That is what my doctor said to me when I asked him to check my hormones while I was going through secondary infertility. And, it is true. A woman’s hormones change frequently. They are dynamic and shift daily. Yet as a provider, I like information. I want to know all I can know about how a patient is functioning.

Our bodies follow certain rhythms, especially women. In the first two weeks of our cycles, estrogens surge. Then in the last two weeks, progesterone peaks and falls. At the end of the 28 day cycle, both estrogens and progesterone are low.

I like to check hormones between days 19-22 for menstruating women. We look at estradiol (the most potent form of estrogens, progesterone, testosterone, follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH). Seeing the picture painted by these levels helps us get an idea of what is happening in a woman’s body. For men, we check free and total testosterone levels. If those are low, we will check a second level and a few other things before starting on supplementation.

There are multiple options for supplementing both for women and men. If you have low levels or are off balance, we will talk through those options and benefits/risks associated with them.