A lot of research primarily. And Identifying other symptoms, not just the acne. Then finding a decent doctor who could order the right tests.

Yeah I have done alot of research and suspect the pretty classic imbalances (high testosterone, low progesterone).

But blood tests were normal.

Would you suggest a saliva test done by a naturopath? I don't think it would be easy to find a GP who does saliva testing for hormones.

I am really interested in taking DIM and possibly adding natural progesterone cream, but I am worried about doing more harm than good.

If your blood work is normal then it's possible you could just be more sensitive to normal levels of hormones. I had my hormonal imbalance detected by a blood test. It found that my testosterone was high.

I agree with what paigems said about being sensitive to "normal" amounts of hormones...the normal range is too broad and doesn't fully take into account variants like body weight, height, etc. I found out my progesterone was low through blood tests. Even though it was in the "normal" range, it was at the very end of the normal range, and the doctor said that's too low. My androgens were in the mid to high normal, and estrogen varied from E1 to E2 (one was on the high end). The best way to test is through saliva testing. It's expensive but if you can afford it it's worth it because they take saliva samples throughout your cycle so that they can draw you a chart with monthly hormonal fluctuations. Your problem might not be the amount of hormones, but they way they rise and drop throughout the month, which is what the saliva tests help with. For instance, if your estrogen spikes too high during ovulation and drops too abruptly after, that may be what is causing flare ups. I wish I could afford to do them but my insurance doesn't cover anything. So what I did for months was chart my breakouts and other symptoms according to my cycle. That helped a lot.

I would like to have the saliva testing but I have heard it is expensive and I'm a university student so I don't really have hundreds to spend. But I would find the money if I had to.

I do have other signs of high testosterone, like hair growth. I have the testosterone blood test results right here. Mine were 1.1, and it says the normal range is 0.2-1.8.

Also my DHEA's were 4.8 with the normal range being 1.0-11.7.

I'm not very knowledgeable on hormones...do these look problematic?

Could DIM help me? I know its meant to balance all hormones? Is it safe to take without knowing for sure what hormones are out?

Unfortunately I live in small town away from big cities with tons of option as far as doctors go. The doctor in town told me they don't do hormone tests on young people in their twenties because hormones are usually out of whack at that age....but I'm a woman...my hormones are ALWAYS out of whack! I was disappointed

I have done so much research on acne and I know that my hormones are most likely a big contributor to my problem. I get most of my acne on my jawline and around mouth. I tried to seek natural ways to help my hormones. I found out that omega 3's are something I should definitely try, so, I searched for fish pills. I ended up taking Oceans 3 Healthy Hormones. I used to get big cysts and deep acne around my mouth like crazy, now they have almost completely stopped! I have also noticed my skin has a nice glow too. This helped me, maybe you should try some omega 3's?

Wish you luck!

I agree with what paigems said about being sensitive to "normal" amounts of hormones...the normal range is too broad and doesn't fully take into account variants like body weight, height, etc. I found out my progesterone was low through blood tests. Even though it was in the "normal" range, it was at the very end of the normal range, and the doctor said that's too low. My androgens were in the mid to high normal, and estrogen varied from E1 to E2 (one was on the high end). The best way to test is through saliva testing. It's expensive but if you can afford it it's worth it because they take saliva samples throughout your cycle so that they can draw you a chart with monthly hormonal fluctuations. Your problem might not be the amount of hormones, but they way they rise and drop throughout the month, which is what the saliva tests help with. For instance, if your estrogen spikes too high during ovulation and drops too abruptly after, that may be what is causing flare ups. I wish I could afford to do them but my insurance doesn't cover anything. So what I did for months was chart my breakouts and other symptoms according to my cycle. That helped a lot.

That's exactly what I was thinking might be the case for me. Because I don't get symptoms of high testosterone in general, but in the middle of cycle I suddenly get really high sex drive and I get like 8 painful nodules over just a few days. Would you have any advice on how to treat it if that's the case particularly, or would it be the same as for general hormonal imbalance? I don't have the money for tests, but I think I'm leaning towards this theory now.

You'd have to chart your breakouts for a couple of cycles to see where they fall, and then you might be able to pin point which hormones are spiking/dropping too abruptly. That's assuming your cycles are regular.