Low progesterone and high SHBG

Posted by hellofromtasmania @hellofromtasmania, 16 hours ago

Hello there,

I am sick of getting gaslit by doctors, and need help interpreting these results.

For two years I've had severe insomnia, barely been able to sleep - it's ruined my life. It came out of nowhere, I love bed, and sleep, but just can't find it. I also have found it very hard to lose weight, has exercise resistance, no energy, brain fog, no memory (can't remember a few days ago), have lost half of my vocabulary, low critical thinking, and my hair is brittle and falling out.

I knew something chemically was going on, but doctors just wanted to feed me pills.

I am 32 female, 173cm, 63kg, and healthy. I eat whole foods and walk 10k steps daily. I don't drink or smoke.

My recent hormone pathology results are as follows:

- progesterone during menstruation < 2 nmol/L
- progesterone during ovulation < 2 nmol/l
- SHBG during menstruation 129 nmol/l
- SHBG during ovulation 117 nmol/l

Could these be causing my symptoms? What could I have? How do I treat this?

I am desperate. All my other results/hormones are within normal ranges.

I also have low total protein, low globulin, low EGFR, high urea, and high vitamin D.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Women's Health Support Group.

3oakley2 | @3oakley2 | 7 hours ago

Have you seen an endocrinologist?

kisu | @kisu | 3 hours ago

"I’m so sorry you’re dealing with all of this — it’s exhausting when your body feels off and doctors don’t give you real answers.
Have you seen your free testosterone and free estradiol numbers? Total labs and ‘normal’ ranges can be misleading — they may look fine on paper but not be right for you. High SHBG usually connects more with testosterone and estradiol, and less so with progesterone.

Also, thyroid issues can look almost identical to hormone problems — brain fog, fatigue, weight changes, sleep struggles. A full panel (TSH, free T3, free T4, TPO antibodies, and thyroglobulin antibody) might help rule that out.
It’s possible to be in perimenopause in your early 30s, but it’s definitely worth making sure thyroid and other imbalances aren’t the main cause first. It sounds like you're seen a few different doctors already. You might just have to keep digging deeper, to find a doctor who will help. Do you belong to any perimenopause group boards like FB. Reddit or podcasts? You could post your questions there. These are women who are feeling the same as you and going thru the same symptoms.

hellofromtasmania | @hellofromtasmania | 1 hour ago

In reply to @kisu ""I’m so sorry you’re dealing with all of this — it’s exhausting when your body feels..." + (show)

Thanks so much, I have only had total labs, not free levels - I'll request during my appointment next Wednesday. I had full thyroid panel including antibodies which came back normal.
I have joined the groups on reddit, but for some reasons this post keeps getting deleted by moderators.