1. rita      Posted 7 years ago #
   

   
   Hi--

   I've been lurking here a bit since reading Inconceivable a few months ago, but this is my first post.

   Does anyone know what low estradiol levels mean?
   Everyone talks about high FSH, but what about very low E2? My day 3 results this month were FSH-17.7 (4 mos ago 19.0), and E2 of 3 (normal range is 10-50).
   I have been having night sweats this cycle, plus mood swings/depression. I'm drinking red clover tea, which seemed to help last week, but not this week. I feel like not even trying to schedule bd this month, cause I have no EWCM, & it feels hopeless.
   Thanks for any clues as to what may be causing this, and what i can do to help. I'm 42, and ttc #1.

   Rita

2. Anonymous      Posted 7 years ago #
   

   
   hi RIta -- welcome! Here is what an RE told me about the relationship between E2 and FSH: The E2 needs to be between about 30 (If I'm remembering right...) and 50 for the FSH number to be considered "accurate." Basically, the E2 keeps going up as the FSH rises -- so if the number is too low, it means the reading was taken before the FSH had risen to its full level (so the FSH is actually probably higher); if it's above 50, it means the E2 is suppressing the FSH and the FSH is actually probably higher. So, to get an accurate FSH read you need to read it in relaion to E2, and the E2 needs to be between 30-50. I hope this helps --and I could be wrong about the 30, it might be 20 or 40 -- it's been a while since I had this conversation. (maybe someone out there will correct me).

   But this all said, remember that FSH is just a number! (REs love numbers, it makes them feel so in control), so try not to get too hung up on it. if you spend some time on this site and read around, you will see a lot of discussion about this and inspiration too. It is not hopeless, not at all! It just sounds to me like you have a journey ahead of you. Do you see an acupuncturist? It sounds like one might help, if there's one near you that you can afford. Join the phone circles too, they're fabulous. Best to you.

3. rita      Posted 7 years ago #
   

   
   Jacqueline,

   Thanks for your reply. I am in fact seeing two different acupuncturists, one who also monitors my hormones (incl thyroid). So, hopefully in another 2 cycles or so i will start seeing some more noticeable improvements (i also have very light AF).

   And I will definitely try to participate in one of the phone circles, as soon as my schedule permits.

4. Tina      Posted 7 years ago #
   

   
   Wow, you sound just like me. I know exactly how confusing and somewhat depressing these numbers can be. I am 42 and had my tubes untied to have a child with my husband. Mind you, before we did the surgery I had very regular cycles and my levels were great and the doctor who did my surgery did a report stating how great everything looked and should have no problem conceiving. Immediately after the surgery everything went kerplunk so after a few months of trying because of my age my ob/gyn sent me to an RE so we weren't wasting any time. The first RE didn't even do any bloodwork or anything except took us in his office and said I was too old and probably going through menopause. No other symptom except annovulatory and never was before the surgery and he just did this diagnosis based on my age. So we found another doctor who at least did the bloodwork and told me eggs were to old because of my levels and the only way to have a child was to do egg donor. If that were the case we would have done egg donor in the first place instead of spending the money on the reversal. Funny how they never tell you numbers can change and how or what you might be able to do to get your hormones leveled to make it a better chance to conceive on your own. I am so glad I came across Julia's book which has given me a lot of inspiration and will be joining her phone circle for more inspiration because I strongly feel there is at least one more good egg in there somewhere. So don't give up any hope because of these numbers they are telling you about. If you feel it you can do it. I live in an extremely small town but I hope to find an accupuncturist to help me along a little bit more.

   G/L to you in your venture.

   Tina

5. hadley      Posted 7 years ago #
   

   
   There are some reasons that estrogen may be low but the best part of having this as your "problem" is that it is a relatively easy fix with the right herbs. There are many, many herbs with estrogenic properties (much harder to bring up progesterone levels without using progesterone itself in a cream form). Susan Weed has a very good book on using herbs but there are others mentioned on this website's bookshelf as well.

   Evening Primrose, red clover, false unicorn root are just a few of the more estrogenic but there are plenty more to choose from and everyone is different so you may just want to try a couple at a time and see what you feel like.

   You may also want to check progesterone levels at cd23 just to see if you have unusually large levels and this is what is causing the imbalance (since estrogen and progesterone have a delicate balance). Too much exercise, too low of a body fat percentage (estrogen is stored in our fat cells), excessive stress levels (can lower estrogen and progesterone levels by converting to cortisol), or PCOS, can all be factors to low estrogen.

   Most of all, do not give up. It can take some time to find your healing and knowing what needs to be worked on is the first step -- it is valuable to know that it's low estrogen because now you can come up with a plan of action!

   All the best to you, Hadley

6. rita      Posted 7 years ago #
   

   
   In fact i have been taking red clover tea (along w/nettles & red rasp, usually). And it did seem to help the first week. Then, the night sweats came back about a week later, and i started wondering if maybe i was drinking too much red clover, and my estrogen went too high?? I wasn't drinking that much, so it prob wasn't that, but during my cd 10-12 i was having really bad night sweats, and it's hard to know if it was still from LOW E2, or if the E2 levels rose, and in that erratic perimenopausal fashion, went too high for a few days. Anyway, i did have 4 days of decent EWCM, and a + OPK on cd 15, which is about 3 days later than the past couple months.
   Who knows what is going on. But, i do feel a lot better knowing that i'm most likely going to o very soon. :)

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