PCOS Messages for March, 2003: Re: Help me... SHBG, DHEAS, and Cortisol

Re: Help me... SHBG, DHEAS, and Cortisol

From: Sonnet (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Mon, 31 Mar 2003 13:55:56 -0600 (CST)

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In reply to: Yovita: "Re: Help me, please, to find a a new doctor in London, UK"

Unfortunately I don't know what to tell you as far as getting a referral goes, as I'm not too familiar with the UK health system. Just be firm about it, is all I can suggest, point out that something is wrong and just demand tha it be fixed!! Often even if they think you're healthy they'll give you a referral just to keep you quiet if you're obnoxious enough :)

SHBG is sex hormone binding globulin. It's a hormone that binds, or ties up, sex hormones. It can bind with estrogen but has a special affinity for testosterone. You check it to get a better idea of the exact levels of estrogen and testosterone your body is actually producing. (For example, if you're really overproducing testosterone, but also have very high SHBG levels, the SHBG could be binding with all the testosterone and giving you falsely lower lab levels of testosterone.)

DHEAS is Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate. (mouthful!) It's a sex hormone prescursor, an androgen. It's also a steroid. It's the main hormone produced by the adrenal glands and can be converted by the body into either estrogen or testosterone. High levels of DHEAS generally mean high levels of those two hormones. DHEAS is good to check because there are adrenal conditions that are not PCOS, but have similar symptoms, so it's good to monitor what the adrenals are doing. However DHEAS production is often raised with PCOS (insulin affects the adrenals as much as the ovaries) so having a raised level doesn't mean you DON'T have PCOS; it depends on how raised it is.

Cortisol is also a hormone produced by the adrenals. It's the "stress hormone" - sort of like adrenaline. You get a rush of it when you're stressed and it helps raise sugar levels and blood pressure. In women with PCOS, like with DHEAS, this level is usually slightly elevated (our higher estrogen levels can do that) but a very high level indicates a problem with the adrenals. There is a disease called Cushing's syndrome that has symptoms VERY similar to PCOS (think all of the PCOS symptoms, but also include LOTS of dark stretch marks and a 'buffalo hump' of fat carried at the back of the neck), only it doesn't start from the same problem, so it must be treated differently. Checking cortisol levels rules out Cushing's syndrome.

Phew! Hope that helped clear those up! I hope your doctor is a huge help to you - gl!!

At Mon, 31 Mar 2003, Yovita wrote: >
>Thank you, Sonnet, for your rely. I called my GP today and the earliest
>possible appointment - only in 2 weeks! and if I have to repeat my blood
>test again and see a doctor that means at least 6 weeks of waiting!!!
>All that makes me feel so saaad...I am having the pain on the left side
>of my abdomen (low part)that sometimes I can hardly walk. How can I ask
>for a referral to a specialist if my doctor is sure that I am
>healthy...? What should I tell her to look at my problem more seriously?
>(by the way, the next appointment I made with is the other doctor and
>it's male - well, maybe he will be more "sensitive" :P?)
>and by the way, what do DHEAS, SHBG and cortisol mean - what do they
>show?
>Regards, Yovita
>

--
email always welcome: sonnet_fitz@hotmail.com

Next message: Christy: "Mucus without ovulation?!?"
Previous message: Sonnet: "Re: HELP! Can't handle low carb dieting"
In reply to: Yovita: "Re: Help me, please, to find a a new doctor in London, UK"

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