Are we there yet??? swelling....

Sabine_Stroehm

Menopause, the gift that keeps on giving.
If you've been at this a while, you may have noticed that symptoms come and go, only to return again.
My latest re-returns: irritability, bloating/water retention, and OHMYGOD breast swelling and tenderness.
I've tried all the tried and true remedies that I know of: (evening primrose oil, Vitamin D, fish oil, black cohosh, dong quad, warm compresses, even diuretics, and yes, my beloved progesterone), but, alas, I've been in ultra PMS mode since late june. sheesh.
Does anyone have any other suggestions?

My well informed doc says I'm "solidly" menopausal, yet estrogen remains higher than menopausal levels.
My current stats for "luteal phase":
FSH: 36
LH: 28
Estrogen: 135
Progesterone: 1.0 (yes, with supplementation lol)
testosterone: 26

"Normal" after menopause:
FSH 23-116
LH: 15-54
Estrogen 50
Progesterone 10
Testosterone 40


Reproductive years reference values:
FSH: 1.5-9.
LH: .5-16.9
Estrogen 400,
progesterone 25,
testosterone 100

I upped the progesterone a bit when we got the ONE back. I KNOW my estrogen is swinging wildly. Will test it again next month.

Any suggestions for the swollen and painful breasts that I haven't thought of?
Thanks all!

MadDogManor

Omg, I'm sorry to hear this mess! I know my bloating is greatly affected by sodium intake. Maybe ultra low sodium diet for a few days, just to help break the swelling? I don't know, really - I'm dealing with tons of night sweats now. Good luck!

Sabine_Stroehm

MadDogManor wrote: »

Omg, I'm sorry to hear this mess! I know my bloating is greatly affected by sodium intake. Maybe ultra low sodium diet for a few days, just to help break the swelling? I don't know, really - I'm dealing with tons of night sweats now. Good luck!

Night sweats aren't any better, that's for sure. Thanks for the reply!

Sabine_Stroehm

Adding...I just ran my "ratios". In theory that is most important. A ratio of 200-300P to 1E (200:1 to 300:1) is "optimal". If I did it right, and after converting to like values (ng converted to pg), it seems my ratio is 7P:1E.

With supplementation. sheesh. Go away estrogen.
Again, if I'm doing my math right.
http://blog.zrtlab.com/progesterone-estradiol-pg-e2-ratio
Not my forte.
Cheers

TheGaudyMagpie

I'm not sure if it will help with all of the issues, but I've been taking ashwagandha, which helps to even out cortisol and take the edge off of anxiety. I believe it's also supposed to moderate other hormones. I've noticed a difference. I'm on hormone replacement though so I don't have a lot of the usual meno symptoms. I do get painful breasts before my period (which has appeared with more regularity following removal of my gallbladder). I find massage helps. I think it gets the fluid moving and draining. I'm also a pretty regular user of dandelion, nettle, and hibiscus teas whenever I start to feel a little waterlogged.

I don't watch salt because I have a tendency to be hyponatremic & hypokalemic. If you've had any history of low sodium, you can try fluid restriction for a couple of weeks (no more than 64oz/day) to raise the levels. That can normalize things and it will lead to more appropriate retention. We've all been told to drink a lot of water, but it can sometimes lead to low sodium levels and that can throw off normal retention and cause bloating. Have you had mineral levels checked recently?

Sabine_Stroehm

TheGaudyMagpie wrote: »

I'm not sure if it will help with all of the issues, but I've been taking ashwagandha, which helps to even out cortisol and take the edge off of anxiety. I believe it's also supposed to moderate other hormones. I've noticed a difference. I'm on hormone replacement though so I don't have a lot of the usual meno symptoms. I do get painful breasts before my period (which has appeared with more regularity following removal of my gallbladder). I find massage helps. I think it gets the fluid moving and draining. I'm also a pretty regular user of dandelion, nettle, and hibiscus teas whenever I start to feel a little waterlogged.

I don't watch salt because I have a tendency to be hyponatremic & hypokalemic. If you've had any history of low sodium, you can try fluid restriction for a couple of weeks (no more than 64oz/day) to raise the levels. That can normalize things and it will lead to more appropriate retention. We've all been told to drink a lot of water, but it can sometimes lead to low sodium levels and that can throw off normal retention and cause bloating. Have you had mineral levels checked recently?

I have some ashwagandha. I should use that. I've also added vitex/chaste, which is particularly good for estrogen dominance. Massage! I love massage, and I actually have a coupon for a massage on my desk. Good call.

Sabine_Stroehm

Okay! I added the vitex/chaste berry AND more omega threes (essential woman) and the swelling has gone down, the pain is gone, the bloat is reducing, AND the scale went down yay me. Going to keep with this protocol for the time being.