Not sure about the endocrinologist, can you ask your GP about this? I'm in the UK, where not only is healthcare free (though waiting lists for specialists can be tricky), but all referrals to specialists go through your existing doctor, you don't self-refer. Not sure if it's the same with you.
Out of curiosity, how's your sleep? And how much sunlight do you get? Bright light therapy may be worth a shot. It's best known for treating Seasonal Affective Disorder (winter depression caused by insufficient light exposure), but it has a pretty good success rate with non-seasonal depression as well, in fact it's as good as anti-depressants, or nearly, according to the research I've read. The Zadro light box is fairly cheap on eBay, I've just noticed, and that's meant to be one of the good ones. I've actually written a website about sleep problems, light therapy and darkness therapy, so if you're interested go and have a wander around there.
Have you ever tried FAM (Fertility Awareness Method) charting? It's easy to learn, fairly practical for most people, and will tell you a fair amount about your hormones. If your temperatures are consistently low, for instance, that strongly suggests hypothyroidism. If you're not ovulating, that's telling as well. 24-27 days is a pretty regular cycle, though. Mine varies from about 20 to 36, though usually less than that, and mine's only considered mildly irregular. Seriously irregular is when your cycles can last for several months. Of course, you can have fairly regular cycles and still have buggered-up hormones.
Out of curiosity, how's your sleep? And how much sunlight do you get? Bright light therapy may be worth a shot. It's best known for treating Seasonal Affective Disorder (winter depression caused by insufficient light exposure), but it has a pretty good success rate with non-seasonal depression as well, in fact it's as good as anti-depressants, or nearly, according to the research I've read. The Zadro light box is fairly cheap on eBay, I've just noticed, and that's meant to be one of the good ones. I've actually written a website about sleep problems, light therapy and darkness therapy, so if you're interested go and have a wander around there.
Have you ever tried FAM (Fertility Awareness Method) charting? It's easy to learn, fairly practical for most people, and will tell you a fair amount about your hormones. If your temperatures are consistently low, for instance, that strongly suggests hypothyroidism. If you're not ovulating, that's telling as well. 24-27 days is a pretty regular cycle, though. Mine varies from about 20 to 36, though usually less than that, and mine's only considered mildly irregular. Seriously irregular is when your cycles can last for several months. Of course, you can have fairly regular cycles and still have buggered-up hormones.
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I have an endocrinologist appt, any suggestions on what else I should ask about besides thyroid and estrogen/progesterone?
I'll look up FAm, thank you!
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