YES, low estrogen can cause those symptoms! IMO, your family doctor doesn't sound informed about hormones. Intact women produce hormones their whole life. So HRT for a woman w/o ovaries (or ovaries that have failed after a hyst or some other gyn procedure) is akin to insulin for a diabetic.

Since you went off estrogen for a bit, your body is going to take some time to re-adjust. Are you back on the .05mg dose? I would think things should stabilize in the next week or two. Regarding the vaginal irritation, it may take longer and could require some vaginal estrogen to heal the tissues if they atrophied during the time you were without estrogen. I recall at my post-op appt, my gyn said my vagina was already atrophying. Yikes!! If you can't get an Rx for vaginal E, you can use vitamin E capsules vaginally to help lubricate.

Hope this helps!

jazzmynn, have you had all of the thyroid hormone tests with your blood work. There is a strong correlation between thyroid and estrogen and all this really shows up in peri and meno. You need sleep for the hormones to do their jobs and without the proper balance, you don't sleep. So, it is a vicious cycle.

Absolutely low estrogen can cause these things.

Have you considered testosterone therapy? Testosterone is a substrate for estrogen......meaning......your body will produce estrogen from testosterone.

I am currently using testosterone pellets in addition to bioidentical progesterone. I am menopausal. It helps with hot flashes and DEFINITELY helps with vaginal dryness.....never mind what it does to your libido (WOW).

Oh, I forgot to mention....melatonin helps a lot with sleep.

I just wanted to add to Magnolia's comments - Testosterone is also good for muscle, energy & stamina, and bone health. Estrogen maintains bone mass while testosterone (and progesterone) build bone.

Regarding the conversion of testosterone into estrogen - This occurs in naturally menopausal women but I've heard that it doesn't in women without ovaries. I don't know if that's true or not. Based on what I've read and various women's experiences, I think it depends on the individual, ovaries or not.

My gyno for what it's worth is very opposed to the vivelle dot., my endocronologist had given me a script and my gyno told me not to take it as it did not like a lot of the clinicals on it and cancer. Just thought I'd tell you of my experience....it seems there is a lot of conflict between Drs. and what they think is best

sfern - Could it be your doctor doesn't like the V-Dot for intact women since taking unopposed estrogen increases risk of endometrial hyperplasia and cancer? Was the Rx from your endo for some type of HRT?

Magnolia - Have you had any hair issues (loss, oiliness, or texture changes) from the testosterone? Do you know (via labs) if some of it is converting to estrogen? I know everyone's response to hormones is different but just curious as to your experience.

My female primary doctor is putting me on bio-identical hormones. I have an intact uterus. If I did not have a uterus then it would be estrogen only. I asked about Activella (bio-estrogen and synthetic progesterone) and she and the compounding pharmacist gave a thumbs down to the synthetic stuff. They both think bio-identical are better. My doctor had me take a saliva test to check my hormone levels and checked my estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, and a.m. cortisol levels. Their thinking is that being put on a standard "one dose fits all" approach doesnt address each invidividuals hormone levels. I tried a sample dose of bio-identicals while awaiting to go on bio-identicals and it was only a .5 ml hormone cream and it made me feel worse, the hot flashes and mood swings were awful. Doc said I was probably getting too much estrogen. Thus the reason for hormone levels being checked. Each invidividual can be different and my bio-identical hormones will be compounded according to my own levels.