Hormone Levels

I just had some major blood work done recently b/c I was testing for food allergies.  I have no food allergies, but the tests came back with some unusual results on my hormone levels.  

I am 26 years old.  I have been on the pill (Yasmina) for about 5 years.  

My prolactin level is 26.3 ug/L.  My estradiol level is <70 pmol/L.  My follicle stimulating hormone is <0.3 IU/L

The GP said that I should have levels of estradiol closer to 500!  And he says all these levels look more like a menopausal women than a healthy 26 year old.  

I am outside of the United States at the moment and not insured.  I want to know if I should be panicking!?  Are there any recommendations?  What should I do?

Thank you in advance for your advice.

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!

You are fine.  The pill is suppressing your natural estrogen level and replacing it with synthetic estrogen. This is obvious to me because number one you are on the pill, and number two, your FSH is very low.  If you were in menopause, your FSH would be HIGH--more like 50 IU/L.  It is not terribly useful to measure hormone levels when someone is on the pill, as you can't really interpret the results.

I don't know what the upper limit of normal is for prolactin at your lab, but yours may be a little elevated, again, due to the pill.

Personally, I wouldn't worry, but if you wanted, you could go off the pill for a month and then repeat the lab work.  I'm sure it will be very different if you do!

Good luck and don't worry!
Dr B