Testostorone went up! Please Help!!!!

PCOSer · 03-08-2003, 03:57 AM

Hello ladies please help, I recently went to the docs for a complete physical and to my surprise and thank God my test came back good except for 2 things I was told that my testosterone seems to have increased! WHAT GIVES! I was told that my FH to LSH I hope I said that right is in normal range but I have elevated testosterone, it was 77 two years ago now it is like 85 so I am floored, I do not know what to do I want to get preggers, am I becoming more manly day by day HELP PLEASE any suggestions, oh I was also told I am slighlty enemic, but I have always been told that and to just to take a multiviatimin.

HELP LADIES PLEASE

sadeyedgirl · 03-14-2003, 03:00 PM

well, i don't have any answers but i just wanted to say I know
how your feeling . My testosterone went up too,and I am also trying for a baby. Sometimes i wonder If one day I'm gonna Wake up as a complete He!! I just started meteformin and am hoping for some kind of results.what does your doc say about it ?

shenacat · 03-14-2003, 03:41 PM

Uhm.... sorry. If you're anemic.. you need to take some liquid iron supplement. Multivitamin my *ass*. Iron in pills barely absorbs, you have to take over 400mg a day to get any benefit, and then it makes you mega constipated! Liquid iron you can take in 20mg doses a day, and it absorbs like a charm, and within a couple months the anemia goes away.

BTW anemia contributes MAJOR to hair loss, fatigue, and when you're anemic your body is not interested in having periods, ovulating, etc.

I recommend the liquid iron by NF Formulas, it comes in a white bottle with a green label, and has b12 and folic acid in it (both important to both PCOS and avoid anemia). Take 1 tablespoon a day for a couple weeks, then move down to 1 teaspoon a day for maintenance.

Ok. Testosterone... Don't know what to tell you. Have you tried increasing your Met? Why are you on both meds?

Hezzer · 03-14-2003, 04:36 PM

Things that help decrease testosterone:

Consuming a least 1 glass of authentic green tea daily
Spironolactone or Aldactone (at least 100 mg daily)
Flax seed and flax oil (2 tablespoons daily)

I've also been told that losing weight and maintaining normal blood sugar helps to keep testosterone low.

PCOSer · 03-14-2003, 04:37 PM

Thank you both ladies for such wonderful responses, SheenaCat I can not help but always thinking we have so much in common (illness wise) from your profile, but I will get the liquid iron cause each time I would take a multi I would always still be enemic and my hair has started to thin and I sleep ALLLLLL the time I can not even live my life so much so that when I went to a sleep study and they told me I had a mild case of sleep apnea and sent the C-PAP machine home they also said that I must have narcolepsy (bacause I told them that my dad had it) this is probably why they said it, but I do know that when I am tired I keep on telling these people that I can feel it like in the pit of my stomach and it seems to make the tired feeling spread to the rest of my body that all I want to do is sleep and I was just becoming worried cause of the recent hair thinning, btw, does anyone know if being enemic is a serious condition?, cause the docs always act like it is not a big deal. I do not know why they put me on Actos and Met I think it was becuase I told my RE that my friend takes these together and maybe that is why, I was recently told that Actos could cause weight gain (like I need that). Sadeyedgirl, the docs say that they do not know why the testosterone went up I have to go to my RE For that so go figure!

PCOSer · 03-14-2003, 04:41 PM

I have some Flax Oil in the fridge that I just brought so I will be popping that like there is no tommorow. (Hehe) I am intrested in knowing more about the Spiro could you tell me more about this med and also about what u are taking cause I have all of your symtoms as well (what I see on your signature).
Thanks

shenacat · 03-14-2003, 06:55 PM

You can't take spiro if you're TTC because it could harm the development of a male fetus. :|

Anemia can cause mild to severe damage all throughout the body, depending on how mild or severe your case is and what type of anemia you're suffering from. There are different types... copper, iron, b12, can all cause anemia if deficient. What's happening is not enough oxygen is getting to your cells and your blood is not circulating properly. It can also cause aches and pains in your body because of this. It *hurts* to not have enough blood.

Like I said before: hair loss, fatigue, even kidney problems and liver damage can result from anemia. Even mild anemia can be exhausting.

Hezzer · 03-17-2003, 03:37 PM

PCOSer,

I'm currently taking the bcp's (desogen) to regulate my periods since I actually went 5 years without one and to help lower the testosterone in my system which is the cause of my hair loss and excess hair.

Through all my research on this site and others, the saw palmetto is good for lowering testosterone as well and the evening primrose oil is to the supply the essential fatty acids to assist with my hair growing back. (Flax seed and flax oil supply the same essential fatty acids pretty much.)

The magnesium and chromium picolate is supposed to help regulate my insulin since I'm not currently on any prescription meds.

The other vitamins such as B6, zinc, etc. were listed as good things to take when you have PCOS although I'm not really sure exactly what their function is.

I take nothing for my hypothyroidism. It's "slightly" sluggish according to my gynecologist and she said that monitoring it at this point is probably okay. If it were to get worse, I'd probably have to take synthroid or some other thyroid medication. I've not read of any vitamins that help with hypothyroidism.

Hope this helps.

PCOSer · 03-17-2003, 05:47 PM

I went to the health food store the other day with another friend who also has PCOS and I got some liquid Iron by a company called (Floradix) they only carreid the Iron + herbs variety. I also went to the library and picked up the book (Androgen Disorders In Women The most neglected Hormone Problem) by Theresa Cheung so far a must read in my opinion ladies, I saw this advertised on this site in the books section and I was glad to see it in the Free Library. I got that and some other low carb books. Oh, by the way the Iron tincture which is Kosher so it does not contain any alcohol (which is good cause against my religion) includes 10 mg of vit C, 25 mg of B1, 4.0 mg of B2, 2.0 mg of B6, 7.5 mcg B12, Iron 10mg.... so it sounds good so far, I feel like I am doing a good thing and I feel like I am getting on the road of doing better.

Thanks for all the advice, btw how do u take Saw Palmetto and the other types of herbs do you drink them in tea cause when i go to the health food store I always think I have to buy the loose herb and make tea, am I wrong about that?? Thanks

shenacat · 03-17-2003, 07:11 PM

Please use chromium GTF instead of the picolinate. The picolinate is a lab derived variety of chromium while the GTF is natural (it's brewer's yeast, a byproduct of brewing beer, and has no associated side effects whatsoever). The GTF is certainly as helpful as the picolinate could ever be, but it is not the risk that the picolinate is. You do need to take slightly more GTF than picolinate, 200mcg/day if on Met/Gluc and up to 1000 mcg/day if you are not.

Do NOT take the chromium in any form without a little iron supplementation as well though because the chromium uses iron as it works, so it can deplete your stores if you take it over a long period of time unless you supplement the iron as well.

Hezzer · 03-18-2003, 01:31 PM

Thanks for the tip about the chromium picolate. I've been taking it every day since December and I've been feeling exhausted lately.

Maybe it's because of the picolate.

I take the standardized Saw Palmetto in capsule form. I bought them through GNC.

miri · 03-18-2003, 03:53 PM

how can I tell what kind of chromium?

Quote:

Originally posted by Hezzer
Thanks for the tip about the chromium picolate. I've been taking it every day since December and I've been feeling exhausted lately.

Maybe it's because of the picolate.

I take the standardized Saw Palmetto in capsule form. I bought them through GNC.

Shenacat, I can't tell what kind of chromium my multivit has. it says on the bottle "Chromium HVP Chelate" -- what does that mean?

miri.

miri · 03-18-2003, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by PCOSer
I have some Flax Oil in the fridge that I just brought so I will be popping that like there is no tommorow. (Hehe) I am intrested in knowing more about the Spiro could you tell me more about this med and also about what u are taking cause I have all of your symtoms as well (what I see on your signature).
Thanks

PCOSer, be careful about flax. ask you doctor. it's good for cholesterol and general health but mine told me to stop taking it every day because it has the same estrogenic qualities that soy does. I have a strong family history of premenopausal breast cancer and have had fibroid tumours and polyps. so consult with your doctor before starting on it. and don't take it too much. just tablespoon should be fine. right ladies?

miri.

PCOSer · 03-18-2003, 06:16 PM

I will check that info out about Flax, it can be very confusing at times. I see so many things that say this is good to take and that is good, sometimes I feel so overwhelmed. I am glad that I have this forum so that I can communiate with others who know exactly what I am going through. I remember for years in my teenage years never knowing I had any kind of problem at all and know to know about PCOS I am grateful to know but now it seems like we are all in a guessing what is best to do I wish docs knew more, I wish we did, some days are better than others for me some days I am so sure that I am and will be on the right track and others I still find myself with the nagging why me question.

I will continue to strive and I am glad to be here because having the oppurtunity to interact with you ladies really keeps me going and somedays helps me keep my sanity I think LOL, but thank you sincerely everyone who took the time to read this tread and more importantly who took an intrest and responded.

PCOSer · 03-19-2003, 12:52 AM

Popular Weight Loss Supplement May Damage DNA
Mon Mar 17, 5:30 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Chromium picolinate, a popular supplement
marketed as building muscle and promoting weight loss, may damage DNA,
a
new study shows...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...plement_dna_dc

This was sent to me on another PCOS group, thought it may be of intrest