Frank
So sorry I missed this post and am now embarrassed that I recommended you consider having your hormone levels tested when you'd already done that.
Personally I think it might be a good idea to have your levels in the upper normal range. Curious as to why your GP didn't mention DHEA as well since it appears your DHEA-s level is low. DHEA-s is the one hormone that is consistently low in people with MS, men and women, per this
abstract
Quote:
Mean DHEAS levels were lower in MS patients compared with healthy controls (P = 0.049), but there were no significant differences between the clinical subgroups of MS.
A couple of other notes, you may also want to have your DHEA level (not just DHEA-s) measured too.
This abstract notes:
Quote:
Together, our data suggest that the neurosteroid family members beta-estradiol, DHEA, and DHEA-S exert neuroprotective effects through different nongenomic mechanisms.
DHEA is also a potent immune modulator, allegedly regulating both the innate and adaptive immune responses, as well as protecting against viruses and bacteria. Given that it's also neuroprotective and drops significantly between the ages of 20 and 40, it really makes me wonder about what role, if any, it might actually play in the MS disease process.
And, I would ask your GP if he measured your total serum hormone levels or if he measured your "free" hormone levels. It's my simple understanding that it's important to measure "free" hormone levels as they are an indicator of what may be available to other systems, in our case, the CNS.
Lastly, if you decide to supplement your hormone levels, I'd have them tested after about 3 months to determine what range they're in and periodically thereafter. They do cascade into one another.
I am supplementing my hormones with estriol and progesterone, since I had none of that. My DHEA level was low but the physicians advice was not to supplement that as the progesterone could correct it. My testosterone level was normal, and my cortisol way too high.
I think it's great you had your hormone levels tested. High normal levels seem ok to me (with the exception of cortisol). Let us know what you decide.
Sharon