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[pepperminty]

Hi Ladies,

do swollen boobs and heavy periods mean there is a high level of estrogen in the body?


Peppermintyx

[GypsyRoseLee]

I would think that swollen, painful boobs are caused by high progesterone? Back when I had proper periods my boobs were an agony in the days before my period was due (so low oestrogen and high progesterone).

[pepperminty]

Well ladies,

I am just as confused as you all. If you are on HRT the NHS don't like to do tests for estrogen levels, so how can you tell if you are feeling worse due to estrogen being too much or not?


PMx

[GypsyRoseLee]

PM you can pay for a private blood test, think it's about £25 for a pin prick test which you do yourself then post to a laboratory. Have a look online.

[GypsyRoseLee]

Birdy - my consultant told me that you actually react to the changes in levels too.

[pepperminty]

Hi ladies,

We have a private GP practice nearby< I suppose I could get them to do it? Although they appointment is £40 for 10 mins the test would be charged also, I could look online also, but not sure about the accuracy.

I know it is about balance, but at least it gives an idea. I mean if my levels were below 100 then I may not be getting enough, and if 500 and over well then at least I know I am absorbing. Also got other medical issues going on, so I am finding everything very difficult at the moment. On a scale of 1 to 10 I am about Zero.
I haven't a clue how I am holding it all together at the moment.

PMX

[GypsyRoseLee]

Yes at least if you knew what your levels were you would have a gauge. I'm so sorry you feel so poorly, you have been wrestling with this for so long. Obviously, eventually, this will all just be a bad memory, but it is soul destroying just never knowing how long it will all last.

I'd started to allow myself to believe that I had come out on the other side because it had been over 4 months since I had any symptoms. I was starting to hope that my hormones had given up the ghost at last.

But now I'm right back again in the thick of it just because of a slight absorption issue. Clearly my hormones are as strong as ever and were just waiting to pounce the second my back was turned.

[Hurdity]

Swollen boobs can either be due to increased oestorgen but also progesterone eg my boobs always get bigger when I start the prog phase of my cycle! Also my boobs are generally bigger now than pre HRT but in menopause they shrink pitifully and become floppy so they have more substance with oestrogen. Not painful though - I do get some pain with the progesterone sometimes.

The heavy periods can mean that your oestrogen is not in balance with your progesterone - but there are other causes eg fibroids. Some of the causes are listed here: https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/heavyperiods.php

Hurdity x

[jillydoll]

So it's anyones guess then....😬

[pepperminty]

Hi Ladies,

thanks for the responses. Just got back from the hospital, I am being referred to a specialist. I am also in enormous pain down below and I have been diagnosed with 4 conditions one after the other since September last year. I am at the end of my tether and in so much pain. I don't know what to do anymore. I have tried everything.

PMX

[GypsyRoseLee]

Oh my darling, I am so sorry you feel so low and overwhelmed by everything. You are always so encouraging and supportive on here, it's just so unfair that you are still having to struggle like this.

I don't have any real advice except a few practical ideas such as popping a hot water bottle between your legs to help ease the pain downstairs (I do this when I get cystitis and it helps).

I can't remember if you work, but if you do could you decrease your hours so you can focus more on your health and get more rest? Maybe think about getting a cleaner or just sod the house work for a bit and just take care of yourself.

Please keep posting and know we are here for you.

[pepperminty]

Thanks , GRL and Birdy,

I am feeling a little better today, it is menopause related, vagina. I was in soo much pain. It is lovely to read such nice words, really means a lot. I am descreasing my hours to part time GRL, I have a lovely partner who supports me in this. Everytime I think about it I cry. I am going to put a plan together and try to take positive steps. The medical profession unless you pay, seems to be in the dark ages .

Thanks again will post again when I feel a bit better.

PMX

[racjen]

Just to add to the general picture of confusion (sorry), I find it doesn't matter how high my estrogen level gets (and it's been as high as 2000+ pmol during my menopause journey) I don't get sore boobs and bloating. But as soon as I go anywhere near progesterone (in this case Utrogestan) that's when it starts. Two or three days into the bleed and it's gone again. Surely that's exactly why the NHS doesn't measure estrogen levels routinely? If we differ this much in our reactions to the same hormone the only reliable thing to go on is symptoms, and unfortunately that makes it all guesswork, but I don't think we can blame the medical system for that. Individual reactions to progesterone are similar - some women can't tolerate progesterone at all, others need it continuously to feel well, but again I don't think blood tests are much use in working that out, it's one long slog of experimentation. Just more proof that God is a man, and I don't believe in him anyway so he can take his effing menopause and b****r off (sorry, don't want to offend those of you who are religious, but there are times when the luck of the draw just seems so...unfair) xxx

[racjen]

Ha, that reminds me, there was a good item on Woman's Hour this morning about how women's pain generally isn't taken as seriously as men's, because it's built into our bodies by the life events we're programmed to undergo, whether period pains, childbirth, endometriosis, menopause, prolapse etc. etc. So women tend to just go home and take some paracetemol and not make a fuss. I was sent home the same day after a mastectomy with no home care and only paracetemol and ibuprofen for pain relief. Unbelievable - had to phone my GP to get oral morphine prescribed as the pain made it impossible to sleep. Hard to imagine something equivalent happening to a man....

[racjen]

Yep, and had to empty the drains from the wound myself every day, and get myself back to the hospital a week later to have the drain taken out. Then when I had chemo I had to inject myself in the stomach after each cycle with a drug to stimulate white blood cell production. Looking back I really don't know how the f**k I got through it - I guess we all have reserves of strength we're not aware of until we really need them.