Testosterone Level Normal But Still Dealing W/ Hair Growth/Loss? This Could Be Why -- - Page 7

msmedical2017 · 08-17-2007, 11:28 AM

thanks for posting that it was really helpful

jjlvscg · 09-17-2007, 03:12 PM

I was dx in 1999 vis ultrasound. They did hormone levels and a few gtts, but everything was wnl. my symptoms are Obesity, Mild Hirsutism on chin and belly, Irregular Menstruation. I have had many ultrasounds that always show many underdeveloped follicles(~20/view). I was at 372#, but had a gastric bypass in 2001, now I am 200#.

NessLove · 09-17-2007, 06:44 PM

I heard that starting rogaine doesn't really help all that much. Is it worth the effort and investment?

Hezzer · 09-19-2007, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NessLove

I heard that starting rogaine doesn't really help all that much. Is it worth the effort and investment?

Rogaine can help regrow hair, but the hairs are thin and weak for the most part. That new growth is dependent on continuous use of Rogaine. Once you stop taking it, they will fall out.

Also Rogaine contributes to increased body hair (including facial hair) in women.

kickPCOSbutt · 09-19-2007, 10:43 PM

Thanks this is really great info

REW · 11-16-2007, 02:43 PM

My testerone levels are now normal, but I am still hairy. What was interesting was that my DHEAS (precurser to testerone) was VERY high - upper 200s so my endo ran a dexamethasone suppression test and discovered that my adrenal glands are producing androgens. After the baby is born I am going to start a low dose of dex that should drop my DHEAS down to normal and drop my testerone and free testerone even more.

Lena36 · 11-19-2007, 02:01 AM

thank you for your post i will be looking for this product

Lena36 · 11-19-2007, 02:33 AM

thnks hezzer for all your great info.

Sarah-Jane · 11-24-2007, 04:31 PM

Hi,
Im new to the site and am very interested in the information that you share so wonderfully. Its very helpful. I have been having some great results managing my symptoms of ecess hair and thinning hair and also the lack of regular periods. I have always been worried about using the strong drugs that are given out to us and have wanted to avoid the sometimes awful side effects from taking them. Of course, thats only my thoughts and propably come from having family members being very badly affected by the medication they were on. I have been treating myself basically as the doctors have been completely non-cooperational and almost dismissve of my symptoms. I have researched pcos endlessly over the decade that ive had it diagnosed and have only now been having some breakthroughs. I feel that my high testosterone and oestrogen levels seem to get balanced out when i take natural progesterone from plants-even though the human body cant use it directly it seems to acknowledge the progesterone and acts as if its been given it. This has stopped the hair thinning and i find that if i stop using it the hair loss starts up again very quickly. I aslo find that combined with using fennel at specific times of the monthly cycle it has now regulised my monthly periods and water retention is barely painful compared to being agony a few months ago. I take wild yam for the progesterone stimulation about 10days after the last day of my period, then wqhen i start getting tender and that premenstrual feeling I stop the Yam and start taking pure fennel(lots of it) to reduce water retention,stop sweet food cravings and to bring on the period.I take it all through the period and stop only when the bleeding stops completely(even if only a spotting) Then I go back to using the Yam. I also take Devils Claw to help reduce inflammation in my body as its been shown that pcos sufferers are prone to internal inflammation which can make symptoms worse. Milk thisltle extract helps to regenerate the liver and is great too when taking metformin and other strong medication.
Id love to hear if anyone else out there has any success using nature rather than chemicals? In my wackyness I tend to think of taking plant chemicals instead of synthesised ones rather like eating organic food rather than junk food-the body can break it down more effectively and so make more use of the chemicals and avoid an awful lot of negative side effects-especially the puking up!! I have found that alot of doctors are starting to come round to the possibility that herbs work -but slowly! (I think that its been forgotten that most of the drugs synthasised today originated from plantform!)
Sorry if im warbling on but I just wanted to tell someone-cos I must admit Im really excited by the reduction in my symptoms!
Id so love to hear someone else with a success story too!?
hugs and herbal wackiness!!
Sarah Jane

Sarah-Jane · 11-24-2007, 04:45 PM

Hi,
Im new to the site and am very interested in the information that you share so wonderfully. Its very helpful. I have been having some great results managing my symptoms of excess hair and thinning hair and also the lack of regular periods. I have always been worried about using the strong drugs that are given out to us and have wanted to avoid the sometimes awful side effects from taking them. Of course, thats only my thoughts and probably come from having family members being very badly affected by the medication they were on. I have been treating myself basically as the doctors have been completely non-cooperational and almost dismissve of my symptoms. I have researched pcos endlessly over the decade that ive had it diagnosed and have only now been having some breakthroughs. I feel that my high testosterone and oestrogen levels seem to get balanced out when i take natural progesterone from plants-even though the human body cant use it directly it seems to acknowledge the progesterone and acts as if its been given it. This has stopped the hair thinning and reduced the body and chin hair and I find that if i stop using it the hair loss & body hair starts up again very quickly. I aslo find that combined with using fennel at specific times of the monthly cycle it has now helped regulise my monthly periods and my water retention is barely painful compared to being agony a few months ago. I take wild yam for the progesterone stimulation for about 10days after the last day of my period, then when i start getting tender and that premenstrual feeling begins, I stop the Yam and start taking pure fennel(lots of it) to reduce water retention,stop sweet food cravings and to bring on the period.I take it all through the period and stop only when the bleeding stops completely(even if only a spotting) Then I go back to using the Yam. I also take Devils Claw to help reduce inflammation in my body as its been shown that pcos sufferers are prone to internal inflammation which can make symptoms worse. Milk thisltle extract helps to regenerate the liver and is great too when taking metformin and other strong medication. Kelp can help with metabolism too for some people-for others it can make symptoms worse due to the iodine in it and it effect on types of thyroid problems-some it helps some it aggravates.
Id love to hear if anyone else out there has any success using nature rather than chemicals? In my wackyness I tend to think of taking plant chemicals instead of synthesised ones rather like eating organic food rather than junk food-the body can break it down more effectively and so make more use of the chemicals and avoid an awful lot of negative side effects-especially the puking up!! I have found that alot of doctors are starting to come round to the possibility that herbs work -but slowly! (I think that its been forgotten that most of the drugs synthasised today originated from plantform!)
Sorry if im warbling on but I just wanted to tell someone-cos I must admit Im really excited by the reduction in my symptoms and would love to give hope to anyone who suffering like I have been.
Id so love to hear someone else with a success story too!?
hugs and herbal wackiness!!
Sarah Jane

Sarah-Jane · 11-25-2007, 09:07 AM

boo-vampire has hit on the one area that ive always believed to be a very important and often overlooked area of pcos. I feel that for me ive been balancing the estrogen with natural progesterone and for the first time in my entire adult life my periods came back and my hair loss stopped. If i dont take the progesterone I get loads of hair loss and my whole body aches isn all areas and my periods stop completely. While the pcos diagnosis maybe difficult to diagnose as there is cushings, thyroid etc to look at too- once the estrogen and progesterone levels are checked too and an internal scan done to see the cysts then really its pretty definate that its pcos. I am so excited that for the first time in ten years someone else seems to be looking at the progesterone impact to the body of the pcos victims likee me.

ariel24 · 12-07-2007, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hezzer

Hi Dawna. To answer your question . . .

Spironolactone or "Spiro" is the generic version of Aldactone. It is actually a blood pressure medication with some diuretic properties but it is also prescribed for women with high testosterone because it helps to lower the level.

It is also a potassium sparing medication, which means it causes potassium to build up in your body instead of being excreted. Too much potassium in your system can be fatal. For that reason, women taking it are usually encouraged to have their potassium levels checks every few months to make sure that they're okay (depending on their dosage). They're also told to avoid potassium rich food (bananas, melons, grapefruit, oranges, tomato or prune juice, prunes, molasses, potatoes, avocados, nuts, baked beans, brussels sprouts, and skim milk).

From what I understand, similar to metformin, it is also metabolized in your liver so women are encouraged to have their liver enzymes checked ever few months as well to determine if there is any liver damage.

Spiro tends to mess with your period so it's often taken with bcp's to keep you regular. I had spotting and breakthrough bleeding for the first couple of months, not to mention I was exhausted and dizzy all the time and my breasts ached. It took a while for my body to adjust. Now I'm fine. Because it is a diuretic, I found that I had to take it only as certain times during the day otherwise I was up too many times in the night to go to the bathroom.

Because spiro affects testosterone, it's been found to cause birth defects in male fetuses, so one can't be pregnant while taking it or possibly become pregnant. Many doctors insist that you take bcp's to reduce the possibility of pregnancy.

I was taking 200 mg at one point but I'm again down to 100 mg daily. Sometimes, though, on the days when I feel really bloated, I'll take 100 mg in the morning and 100 mg before bed to help rid some of the water retention.

The most noteworthy improvement is my chest and belly hair. Course black hairs that were starting to grow in on my chest are now blonde and finer and the thick dark hair line that ran from my upper tummy right down to the groin area has thinned out immensely and is lighter.

Changes are supposed to be noticed after 3 months and fully at 6 months. I can't say I've noticed the facial hair improving, though, and I've been on it for 7 months.

Admittedly, though I have not gotten worse

so maybe it's effective after all. Right now the hair is confined to my "underchin" area which I shave in less than a minute about once a week. If I started to grow a beard I would freak out!!

My shedding of hair on my head has decreased considerably but that could also be due to the array of vitamins I'm taking which I started on around the same time as spiro. Most women admit that no improvement from spiro was seen with the head hair.

Kat took eulexin which I would like to try. Honestly, the doctors in my area are so conservative, I don't think I would find anyone to prescribe it for me because of the more serious risks.

what kind of vitamins are u taking hezzer to stop hairloss
i m losing so much hairs i dunno wat to do
i m not on any medications yet cannot find a good endo in my area

Hezzer · 12-08-2007, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ariel24

what kind of vitamins are u taking hezzer to stop hairloss
i m losing so much hairs i dunno wat to do
i m not on any medications yet cannot find a good endo in my area

When I first got diagnosed, I did research as to what vitamins and minerals were good for PCOS. At the time that I wrote that, I was taking

magnesium
chromium picolate
B-6
zinc
saw palmetto
fish oil
evening Primrose Oil

I took all those for well over a year and it really didn't seem to be helping. That was over two years ago, and my symptoms haven't gotten any worse since stopping them.

rocknroll · 02-06-2008, 12:38 PM

i did not know that dehiandrosterone was a precursor to testosterone...the first time i got a blood work for androgen...my dehyandrosterone was at the lowest really...and my testosterone was slightly elevated that is why they thought i did not have pcos..the second time, i got diagnosed my dehiandrosterone was 30 times (!!!!!) as high as the first time, and my testostrone was higher thant the first time too...

i keep reading that scalp hair are more sensitive to dehyandrosterone than to testosterone, yet i was already shedding when my dehyandrosterone was really low but my testosterone slightly elevated..someties i think thatn maybe even without pcos i would shed...then i tell myself that no, since when my hormone are ok i dont shed...whatever

bad facial hair · 03-21-2008, 12:45 PM

Hi, I have recently had my hormone levels checked because I have bad facial hair. They came back normal, but my Doctor is putting me on metformin anyway. I haven't even picked up the perscription yet and I fear that it won't help. I have to pluck my chin everyday, when I wake up in the morning I look like a guy. It is very imbarassing and I don't know what to do about it. It keeps getting worse the older I get. It started when I was 15 and I am now 28. I'm scared to see what I'll look like in another few years.