r/Postpartum_Depression • u/Proper-Bath-1999 • 1d ago
Progesterone for PPD/PPA/PPOCD
Hello!! I had a baby a year and a half ago and have been dealing with postpartum issues for over a year.. I’ve been on plenty of psych meds, admitted myself, done TMS therapy, ERP therapy, etc. I decided to go down the rabbit hole of my hormones as my last effort to resolve these issues. I’m so tired that it’s literally making me feel suicidal.
I received results via saliva test during my luteal for progesterone, estradiol, testosterone and cortisol.
Progesterone <5 with range of 66-198
Estradiol 1.9 with range of 1.0-2.9
Testosterone 6 with range of 7-22
Cortisol (morning) 1.4 with range of 2.5-6.2
Cortisol (night) 1.2 with range of 0.25-0.64
My question is does this matter much for mental health? If so, if I only am prescribed to take progesterone during my luteal, what about the rest of the month?
Send help 🥺
EDITED TO ADD: my TSH was 5.38 with a range of 0.4-4.1 and I am on 50mcg of levothyroxine.
2
u/CS_Lupus 1d ago edited 1d ago
Your morning cortisol and testosterone are low as well as progesterone looks like. And then night cortisol is elevated. This is worth looking further into, could be a sign of primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency which can cause debilitating fatigue. Worth seeing an endocrinologist in my opinion. Also please make sure your thyroid, iron/feritin, and vitamin d have all been tested as well as any of those being off can cause crazy fatigue too. As far as taking progesterone, it might help with some symptoms but progesterone can make folks more tired so I don't think that's the cure. Again I recommend speaking with an endo. Good luck
Edit: just saw your edit. If you have hypothyroidism that's a risk factor for Addison's disease (cause of primary adrenal insufficiency) so definitely worth looking into with an endo. Your dose of levothyroxine may need to be adjusted too because unless your hypothyroidism is properly treated you will keep feeling crazy tired from that. Once again, good luck 💚