Hey!

Thanks for reading and following this bizarre hormonal journey with me. I did another DUTCH test this month (March 2022) and recently got my results back. I am sharing these with you now because I whole heartedly believe that education, awareness, and empowerment in our own bodies is how we make remarkable change.

Here’s what I’ve noticed in the past two months with my cycle: actual days of bleeding were 24 and 18 days. The last cycle had very few clots and this is incredible since some of these were the size of my palm at one time on this journey.

The goal has been to increase my body’s stress resiliency. Let me explain: whether we think we are stressed or not is entirely different than what our physical body is experiencing. This is where it is important to LISTEN to the whispers. I’m busy and have three kids, so if you asked me if I was stressed, my answer would have been, “yeah. But I still have stuff to do.” Many women can relate to this as well. The signs that I were missing (or avoiding) were the increased bleeding or massive clot passing during exercise. Even if I was mildly bleeding, I would participate in exercise with my personal trainer and doing a goblet squat with a 20# kettlebell would instantly create heavy, horrific bleeding. Many times my heart rate would be within the “fat burning zone” or below this AND I made an effort to keep my heart rate out of the cardio zone for this very reason.

Seeing my first DUTCH results and how my cortisol was wonky and too low opened my eyes to truly how stressed my body was throughout this entire journey.

You can see how parts of my cortisol results were within the “normal” pathway, but remember that low-normal may still be symptomatic for someone! My progesterone was also very low (4.0) and within menopausal ranges, which is terrifying because I’m 35! The lack of progesterone was clearly creating a massive imbalance from estrogen to progesterone, putting me into an Estrogen Dominant position. My goal has been to increase the progesterone levels to ease these symptoms of estrogen dominance, but it cannot be stated enough: in order to improve your progesterone, STRESS MANAGEMENT techniques need to be implemented, practiced, and part of your life.

The relationship between progesterone and cortisol is unique. Progesterone is created within the ovaries primarily but it can also be created within the adrenal glands. Evidently the ovarian production shut down and my adrenal glands were so exhausted from trying to create progesterone and cortisol that my cortisol levels were also low. Functional Medicine refers to this scenario as the Progesterone/Cortisol Steal. So I worked on my stress levels, which means a number of things: I stopped drinking more than 2 cups of black coffee daily. My caffeine in the afternoon went from daily consumption to almost none and it turns out…I FEEL BETTER. I started using hot tea with adaptogenic herbs to support my adrenal glands instead. Daily meditation with my favorite Spotify playlist for 5 minutes to help me start my day. Focusing on nourishing foods and I reduced my exercise to daily walking for 20 min. and yoga 3-5 times per week. Reducing the exercise was the hardest part, I’ll be honest. But this was clearly creating more inflammation and stress on my body, so I knew what I needed to do. Protein, fat, and carb at each meal to keep a balanced blood sugar and make sure that I’m actually eating enough calories! Supplements included chasteberry, omega 3, D3 with K2, Magtein, and later I added a bioidentical progesterone serum. Here are my updated results:

You can see the massive difference in the cortisol change and most importantly, I can feel the difference. My fatigue is only noticeable when it’s time to go to bed. My alertness is also much more appropriate and that means I have less irritability too! Notice how the progesterone had almost no change; this is the Progesterone/Cortisol steal I was talking about earlier. That is why it is SO IMPORTANT to understand that all of this is interconnected and focusing all of the efforts onto one thing, is not in the best interest of the patient. Also, my estrogen (E2) is almost half of what it was. This is wonderful and matches my symptoms of less intensity in the bleeding and the fact that the clots are almost gone.

So, what’s the new game plan?

Adding in strength training 2-3 times per week, continuing the daily walking for 20 min., and increasing my Progesterone serum along with adding in a supplement to help keep my cortisol balanced. I’m keeping track of my cycle and the length and intensity (as should every woman). In July 2022, I will do another DUTCH test to continue to monitor this improvement as well as reassess my fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and A1C labs.

Another thing that I want to touch on is when you are making health changes, there needs to be a “reassessment date.” I have these dates in my calendar because it ensures I am not forgetting about myself, I’m staying accountable, and I can track improvement over a period of time. Twelve weeks is about the time line in which you want to assess and reassess these changes. And if I am being completely honest, there were SO MANY DAYS that I was frustrated, angry, wanted to give up and just get a hysterectomy (like what was recommended to me), etc. The reason I mention this is because we subconsciously want to see improvements/changes immediately. I had to constantly remind myself that “change is a process.” This means that I am not going to notice a difference in symptoms in 5 days, 10 days, or 30 days. It’s likely that you aren’t either! Zoom out when you’re making these changes and look at the big picture! When I zoom out, I see that my bleeding went from 110+ consecutive days of more than 100 tampons AND pads/week to 18 days with the use of ~5 tampons. If I kept my lens zoomed in, I would be focusing on the fact that I am bleeding for 18 days and would missed the progress that has been made.

My advice to every woman: manage your stress or it will will manifest as disease and then literally try to kill you. Treat your body with respect and love. Use professionals and build a tribe of support around yourself! Never stop learning!

If you have questions about this journey or the DUTCH test, let me know. I’d love to help.

-Dr. Kelsey

Hormone Wildfire: IT'S WORKING

My advice to every woman: manage your stress or it will will manifest as disease and then literally try to kill you. Treat your body with respect and love. Use professionals and build a tribe of support around yourself! Never stop learning!