FSH and Estradiol concern etc

[Suett]

Hope you can help.
I am 52. Had an endometrial ablation due to excessive periods 12/06.
I am puzzled by these results.

How can Estradiol be so high when FSH so low. Doc said I should have
some spotting during period time but I have not had any type of
period in 3 months. I have been a bit hypertyroid because my doc
started me on too high a dose of Thyrolar (T3 and T4 combo).

Can too much tyroid increase DHEA, Testosterone , and Estradiol?

Results: All serum - 8 am(no sure what day of cycle cause of ablation
and a bit hypertyroid)

FSH 5.2 miu/ml
Estradiol 264 pg/ml
Testosterone total 35 range 2-45 ng/dl
DHEAS 102 <430 ng/dl

Thank you kindly,
Sue T

[Gibb]

In the past 5 months I have had a lumpectomy, mastectomy and chemotherapy.  I am now in menapause and I am a little confused about the levels that determine menopause.

The most recent blood test I had was 12th June and the results show

S FSH                 64.84                     IU/L
S LH                    22.67                     IU/L
S OESTRADIOL   <44                        pmol/L

Are these result a guarantee that I am in menopause or could it just be a result of the chemotherapy.   I am certainly having hot and cold flushes.  I am 46 years old and had a routine mammogram which showed one lobular carcinoma, when in fact there were 3 once the breast was removed and the slicing of the biopsy revealed 3.

I am a fitness instructor so I have got through this reasonably well.

Your comments would be appreciated.

Thank you

[Suett]

Thank you so much for your help.

I forgot to mention that I was taking as much as 10 mg of Cortef per day to support my low adrenal function.

Would Cortef interfere with the FSH and  Estradiol situation??

I had a Salvia test done a couple weeks befoe the serum testing and the testosterone was slightly above high normal above and DHEA was double the high normal range. Estradiol and projest were normal on the salivia test.

I appreciate your help very much,

Sue T

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

Your blood test values for FSH and estradiol can be normal if you are still ovulating. However, the FSH being only 5.2 is rather low for a woman who is 52, even if she is still ovulating. Estradiol does make FSH values lower, so if your estrogen is high enough (264 pg/ml is roughly at the level of its peak value at a normal mid-cycle) it could be a normal situation making the FSH 5.2. Again, that is an unusually low FSH for a 52 year old woman.

There is also the possibility that you are making estrogen from another source. Sometimes an ultrasound of the ovary is helpful as it would pick up any cysts or  tumors on the ovary that could be making estrogen.

Thyroid usually makes estrogen values lower. It increases a protein (TEBG) in the blood that binds up the estrogen, and that makes the net amount actually lower.

Machelle Seibel, MD