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Female Hormone Panel
Fibromyalgia, depression, and progesterone overdose.
The patient had a partial hysterectomy (still had her ovaries) a number of years back. Her current symptoms included depression, and she had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She had used progesterone cream for some time but had stopped about six months before taking the Female Hormone Panel (FHP).
This gives me a couple of "soap box" opportunities. First, some doctors seem to truly believe that a woman without a uterus can't have hormone imbalance problems. I totally disagree. The uterus is just one organ that responds to hormones. Estrogen and progesterone receptors are found in many tissues throughout the body including the brain. Hormone imbalances can indeed affect how she feels. This seems so obvious.
Second, many, many people overdose from prolonged use of progesterone cream. It is promoted so heavily, so easily available, so inexpensive, and so readily absorbed. The real problem is several-fold in my opinion. It is difficult to get an exact individual dose. Because it does relieve a number of symptoms of estrogen dominance, I am sure that some use more than they should. But the most insidious problem comes from long-term use. Many women who use a topical progesterone product end up having it accumulate in their tissues. It then can release into the blood stream at very high levels. And we see this high-level release occur for months after the patient quits application. Of course, the high progesterone produces symptoms. I call this progesterone dominance.
Now, back to what the FHP revealed. The patient's DHEA was borderline low. Her estradiol and testosterone were normal. However, her progesterone was high, "off the chart" for all eleven samples.
This means that 1) accumulated progesterone has lingered from her prior cream use, 2) she is still being exposed to some hormone (perhaps a skin care product containing progesterone), or 3) she has some progesterone-producing tumor.
The very high levels observed could easily be involved in her current symptoms of depression and muscle pain. It will be difficult to help her feel better without knowing the source of the progesterone overdose.
The doctor's first step is to investigate whether the patient is still knowingly using a progesterone product (even though she told the doctor she quit six months ago). If not, then other products she uses may be the source.
I am so thankful the doctor ran this simple saliva test. Without it, we would not have guessed the patient had been overdosed or had a dangerous level of progesterone.
Warm regards,
Dr. Mark Rhodes, Ph.D.
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