Have not posted much, this will be my new home now. Help! I had blood work done, I am 43 and my Estrogen was 24, FSH was 7.9 and other hormones normal. I was basically told that my hormones are nornmal and they dont know why I am having these symptoms???? Ok.... I feel bi-polar!!!! Not to mention I have reactive hypoglycemia. I can deal with the sugar, but the hormones..... I need some suggestions! I know its hormones, its worse before my period and during. I wake up, my heart is sometimes racing or I get this weird feeling where I feel my pulse through my whole body. I am hot, sometimes sweaty then I get cold. I dont sleep like I use to. Then there is the anxiety...... It is so bad in the mornings! I actually sometimes tremble, I dont know why. Feel shaky inside, etc. By the afternoon I feel more stable, evenings are generally good and it starts all over again. I have had soooo many tests, all normal. This all started after I miscarried in August. The doctors all say that as time goes on, my system will stablize. My sugar is being stablized through diet and I have tested in the middle of the night thinking it could be sugar lows, and my readings are normal. My mom ended her periods at 42 and my sister started peri at 40. Help! I dont know what to do.

Hi Sherri88,
Your symptoms sounds like perimenopausal, so I doubt your hormones are "normal". I have the same symptoms 2nd half of my cycle and all the way through the period, and I am almost 49.
Regarding the numbers, was it total estrogen or estradiol, this makes the difference. Also, what day of the cycle the test was taken?
My midcycle estradiol was 65 and I was told it is low, should be >100. Estradiol range for menopause

The test was taken on day three of my cycle and the test was for Estradiol and it was 24. At mid cycle my FSH was 6.4 and Estradiol 68. Hope this helps. It is so frustrating when the doctors say your normal and you think to yourself how can this be normal? Thanks for your help!

This health news article explains how it's actually more the CYCLE CHANGES than hormone levels that can point to being in perimenopause - the transition years to Menopause. Hope this article encourages you as much as it did me. It's very helpful w/great info.

Hormone levels can go in and out of range in a moment during this time, but cycle changes are easier to watch.

Cycle Changes Predict Transition to Menopause

That's very interesting...someone should tell the medical community about it.

When my periods started changing when I was 36, no one brought up the fact that I could be starting peri! Of course, they told me the same thing last year (at 46) when I went to two different doctors with about 15 of the 34 (or however many there are) symptoms. Maybe this year, now that I've had probably all 34 of them,they'll believe me!!

mrsb76,

Yeah really! It definitely would be great for the medical community to know that info. Thinking of taking it with me to Gyn's for my annual appt. Tho' thankfully they believe I have been going thru Perimenopause since about 32 yrs. old.

Sheesh, hopefully they believe you this year! Best wishes for that. And maybe print out that news article and keep a copy for you, and take one to give to your doc to have.

Sherri..I just had my visit with the OB/GYN and told her all I was going thru and she wanted to check my levels, of course. I had just finished my period and was on day 8 and I really wanted her to do the test that day, but she said "No..the best time to check the levels is around day 20 or 21..so I just went and did the blood work Monday and will find out the results when I go back next Monday. So..before you panic, ask them about doing the test again later in the cycle!!! Don't worry..from reading on this board I feel smarter than some doctors..hang in there! Also, I called around and ASKED specifically if this place had people that dealt with perimenopausal symptoms..I went thru 3 places when I found the one that I went to and they were GREAT!

Your numbers are similar to mine: estradiol day 3 - 35 and midcycle - 65, and according to Dr.Vliet and other it's low. I personally think I am well on my way to menopause based on all my symptoms. As for FSH, it can stay relatively low and then one day skyrocket, so it's a poor indicator of what is going on. I think I don't ovulate and without ovulation, there is very very little estradiol and progesteron made, hence all the syptoms. I've read that estradiol should be as high as 150-200 or not less than 100.
For progesteron is good to test on day 20 if you cycle is still 28 days but since many of us have irregular cycles, it's hard to tell when to test.
HTH,
Dina

Hi, I had similiar numbers. According to my doctor in 2004 everything was in the normal range. However, in the book, "It's My Ovaries Stupid," she tests your hormones during five different phases of your cycle! This is also what Bellvue does, however, they do saliva testing which the book also advocates over blood work! The doctor, Dr. Vliet, in the book talks about what is normal for one person is not normal for another, therefore, if the ranges come back normal she treats the patient for the symptoms only forgetting about the test numbers! She starts out with the smallest of doses! Also, as someone else on here suggests, not all doctors have a clue. As a matter of fact, most of them don'tm even women doctors who take offense to the info that I bring in at the time of the appointment... I would suggest contact Bellvue Pharmacy on the info part of this web site and getting the saliva test kit and testing it yourself, insurance usually covers it. I am in the process of starting my testing when my cycle begins in a week...

Well I had my visit today and found out that I DO actually have some whacked out hormones! I always laugh that this makes me happy, but at least now I can find a way to help!!

My levels that were high/low were:

Estradiol was 211 (high)..should have been between 55-150
Progesterone was 1.3 (low)..should have been anywhere from 3.3-28
Cortisol was 23.5 (high)..should have been 4.3-22.4

So having the high cortisol and stuff certainly explains the stress and anxiety! Wahoo..so my nurse, who is great, gave me a list of things I should be taking for the cortisol stuff..including some herbals (which I love!)..so I am trying something I've never heard of (and I thought I'd heard of most herbal stuff LOL)..PhosphatidylSerine..

Also..they are having a progesterone compound cream made for me that I will take during days 7-26 of my cycle..

It just feels nice to be justified in how you've felt..ya know?

Smart that they tested you more than once & now see how well that worked. It actually showed what was really going on. And yes, believe me, I sure know how validated you feel when tests give answers to what you were already going thru.

Sounds like your doc's office is looking out for you. Always nice to hear when someone is treated w/compassion as well.