Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: LJB12 on November 23, 2018, 05:22:05 PM
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Hi all, really struggling with getting what I think is my estrogen levels up. Went from 75mcg patch to 100mcg last Thursday night and by Friday evening I felt "normal" (and in actual fact better than normal).
On Monday I did a really tough workout of lifting and Burpees (I do CrossFit) and by Tuesday evening I was starting to not feel great again, by Wednesday afternoon and evening I had had a complete meltdown and was feeling even worse than I was before I started the 100mcg 😔 Feeling a bit better now but still nowhere near happy or good.
Is there any view about whether extreme exercise can affect hormone levels??
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Is workout part of your Lifestyle for several years?
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Yes, true, I've been working out at CrossFit for 2 years and it has been fine.
But if something has changed that means my estrogen is now low (where it wasn't before, 75mcg was fine until about 2 months ago) then I wondered if it could have an impact.
I'm now in this horrible period of being on a higher dose estrogen that was brilliant for 5 days but then stopped working, so I don't want to do anything that could make the settling period longer or harder.
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Exercise encourages endorphins and is supposed to be good for us but 'over exercise' is not. Maybe drop your regime a bit.
Also, exercise can burn off energy. When my body is hungry I feel really, really ill. Add hormonal upheaval and the body can begin to feel weak and woolly. So keeping hydrated and eating small meals often may help.
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Perhaps there are some coincidences going on. Perhaps you felt better for 5 days as the newer levels built up in your body. But then perhaps they went past the sweet spot and you are now on too much for your body to handle, at least at the moment. Have you tried removing the patch completely and see how you feel for a day or even two?
I fell foul of this with patches. I would feel good and then start to feel worse and worse and so I'd increase my patch. One day a few years ago at this time of year I felt so awful and I was going out for the day to a craft workshop that I had looked forward too. I just took the patch off in frustration and went out. I had a great day! I felt perfectly normal quite quickly. I left it off and had about 4 or 5 days where I ran around at full speed (unheard of) and got all my Christmas preparations done. Then I started to go downhill. I replaced the patch and up I came again. I ended up needing to cut a patch in half to get a mid-point dose. But patches were always a bit fraught for me. I prefer the gel.
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I have no idea if this is relevant (apologies), but I discovered the other day that as well as producing endorphins, extreme exercise also encourages the body to produce testosterone. I assume that that's one of the reasons it helps with my mood, as I know I'm testosterone deficient. But I'm wondering if there could be a down side to this - if your body is low on estrogen it will convert testosterone to estrogen until there's enough, don't know if it works the other way round, ie if there's a sudden demand for testosterone it converts estrogen? In the end this whole hormone thing is about balance after all.....
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I have read that exercise lowers estrogen and I was feeling great on the higher dose until I did a workout - within a day and a half I was worse than when I was on the lower dose 🤔
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Keeping a diary might be useful?
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In 2014 I started working out quite heavily, contiinued 15-16 while trnanig for a 90km cycle ride in early 2017. During that time I skipped the odd period. However suffered big anxiety attacks. After ride I went back to strength training but by start of this year was finding exhaustion and anxiety after every training session. Belief is that I am producing too much cortisol which is reducing natural oestrogen production. Have ended up on SSRIs and duavive which I am combining with a lot of yoga and meditation. I have gained weight and lost some fitness, but have had to drop back the physical exertion. Hoping to return to it within the next year as I have now gone about 5 months without a period,
Have to keep a lid on exhaustion, mental confusions and anxiety due to work. It s a complete pain!
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Cut back exercise ? Keep energy levels up to compensate? It took me years to work out that when I didn't eat properly, 3-4 days later I would be really ill :-\
Humans aren't designed for extremes. We are hunter gatherers who would amble and collect, unless we saw something worth chasing or when we were chased by something large :o. Running isn't good for joints. Think how many 'fit' people collapse during long distance events. One can over-do it.
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Hi All,
Here is a different view on this from my perspective: I have been in late peri for over a year now at least with very irregular periods with gaps of 3-5 months. I have been running long distances (marathon upwards mostly) regularly for over 10 years (but with "only" three days of running per week and rest days), and the one thing exercise has done for me is to clearly flatten out extreme hormone fluctuations I have had especially over the last year or so. Exercise and brisk walking has been the one thing (aside from some magnesium) that really does seem to work for me (not (yet) on HRT), and I hate to think the medication I'd be on without exercising due to this peri stuff. I think if one is used to exercising regularly one has to adapt a bit, doing a bit less at times with longer rest times.
My oestrogen levels are very low now in general but the thing that "trips me up" is hormone fluctations and not low oestrogen. Anna
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Ladies - we can't hold back the ageing process - energy, stamina, muscle loss etc will happen whether on HRT or not.
Oestrogen can help reduce ‘some' of the negative effects of ageing, supporting bone density and helping to prevent urogenital atrophy but it cannot keep us young. I was a professional dancer, have always been very active and now at 62 I have had to adjust my life to include lots of good brisk walking, Pilates, leading the odd dance class myself and eating small meals regularly to avoid blood sugar lows. Relaxation and pacing myself are absolutely key to my wellbeing.
Instead of trying to push too hard and maintain the things you did through your 40s and early 50s, perhaps consider adjusting what you do to balance life better.
I found high doses of oestrogen made me feel awful and I'm not convinced big doses of hormones are the answer unless you are not absorbing the hormones from HRT for some reason. A blood test to look at oestrogen levels would be advisable to see what you levels are.
BE kind to yourselves ladies. Dg x
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Hi,
I agree that ageing process will happen and I am not expecting to be in the same condition as when I was in my 20's but on the other hand I know a number of female runners who are post the menopause, and they are great runners still doing some very demanding races well into their 60's. What one may need is more rest, more strength exercises rather than high mileage (and retiring also helps). Anna
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How are these runners in general though? If I looked like some that do intense activities, I wouldn't leave my bed! It would be interesting to see X-rays etc. of these atheletes.
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I think all it does is show that there is not one size fits all for menopause. There are similarities but each of us has a unique body chemistry and environment with which we need to cope. We just have to find the best way, in each case, of coping with the ups and downs as our system will best let us.
But in respect of the lack of exercise, I feel your pain!
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Hi all, really struggling with getting what I think is my estrogen levels up. Went from 75mcg patch to 100mcg last Thursday night and by Friday evening I felt "normal" (and in actual fact better than normal).
On Monday I did a really tough workout of lifting and Burpees (I do CrossFit) and by Tuesday evening I was starting to not feel great again, by Wednesday afternoon and evening I had had a complete meltdown and was feeling even worse than I was before I started the 100mcg 😔 Feeling a bit better now but still nowhere near happy or good.
Is there any view about whether extreme exercise can affect hormone levels??
I had a look at some of the info on the web and it's far from straightforward as with anything hormonal!
Here is a systematic reveiw which concludes: "Although the effect is relatively modest, physical activity induces a decrease in circulating sex hormones and this effect is not entirely explained by weight loss. The findings emphasize the benefits of physical activity for women."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4635995/
(I don't agree with this conclusion - at least not the beneficial effect of exercise because it decreases sex hormones - this was written from the point of view of cancer as it was published in a journal of breast cancer research.
I also looked at some studies of the effect of extreme exercise on testosterone levels and this seems to depend on the nature of the exercise as well as diet and also what is eaten immediately post-workout. Some studies suggest an increase in androgens and others a decrease. One study I looked at showed an increase immediately following exercise but levels then reduced. In another study levels were reduced unless protein/carb rich food was eaten immediately post work-out. I haven't got these refs to hand as I googled them on my phone a few days ago.
If you want to read more about this - it is the actual scientific papers that will give you the most accurate information - not all the blogs and websites written by some random person, where there tends to be generalisations like X causes Y when it's not that simple!
It also depends where you are in menopause as to what your own levels are in the absence of HRT - so if you are getting closer to menopause your endogenous levels may be reducing? Also in the two years following menopause there is a pretty dramatic overall decline.
As probably said it's not just sex hormones that affect our muscles and stamina - our overall diet, and especially thyroid funtion so if you haven't had general blood tests then it's a good idea to go to the doc and explain how you are feeling.
If you are under 50 and not yet at menopause you might be better off taking one of the gentler BCP types like QLAIRA or ZOELY to suppress your cycle and prevent the fluctuations you may be experiencing due to your own cycle, although these won't replace testosterone.
Hurdity x
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Maybe ask at your local gym or running club? There will be people there of all weights, ages, health conditions who may be able to give advice. Parkrun might be the place to begin or buy a couple of appropriate magazines dedicated to running.
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https://journal.crossfit.com/article/menopause-cecil
Funny I should come across this ...