u/Gloomy-Telephone6086

Hi everyone,
I’m 37 and was recently diagnosed with POI. Before starting HRT, I hadn’t had a period for 9 months and felt awful: severe mood swings, feeling emotionally flat, back pain, vaginal dryness, insomnia, and hot flashes.
In May, my FSH was around 70, and Estrogen fluctuated between 73 and 196. I started HRT: a 50 mcg Estradiol patch (twice a week) and 100 mg Progesterone nightly.
While my symptoms improved, I still struggled with heavy mood swings. At my second appointment, my doctor increased my patch to 75 mcg and ordered more blood work to rule out autoimmune diseases.
I just got my new lab results back, and I’m a bit confused:
Estrogen: 810 (Is this not incredibly high while on HRT, especially since it was 810 on the 50 mcg patch before updating to 75 mcg?)
FSH: 14.6 (dropped from 70)
LH: 10.6 (dropped from 32)
AMH: 0.56
Prolactin: 252
Testosterone: 0.9
Vitamin D: 81.8
Ferritin: 23
I still don’t feel great (better, but not super). I have a few questions for those with more experience:
Estrogen level: Is 810 normal or too high for a 50 mcg patch? Is moving up to a 75 mcg patch wise given this number?
Ferritin (23): Where I live, anything above 20 is considered "normal," but I keep reading that 23 is actually quite low and can cause fatigue/mood issues. Thoughts on this regarding POI?
Testosterone (0.9): What is your opinion on this value? Could a low level be contributing to my low mood and lack of well-being?

I’m 37 and very confused about my hormone results and possible POI/perimenopause. I’d really appreciate hearing other people’s experiences.

I had a hormonal IUD for about 15 years (with replacements in between) and had my youngest child 10 years ago. I always still had light but regular periods. In 2024 my cycle became less predictable, and in early 2025 everything changed. I suddenly bled for 4 weeks straight, then stopped for a week, then bled again for 2 weeks. It kept changing: light pink, then very heavy with clots, then dark red. After that, my periods stopped completely for the last 10 months.

During this time I became extremely exhausted and felt unlike myself. I had insomnia, hot flashes, muscle pain, felt emotionally flat, overstimulated, disconnected, and couldn’t enjoy things anymore. I also have ADHD and this felt very different from “normal” burnout or stress.

In January my doctor ordered an ultrasound because I had pain during sex. It showed my IUD was sitting low, so it was removed. Since I still had no period, we waited 3 months to see if my cycle would return.

Last week I asked for more blood tests because I still felt awful.

First results:
FSH: 62.30
LH: 32
Estradiol: 72

My doctor discussed it with a gynecologist and said because of my symptoms I can already start estrogen patches after repeat bloodwork.

Second results 6 days later:
FSH: 66.70
Estradiol: 196

Now I’m confused because my estradiol suddenly seems more “normal,” and Google is making me anxious. Does this still sound like POI/perimenopause? Can hormone levels fluctuate this much? We still have a child wish, so this is emotionally very hard.

Has anyone had similar blood results or symptoms?

I’m 37 and very confused about my hormone results and possible POI/perimenopause. I’d really appreciate hearing other people’s experiences.

I had a hormonal IUD for about 15 years (with replacements in between) and had my youngest child 10 years ago. I always still had light but regular periods. In 2024 my cycle became less predictable, and in early 2025 everything changed. I suddenly bled for 4 weeks straight, then stopped for a week, then bled again for 2 weeks. It kept changing: light pink, then very heavy with clots, then dark red. After that, my periods stopped completely for the last 10 months.

During this time I became extremely exhausted and felt unlike myself. I had insomnia, hot flashes, muscle pain, felt emotionally flat, overstimulated, disconnected, and couldn’t enjoy things anymore. I also have ADHD and this felt very different from “normal” burnout or stress.

In January my doctor ordered an ultrasound because I had pain during sex. It showed my IUD was sitting low, so it was removed. Since I still had no period, we waited 3 months to see if my cycle would return.

Last week I asked for more blood tests because I still felt awful.

First results:
FSH: 62.30
LH: 32
Estradiol: 72

My doctor discussed it with a gynecologist and said because of my symptoms I can already start estrogen patches after repeat bloodwork.

Second results 6 days later:
FSH: 66.70
Estradiol: 196

Now I’m confused because my estradiol suddenly seems more “normal,” and Google is making me anxious. Does this still sound like POI/perimenopause? Can hormone levels fluctuate this much? We still have a child wish, so this is emotionally very hard.

Has anyone had similar blood results or symptoms?