[tinydear]

Hey all.

Decided to stop taking fenugreek & fennel. Waiting for my milk thistle to arrive (thought it would be here sooner, but apparently it wasn't eligible for Amazon Prime. Go figure.), so in the meantime I am just slowly weaning off of the fenugreek & fennel by taking lower dosages until the milk thistle arrives.

After HappyMe suggested in my "shallow breasts" thread that my breasts may be shallow due to estrogen dominance, I looked into it and I think HappyMe is correct. I really wish I could, but I just can't get my hormones tested at the moment. We just moved & I haven't found a new PCP, not to mention my husband's work is super important right now and I'm not gonna have him take time off just so I can go get my hormones tested so that I can grow boobs lol. Also I have awful TMJ issued and that's going to cost thousands to get repaired.

Anyway, looked into it, and I have a lot of symptoms of estrogen dominance. Not to mention it is SUPER common to be estrogen dominant after pregnancy and breastfeeding. This would explain my pancake boobs after my last pregnancy, also. Probably why MOST women get pancake, deflated, empty sack boobs after breastfeeding and being pregnant (aside from it being from all the growth also). So because of this & really seeing/feeling zero results from the fenugreek/fennel combo, I've decided to be done with it.

I know, I know. Should give stuff at least 3 months. It's been a bit over 2 though and I just FEEL it isn't working or what's right for me. I just know, you know? So I'm gonna do my cleanse, and then start with vitex, EPO, l-arginine, & PM. 

Still pumping. I do 1-2 hours a day on my left breast. Some days I don't pump my right at all. Still not seeing any growth.

Hello, TinyDear!
I just wanted to throw my two cents in here since I'm trying to boost my progesterone levels too. I'd been having some symptoms of E dominance for several months (not severe, but noticeable) and I started using a very small amount of PC during my luteal phase only. That did help a little but  I've recently been trying to come up with ways of getting my body to up its own production of progesterone. So another member on here very generously told me that yarrow herb supposedly helps promote progesterone during the luteal phase, as well as using turmeric. B complex vitamins are also very important for progesterone production as they can help calm and tone the nervous system, reducing stress and fatigue (stress is the arch enemy of progesterone). I've been taking yarrow and b complex for only one cycle and I feel that my progesterone level is already improving some!  You also might want to do some research on iodine/kelp supplementation. Iodine promotes breast tissue health and also feeds the ovaries, which could help with progesterone too. I know there's a lot of controversy surrounding iodine but it is a necessary nutrient for women's health and it is depleted a lot by pregnancy and breastfeeding. There are people nowadays who claim iodine supplementation causes thyroid disease, even though iodine is the main nutrient that the thyroid uses to produce hormones. From my personal research, iodine supplemented along with a reasonable amount of selenium protects the thyroid tissue from any negative effects, and also provides the body with the iodine it needs to function. I'm not an advocate of huge doses of iodine as some recommend BUT a small amount coupled with selenium is very sensible, in my humble opinion.    I would think that your body might benefit from any/all of these things, especially post-pregnancy. From what I've read, having a baby (or even more so, having babies in close succession) definitely can tank your progesterone out because there's so much of it being produced during a pregnancy.. which could then shift things toward an E dominant state (i.e not enough progesterone to counter-balance estrogen).

Have you been dealing with TMJ for a  long time?? My mom developed very bad TMJ immediately after her mother passed away (a very emotionally stressful time). She also had started going through menopause at the exact same time. Now I'm definitely NOT saying that yours is related to menopause!! I'm just wondering if the progesterone/hormone imbalance could be partly connected to the TMJ for you.. And maybe improving your progesterone level could improve the TMJ?   Food for thought anyway.

I know I've rambled a lot here and you may already be aware of all this, lol.   But I hope you find solutions to your hormone balance asap so you can feel better, and succeed like crazy with your nbe program!! <3

Best wishes,
Natural Lady  
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Hey!! Thanks sooo much for the response!

All very interesting information. It's so funny you mentioned yarrow, because I literally just closed a tab on my phone that said "vitex vs yarrow" because I wasn't sure which to pick lol. Go figure, I got the vitex. & it came with two bottles at that! So maybe I should try finishing it before trying out yarrow. I did buy PC but my issue is that I like never have a period after getting off the depo shot, so I haven't a clue when my luteal phase is or anything like that. Speaking of PC, the bottle I bought says to rotate where I put it. Should I not put it directly on my breasts every time?

I'm going to make a note of b complex and iodine/kelp in my phone. I've a list in my notes of all the supplements that sound really good and I'm trying to narrow it down to the best ones. Those sound good! & I DID have my kids back to back kind of (the twins were almost 2 when I got pregnant with my son, and before that I was pregnant for 8 weeks and miscarried). And a total of 2 years and 3 months of breastfeeding altogether!

That's also interesting what you said about the TMJ. I'm only 25, and my orthodontist brought it to my attention when I was 17 (it was just a "popping" back then. Now it's very very painful). But it DEFINITELY got worse after I had my son last year! WAY worse. I'm gonna try to pay attention to how it feels when I start working on my progesterone! I'm sure it has to do with stress also, but all of this hormone inbalance stuff is adding up lol.

Hi again, Tinydear!

Glad that something I said made sense, lol!!  I tend to go on sometimes , but I try to share things that might be helpful in some way when I can.

Try your vitex and see how it goes! I've taken it in the past but for some reason it just didn't jive with my hormones .  It does work well for many women though.    On the PC, when I was using it I rotated application areas. From what I've read, it is most effective when you rub it into places that are thinner-skinned (I alternated right or left breasts, collar bone area, backs of wrists, and insides of arms behind elbows).  I remember reading that if you apply it to breasts all the time, it can saturate the fatty tissue there and overwhelm hormone receptors.. which would keep the progesterone from circulating freely and doing its job. Also, maybe keep the amount of PC on the low end at first and see how things go.  Vitex is said to promote progesterone and you're using the PC too, so you don't want to overload.  

B complex is definitely one to consider! It helps soo much with hormones and moderating the physical/mental stress that we all have nowadays. Stress and hormone balance go hand in hand.

Yes, I really think TMJ can be hormone related sometimes! It certainly was for my Mom. Her bite was also off-whack, so she ended up going to a biological dentist and had a little custom retainer made to wear at night that fits over her "two front teeth", lol.   Seriously, it really helped take a LOT of the tension out of her neck, jaw, shoulders, etc.  But for you, you may see big improvements just from getting your hormones balanced back out!

I'm so very sorry to hear about your miscarriage..  It sounds as though you have been blessed with three other little angels though and I'm sure you are enjoying them so much. <3

Take care and keep us updated,
NaturalLady

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Hey!

Okay, I'll continue with the vitex and see how it goes. Should I also only use that during my luteal phase? I'm sad to say I didn't even know what the heck a luteal phase was until I joined these forums... I just knew about my period & ovulating lol. Anyway thankfully I realized my period came before I went and slathered on the PC. I was putting it on both breasts on the same day! I'll alternate from now on and apply to other body parts. Guess I'm going a bit nuts with progesterone products since I got freaked out about estrogen dominance.

Is the b complex something you take only during your luteal phase? This is all so new to me lol. 

Glad to hear your mum found solutions to her TMJ issues. It's not fun to deal with at all. I always dread opening my mouth for the first time every morning. :|

& thanks! The miscarriage was a hard time for me and it still makes me sad, but it just wasn't meant to be.