A big girl with a hidden hormone problem

Last week I saw a 32 year old woman who had battled with excess weight for many years. She was very frustrated – she had tried very hard to lose weight but it came off slowly and then she regained it all too quickly. She had seen a hormone specialist (endocrinologist) who had told her there was nothing wrong with her hormones and that she did not have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) because her testosterone levels were not elevated and she did not suffer with acne and facial hair.

I begged to differ with the endocrinologist
; because this woman had the tell tale signs of PCOS in her pelvic ultrasound which showed excessive follicles lined up around the periphery of her ovaries. These were trapped eggs (follicles) that had failed to ovulate and if an egg does not ovulate it will not produce progesterone. Her history revealed that she did not menstruate regularly and she only had 5 to 7 menstrual cycles a year; this is because she did not produce the progesterone required to bring on a menstrual bleed.

She had a somewhat “Cushingoid appearance” with a very fat round face and a large fatty belly. Her blood cortisol levels were at the upper limit of normal and this is common in overweight younger women. All these hormonal imbalances were making her overweight and disrupting her metabolism and unless I fixed them she would have a life long battle with obesity and would become diabetic later on.

I prescribed natural progesterone cream to give her a regular menstrual cycle and stimulate weight loss. I also prescribed a low carbohydrate eating plan with lots of protein and raw vegetable salads to help her liver. I also prescribed supplements of magnesium and Glicemic Balance capsules to lower her high insulin levels, as this is vital to promote fat burning and weight loss.

Pro Fem cream contains natural progesterone and is rubbed into the skin once daily after a shower.

I am sure this woman will do well with her weight loss and her general health because it is quite possible to correct the hormonal imbalances she suffers with which are causing her excess weight – namely

Low progesterone due to PCOS
High cortisol levels
High insulin levels


Do you think you have a hidden or misdiagnosed hormonal imbalance causing your weight excess? If so, we'd love to read your comments.