A Woman’s Dilemma

A woman’s dilemma

My name is Susanne and I just joined your network and read parts of your information. First let me thank you, Catherine, for what you do for all the women around the world who have to fight for education and support in their search for health.

I am 42 and live in Canada (my husband and I moved here 6 1/2 years ago from Switzerland). At age 33 I had a hysterectomy (I still have my ovaries) and ever since I am battling with a non existent sex drive.

At first I was told that my body needed time to adjust to the changes after the operation. I accepted that. Then we moved to Canada and I had to come to terms with some things like finding a GP and language problems before I was able to talk to my new doctor about my problem. He didn?t seem to care too much for my symptoms and it took me 3 years to finally get him to react.

Based on at the time 2 years old test results on testosterone and estrogen he gave me a prescription for 40 mg of testosterone saying that my levels were within a normal range and he didn?t think this would help me. And it didn?t. So after 2 months he didn?t renew the prescription and then tried some other things like Viagra (!). He also offered me some prescription strength anti depression medication. In all cases stating that he didn?t think this to help. He didn?t say it but made me feel that he thought that my problem was strictly in my head. He denied me a referral to a specialist until half a year ago when I told him that now my husband was starting to suffer from the situation too. This was what it took to finally get him to send me to a gynecologist.

My hopes were up ? but only to be crushed last week when I had that appointment.

After my last visit at my GP?s I started searching the internet for answers. I did some 20 plus hours of research starting with the search for a laboratory which would do testing for me without the involvement of a physician as I knew that my GP wouldn?t order any tests. He had stated that he didn?t think it necessary to spend money on tests (in Ontario health care is government funded)! When I finally found ZRT Laboratories in Oregon USA I read about progesterone for the first time. I ordered tests for testosterone, progesterone, estradiol and DHEA. The results confirmed what I had suspected: my progesterone is only about 35 % of what the minimum level should be. The estradiol/progesterone ratio is even worse: only about 9 % of what it should be. The other hormones are within normal ranges. So last week when I had my appointment at the gynecologist?s I told him about the tests. He didn?t even look at the results. He didn?t hear me out and kept cutting me off whenever I tried to say something. Instead of answering my questions he held me a one-hour lecture in testosterone and after a 3-minute examination dismissed me with a prescription for the same testosterone my GP had given me half a year ago and the diagnosis that everything was just fine with me.

You can imagine how I felt when I came home!

The next morning my husband woke me with the announcement that he had found a web site I would be interested in (we are self-employed and he is an early riser while I like to sleep in). I must say that he has been a tremendous help in the whole thing. Always supportive and understanding he helped me all those years, never complaining about a thing.

What he had found was your web-site. I read it and signed up in your network the same day. By now I?ve read a big part of the Resource Library and am more than ever convinced that natural progesterone is the answer to my problems.

Thank you so much for your advise. If you don?t mind I will keep you posted on my progress in this matter.

Sincerely
Susanne