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got my results today!
they were checking me out for a bunch of things, and I mentioned I've heard my estrogen levels were low. Got a copy of the test, and the estrogen level came back 60 pg/mL with Reference Ranges - Early Follicular Phase - 70-400 Late Follicular Phase 100-900 Luteal Phase 70-700 Postmenopausal 130 or less
She didn't tell me anything about it being low though?
What phase were you in? What "part of your cycle?" I'm no doctor, but I know a lot about "cycles" and "fertility." So "follicular" phase means, "ovulation" phase. An egg is released from a follical in the ovary (apologize if you already know all of this), and the Luteal phase in a cycle is the time from ovulation until you get your period, or, well, are 4 weeks pregnant, haha. That will tell you what your levels mean.
One more thing, they checked hormones, did they check vitamin D? It's actually a hormone, not a vitamin, but stupidly most doctors don't check unless you ask them to. Mine just came back at level 18, when they should be closer to 75-90. Taking a whole food supplement has cleared my jaw and neck acne that suddenly hit this fall.
What phase were you in? What "part of your cycle?" I'm no doctor, but I know a lot about "cycles" and "fertility." So "follicular" phase means, "ovulation" phase. An egg is released from a follical in the ovary (apologize if you already know all of this), and the Luteal phase in a cycle is the time from ovulation until you get your period, or, well, are 4 weeks pregnant, haha. That will tell you what your levels mean.
One more thing, they checked hormones, did they check vitamin D? It's actually a hormone, not a vitamin, but stupidly most doctors don't check unless you ask them to. Mine just came back at level 18, when they should be closer to 75-90. Taking a whole food supplement has cleared my jaw and neck acne that suddenly hit this fall.
well I had the test the day my period started, so I guess it should've been low, but it was still below normal.
and I actually did get tested for vitamin d! that was also low, im at 25, and it says 30-100 is normal
I actually did stop taking BC pills but i feel like it made it worse. I'm thinking maybe if the estrogen is low then, maybe I should take something like black cohosh, or evening primrose oil or something similar
What phase were you in? What "part of your cycle?" I'm no doctor, but I know a lot about "cycles" and "fertility." So "follicular" phase means, "ovulation" phase. An egg is released from a follical in the ovary (apologize if you already know all of this), and the Luteal phase in a cycle is the time from ovulation until you get your period, or, well, are 4 weeks pregnant, haha. That will tell you what your levels mean.
One more thing, they checked hormones, did they check vitamin D? It's actually a hormone, not a vitamin, but stupidly most doctors don't check unless you ask them to. Mine just came back at level 18, when they should be closer to 75-90. Taking a whole food supplement has cleared my jaw and neck acne that suddenly hit this fall.
well I had the test the day my period started, so I guess it should've been low, but it was still below normal.
and I actually did get tested for vitamin d! that was also low, im at 25, and it says 30-100 is normal
I actually did stop taking BC pills but i feel like it made it worse. I'm thinking maybe if the estrogen is low then, maybe I should take something like black cohosh, or evening primrose oil or something similar
It does sound a little low (estrogen), but I don't know what the range of error might be, or how strict those levels should be, since I haven't studied it.
I have, however, studied the vitamin D thing, at length, and your levels should be much, much higher. I've found that not only are daily recommendations very low (400 IU, while most supplements are AT LEAST 1,000), but recommended blood serum levels are recommended too conservatively also. They say 50 is optimum, and over 100 is too high, but I've read levels at 90 - 125 are actually ideal. There's a lot of great stuff online about it, and how it reenforces specific cells to become "hungrier" for acne bacteria, and actually devour it!!!!! It's only been 3 weeks and my skin is looking like it does in the summer again (minus the tan, haha). Your body can absorb 10,000 IU of D3 in about 10 minutes in the sun (stomach is the best place to obtain D), so though my doc recommended 4,000 IU a day, I take closer to 10,000, and through a VERY bioavailable supplement from MegaFood. Some people are given shots of 50,000 IU a day of D and say they had better results from 2,000 + IU of MegaFood, cause they use nutritional yeast to ferment lanolin to obtain their D3. The body recognizes it as food. Good stuff.
Of course, if you can't get Megafood, I've heard from people here that synthetic D3 is best in gel/oil capsules. I've heard they can cause gas or be harsh on the stomach, so you might start out small with those, but they're much cheaper, so don't be ashamed to go with that (megafood can't hurt digestion, since they use only slow/cook, cold pressed food), I am not rich, haha, I just have a very dear friend who works for Megafood, and they get me a huge discount.
Try it out! Let us know how you make out!
P.s. I don't want you to think I'm recommending Megafood because my friend works there, my mom sells a great food supplement too, and even though she hates that I use a different brand, I have to be honest with myself and others, and not just be biased. I really do recommend this brand based on it's merits, science, and the results I've seen.
P.p.s. I also know that hormone birth control hinders the absorption of SEVERAL vitamins, I just don't remember which ones... Pretty sure calcium and magnesium and zinc are on there.... Zinc helps with acne, and you need vitamin D to absorb calcium... So make sure you're extra stocked up on all of these while on hormone BC!
I am curious to know what you did Indigo. Did it clear you 100%? Do you know what you're underlying hormonal problem was?
Oh God, I've done so much
I've tried everything. I even tried natural progesterone cream which I think might have helped a bit but ended up screwing up my natural balance even more in the long run and when I told my Dr. about it she was like, "whhhattttt? That stuff is for menopausal women!"
And I'll be the first to tell you how hard this is butttt- currently I eat Paleo. That means (no unnatural meats, no preservatives, no sugar, no legumes like peanuts, no soy, no wheat or grains, even rice, no white potatoes, no sugar, no dairy). In any form. And that's good for anyone's skin, but also anyone's overall well being. It makes you superhuman as long as you eat enough fruits, veggies and lean organic meats and healthy fats to keep you going.
For supplements I take
-Green pastures cod liver oil and butter oil blend in cinnamon tingle flavor (because cinnamon also helps control blood sugar).
-A vitamin D3 supplement, because its winter and I don't get out in the sun enough
-A daily smoothie with cocoa nibs, cocoa powder (high antioxidant), coconut milk, melted coconut oil, milled flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp powder, maca powder (specifically to balance hormones), raspberries, nutritional yeast (has a lot of minerals in it). These smoothies have lots of omega 3 content and have helped me tremendously in many areas.
-Going to be adding in something called "zinc for acne" which also has vitamin A in it, and a few other things.
-With breakfast and dinner, I take 2 stress relief (adrenal health) capsules, and 1 capsule of Vitex (to balance hormones)
-I drink a lot of anti-inflammatory teas throughout day-- but absolutely no coffee because caffeine content screws with hormones
-I exercise about 3 times a week (zumba, nothing too strenuous because this could worsen adrenal/hormonal issues)
-At night I take a probiotic before bed on empty stomach with lots of water. Gut ecology has a lot to do with hormone levels in body.
-I also use benzoyl peroxide on problem areas of my face which helps A LOT
-I still need to work at sleep, restoring circadian rhythm. Sleep has a lot to do with hormone levels. We are meant to sleep at dark and get up at dawn.
I know this seems like a lot and borderline crazy but its all very healthy regardless. I would say though, that balancing hormones from the inside out takes TIME. Many months to years. So I'm not expecting an overnight change because the body systems are interconnected and depend on eachother to balance out. However- my face is clear right now. I'm at a phase in my 'monthly cycle' though where I am usually clear, so we will see how my face changes in the next few weeks. I can tell you though, that I've noticed FOR SURE less heavy and less painful periods. It gets better every month. This last time, I only had slight cramping and a completely normal flow. And this is extremely rare for me (sorry on my behalf, tmi). This is a great sign that my hormones are regulating.
So, yeahhhh. That's my story haha. Hope it lent you some hope. I've been on BC 3 times in the past 10 years. I regret it a lot. I just want to show people how connected the body and nutrition is to acne and overall health.
Thanks for sharing this. While I agree with you that birth control/Spiro is a bandaid, not an actual solution, I think it's a little bit unfair to criticize, especially since you don't even know if what you're doing is actually going to clear your skin. I feel your pain, I really do. I had clear skin on birth control, went off it and my skin was the worst I've ever seen on anyone ever. On top of how terrible it looked and how that effected my self esteem and social life (and work life and love life) it was excruciatingly painful. But I was committed to healing it naturally for months and months. I tried everything, many of the things you are trying, to no avail. I know there IS a solution, even if that solution is just waiting it out til my body normalizes and begins regulating itself again, but that can take years, and right now I don't have years to wait while my skin caused me severe physical and emotional pain. I was suicidal, so I decided to go back on birth control again, for now. I know it's just a bandaid. I'm not happy about it. But everyone has a breaking point. I really do hope you find the solution before you reach yours. There are financial reasons why someone might need to use birth control instead of the laundry list of expensive health products you mention. We don't know what people are facing or what they've tried or what they've been through or how much they can take. I'm not at a time in my life, in terms of my age, emotional state and a bunch of other factors, that I can handle that type of challenge right now. Someday down the road, when I have health insurance and any disposable income, and when I'm more stable and confident, I'll try again, with the support of doctors and naturopaths and acupuncturists and the ability to pay for the supplements I need and other things like cortisone shots that might make the transition a little smoother. I just think we should be accepting of everyone's choices.
Mammasay, I completely agree with you. I think it's somewhat wishful thinking that diet can cure all our hormonal problems. Hormones are excruciatingly complex. I have spent more hours than I want to count pouring over medical journals and studies regarding hormones and treatments. While a certain hormone or treatment, including foods/herbs with hormonal effects, may be good in one circumstance, in another they may have a total opposite reaction. It is very difficult to understand exactly how treatments are going to work, and that's even with knowing our hormone levels. So you have lots of people on very specific, involved diets - but many do not know the exact interactions of these foods/herbs with their bodies, or with the other foods/herbs they are taking. Many don't even know their starting hormone levels as to what they need to fix. And I'm not criticizing at all because I completely understand the desire to want to take control - hell I'm on the Paleo diet right now. I think often these diets are simply eating healthy and that's fine, but I don't think we can definitely "fix" our hormonal problems through diet or through diet alone. A few get lucky and it works for them, but I think that's the minority and even more so among women. I also don't think our bodies are always going to "regulate themselves" over time. I went off the pill, got pregnant and had a baby, and months later still breaking out. If pregnancy isn't going to "reset" hormones then I don't know what will. I don't blame you one bit for turning to the pill. Please don't feel bad - you have to do what you have to do. Have you considered Accutane?
I am curious to know what you did Indigo. Did it clear you 100%? Do you know what you're underlying hormonal problem was?
Oh God, I've done so much
I've tried everything. I even tried natural progesterone cream which I think might have helped a bit but ended up screwing up my natural balance even more in the long run and when I told my Dr. about it she was like, "whhhattttt? That stuff is for menopausal women!"
And I'll be the first to tell you how hard this is butttt- currently I eat Paleo. That means (no unnatural meats, no preservatives, no sugar, no legumes like peanuts, no soy, no wheat or grains, even rice, no white potatoes, no sugar, no dairy). In any form. And that's good for anyone's skin, but also anyone's overall well being. It makes you superhuman as long as you eat enough fruits, veggies and lean organic meats and healthy fats to keep you going.
For supplements I take
-Green pastures cod liver oil and butter oil blend in cinnamon tingle flavor (because cinnamon also helps control blood sugar).
-A vitamin D3 supplement, because its winter and I don't get out in the sun enough
-A daily smoothie with cocoa nibs, cocoa powder (high antioxidant), coconut milk, melted coconut oil, milled flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp powder, maca powder (specifically to balance hormones), raspberries, nutritional yeast (has a lot of minerals in it). These smoothies have lots of omega 3 content and have helped me tremendously in many areas.
-Going to be adding in something called "zinc for acne" which also has vitamin A in it, and a few other things.
-With breakfast and dinner, I take 2 stress relief (adrenal health) capsules, and 1 capsule of Vitex (to balance hormones)
-I drink a lot of anti-inflammatory teas throughout day-- but absolutely no coffee because caffeine content screws with hormones
-I exercise about 3 times a week (zumba, nothing too strenuous because this could worsen adrenal/hormonal issues)
-At night I take a probiotic before bed on empty stomach with lots of water. Gut ecology has a lot to do with hormone levels in body.
-I also use benzoyl peroxide on problem areas of my face which helps A LOT
-I still need to work at sleep, restoring circadian rhythm. Sleep has a lot to do with hormone levels. We are meant to sleep at dark and get up at dawn.
I know this seems like a lot and borderline crazy but its all very healthy regardless. I would say though, that balancing hormones from the inside out takes TIME. Many months to years. So I'm not expecting an overnight change because the body systems are interconnected and depend on eachother to balance out. However- my face is clear right now. I'm at a phase in my 'monthly cycle' though where I am usually clear, so we will see how my face changes in the next few weeks. I can tell you though, that I've noticed FOR SURE less heavy and less painful periods. It gets better every month. This last time, I only had slight cramping and a completely normal flow. And this is extremely rare for me (sorry on my behalf, tmi). This is a great sign that my hormones are regulating.
So, yeahhhh. That's my story haha. Hope it lent you some hope. I've been on BC 3 times in the past 10 years. I regret it a lot. I just want to show people how connected the body and nutrition is to acne and overall health.
Mammasay, I completely agree with you. I think it's somewhat wishful thinking that diet can cure all our hormonal problems. Hormones are excruciatingly complex. I have spent more hours than I want to count pouring over medical journals and studies regarding hormones and treatments. While a certain hormone or treatment, including foods/herbs with hormonal effects, may be good in one circumstance, in another they may have a total opposite reaction. It is very difficult to understand exactly how treatments are going to work, and that's even with knowing our hormone levels. So you have lots of people on very specific, involved diets - but many do not know the exact interactions of these foods/herbs with their bodies, or with the other foods/herbs they are taking. Many don't even know their starting hormone levels as to what they need to fix. And I'm not criticizing at all because I completely understand the desire to want to take control - hell I'm on the Paleo diet right now. I think often these diets are simply eating healthy and that's fine, but I don't think we can definitely "fix" our hormonal problems through diet or through diet alone. A few get lucky and it works for them, but I think that's the minority and even more so among women. I also don't think our bodies are always going to "regulate themselves" over time. I went off the pill, got pregnant and had a baby, and months later still breaking out. If pregnancy isn't going to "reset" hormones then I don't know what will. I don't blame you one bit for turning to the pill. Please don't feel bad - you have to do what you have to do. Have you considered Accutane?
Thanks so much for this! I so appreciate it. It's just nice to hear that anyone understands. I definitely feel like I did what I had to do at this point in my life and with the limited funds I have available and no health insurance. If I had lots of money and doctors at my disposal, I might've made a different choice, or tried for longer, but it is what it is. I was on one course of Accutane when I was 12, though it's crazy to me that my skin recently (before going back on the pill) was about ten times worse than it was before going on Accutane. I don't think I'd go on Accutane again, mostly because I just don't totally believe it works. I'm pretty thoroughly convinced that my acne is hormonal after my skin broke out so horribly when I went off birth control, and then started clearing up almost magically within a day or two of going back on it, so I don't think Accutane would even be addressing the real problem for me. Although maybe that would be a possibility for trying to keep my skin clear while weaning my body off birth control, if I could get around the restrictions. I know exactly what you mean about not being sure everyone's body will regulate itself. I know I have PCOS and something (though who knows what) is up with my thyroid. My mom has a ton of thyroid and hormonal issues that I may have inherited. So part of me felt like I was waiting for a train that might never come. Congrats on the baby! That's one of the things I'm worried about at this point, that my skin will get just as bad as it recently did if/when I go off birth control and get pregnant, and already dreading that embarrassment, when people will want to pay attention to me and take pictures and I'll look so terrible. It really sounds dramatic but I can't even explain how bad my skin was. It was like nothing I've ever seen before.