PCOS or something else ?

[Miribella]

Hello ,
this may get a bet lengthy but stick with me, please. It is a bit complicated and my story spans over 10+ years.
I am 34 years old. I had my first period when I was 11 and was always regular. Lots of cramps but I could pin point to the day my period was coming.When I was 21 my menstrual cycle stopped. For about 2 years I did not have any periods what so ever. Then, the opposite occurred. I was bleeding constantly. A blood test once showed high prolactin levels but I was not pregnant. It also took a year to get an MRI done because I did not have insurance at that time and it did not show any pituitary gland tumors. So I was diagnosed with secondary amenorrhea but no reason as to why . I was put on birth control which was hell. At that point I had packed on at least 100 lbs and the pills made everything worse. I bled thru a super plus tampon and a thick pad in a matter of an hour. I was so depressed and disappointed I kind of gave up. In 2014 I picked myself up and decided I need to fix this. I was still bleeding 2 wks out of the month and every time I got stressed, which was a lot, I would have heavy bleeding with big clots. I  saw a gyno , she did an intravaginal ultrasound, there were no cysts but she said I have PCOS symptoms. She suggested I lose weight and take progesterone from days 1-12 to stop the bleeding and regulate my cycle. The progesterone was working but I can not lose weight. I tried everything, I mean everything. Gym 5 days a week for month, proper nutrition , but nothing helps. I lost maybe 20 lbs and I hit a plateau. What can I do ? I can not live like this anymore I am 400 lbs now , depressed, unhealthy and it is difficult to be in a relationship due to the bleeding..... I need help. What is wrong with me ? Thank you for reading.....Miriam

[TheLightSeeker]

Hello Miriam.
I am so sorry you are going through all this.
Well, definitely, you have a serious hormonal dysregulation.
Estrogen dominance is likely and the progesterone was prescribed to help rebalance your Estrogen/Progesterone levels.
It my opinion that bio-identical progesterone cream will be superior to anything else.
I don't know what type you are on now.
The Estrogen dominance predisposes you to PCOS and the progesterone is necessary to keep the PCOS symptoms in check.
The Estrogen dominance has affected your thyroid receptor, so it is not sensitive to thyroid hormones, which actually means that you are hypothyroid.
Now there's the possibility that your intake (unknowingly)
of xenoestrogens and phytoestrogens  is significant enough to render the progesterone you are currently taking, inadequate to fully correct the estrogen dominance.
In  addition to this, your own body at your age has lower
progesterone than before, thus amplifying the imbalance.
So do some research on xenoestrogens and phytoestrogens,  to know what chemicals and foods to avoid.
My opinion about girls having their periods earlier, like at 11 or even earlier, have a lot to do with xeno and phytoestrogen exposure from a very young age.
Diet and exercise won't help much till your hormonal issues are corrected, which might take a little time.
My suggestion is that you get Free T3, Free T4 and Reverse T3 thyroid test. All 3 are necessary.
Do not accept the standard tests, because they will not
detect any hypothyroidism, since your thyroid receptors
are not sensitive to the thyroid hormones.
In your case it is type 2 hypothyroidism or thyroid resistance (suspected).
If this is indeed the case, a trial of a starting dose of Cytomel (which is only T3) is well warranted.
Sometimes a minimal dose of natural desiccated thyroid might be needed as well, however, the treating practitioner will assess this by frequent monitoring and your clinical symptoms.
I hope you can find a very knowledgeable functional medicine doctor to help you with all this.
Let me know if you need any more details.
Please note that my comments and suggestions are not
a substitute medical advice.
Best wishes,
Niko