Hi guys,
Advice really needed!
I am in recover from anorexia which is under control and I am at a healthy weight after 4 years underweight. I lost my period due to this in 2012 and it has yet to return.
Last year, I developed really distressing acne which after research I decide was hormonal ( chin, jawline and cheek spots).
I have been to see an endocrinologist who did blood tests and told me my LH and estrogen are low ( because I'm not having a period) which I understand. He said that this could be causing my acne as all my other hormones are fine so he ruled out PCOS and Pituary problems.
His advice was to go on a low estrogen pull such as femonette or Yasmin to try balance out my estrogen.
i am willing to give this a try but the thing that worries me is that I used to take a lot of flax seed supplements and eat a lot of soy products and this was around the time my skin freaked out so I stopped taking them and the acne remained. I know flax and soy are known as 'fake
estrogen' so if I take the pill containing estrogen will it cause my skin to erupt again like taking flax and soy did?
i don't know what else to try as all my other hormones are ok :-/
please help if you have any advice!!
Try dong quai, licorice root, red clover and tons of water. Dong quai is often used to regulate periods. It boost your estrogen levels if they are too low but lowers them if they are too high. It also is easy to find at health food stores and also comes in tea form. Good luck! Hope this helps! I have struggled with indirect anorexia due to lots of anxiety! I am currently underweight but eating much more then I have in a long time. Also have you heard of the caveman regimen? I have tried it on and off but I think that it's a great way to go to help your body regulate itself! A lot of my acne problems were not only hormonal but from over washing with harsh chemicals. My skin is 70% better now then it was a month or so ago. Although I cannot attribute it to just also changed my diet quite a bit. No dairy,(still some gluten but I am working on it)lots of fruits, veggies and nuts, and occasionally meat of some sort.
What was your FSH and GnRH?
In a nutshell flaxseed alters the way your body conducts oestrogen metabolism causing it to favor the non-biological forms that are present ie. worries about metabolizing flaxseed's oestrogenic analogues vs. endogenous oestrogenic synthesis products from our gonadotropin-hormones.
Robert- I've never heard of Dong Quai. Is it a similar type of thing go Vitex? Will it help boost my estrogen? I have heard of the caveman diet but I am vegan so don't eat meat or fish or dairy anyway. I must admit I do like sugar which I'm trying cut back on. How long did you take to clear up?
Baxter- thanks for your reply. My FSH was 4.0. I'm not sure what GNrh is? In regards to that you said about flaxseed. Do you think I would be OK with the BCP or would it have the same effect on me as flax did?
To be honest with you I'm not sure how long you would have to take it to clear up, although my skin is getting better it is not 100% clear, I recently found out some of the chemical sensitivity, panic attacks and depression that my breakouts might not only be from a hormonal imbalance but also being sensitive to histamine rich foods. I took plan b last year on top of having anxiety and indirect anorexia and it did a number on my skin. The dong quai tea does seem to help alittle and it is often referred to as the women's ginseng. You can also get supplements from health food stores which I have had success with before. It lowers your estrogen levels if they are too high and heightens them if they are to low. Oh no not the caveman diet, although that is something that I follow. The caveman regimen is where you don't let anything touch your face, no even water! I did this after I experienced a chemical breakout from a product I was using I am slowly working my way back up to washing with water/Indian clay but that'll be after a few weeks maybe even a month. Drink lots of water if you aren't already and try to be calm, it's hard for me not to over analyze my skin and want it to be perfect but I think if you give your body time and love even when it's hard to that it will rebalance itself. Best of luck!