23-02-2010, 01:17 AM
Get your hormones tested. Can't stress this one enough.
For example if you're estrogen dominant it is not a good idea to have only herbs in your program. Also you might benefit from decent amounts of progesterone.
On the other hand if your progesterone levels are elevated you might worsen everything by taking extra progesterone.
And so on.
Things to keep in mind.
- Any hormonal supplements can distort the results. Stop everything for at least a couple of weeks.
- If you were on bcp wait at least two regular cycles to get reliable results. (you won't get any reliable results while on bc)
- Do blood testing if you can. Tell your doctor you suspect a hormonal imbalance (e.g. irregular cycle or excessive hair etc) and ask for a blood test. (Also ask for a copy of the results.)
- If you can't get a blood test do a saliva test.
- You can do the symptoms check list on Dr. Lee's website for starters. But keep in mind that symptoms can be misleading to the point where they are pointing to the exact opposite. Get some saliva or blood testing done to clear things up.
- Make sure the test is done at either at the beginning of the cycle (days 3-5), around ovulation (day 14) or before menstruation and compare them with the normal ranges for the specific time.
It is important to find out whether you have an underlying hormone condition before doing NBE. If your results are all within the normal range there might still be tendencies. For example if your estrogen is in the lower range while your progesterone levels are in the upper range you might have symptoms of estrogen deficiency. If your estrogen is low but your progesterone is even lower you might have symptoms of estrogen dominance.
Important hormones are estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, FSH, and LH. Also important are ACTH, cortisol, SHBG, DHEAS, prolactin and thyroid hormones.
Do it more than once if possible.
For example if you're estrogen dominant it is not a good idea to have only herbs in your program. Also you might benefit from decent amounts of progesterone.
On the other hand if your progesterone levels are elevated you might worsen everything by taking extra progesterone.
And so on.
Things to keep in mind.
- Any hormonal supplements can distort the results. Stop everything for at least a couple of weeks.
- If you were on bcp wait at least two regular cycles to get reliable results. (you won't get any reliable results while on bc)
- Do blood testing if you can. Tell your doctor you suspect a hormonal imbalance (e.g. irregular cycle or excessive hair etc) and ask for a blood test. (Also ask for a copy of the results.)
- If you can't get a blood test do a saliva test.
- You can do the symptoms check list on Dr. Lee's website for starters. But keep in mind that symptoms can be misleading to the point where they are pointing to the exact opposite. Get some saliva or blood testing done to clear things up.
- Make sure the test is done at either at the beginning of the cycle (days 3-5), around ovulation (day 14) or before menstruation and compare them with the normal ranges for the specific time.
It is important to find out whether you have an underlying hormone condition before doing NBE. If your results are all within the normal range there might still be tendencies. For example if your estrogen is in the lower range while your progesterone levels are in the upper range you might have symptoms of estrogen deficiency. If your estrogen is low but your progesterone is even lower you might have symptoms of estrogen dominance.
Important hormones are estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, FSH, and LH. Also important are ACTH, cortisol, SHBG, DHEAS, prolactin and thyroid hormones.
Do it more than once if possible.