Estrogen Levels and Lichen Sclerosis

Body: 

Hello, I am new to this forum, and have some questions regarding LS as I have recently been diagnosed with it. I am a 33 year old nursing mother (my son is 2 years) and was told by my midwife/provider that LS can come on due to suppressed estrogen levels - like in post-menopausal women. Nursing suppresses estrogen as well, so I have been trying to wean - with little success. I regained my periods when my son was 3 months old (albeit nursing day and night), so I assumed my hormonal levels were at a balanced level. I have been using cortisone cream to help reverse fusing and blistering. I have not had too much trouble lately with itching or pain. Is it worth my time to wean to increase estrogen? I am already dairy and gluten free. Would it help to introduce red clover leaf? Or will that mess with my milk supply? Any input is greatly appreciated.

I suggest that you download Christine Kent's article on Lichen Sclerosus, from http://www.wholewoman.com/newpages/landing/LS/LS-Report.pdf. This will probably answer many of your questions much better than I could answer them. If you would like to follow through and learn more, then the new video will give you a lot more you can do on a whole body basis.

On the nursing and oestrogen question I think you will find that once your menstrual cycle has returned your oestrogen levels will return to normal, and you will have a moister vagina and vulva in the first half of the cycle, followed by being drier in the second half of the cycle when oestrogen is lower. I wouldn't think weaning will change that much. Your baby is getting and will continue to get so much benefit from nursing I would not think it a sensible trial to do to see if your LS resolves. Your body has plenty of oestrogen. You may be able to excrete more of the inflammatory oestrogen metabolites if you increase phytooestrogens in your diet. These are very weak oestrogens that fasten onto the beta oestrogen receptors in the vulva, like cars tie up parking spots. Therefore the inflammatory metabolites just have to keep driving around and around looking for a parking spot, and eventually get to the kidneys, where they are filtered out and leave the body in urine, resulting in less inflammation. That's the basis of the red clover story.

Louise

I have put everything I know on the subject into the movie, The Whole Woman Way to VulvaVaginal Health. Please help support the Whole Woman work and buy the video, which contains information for all women.

Wishing you well!

Christine

Thank you both. The analogy helped make sense of the estrogen questions. I have the article and I will look into the video - definitely interested. And look forward to sharing the information.

Hi Restorehealth - I think that you would love Christine's DVD on vulva-vaginal health......she has assembled a great deal of knowledge and wisdom on how we can balance our hormones naturally throughout life. And of course, use the search boxes on this forum and on the blog page, to look for articles and discussions using keywords. - Surviving