Female Hormones in Lyme

(This is long but it was my blog from my Lyme site, wanted to share with all you ladies!)

Lyme and co-infections affect ALL hormones by interfering with the parts of the brain that control hormone production, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. All hormones (thyroid, adrenal, growth hormone, melatonin, ADH (anti diuretic hormone), and sex hormones are often low.

In addition to low hormones, hormone receptors can be affected- so blood tests may be "okay," but you feel like your hormones are low (see my women's health website, phulicohanmd.com for lists of low hormone symptoms). In addition to low hormones our liver can have problems activating and breaking down (metabolizing) hormones. So what does this mean?

Well, we infected ladies can become raging lunatics- particularly those of us still cycling (thank God I am 53 and done!). You can expect worsening Lyme symptoms during PMS weeks, (highest hormone levels) and during (or right after) your period (lowest hormone levels). To complicate this further, Lyme has its very own 4 week cycles......

So what's chronically infected woman to do? Two things: (1) support your liver and (2) support your sex hormones.

Liver Support

The liver is where hormones are processed, activated and broken down. There is a saying in Chinese medicine,"happy liver, happy woman."

In Lyme our liver is already overwhelmed clearing away dead bacteria, and processing antibiotics/medications and hormones. It's no surprise that liver nutrients become depleted, leading to a "congested" liver. This can cause us to feel sluggish, irritable and depressed. We may also have headaches, nausea, breast swelling, menstrual cramps, abdominal bloating, constipation or diarrhea, and nipple itching. Add to this hormone fluctuations and Lyme, Bart,and Babesia toxins and its a mess.

Things that help the liver:

1. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, dairy, sugar as much as possible (I know we are doing this most of the time so let’s not get too hard on ourselves- my opinion, this diseases is hard enough). If you have to cheat do it before ovulation!

2. Supplements like milk thistle and Lipotropic Complex (I like the one made by Integrative Health). Talk to your doc about these. At first use them daily (start slow to avoid nausea if your liver is particularly sluggish) and after you are doing better you can use them in the 2 weeks before your cycle.

3. Liver nutrients are important and can be taken anytime of the month, but run them by your doctor! The most important supplement for the liver is probably vitamin C, 1000 mg 2-4 times/day (too much and your bowels can loosen), lipoic acid, 100 mg twice daily, B vitamins- particularly Folic acid (many of us need methyl folate (Deplin prescription, or Folapro, by Metagenics), methyl B12, NAC, 500-1500 mg/day, Calcium -D glucarate, 1500-3000 mg/day (I talk about this in my book), reservatrol (expensive and I don't use it much but popular in Lyme books), pycnogenol (another expensive one use a little here and there). CoQ10 is great and can be measured- but it interferes with Mepron action so has to be used at the right time.

4. Acupuncture is great for Lyme and if possible schedule appointments in the 2 weeks before your cycle.

5. Food: wheat grass, green vegie drinks (see my juicing blog below), ground flax seeds (must be ground to work), sprouts (all of them and so cheap to do yourself),legumes (beans and lentils), dark greens (kale is best!!), cruciferous vegies (bok choy, broccoli, cabbage...)

6. Exercise. I know must of us can barely get out of bed many days but what ever you can do helps. Gentle movements can help the liver. Whatever stretching you can do helps. Yoga is great and helps the immune system.

7. Detox such as body brushing followed by infrared sauna or detox baths and colonics all help

Supporting Your Hormones

Natural hormone support is safe and can help you deal with Lyme. At any age, the stress of chronic infections lowers progesterone, (a precursor to cortisol). I like to think of progesterone as a "luxury" hormone because she is only made during "good" times ie times suitable to make babies (no infections, stress and lots of food). Lyme and chronic stress are not such times (maybe nature's way of protecting us against getting pregnant while infected). Also our infinitely wise body will always make cortisol over progesterone. Evolution does not care if we are a little crabby or bloated, while fighting wild beasts and infections.

Low progesterone can cause: heavy bleeding, short cycles (every 26 days of less), skipped cycles, headaches, insomnia, PMS/moodiness/sadness, bloating, or bowel upset, all before the period.

If you suspect your hormones are off, these blood tests (on days 19 to 21 if you are cycling) can help:

-Progesterone (it should be over 11).
-Thyroid (TSH, free T3 and free T4). TSH should be over 2.0

If needed, use natural progesterone (orally or skin cream) on days 15- 25 of your cycle. (Details of how to do this are in my book, The Natural Hormone Makeover)

If your ovaries are forty years old (or older), know that you no longer make progesterone reliably and your estrogen may be starting to drop also.

Estrogen normally starts to fall a few years later than progesterone, but Lyme can speed this up. It is not uncommon for infected women to show signs of low progesterone and low estrogen in their late thirties.

Signs of low estrogen are headache, fatigue, hot flashes, sweats, lack of sex drive, vaginal dryness, urinary frequency, hair loss, dry eyes, dry skin, dry throat, dry everything- all during and after the period. These symptoms are a lot like a bad Lyme day, so if in doubt, measure an Estradiol level. It changes day to day but, if its under 60, consider using natural Estradiol, (skin lotion, gel, or patch).

Vaginal discomfort (dryness, pain, and itching) can be hard to tell from yeast overgrowth. Estriol vaginal suppositories (made by Bezwecken and available online) are great. I alternate these with yeast suppositories as needed. Let your doc know if you start these (Estriol). Estriol vaginal suppositories are safe (they can be used by women with breast cancer). Start with one/per day for a week, then one every 3-4 days as needed.

Transdermal (topical) testosterone is sometimes needed and can even be used vaginally. I only give it after I have supported a woman's DHEA (DHEA-S above 120), as most women make testosterone from DHEA. You have to be careful with Testosterone as it can cause hair loss (use Saw Palmetto to avoid this). Be sure to have your doc check a free testosterone level.

pcpc,

Thank you so much for posting this great information. Would you mind if I emailed you? I have a few questions.

pcpc,

Thank you so much for your post! This is very helpful to all of us!

PC: When you state that most hormones are lower than normal in Lymies, do you ever seen that Lyme makes the levels higher than normal? I have high testosterone (I am female) and very high estradiol. Estradiol is 4X the normal range for someone post menopausal. Do you think this could be from Lyme or  is there something else going on? Thanks so much ~ Dowa

wow, thanks for the great info !

What do you know about Cortisol?  I'm high.  My TSH, T3 are wnl.  My testosterone and alkaland phosphotase are low.

Thanks again for all your great  western and eastern medical info.

Lisa

Thank you PC. Maybe when I said the estradiol is 4X what is should be for postmenopausal, I should have added that I AM postmenopause. Thanks for your reply. D

pcpc said:

"Thyroid (TSH, free T3 and free T4). TSH should be over 2.0"

I think this is supposed to read "TSH should NOT be over 2.0."

I struggled to find a doc to treat my "subclinical hypothroidism", so I would hate for this to go un-noticed.

Thanks!

This is great information, thank you. But I have some questions.

I was diagnosed w/ Hashimoto's years ago, have always felt very fatigued along with mood problems, constipation, insomnia....3 years ago things got considerably bad. Went from doctor to doctor to doctor trying to get well. Found out my adrenals were barely making any cortisol and I have adrenal antibodies. I also was diagnosed w/ Celiac disease. So began my treatment of all of my low "hormones". I was on every and all thyroid med combos, then started hydrocortisone for adrenals. The normal dose is 30-40mg. It did nothing for me so my doc raised and raised my doses, thinking I must be cortisol resistant. Then started raising thyroid meds, then added dhea, then testosterone, then progesterone. Oh my! Since January of this year, I felt like I was dying, getting worse and worse. It made no sense WHY after taking these hormones that I was low in, that nothing was helping. Well, then came the lyme diagnosis in July. My reading said lyme blockes the HPA receptor sites - it finally made sense why taking these hormones weren't working. I've been on abx for 3 months now, very slight improvement.

My question is: How can I treat the hormones if the lyme is blocking them from working? I believe I've had lyme over 20 years so it is complicated especially since it seems to have caused these other health problems. I'm trying to just hold my current hormone doses and attack the lyme hoping the hormones will eventually kick in.

I have every imaginable test result if that might help. I'm not sure what to do about my hormones at this point at all except wait. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

So, after reading all this I am perplexed. According to what I read I should be doing HRT. However, when I tried it last month it made my head SOOO much worse. I was on a HALF Vivelle patch (lowest dose), Progesterone and Testosterone. I started with Prog. first and that made my head a little worse. Then a week later started the Vivelle and that was REALLY BAD. Unable to function. I have all the menopause symptoms (sweating, fatigue, etc.) and feel like I need something, but it makes me worse.

So right now I'm on Biaxin and Plaquenil and hoping it helps.

My Free T3 and Adrenals were low, as well as norepinephran and seratonin, so they are having me wean off Lexapro and going on Effexor, which she said should help because it helps both those, not just the seratonin.

Any advise??

Thanks!

I have a question.

I am a 56 yr old female.  I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism at the age of 23.  I had part of my thyroid killed off with radioactive iodine three years later.  They took too much, so I am now hypothyroid.  I have been feeling swelling in my throat since September.  In the past year, my TSH has been rising.  Last March it was 1.8.  In September is was 4.22, and in Feb. of this year it is 5.08.  I recently had my T4 done and it is at 22.  Because my TSH and T4 are high, but still in the normal range, my MD says it's ok.  I think I need it looked at more.  I'm not sure if some of my symptoms are from Lyme or my Thyroid.  My hair is falling out, I lots 45 pounds quickly at the beginning of my treatment for Lyme in the beginning of last year, but wonder if my thyroid has anything to do with it.  I do feel pressure and a fullness in my neck, but my MD says I don't have a goiter, so not to worry.  Of course I do.

 

My ND who is treating my Lyme, has me on Thyroid support.  I haven't noticed any change.  Do you think I should have more testing, my synthroid dose adjusted somehow or do you think my MD is right?  My ND thinks my TSH should not be over 2.0.  Not sure what I should do.  My MD does not support me in my Lyme abx treatment.  Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.  Should I insist on some more testing?

 

I'm not a numbers person, but what I do know is that sometimes "just being in the normal range" is not adequate for everyone.  Some people need to be onthe high end of normal to thrive, or on the low end of normal to thrive, and if they're somewhere else in the spectrum, they may not feel well.  You both might want to check out a book called "Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? by Datis Kharrazian (no affiliation).

Dianne--I had cognitive symptoms, too--difficulty with higher-level thinking, memory, remembering words, etc.  Kelp (kombu) contains glutamate, which is extracted and used as a flavor enhancer is most processed foods (akin to MSG).  It is an excitotoxin, and it causes brain neurons to keep firing until they die.  That may be contributing to your headaches.  (See Russell Blaylock's book, "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills," pg. xviii) --no affiliation.

If you're looking for a good source of iodine, you might want to try dulse seaweed.

 

I have low female hormones and several symptoms you described. After being sick many years and getting diagnosed this year with Lyme I started seeing a hormone Doctor. At that point I had lost 20 pounds (am thin) and about a 1/4 of my hair fell out and changed texture. Developed hypothyroidism too and tried thyroid medicine but that made my heart go nuts and even more tired. So am off that now but am on bio identical hormones estroidol, testosterone, and progesterone. I believe the hormones have helped me and certainly made my skin less dry. Had been on HRT prior went off because of the negative studies, although in low doses they should be fairly safe. The Dr keeps wanting me to try cortisol but it can be counter productive to healing Lyme...so I am trying to avoid it. Good luck to you as you find out what works.