Hormone problems associated with gallbladder

Hi carol sorry your suffering with gallstones. In my opinion there is a connection and have done a lot of research and also recently attended a fertility and women's health clinic. They recommended vitamin b complex with minimum of 50 mg of each b vitamin in it. This helps to balance the hormones and can help increase low progesterone levels which can be associated with gallbladder issues. Estrogen dominance can actually mean you have normal estrogen levels but your progesterone levels are low causing an imbalance in the ratio of estrogen to progesterone. Blood tests can confirm this but you need to have them taken on day 3-4 and day 21-22 and unfortunately cannot always be accurate as it depends on for regular your cycle is. I'm in the process of having saliva tests done but my bloods did confirm low progesterone and in my case elevated estrogen. I also had a fibroid and a cyst on my ovary which are both finally gone after all this time. They also recommended a complete diet change cutting out all sugar, dairy (which they say feeds the hormone problem) and only eating whole grains but to reduce where possible. Adding flaxseed 1-2 tablespoons (or chia seeds) to your diet can help as high in omega 3's. Only eating organic meat, fruit and veg too and only drinking filtered water and nothing out of plastic as it can add to the hormone imbalance. Also eating more nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, cashew nuts and sunflower and pumpkins seeds can help as high in magnesium and vitamin bs and calcium too. Also eating chickpeas and hummus too. Avoid processed food as much as you can. Also avocados are fantastic and full of vit b and a lot of other vitamins and minerals. I eat one every day. Also Agnus castus can help but I haven't tried that yet! Also eating lots of green veg like brocolli and spinach is important for the liver too. I eat spinach everyday with my avocado. Organic eggs can also help as we need them to help raise good cholesterol which is vital for hormone production. I would definitely add a b complex to your diet asap and stick with the milk thistle and look at dietary changes. If you need anymore help send me a private message. Good luck

No problem carol. Just one thing I was also told no fatty foods but the clinic I went too and also a dietician I saw recently when I was in hospital both said we need good fats for our hormones. If you can tolerate the avocado they are a great addition to your diet. Leave the eggs out for now as they are a trigger for attacks. Also split red lentils added to stews, sauces, soups also helps too as it binds the estrogen. Not sure where your living but aldi do free range chicken and chicken fillets at a good price and also organic low fat mince which is lovely and organic salmon too! The woman in the clinic told me tesco do a good range too and are good value. It's 18 months since my operation and it's been awful to be honest. However after recently spending a week in hospital for dehydration and a bowel blockage I discovered I no longer need the psyllium husk powder anymore as the diarrhea has stopped. In fact I'm the opposite now even though I'm eating lots of fruit and veg! Oh also fibre is important as it helps bind the estrogen too! I wish you well and hope all this helps and you improve. Good luck xxx

Oh dear am sorry to hear this but I'm not that surprised unfortunately. I can't speak for anyone else but can say I was on steroid for 3 years and then a hormone drug for 7 years on and off which I believe were a contributing factor for me! In fact it actually said on the bottle of hormone meds that it can cause increased estrogen and I believe gallbladder disease is listed as a side effect on a lot of birth control products sadly as I've just checked a number of them! I hope you feel better soon xx

Hi there do you still have your ovaries? Have you gone through the menopause? I'm 44 and am going through menopause. My surgeon told me gallbladder problems were usually caused by hormone imbalance. This is usually an imbalance in the ratio of estrogen to progesterone. Progesterone levels begin declining in the mid to late 30's at a much greater rate then estrogen causing estrogen dominance. Your estrogen levels can be low but your progesterone levels even lower causing many issues for so many women including gallbladder issues and cysts and fibroids in my case. My estrogen levels are low most of the time but my progesterone levels are much lower causing an imbalance. My GP also wants me to take hrt however in my opinion this will only increase my estrogen levels further creating more of an imbalance. I attend a clinic specialising in women's health and hormones and did a saliva test over a full cycle which confirmed the diagnosis. They recommended b complex with minimum of 50 per b vitamin which has helped greatly particularly with the insomnia and nightsweats. This helps balance the hormones and helps the liver too. They also recommended milk thistle which helps the liver deal with excess hormones and helps it work more efficiently and also Agnus castus which helps increase progesterone and rebalance the hormones. Also Apple cider vinegar if your having an attack. I was also advised by the clinic to cut our dairy and wheat and to eat organic were possible and to eat more nuts, seeds and legumes and bright coloured fruit and veg too. The b complex is a good place to start and actually got rid of my ovarian cyst that I've been dealing with for 2 years. I hope this helps you and you feel better soon. Take care X

Thanks for your help. I will try the b complex. I already take the milk thistle. I don't have my ovaries. Had a complete hysterectomy. My dr said by taking estrogen and progesterone together can cause more of a chance of having breast cancer. I do have problems sleeping also.What does milk and wheat do to the body?

Sorry for only replying now. Dairy can contain hormones too so they say to avoid if you have hormone issues or else stick to organic only as less chance of hormones. Wheat is processed and again can be hard on the body and many people are sensitive to it and don't realise they are. I'm sorry to hear you've had your ovaries removed and a hysterectomy too. Surgical menopause is not pleasant from what I've heard. Take care X

Stacey you sound just like me! I'm very thin too with perfect cholesterol and didn't fit the gallbladder profile either. I only had the one stone and my gallbladder wasn't inflamed at all. I only had the pain a few weeks and was told it was better to have it removed. Sadly in my case my gallbladder issues were all due to symptoms of menopause which I've since been diagnosed with only recently at 44. I'm also on the menopause group here and another woman recently had the same experience as me and is really unwell since her gallbladder was removed too. I would recommend going to a naturopath doctor if you have one near you. I went to a nutritional clinic that deal with women's health only a few months ago and they have really helped me and did a lot of saliva tests which showed my hormones were really low and they referred me to my doctor for blood tests for menopause and it showed up. A friend of mine had hers removed age 47 due to sludge and was ok until last year when she developed chronic diarrhea aged 63. She's since been diagnosed with bile salt diarrhea and the consultant who diagnosed her who happens to be the same consultant who recommended her to have the operation years ago has told her it's as a direct result of having no gallbladder. Please do what you can to save your gallbladder. Removing it puts extra pressure on the liver which is already struggling due to the fluctuating hormones. I've seen 2 gynaecologists a surgeon a gastro doctor and an endocrinologist and none of them tested my hormones for menopause or my sex hormones either! My gut told me not to have the surgery but I listened to others who had it done and said they were fine only to find out most of them had some side effects some not as severe as others. Do what you feel is best for you and do all your research first. Don't rush into it like I did thinking all my symptoms would go. Take care and keep me posted. X

Hi Stacey I know a number of people who had gallbladder issues who refused surgery and are ok now. There are a number of women on the menopause forum that get gallbladder pain too and haven't had surgery. The women I know also had sludge and gallbladder dysfunction. Also just for information thin people can be susceptible to gallbladder issues too particularly if they followed a low diet and have low cholesterol. I ate a low fat diet for 20 years and always had low cholesterol. We need good fats to make good cholesterol for hormone production. Gallbladder issues can be hereditary too. My grandmother and a number of cousins also had gallstones and we are all very thin too. Gallstones are more difficult to treat. Eating liver friendly foods can help. You could also try milk thistle and dandelion root. It helps the liver clear excess hormones and excess estrogen. I took it for many months after my surgery and found it helped. I took it in drop form. Also look into phytoestrogens which can help too. I take a menopause herbal with phytoestrogens organic soy, hops, sage, red clover, flaxseed, dandelion and alfalfa. Also high strength b complex helps the liver too and is worth trying. The big problem is our progesterone levels drop at a much faster rate than our estrogen levels causing havoc with our bodies and a lot of awful symptoms including gallbladder issues. So trying to balance your hormones until they eventually plateau in my opinion is imperative. I've also been dairy and gluten and caffeine free for years so that didn't help me but others find it helps and sticking to an organic process free diet can help too. At the end of the day it's up to you to decide whether or not you have the surgery. It's possible once you get through menopause it will resolve itself. Good luck with your decision and I hope whatever you decide works out for you. Take care xx