I need help, my hormones are ruining my life

[PrisonerOfMyHormones]

For the past 18 months after giving birth to my youngest my hormones have spiralled out of whack. It took me a long time to make the connection as prior to realising these things were linked to my cycle, I thought I was getting ill every month and losing my mind.

During ovulation I feel nauseous and unwell then I'll have a week(ish) of feeling 'just ok' then the horrendous PMS kicks in around 16-18th of the month until my period starts.

It feels like i have literal flu every month with anxiety and depression thrown in for good measure and I can barely function for 2 weeks out of 4.

Oh, I also have hormonal acne

I'm due on in a couple of days and last night had terribly painful body aches (this is a new one for me!)

I'm currently taking evening primrose oil daily and have introduced agnus castus, magnesium and b6 as of last week.

I'm not on any birth control as I tend to react badly to most medications but I'm at the point now where I'd consider anything.

Can anybody relate and if so what helped you?

I have acupuncture once a month for hormonal mood swings, depression and anxiety. It helps me a lot.

@OneToThree

I have acupuncture once a month for hormonal mood swings, depression and anxiety. It helps me a lot.

That's interesting, I wasn't aware that was something that could help hormones. I'm actually on an NHS waiting list for acupuncture, albeit due to another condition I have (TMD)

I'll make some enquiries today and see whether anywhere offering it privately have been able to stay open due to covid.

Thank you

I can relate - I’ve only just linked the symptoms you describe word for word to my hormones.
Ovulation I get lower abdomen pain, nausea, exhaustion. Pre-period I am stressed, agitated and anxious - generally not a version of myself that I like very much.
Then if I’m really lucky I’ll have a 48 hour migraine when my period finishes.
I don’t have any suggestions, but I’m considering a chat with my GP soon as it’s starting to have a big impact on me.

@Zwerty

I can relate - I’ve only just linked the symptoms you describe word for word to my hormones. Ovulation I get lower abdomen pain, nausea, exhaustion. Pre-period I am stressed, agitated and anxious - generally not a version of myself that I like very much. Then if I’m really lucky I’ll have a 48 hour migraine when my period finishes. I don’t have any suggestions, but I’m considering a chat with my GP soon as it’s starting to have a big impact on me.

I'm sorry you've been enduring the same, it really is such a hindrance isn't it.

I find it impossible to enjoy at the minute because I'm a slave to these damn hormones.

I'm also considering a chat with my GP. I psyche myself up to make the call during 'hell week' then tell myself I'd best not bother them with it, covid and all.

I forgot to include this in my OP but my lymph nodes also swell during this part of my cycle, it's like my body sees the fluctuating hormones as the enemy so to speak and tries to fight off the thing that makes me feel so unwell.

@PrisonerOfMyHormones

For the past 18 months after giving birth to my youngest my hormones have spiralled out of whack. It took me a long time to make the connection as prior to realising these things were linked to my cycle, I thought I was getting ill every month and losing my mind.

During ovulation I feel nauseous and unwell then I'll have a week(ish) of feeling 'just ok' then the horrendous PMS kicks in around 16-18th of the month until my period starts.

It feels like i have literal flu every month with anxiety and depression thrown in for good measure and I can barely function for 2 weeks out of 4.

Oh, I also have hormonal acne

I'm due on in a couple of days and last night had terribly painful body aches (this is a new one for me!)

I'm currently taking evening primrose oil daily and have introduced agnus castus, magnesium and b6 as of last week.

I'm not on any birth control as I tend to react badly to most medications but I'm at the point now where I'd consider anything.

Can anybody relate and if so what helped you?

Ovulation pain and hormonal acne suggests pcos to me. Have you seen a gp?

Have you looked up PMDD? All those supplements sound good and will take a little time to kick in. I found magnesium and B complex took away the crashing tiredness. I also read Period Power by Maisie hill which really helped me understand the general ebb and flow. She talks about seasons of a cycle which I found really useful. Good luck, it’s an awful thing x

I haven't seen a GP but that was long before I realised it was a hormonal problem.

A few months after my youngest was born I started to get "ill" once a month and had ongoing issues with swollen lymph nodes. The GP ran blood tests and nothing showed up. I had a scan for the lymph nodes and that didn't show anything sinister either.

Once the scary things were ruled out I didn't push for further tests and made my own conclusion that my immune system was probably just low after losing alot of blood during childbirth and having sepsis.

I muddled on getting "ill" every month until it became clear that having a weakened immune system post childbirth wouldn't drag on for as long as it was doing so that clearly wasn't what was going on.

I finally made the link to hormones and started tracking my cycle after the pandemic started, low and behold I was getting "ill" at the same time every month on the dot.

I'm convinced it's PMDD I'm dealing with and have wondered whether PCOS too, the only thing that makes me doubt PCOS is the fact I fell pregnant very quickly with my two youngest (15 months apart)

I have seen a GP but that was long before I realised it was a hormonal problem - that was supposed to say.

For me this was linked to low thyroid levels & got much better with medication

Give the agnus castus a bit of time to work. I discovered that if I combine this with Lady's Mantle it is a life changer (and I make sure I never run out). [I am peri-menopausal, so older than you but my hormones were running riot and I have suffered from awful PMT in the past].
I also take DIM (Diindolylmethane) and CDG (Calcium D-Glucarate) (a combined one that has some very good reviews for acne has made a vast improvement to my DS's (20) acne and I have just bought it for my DD to take it too as her acne has flared after having her daughter). Here's the link to the combined one - usually cheapest on Amazon, but sometimes not in stock. www.healthmonthly.co.uk/jarrow_dim_plus_calcium_d-glucarate
Also, a good B vitamin complex that has B12 as well as B6
Hope this helps and things settle down for you as it is miserable having hormone imbalance.

@MedicineHat

For me this was linked to low thyroid levels & got much better with medication

I'm not %100 sure whether my thyroid levels were checked when I was going through blood tests with the GP before. I will try to find out and if not will see if they'll investigate that as an option. Thank you

Hormone tracker app really helps me, I know what to expect, I can go into a lower gear for those days and that really helps me get through it.
I went back to basics with diet, exercise, sleep:

Plenty of dietary iron, red meats, greens, water intake

exercise long long walks definitely made a difference for me - noticeably less cramping pain etc

Sleep - apparently we need more sleep during the week before period and that is supposed to bolster us up for the impending period days

Also as another poster said, learning to ride the wave of the cycle really helps - so more self care, self soothing, self awareness, self comfort warm blankets etc and ride out the storm as it were

Easier said than done though

Try a very healthy diet, this means booze, no caffine, no processed sugar and lots of veg, it helps me with hormone issues.

@NanaRant

Give the agnus castus a bit of time to work. I discovered that if I combine this with Lady's Mantle it is a life changer (and I make sure I never run out). [I am peri-menopausal, so older than you but my hormones were running riot and I have suffered from awful PMT in the past]. I also take DIM (Diindolylmethane) and CDG (Calcium D-Glucarate) (a combined one that has some very good reviews for acne has made a vast improvement to my DS's (20) acne and I have just bought it for my DD to take it too as her acne has flared after having her daughter). Here's the link to the combined one - usually cheapest on Amazon, but sometimes not in stock. www.healthmonthly.co.uk/jarrow_dim_plus_calcium_d-glucarate Also, a good B vitamin complex that has B12 as well as B6 Hope this helps and things settle down for you as it is miserable having hormone imbalance.

Thank you Nanarant I'll definitely look into those supplements!

I'd much sooner try something natural than go straight to birth control as I tend to have bad reactions to synthetic hormones and most prescription meds

I have PMDD and its horrible. I take Angus cactus and other supplements daily and am prescribed Tranexamic Acid for the week of my period. It took 3 months to take effect and now I only have 1 awful day around ovulation and 1 awful day just before my period. Much more manageable.

Regarding diet and exercise, if I'm truthful I could try alot harder than I do in those regards.

I went on a health kick last month determined to lose a stone but after struggling to shift a single lb in a fortnight after alot of effort I lost motivation

That's another issue I suspect is influenced by my imbalanced hormones, I've gained more weight in the past year than ever before and I just cannot lose it.

I'm encouraged by the comments about agnus castus, I'll definitely keep on taking it

I could have written some of these posts word for word. I have a 13 month old and I found when I was pregnant, I was quite stable emotionally! Before and after, not so much!

I've found the Hormone Horoscope app helps. It tells you where you are in your cycle and what levels are rising and falling. I HATE some of the wording but if you ignore that, knowing where you are in your cycle is helpful. It tells me one hormone is rising and I might feel anxious. I was having the worst anxiety that day, so knowing that's all it was helped immensely.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm losing my mind with it. Also considered GP but I just can't imagine myself ever going. I'm terrible.

Also, I've just downloaded a journaling app (Day One) for my phone to start writing how I feel. I've found that's helped so far too.

Where do people buy lady's mantle and agnus cactus from?

Thank you for the recommendations, hello.

I'll go and have a look at the hormone horoscope app now.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm losing my mind with it. Also considered GP but I just can't imagine myself ever going. I'm terrible.

Very relatable! I had no problem going to my GP before covid when I thought there was something serious going on (suspected lymphoma - due to my lymph nodes) but once that was ruled out I didn't feel able to keep going back about the same things.

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this too.

TMD you say?

My dsis really suffers with her hormones and is in the throws of a terrible TMJ episode. She's beginning to think it's linked.

There is a private doctor, called the menopause Dr, but basically she specialises in women's hormones. She has a website and app. I'd check her out if I was you. She is meant to be brilliant

Huge second for DIM supplement - life changing.
My acne went after 3 weeks and has never came back. Ditto PMS symptoms.

Same. I use biovea estriol cream and progesterone cream to regulate and that can really help

@Justthebeerlighttoguide

Where do people buy lady's mantle and agnus cactus from?

I got mine from eBay,

Nature's aid (PremEeze) agnus castus

It cost around £10

@DonLewis

TMD you say?

My dsis really suffers with her hormones and is in the throws of a terrible TMJ episode. She's beginning to think it's linked.

There is a private doctor, called the menopause Dr, but basically she specialises in women's hormones. She has a website and app. I'd check her out if I was you. She is meant to be brilliant

TMD indeed yes, it all started around the same time as this hormone lark.. after I had my youngest.

Bloody awful it is, I'm in daily pain but it flares up the most during PMS week.

I'm going to look up the menopause Dr in a minute, thank you!

I hope your DD gets some relief from the TMD soon. I've had it almost 2 years and have to take baclofen 3 x daily and more ibuprofen than my stomach can comfortably handle. It's the pits.

I don't know if she has tried this, but before lockdown I did get alot of relief by seeing an osteopath.