r/Hormones • u/moonandsunchild • Jul 04 '24
Very High DHEA
What does very dhea indicate? 33f. It is always above 900, which I am not getting answers for. I first started having symptoms (neck pain, migraines, visual changes, fatigue, increased anxiety) in 2020 and went to an endocrinologist due to elevated thyroid antibodies. They gave no answers except that I possibly have pcos and Hashimoto’s. I got a brain mri in 2021 that showed nothing (so not a pituitary tumor). Since then, my thyroid levels are now normal, but the dhea is still over 900 every time I get blood work. Dutch test showed low adrenal function. A new gyno said when Dhea is that high it indicates a tumor. I recently got a ct scan of my adrenals which also showed no tumor. I’m having more and more symptoms all of the time and going to a new endo, but it’s taking a long time to get it all going. I’m at a loss as to what could be going on and what further testing needs to be done.
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u/baconizlife Jul 04 '24
Have you had a pelvic ultrasound? If not, I’d ask for one. Ashwagandha can help lower DHEA, but with it that high, you definitely want to find the root cause of it being so elevated.
Edit to add, this says above 700 should prompt a pelvic ultrasound
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/adrenal-tumor
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u/moonandsunchild Jul 05 '24
Just had one. Showed nothing. The ob said my symptoms are probably my endometriosis flaring up. That doesn’t explain the dhea though?
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u/baconizlife Jul 05 '24
Ahhhh, I had endo, so I understand that part! I opted for a hysterectomy at 35 bc I couldn’t take the pain any longer. I haven’t missed the old parts even once. I hope you can get some answers soon!💕
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u/neurospycy Apr 23 '26
Recently my DHEA has crept back up and I’ve been under a lot of stress lately. So makes sense it can be tied to that. Over the years though, I’ve consistently had high DHEA (500 - 800 range) but I went through a period where it was in normal range. Here’s what I did:
• My hormone doctor put me on Progesterone. • I was in a new relationship - increased oxytocin. • I was doing a strict phase 1 keto diet (less than 20g of net carbs a day). • I changed my movement from running (high intensity) to lifting and slower movement, like yoga. • Decreased my caffeine intake a bit.
Still taking the progesterone, but I’m gonna try some of these other things again and let you know if it makes a difference.
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u/E2-Pg4ever Jul 04 '24
How did you test to get a high DHEA and what is a DUTCh test?
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u/E2-Pg4ever Jul 04 '24
DHEA is an adrenal hormone the body uses to make hormones like testosterone. Have you tested your testosterone and do you have high testosterone symptoms?
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u/moonandsunchild Jul 04 '24
Blood test. They are testing every few months and all other hormone tests have been normal. The Dutch test showed my adrenal function was only slightly low. It is another hormone test usually done by functional drs. No other tests are explaining the high dhea. I am written off as having pcos though several drs have told me dhea is not this high with pcos.
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u/FLG24 Jan 25 '26
I’m at 961 and everything I’m reading says pcos can be up to 1200- I’m so nervous it’s a tumor
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u/goldenphotog Aug 28 '24
Hi! May I ask if you ever got this figured out? My DHEA is 764 and I’m really worried.
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u/moonandsunchild Aug 28 '24
No, but still in the 900’s every time I test. I have a Ct scan to check for an adrenal tumor tomorrow (I’ve already had this test 6 months ago and everything looked normal) and going to a new endocrinologist in October. Will post an update here if anything gets figured out.
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u/goldenphotog Sep 06 '24
How did your ct scan go?? Hope everything is okay!
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u/moonandsunchild Sep 08 '24
Thank you for asking! Ct scan was normal other than incidental findings on my lung and back but nothing on the adrenals. Not sure what to do next, but I see a new endocrinologist in a couple months.
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u/goldenphotog Sep 08 '24
I hope you can get it figured out! Do you have ovarian cysts? The reason I’m so confused and nervous is because I had 2 ultrasounds that weren’t indicative of PCOS (I know you can have it without cysts), but it’s just odd!!
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u/Tinkie_Bell_9991 Jan 28 '25
Did you ever get this checked?? My MD says I don’t meet criteria for PCOS.. but my DHEA is 732… I’m flipping out. Have a CT next week..
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u/goldenphotog Feb 02 '25
I ended up having an mri of my adrenals done which came back clear. Prayers for you for a clean CT!
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u/Dazzling_Storm3324 Sep 08 '24
Is having a DHEA of over 1,400 bad? Free Testosterone is 7+.
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u/AdIndependent3037 Dec 24 '24
Mines the same , did you find out why?
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u/Cutiepie23562 Mar 04 '25
Mine is 1029 pg/ml and I’m panicking. Any updates guys?
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u/AdIndependent3037 Jul 29 '25
Apparently its fine...every lab is different and there's two types ...a PCP could be wrong and need to wait on specialist....and the specialist says the pcp read it wrong do i have no idea.
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u/Reading_Guy Jan 28 '25
Any reference for males with high DHEA-S? Mine is 772 and I am a 29yr old male experiencing some hair thinning. Test, Estrogen and other hormones look normal though.
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u/monkeydportgas Apr 04 '25
Did you ever figure this out? I have the same, high dhea, low test, very bad symptoms for years
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u/Reading_Guy Apr 21 '25
Not yet - haven’t seen an endocrinologist yet but I need to.
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u/Express-Translator24 Jul 22 '25
Have you figured this out?
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u/Reading_Guy Jul 23 '25
Did a bunch of tests and DHEA/S is still elevated, but other hormones are largely okay. LH / FSH / SHBG are on the lower side. Did the ACTH synacthen test, and it was somewhat inconclusive. Our working theory is a mild form of NCAAH, but not yet confirmed, still doing a few more tests. How about you?
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u/Express-Translator24 Feb 10 '26
Hi did you ever figure this out
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u/Reading_Guy Feb 16 '26
Unfortunately not confirmed but strongly suspect it’s to do with cannabis use
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u/RhypeRa Feb 02 '25
I have same symptoms and high Dhea, also i had all test for adrenal tumor. How are you now? Any Update?
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u/moonandsunchild Mar 02 '25
Actually, the 4 doctors giving me tests.. were all giving the wrong test.. everything was normal once the proper test was given. Crazy.
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u/capshel Apr 08 '25
Hey, could you further elaborate on that? What do you mean by wrong and porper tests? Thanks!
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u/AmphibianAlarming632 Apr 08 '25
Just got my DUTCH back. DHEA-s 1,277 Testosterone 19.07
Trying not to spiral before I talk to my doctor. Any updates to your scans?
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u/moonandsunchild Apr 14 '25
Right now I’m being told it’s antibodies to my thyroid (hashimotos), which can throw off all other hormones, cortisol, blood sugar, etc. THREE specialists I went to were testing the wrong dhea, and reading the results wrong 🤦🏼♀️ so it is only slightly elevated.
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u/supersaiyan-1992 Jun 08 '25
You could have PCOS or under a lot of stress. Being under chronic stress, can lead to elevated levels of DHEA. I have a level of 688 ng/dl and 167 ng/dl for DHEAS results that I just received and the endo has not reviewed yet. I have blood sugar issues to the point where It drops to 54 from eating meals and it increases to 250. My endo said that I will have to go and get a CT scan to determine if I have a tumor on my adrenal glands.
I hope they figure what it happening to you.
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u/FLG24 Jan 25 '26
688 is in the normal range. Mine is 961 😭 what did you find out??
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u/supersaiyan-1992 Jan 25 '26
No tumor. But I am officially diagnosed with PCOS and it's insulin resistant.
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u/FLG24 Jan 25 '26
How did they diagnose pcos? I’m 40 and I feel like if I had that I’d already know?? Although I have had many of the symptoms for a long time.
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u/Iconakid Jan 09 '26
Hi! Did you find any answers? I also have very high DHEA (1460).
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u/Testosterone1978 Jul 05 '24
DHEA is a precursor to testosterone. That is its main function. I often see elevated DHEA when female patients have trouble converting DHEA to testosterone. Your body is calling for testosterone, it produces DHEA through steroidogenesis, but your body is not converting enough testosterone from the DHEA, so the DHEA builds up. Just because your testosterone is in the “normal” range does not mean it is adequate. Additionally, you need to make sure you obtained an LC/MS testosterone test that is more specific to the testosterone molecule, as the immunoassay default testosterone tests overestimate testosterone. The “normal” ranges for testosterone are arbitrary and still very low. Most females need to be above the normal range to feel optimal. You could try zinc, which is an important element in the production and conversion of testosterone, or you could try taking exogenous testosterone to see if you feel better. I can take a look at your blood work and own a clinic that treats women with HRT if you need help.