How hormones affect your mental health

silentowl74 said:Something along these lines PDP? Ah, you Americans...

Brandon Lopez6 said:I know thyroid issues can totally tank your mood and lead to depression, but I’m wondering how everything else plays into it—specifically female sex hormones.

I was falling down a Google rabbit hole yesterday and honestly, the info out there is all over the place. I really need someone to break this down with some solid facts, preferably in plain English that won't make my head spin 🙈.

Brandon Lopez6 said:I was actually thinking more about a deficiency, since I don't even ovulate.
I’m one of those "lucky" women who deals with missing periods entirely—I can go two years without one if I feel like it (tried skipping once, and nobody bothered to mention I might end up hitting early menopause 😳).

I'm asking purely because my mental health took a massive turn for the better once I started on these birth control pills that actually work for me. I never really connected the dots before, but these pills haven't made my mood worse; instead, they basically wiped out all the issues that had been messing with my head for two and a half years.

Brandon Lopez6 said:I know thyroid issues can totally tank your mood and lead to depression, but I’m wondering how everything else plays into it—specifically female sex hormones.

I was falling down a Google rabbit hole yesterday and honestly, the info out there is all over the place. I really need someone to break this down with some solid facts, preferably in plain English that won't make my head spin 🙈.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:I’m not entirely sure how much you’ve looked into this, but please, do yourself a favor and Google everything there is to know about amenorrhea. It’s vital.
PCOS... ah, is there anything else on your list?😢
Generally speaking, this tends to be quite a complex psychological issue.
Roughly put—you simply don't want to be a woman.😍
In truth, it’s often suppressed anger toward one's mother, stemming from a deep-seated fear of losing that sense of protection.
From a purely medical standpoint—well, you likely already know all the facts.
As for alternatives—hmm... perhaps light therapy, a clean diet, and, most importantly, managing your body weight.
The core of the problem also involves the flow of emotions.

Are you currently taking any medications for PCOS?

I’m basically just a walking, talking bundle of medical issues. 😬As far as the female stuff goes, I’m mostly just dealing with cysts and this super thin endometrium. I think my OBGYN mentioned last time that it’s sitting at about 0.8 inches, but it really needs to be closer to 2.5 inches or more before my period actually kicks in. The weird thing is, every single time I go in for an exam, it stays exactly the same—stuck right around that 0.8 to 1.2-inch mark.

Weight... my gynecologist used to cling to that like a drunk on a street corner. She was always blaming my missed periods on me being too thin back in middle school—I was barely 100 pounds at 5'4" since I stopped growing early and just stayed that way. But here's the kicker: the periods didn't come back even after I gained weight. Now I’m sitting at around 120 pounds and I honestly hate every single extra ounce. 😬.

Anyway, I’m not—and never have been—into guys. It feels kind of stupid even typing that out. 🙈Alright, look, I’ve got a womanly body—curves and all that jazz. It's not like I was some scrawny dude growing up.

I'm on the pill right now—it’s pretty much the only thing my OBGYN prescribes. Other doctors I've seen, like my specialists, suggested I should probably get some specific tests done, but since they don't write the referrals for that stuff, I'll just have to pay out of pocket.

Brandon Lopez6 said:I’m basically just a walking, talking bundle of medical issues. 😬As far as the female stuff goes, I’m mostly just dealing with cysts and this super thin endometrium. I think my OBGYN mentioned last time that it’s sitting at about 0.8 inches, but it really needs to be closer to 2.5 inches or more before my period actually kicks in. The weird thing is, every single time I go in for an exam, it stays exactly the same—stuck right around that 0.8 to 1.2-inch mark.

Weight... my gynecologist used to cling to that like a drunk on a street corner. She was always blaming my missed periods on me being too thin back in middle school—I was barely 100 pounds at 5'4" since I stopped growing early and just stayed that way. But here's the kicker: the periods didn't come back even after I gained weight. Now I’m sitting at around 120 pounds and I honestly hate every single extra ounce. 😬.

Anyway, I’m not—and never have been—into guys. It feels kind of stupid even typing that out. 🙈Alright, look, I’ve got a womanly body—curves and all that jazz. It's not like I was some scrawny dude growing up.

I'm on the pill right now—it’s pretty much the only thing my OBGYN prescribes. Other doctors I've seen, like my specialists, suggested I should probably get some specific tests done, but since they don't write the referrals for that stuff, I'll just have to pay out of pocket.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:

It's probably better to post this in the women's health section; I assume people there have more experience with this kind of thing.😉

Brandon Lopez6 said:You really have to do your own research. You truly do. I mean, look, I get it—humor is fine, but let’s be honest, a joke isn't exactly a solid foundation for motivation, is it? It just isn't. These aren't matters you can simply brush aside or decide to walk away from when things get difficult. No, no, no. This is serious. We're talking about something deeply significant here, and we cannot afford to be cavalier about it. Seriously.
Amenorrhea isn't the actual disease—it’s just a symptom! It’s a signal! A red flag! Does that make sense? If the cycle stops, it means there is an underlying cause lurking somewhere deep within the system. Something is triggering it. There has to be a root cause behind the entire situation, right?
Isn't it just... strange? Truly baffling, if you think about it? I mean, how is it that you haven't tackled this yet? You know, through something like a laparoscopy or even a full laparotomy? Why wait this long? It really makes one wonder!
Which pills are you on, Yaz?!
Should I be checking my thyroid levels? Or perhaps my prolactin? And what about an MRI of the pituitary gland? There really is so much more to consider... sugar levels, too... and honestly, where does it end? Is there anything else I might be missing?

Perhaps it would be best to move this discussion over to the women's health forum? I mean, wouldn't that make more sense? I suspect the folks over there possess much deeper knowledge on the subject... and surely, they have far more firsthand experience to share, don't they?😉

It's probably better to post this in the women's health section; I assume people there have more experience with this kind of thing.😉

Brandon Lopez6 said:I’m starting this thread because I don't really mind talking about it 😁.

I have a sooo lovely 🙂 OB/GYN who doesn't think my missed periods are some huge red flag, so I ended up doing zero—and I mean ZERO—tests 😁.

I deal with nasty PCOS, though I don't have many physical symptoms. Honestly, the only thing is the lack of periods and a brief stint where I had some extra hair growth under my eyes (🤣).

Regarding what you asked about earlier—I get pretty frequent headaches. They just hit me out of nowhere about two years ago; before that, I didn't even know what "having a headache" meant unless I actually banged my head against something 😬. In fact, I have one right now (I'm on the pill and have two left in the pack). It feels like this constant pressure above my right eye. It isn't throbbing or getting worse, but it isn't letting up either. It started this morning around 8:00; I slept in for a few hours, but when I woke up, the pain was still exactly the same intensity.

I also have astigmatism and vision issues, plus I deal with bouts of derealization and depersonalization quite often. With the latter, it’s more like my surroundings look distorted rather than me feeling like a different person—when that happens, I can't really look at someone or focus on a TV or my laptop
.
I think that covers everything you wanted to know 🤔.

Brandon Lopez6 said:I’m basically just a walking, talking bundle of medical issues. 😬As far as the female stuff goes, I’m mostly just dealing with cysts and this super thin endometrium. I think my OBGYN mentioned last time that it’s sitting at about 0.8 inches, but it really needs to be closer to 2.5 inches or more before my period actually kicks in. The weird thing is, every single time I go in for an exam, it stays exactly the same—stuck right around that 0.8 to 1.2-inch mark.

Weight... my gynecologist used to cling to that like a drunk on a street corner. She was always blaming my missed periods on me being too thin back in middle school—I was barely 100 pounds at 5'4" since I stopped growing early and just stayed that way. But here's the kicker: the periods didn't come back even after I gained weight. Now I’m sitting at around 120 pounds and I honestly hate every single extra ounce. 😬.

Anyway, I’m not—and never have been—into guys. It feels kind of stupid even typing that out. 🙈Alright, look, I’ve got a womanly body—curves and all that jazz. It's not like I was some scrawny dude growing up.

I'm on the pill right now—it’s pretty much the only thing my OBGYN prescribes. Other doctors I've seen, like my specialists, suggested I should probably get some specific tests done, but since they don't write the referrals for that stuff, I'll just have to pay out of pocket.

graniteowl20 said:I’m not sure if anyone else has brought this up yet, but I think it’s worth mentioning how progesterone actually acts as a precursor to cortisol. When we’re dealing with high stress levels, our bodies start pumping out extra adrenaline and cortisol, which basically just "devours" our progesterone supply. It creates this sort of endless, frustrating loop.

As for PCOS and birth control, speaking from my own experience, I honestly feel like hormonal contraceptives can be some of the worst stuff out there. If there's any kind of alternative that actually works, I really think people should look into it. Managing stress helps a ton, of course, but man, it’s so much easier said than done in this day and age...

There are just so many different factors at play here, and everything is so incredibly interconnected. Maybe the most frustrating part of all is when you go to your doctor and they can’t even give you a straight answer. Their favorite way to brush things off is usually just saying, "Oh, it's just genetics," implying there isn't much else that can be done about it.

Melissa Sanchez8 said:Headaches can definitely be a side effect of those hormone pills you're taking. Especially since they seemed to show up so suddenly.

If your OBGYN refuses to look at your blood work, you should probably find a new doctor.

Melissa Sanchez8 said:Headaches can definitely be a side effect of those hormone pills you're taking. Especially since they seemed to show up so suddenly.

Kenneth Howard7 said:You really shouldn't start hormone therapy without getting blood work done first. Those things aren't exactly harmless...
You should also take a break from them for at least six months every couple of years.

If your OB-GYN won't order the blood tests, honestly, it might be time to find a new doctor.
Prescribing medication blindly without checking your hormone levels is just wrong.
Plus, leaving amenorrhea untreated isn't good for you either.

You're young... there's no reason to cause unnecessary damage when you can avoid it.