If you're worried, you could try calling your other doctor who is a gender specialist. He or she will likely have a nurse on staff who is meant to answer any questions or concerns you have. And if the nurse doesn't know how to help, they can always ask the doctor.

(I'm 22 years old in case that matters to anyone. And I measure in at 5 feet tall.)

[JoanneB]

Some of the symptoms can easily be explained by low T and/or elevated E. Drier skin, emotional, tender titties thank higher E for. Too high E level may explain the headaches, but we are talking really high. Cold hands and feet may be due to the weight loss, loss of muscle mass and drop in metabolism, all low T related. In my case the icey fingers of death as well as frozen footies are due to Ranaud's Syndrome, which gets worse and worse as you get older. I've had it since childhood. One snowball was my limit before the fingers got painfully cold 

A blood draw to check your levels sounds in order. Especially after a year

[JennX]

Sounds like an elevated E level. What were your latest E & T levels? If you haven't done so recently, you should have a blood test and check your E & T levels.