Infertility Journey Update: My DUTCH Test Results
Well it has been a hot minute since I have updated you on my journey through infertility. One because I wanted to take a break from thinking, tracking or worrying about it, and two because life has been ridiculously crazy busy…..like CRAZY BUSY!!!!
I have been overwhelmed by the amount of people that have been praying and supporting me (us) through this hard journey. Therefore I feel that I need to keep you updated on our progress. Yesterday I got some really tough, but very important, information that I wanted to share.
A Recap:
Somewhere over the last three years I lost my cycle.
I was diagnosed with PCOS in August 2017.
Throughout 2018 we tried several fertility treatments, including letrolze.
Nothing was has been successful.
Our hearts long and are broken.
We are running out of money to spend on treatments.
We would LOVE to choose adoption but can’t put our family into the financial dept.
The Past Couple of Months:
Let’s rewind just a tad. This summer, I went through 2 (of the 3) failed letrozole cycles (If you are unfamiliar with what these all entail please read my previous post!)
I made the decision in September that I was done (for now) trying to get pregnant. It is extremely hard on your body, extremely tedious and emotional. I wanted to focus on the blessings and life at hand. Although I decided to stop with the fertility treatments my goal of being healthy and getting my cycle back only grew! My fertility doctor never really showed concerned about the lack of my cycle, but it was huge to me. It is part of being a “healthy” women! Women shouldn’t have to take FAKE/synthetic hormones and all of the other medicines in order to get pregnant.
We have all been hearing about functional medicine. I started doing my research. “Functional medicine is an approach to health and wellness where we focus on getting to the root cause of your problem instead of just treating the symptom.” How perfect!!! That is EXACTLY what I am wanting…not only to have a baby but also to find the root cause of my problems. I found a functional medicine practitioner that specializes in hormone balancing in my area. After several long conversations she recommended me completing the DUTCH Test, “which is the simplest, most elegant and informative test for anyone considering bioidentical hormone therapy, or suspects they might have a hormone problem. The test is done four times in a day, and the strips are then used to give you a complete hormone panel, including metabolites, effectively replacing multiple testing methods.” (While completing the test you can not drink more that 32 ounces of water throughout the entire time frame….WHAT A CHALLENGE!!!!)
The DUTCH Test Results:
I FINALLY got my results back. My practitioner went through all of the results (most of which were way over my head!) but to make a very long story somewhat short. A woman’s body produces pregnenolone which makes progesterone and DHEA. Progesterone then produces most of a women’s sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone. DHEA hormones control your adrenals which is how you handle stress. My DHEA levels were all in the normal range however my body is not producing ANY of the major sex hormones (progesterone, testosterone and estrogen), like none. What is strange because most women who have PCOS have high testosterone and high estrogen levels…mine were barely traceable. She asked what test my doctor did to confirm that I had PCOS, when I told none besides the ultrasounds she was “hummmm”. I was like what???? She says that (but can’t confirm until my blood work comes back) that she doubts that I even have PCOS.
After further investigation and studying my history, body composition, diet and workout programs my practitioner has made the diagnoses that due to a prolonged time of intense workouts, low calorie intake and high amounts of stress that my body has stopped producing the major sex hormones, which stopped my cycle, and has basically went into protection/famine mode. She has recommend that I increase my calories and drastically decrease my stressors, including intense workouts.
The Truth:
This is a VERY hard diagnosis for me to swallow. I cried right there with my practitioner. I have spent the last 3 years trying to be “healthy” and “fit” when in actuality I have been starving myself and causing these problems. The hardest part is that my family and close friends have all said it to me…”maybe you should eat a little more”, “ maybe you shouldn’t be so busy”, “you need to take some time to relax”. I have already been seeing some improvements and changes. At my first appointment last December I was 119 lbs and 19% body fat. This week (before the Thanksgiving Holidays!!) I weighed in at 129 and 23% body fat. I am hopeful that if I continue to make these changes I will hopefully get my cycle back!
Thank you for your support and your prayers. They are what is going to help me continue to be strong and positive through this journey. PLEASE keep them coming as gaining weight and changing your lifestyle, even if for good reasons, is very hard!!
Lots of Love,
Brittany Hall
I pray that God will also listen and “heal” you completely, I totally agree with your new Practicioner, forget about everything but taking care of yourself, eat, relax, stop running all those marathons, and wait patiently for the blessings, I love you Brittany
I love you too Grandma!!!
Brittany,
Wow, what interesting information. Thank you for sharing. I will continue praying for you and Lee. You are an amazing woman and a great mother. Hopefully you will be successful in achieving and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Blessings to you and your family.
P. Hurley
Thank so much Pam
I posted on FB. I’m not wondering if I really have PCOS. I did two years worth on fertility treatments and medicines. Nothing worked. My dr. Then had me increase my calorie intake and stop my intense workouts, as well. The big one for me was reducing stressors. SUPER HARD when the big stressor is your career. I eventually ended up quitting my job and that’s when I got pregnant. Literally a month after. The human body is so crazy. Sending lots of prayers and positive vibes your way!
Amber thank you for reading and sharing a little about your story.
Love you Brittany! Thanks for the update. Prayers continues for you all!
Thank you Chelsea