Low DHEA and High Estrogen - Mystery Illness

Hi All,

Let me preface by saying i’m not on TRT currently but wanted to get a handful of perspectives on my current labs.

I have environmental illnesses to solve (Lyme, Mold, etc) and my DHEA has gone down from 176 to 102 mcg/dl, while estrogen has gone from 31 to 67 pg/ml.

Symptoms are moodiness, lots of brain fog - likely due to the depression of these systems by the invading organisms.

2/21/2021
Thyroid
TSH (0.40-4.5, mIU/L) 2.24
Total T4 (Thyroxine, mcg/dl) -
Total T3 (Range: ng/dL) -
Free T3 (Range: 2.3-4.2, pg/mL) 3.1
Free T4 (Range: 0.9-2.2/ng/dL) 1.5
Reverse T3 (Serum, Range: 8-25, ng/dL) -
Thyroidglobulin Antibodies (Range: < or = 1 IU/ml) 1
Thy Peroxidase Antibodies (Range: < 9, IU/mL) 17
Sex Hormones
Total Testosterone (ng/dl, range: 250-1110) 390
Free Testosterone (pg/ml, range: 35-155) 57
LH (Range: 1.7-8.6, MIU/ML) -
FSH (Range: 1.5-8.0, mIU/ML) -
SHBG (Range: 10-50, nmol/L) 41
Estradiol (Range: < or = 39 pg/mL) 67
Progesterone (Range: < 1.4, ng/mL)
DHEA (Range: 85-690, mcg/dL) 102
Blood Sugar
Glucose (Range: 65-99, mg/dL) 91
A1C (Range: <5.7, %) -
Insulin (Range: < 23, uIU/mL) -
Lipids
Total Chol. (mg/dL, range: < 200) 234
HDL (<mg/dL, range: > 40) 62
Triglycerides (mg/dL, range: < 150) 75
LDL (mg/dL, range: < 100) 154
VLDL -
Vitamins/Minerals
Iron (Total, Range: 50-195, mcg/dL) -
Ferretin (Range: 38-380, ng/mL) -
Folate (RBC, Range: >280, ng/mL) -
B12 (Range: 200-1100, pg/mL)
Vit D - (25OH / D3, Range: >30, ng/mL) 49
Vit C. (Range: 0.2-2.1, mg/dL) -
Zinc, RBC (Range: 9.0-14.7, mg/L) -
Copper, RBC (range: 0.53-0.91, mg/L) -
Magnesium, RBC (range: 4.0-6.4, mg/dL) -
Vitamin B6, Plasma 93.8
Inflammation
HS CRP (Range: < 1, mg/L) 0.3
Extras to Watch
Iodine (Serum, Range: 52-109, mcg/L) -
Selenium (RBC, Range: 120-300, mcg/L) -
Copeptin (Range: < or = 14, pmol/L) -
11TXB2 )Range: >1500 pg/mg) 2085
CBC
White Blood Cell Count (Range: 3.8-10.8, thousand/uL) 5.9
Red Blood Cell Count (Range: 4.2-5.8, million/uL) 4.64
Hemoglobin (Range: 13.2-17.1, g/dL) 13.6
Hematocrit (Range: 38.5-50, %) 40.3
MCV (Range: 80-100, fL) 86.9
MCH (Range: 27-33, pg) 29.3
MCHC (Range: 32-36, g/dL) 33.7
RDW (Range: 11-15, %) 12.1
Platelets (Range: 140-400, Thousand/uL) 165
MPV (Range: 7.5-12.5, fL) 10.1
Absolute Neutrophils (Range: 1500-7800, cells/uL) 3316
Absolute Lymph (Range: 850-3900, cells/uL) 2071
Absolute Monocytes (Range: 200-950, cells/uL) 431
Absolute Eosinophils (Range: 15-500, cell/uL) 71
Absolute Basophils (Range: 0-200, cells/uL) 12
Neutrophils (Range: %) 56.2
Lymphocytes (Range: %) 35.1
Monocytes (Range: %) 7.3
Eosinophils (Range: %) 1.2
Basophils (Range: %) 0.2
CMP
Urea Nitrogen (Range: 7-25, mg/dL) 10
Creatinine (Range: 0.7 - 1.3, mg/dL) 0.83
eGFR (Range: >= 60, ml/min) 119
BUN/Creatinine (Range: -10:1 - 20:1, ratio)/ N/A
Sodium (+) (Range: 135-146, mmol/L) 136
Potassium (+) (Range: 3.6-5.2, nmol/L) 3.8
Chloride (-) (Range: 98-110, nmol/L) 98
Carbon Dioxide (Range: 20-32, nmol/L) 30
Calcium (Range: 8.6-10.3, nmol/L) *Optimal <10 9.8
Protein (Range: 6.1-8.1, g/DL) 7.4
Albumin (Range: 3.6-5.1, g/dL) 4.8
Globulin (Range: 1.9-3.7, g/dL) 2.6
Albumin/Globulin ratio (Range: 1.9-3.7, g/dL) 1.8
Bilirubin (Range: 0.2-1.2, mg/dL) 0.7
ALK PHOS (Range: 36-130, U/L) 46
AST (Range: 10-40, U/L) 17
ALT (Range: 9-46, U/L) 20
Anion Gap (Sodium Only) 2/21/2021

What are your thoughts on this and do you see anything else noteworthy in these labs?

03/04/20 04/17/20 05/27/20 8/18/20 11/2020 12/01/2020 2/21/2021
Thyroid
TSH (0.40-4.5, mIU/L) 3.54 2.79 2.98 3.04 - - 2.24
Total T4 (Thyroxine, mcg/dl) - 7.3 8 7.7 7.4 - -
Total T3 (Range: ng/dL) - - - - - - -
Free T3 (Range: 2.3-4.2, pg/mL) 2.7 2.8 3.2 3.4 2.9 - 3.1
Free T4 (Range: 0.9-2.2/ng/dL) 1.28 1.5 2.2 1.7 1.9 - 1.5
Reverse T3 (Serum, Range: 8-25, ng/dL) 20.1 15 15 13 20 - -
Thyroidglobulin Antibodies (Range: < or = 1 IU/ml) - 4 3 3 - - 1
Thy Peroxidase Antibodies (Range: < 9, IU/mL) - 27 25 19 - - 17
-
Sex Hormones TT IMMUNO ASSAY -
Total Testosterone (ng/dl, range: 250-1110) 477 408 563 575 428 - 390
Free Testosterone (pg/ml, range: 35-155) 10.1 - 72.4 69.6 52.6 - 57
LH (Range: 1.7-8.6, MIU/ML) 7.7 - - - - - -
FSH (Range: 1.5-8.0, mIU/ML) 2 - - 3.7 - - -
SHBG (Range: 10-50, nmol/L) 28.7 - - 51 33 - 41
Estradiol (Range: < or = 39 pg/mL) 18.5 25 47 28 31 - 67
Progesterone (Range: < 1.4, ng/mL) - - - - - -
DHEA (Range: 85-690, mcg/dL) - - - - 176 - 102
Blood Sugar
Glucose (Range: 65-99, mg/dL) 92 86 96 88 78 84 91
A1C (Range: <5.7, %) 4.9 5.1 5 4.9 - - -
Insulin (Range: < 23, uIU/mL) 6 3.1 6.9 4.1 - - -
Lipids
Total Chol. (mg/dL, range: < 200) 216 243 264 235 229 254 234
HDL (<mg/dL, range: > 40) 53 50 61 71 69 69 62
Triglycerides (mg/dL, range: < 150) 79 110 84 48 44 76 75
LDL (mg/dL, range: < 100) 145 169 184 - 147 - 154
VLDL - - - - - - -
Vitamins/Minerals
Iron (Total, Range: 50-195, mcg/dL) - - - - - - -
Ferretin (Range: 38-380, ng/mL) - - - - - - -
Folate (RBC, Range: >280, ng/mL) - - - - - - -
B12 (Range: 200-1100, pg/mL) - - - - - -
Vit D - (25OH / D3, Range: >30, ng/mL) - 43 57 68 - 49 49
Vit C. (Range: 0.2-2.1, mg/dL) - - - - 1.2 - -
Zinc, RBC (Range: 9.0-14.7, mg/L) - - - - 9.92 - -
Copper, RBC (range: 0.53-0.91, mg/L) - - - - 0.67 - -
Magnesium, RBC (range: 4.0-6.4, mg/dL) - - - - 5.1 5.1 -
Vitamin B6, Plasma - - - - - - 93.8
Inflammation
HS CRP (Range: < 1, mg/L) - 2.4 1.8 1.4 0.6 - 0.3
Extras to Watch
Iodine (Serum, Range: 52-109, mcg/L) - 59 62 65 63 61 -
Selenium (RBC, Range: 120-300, mcg/L) - - 328 281 - - -
Copeptin (Range: < or = 14, pmol/L) - - - - 2 - -
11TXB2 )Range: >1500 pg/mg) - - - - - - 2085
CBC
White Blood Cell Count (Range: 3.8-10.8, thousand/uL) 5.6 5.9 6.3 5.9
Red Blood Cell Count (Range: 4.2-5.8, million/uL) 4.9 4.6 4.51 4.64
Hemoglobin (Range: 13.2-17.1, g/dL) 14.4 13.3 13.3 13.6
Hematocrit (Range: 38.5-50, %) 42.5 39.6 38.6 40.3
MCV (Range: 80-100, fL) 86.7 86.1 85.6 86.9
MCH (Range: 27-33, pg) 29.4 28.9 29.5 29.3
MCHC (Range: 32-36, g/dL) 33.9 33.6 34.5 33.7
RDW (Range: 11-15, %) 12.8 12 12.3 12.1
Platelets (Range: 140-400, Thousand/uL) 146 154 158 171 152 145 165
MPV (Range: 7.5-12.5, fL) 9.8 10.1 9.9 10.1
Absolute Neutrophils (Range: 1500-7800, cells/uL) 3220 3039 3610 3316
Absolute Lymph (Range: 850-3900, cells/uL) 1859 2331 2174 2071
Absolute Monocytes (Range: 200-950, cells/uL) 297 401 397 431
Absolute Eosinophils (Range: 15-500, cell/uL) 202 112 101 71
Absolute Basophils (Range: 0-200, cells/uL) 18 19 12
Neutrophils (Range: %) 57.5 51.5 57.3 56.2
Lymphocytes (Range: %) 33.2 39.5 34.5 35.1
Monocytes (Range: %) 5.3 6.8 6.3 7.3
Eosinophils (Range: %) 3.6 1.9 1.6 1.2
Basophils (Range: %) 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2
CMP
Urea Nitrogen (Range: 7-25, mg/dL) N/A 16 14 14 14 13 10
Creatinine (Range: 0.7 - 1.3, mg/dL) 0.82 0.81 0.96 0.91 0.86 0.8 0.83
eGFR (Range: >= 60, ml/min) 120 120 106 113 117 121 119
BUN/Creatinine (Range: -10:1 - 20:1, ratio)/ 20 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Sodium (+) (Range: 135-146, mmol/L) 137 136 139 140 138 138 136
Potassium (+) (Range: 3.6-5.2, nmol/L) 4.4 4.2 4.2 4.4 3.8 3.7 3.8
Chloride (-) (Range: 98-110, nmol/L) 98 103 104 103 100 100 98
Carbon Dioxide (Range: 20-32, nmol/L) 23 25 29 29 31 28 30
Calcium (Range: 8.6-10.3, nmol/L) *Optimal <10 9.4 9.3 9.7 9.8 9.5 9.7 9.8
Protein (Range: 6.1-8.1, g/DL) 6.9 7.2 7.3 7.5 7.2 7.3 7.4
Albumin (Range: 3.6-5.1, g/dL) 4.3 4.7 4.9 4.9 4.6 4.8 4.8
Globulin (Range: 1.9-3.7, g/dL) 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.6
Albumin/Globulin ratio (Range: 1.9-3.7, g/dL) 1.7 1.9 2 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.8
Bilirubin (Range: 0.2-1.2, mg/dL) <0.2 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.7
ALK PHOS (Range: 36-130, U/L) 58 48 49 58 50 48 46
AST (Range: 10-40, U/L) 26 26 20 18 22 39 17
ALT (Range: 9-46, U/L) 74 30 23 25 33 59 20
Anion Gap (Sodium Only)
Anion Gap (Na + P) - 10-20

You seem to have a very slight thyroid disorder. I doubt adding in meds would make a world of difference, but you could try a small amount and see.

Thanks for being thorough on posting your labs.

How is your sleep?

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Choppy. I get between 6-8 hours a night usually on 9 hours of sleep, and wake up multiple times a night, on occasion

Low dhea-s could be a sign of adrenal fatigue/ insufficiency. Maybe check AM cortisol as well take it within 1 hour of getting up

Estradiol being high… Medications? Supplements?

With lyme disease and other stuff wonder what you’re inflammation indicators are like CRP, ESR, ANA.

I mean if you in disease state anything goes? Idk

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HS-CRP is actually very good. 0.3 right now. ESR normal, ANA negative.

I suspect the CRP has to do with my clean diet and honestly this latest jump in E2.

The standard estrogen testing (non-sensitive method) when there is inflammation present can falsely elevate the estrogen value.

Very unlikely. His CRP level was almost zero.

I was surprised not to see prolactin listed. Why don’t you get your prolactin level checked? It was my culprit for 20 years. (unknown & untreated) My life has changed for the better.

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Thanks brother. I take it prolactin was high? How did treating it improve your symptoms and bloodwork

Getting my prolactin down has been life changing. My Endocrinologist put me on cabergoline, 0.50mg. I have to break it and take .25 mg on Monday & Thursday. Erections sucked, no libido for 15 years. I have personally found most Doctors suck, they know nothing! You must keep looking for answers. Google is your friend. It will put you on your way to getting results. I googled my prolactin and go to an Endocrinologist. For the first time things feel settled.

How high was yours?

I was ~40. There is a scientific reason for the high/low limits. To high or too low makes negative things happen.

What would be the very slight thyroid disorder?

You have slightly elevated TPO antibodies, indicative of an autoimmune disease. However, your FT3 and FT3 are not low enough to justify treatment. Something I would keep an eye on though, as it could progress.