DIY Step 4 in Optimizing Your Hormones
Congratulations! If you are on Step 4 of the DIY Hormone Balance, you have already:- Step 1: Taken the Women’s Midlife Specialist Hormone Deficiency Quiz
- Step 2: Started Young Hormones™ that were suggested in the Quiz and used for a minimum of 3 months
- Step 3: Tested your hormones with ZRT saliva
And are now ready to look at your lab results and determine how to tweak your current Young Hormones™ creams.
This is a very big step! And it’s the hardest one of all. But don’t be scared! You can do this if you want too! And if you later decide that you want US to do it for you… we are HERE FOR YOU with INKA’S Gift!
This is where the ART of Balancing Hormones plays a critical piece and where Dr. Karen and Nurse Practitioner Leah use their 20 plus years (each) experience in making recommendations and keeping you balanced.
So please know that if you have any difficulty or question with your decisions, we are here for you through INKA’S Gift! You can learn all about INKA’S Gift here as well as discover the long-term BENEFITS of INKA’S Gift!
Let’s now get started in helping you adjust your Young Hormones™ creams!
STEP 4: Do It Yourself
HELPFUL HINTS and SECRETS of the TRADE!
- Make sure you are looking at the right reference values for Estradiol and Progesterone. Reference values change depending on whether you are using replacement therapy or not. ZRT has a small subscript next to your lab value and this subscript should match reference values that are used for those taking Hormone Replacement.
The reference values you should see for Estradiol on your labs are based on whether or not you are using a cream with Estradiol in it or not:
If you use XTRA BOOST, PRINCESS, HEAVEN, or MAJESTY, your reference levels are:
0.8 – 12 pg/ml Estrogen Replacement (optimal 1.3 – 3.3).
If you use PROTECT, SUPPORT, GENESIS or DHEA POWER - but do NOT use XTRA BOOST, PRINCESS, HEAVEN or MAJESTY, your reference levels should show:
0.5 – 1.7 pg/ml (optimal 1.3 – 3.3)
The reference values you should see for Progesterone on your labs are:
If you use PROTECT, XTRA BOOST, PRINCESS, HEAVEN, MAJESTY or SUPPORT, your reference values should be:
200 – 3000 pg/ml
The reference values for Testosterone and DHEA are based on your age. Optimal levels can be seen by looking at what your Testosterone and DHEA levels would be if you were 20 to 30 years old. This is best viewed by looking at the graphs ZRT provides on page 2 of your lab report.
- The second thing to focus on is your Pg/E2 ratio. This is your Progesterone to Estradiol ratio and should be greater than 100. If it is less than 100, you have some degree of Estrogen Dominance and need to increase your Progesterone amount use. This can be done by adding PROTECT.
This means that you need MORE Progesterone in comparison to the amount of estrogen you have. You can’t use a combination cream such as XTRA BOOST, PRINCESS, HEAVEN, or MAJESTY to accomplish this because these creams also have combinations of Estrogens in them.
A Pg/E2 ratio less than 100 means that you need more Progesterone (PROTECT) separately from whatever Estrogen combination you use.
If your Pg/E2 ratio is greater than 100, then you do not need to worry about this and you can focus on your Estrogens. Just make sure that the decisions you make regarding your Estrogens and DHEA also include keeping the same ratio of Progesterone.
- Now it’s time to focus on your Estradiol level. If you use XTRA BOOST, PRINCESS, HEAVEN, or MAJESTY, you want to see your Estradiol in the optimal range for Estradiol (1.3 – 3.3) or better.
NOTE: The reference range for safe Estradiol is much higher than the noted “optimal” range of 1.3 to 3.3. In fact, when you are using Estradiol Hormone Replacement, the reference range for Estradiol is 0.8 to 12.0. Most women need more topical hormones to get the same effects as they would if their ovaries were producing Estradiol, and thus the reference range gives values as high as 12 as normal.
Most women feel good around midway reference range – at a level of 6.0pg/ml. Some women need more and need to increase levels to the upper end of the normal reference range. Some women feel well in the “optimal range” of 1.3 to 3.3. YOU will know.
This is the ART of Balancing Hormones, and YOU can determine this based on how your feel AND what your Estrone level is.
- Look at your Estrone level. Estrone should stay less than 3 times the level of Estradiol.
This means that if your Estradiol level is 2.0, your Estrone level is most optimal if less than 6.0. The lower the better. If your Estrone level is greater than 3 times that of Estradiol, this may not be at a good point to increase Estradiol.
Instead, start Designs for Health DIM (Di-indole methane) 100mg (1 capsule before bed) or FemGuard PLUS Balance (2 capsules twice daily) with Designs for Health and retest in a few months.
You can find Designs for Health supplements and receive 15% off here:
Designs for Health Products CLICK HERE
If your Estrone level is greater than 3 times that of Estradiol, it would also be helpful for you to obtain Your Genetic Estrogen Code and discover the genetic weaknesses that are playing a part in your Estrogen metabolism. 
You can learn more about Your Genetic Estrogen Code here: 
Dr. Karen and NP Leah can help you optimize your ratios of Estradiol and Estrone and review with you the steps to take during your one-on-one call together to review Your Genetic Estrogen Code.
- Next up is assessing whether the combination cream you are currently using is best for you – or is there one that may be even better?
Here is the lineup of our beautiful creams:
PROTECT: has Progesterone only
XTRA BOOST: has Estradiol and Progesterone
PRINCESS: has 50% Estradiol, 50% Estriol, and Progesterone
HEAVEN: has 20% Estradiol, 80% Estriol, and Progesterone
MAJESTY: has 20% Estradiol, 80% Estriol, Progesterone and DHEA
SUPPORT: has Estriol and Progesterone
GENENSIS: has Pregnenolone
DHEA POWER: has DHEA
Spend some time thinking about Number 5. Could you use more of one kind of Estrogen and less of another? Young Hormones™ has all the combinations available for you to tweak these creams to balance them out nicely.
Use this handy chart to understand how adding one hormone may change the level of another hormone.
- Next assess the actual amounts of each hormone (you have already determined your Pg/E2 ratio needs).
Could you use more DHEA? If so, maybe you need DHEA POWER. Or if you are using HEAVEN, maybe you can just switch to MAJESTY since MAJESTY is just like HEAVEN with DHEA added.
Or do you need more Estradiol but not Estriol? If you are on HEAVEN, maybe you can just switch to PRINCESS since Princess is 50% Estradiol and 50% Estriol and HEAVEN is 20% Estradiol and 80% Estriol.
OR maybe you just need to add some XTRA BOOST which will increase Estradiol without affecting the Pg/E2 ratio or increasing Estriol because it also has Progesterone in it with the right ratio that will maintain a current balanced Pg/E2 ratio?
- Do you feel you want to be in the higher end of a normal reference range, but you have a good bit of “play” before you reach the high end of the normal reference range?
Now that you know more about reference levels and how most women feel best with Estradiol levels around 6 (reference range 0.8 – 12), maybe you just need to increase the number of pumps you used each day?
- Maybe your levels are too high, and you need to lower the number of pumps each day?
- Do you want to keep your Estradiol levels low, but still want to have the benefits of Estriol – our weakest Estrogen - which still provides excellent Estrogen benefits. Consider an 80%/20% cream such as HEAVEN or use SUPPORT, which is our 100% Estriol with Progesterone cream.
- Testosterone can be increased slightly by using DHEA. But be aware that DHEA will also slightly increase your Estrone and Estradiol, so you want to cover yourself with a little more PROTECT (Progesterone) to cover this slight increase in Estrogens - unless your Pg/E2 ratio is already sitting in an optimal level.
- Testosterone can be decreased by reducing stress, adding high doses of ground flax seed to your diet, losing weight and eating a low carbohydrate nutrition plan.
- Remember that Estradiol can be increased slightly by using DHEA. This is a nice way to increase DHEA and Estradiol at the same time.
But be aware that you will need to watch your Pg/E2 ratio and use PROTECT (Progesterone) to cover the increase in Estradiol.
- Always remember that the key to really getting it right is to retest after 3 to 12 months of any change in your hormone use.
3 months - is good if you are still having symptoms that are quite concerning that you suspect are hormone related.
3 months - is also good for you if you have a significant hormone imbalance and need to make sure you are going in the right direction as quickly as possible.
6 months - is for you if you have imbalances and symptoms, but the symptoms are less severe.
12 months is for you if you have no symptoms and are already well balanced. but you need to test at least once a year!
Also be aware that re-testing is good when you go through a major change or illness in your life. Hormones are often affected under these circumstances.
- Always consider discovering more about how you metabolize hormones. Each of us have a unique genetic code in how we process and metabolize fat soluable hormones (as well as toxins!). Discovering how you metabolize hormones is possible through Your Genetic Estrogen Code.
You can learn more about this here:
I hope this has been a great tutorial for you to stew on and keep working on your hormone knowledge! This will surely keep you on your toes in managing your own hormones. Feel free to use this guide sometimes… AND INKA’S Gift… at other times! Every time you speak with Dr Karen or NP Leah, you will learn so much more! And we love to EMPOWER YOU!
You can Discover the Benefits of Connecting with Dr. Karen and NP Leah here:
