[Lotus]

Now here's something to try, and more info is posted here, but take a look at this.

So I see a possible correlation with inflammation (systemic, chronic) and phytoestrogens (maybe more so in PM). Now this could vary according to your inflammatory response, meaning what's in your daily diet.

“Acute inflammation normally resolves by mechanisms that have remained somewhat elusive. Emerging evidence now suggests that an active, coordinated program of resolution initiates in the first few hours after an inflammatory response begins. After entering tissues, granulocytes promote the switch of arachidonic acid–derived prostaglandins and leukotrienes to lipoxins, which initiate the termination sequence. Neutrophilrecruitment thus ceases and programmed death by apoptosis is engaged. These events coincide with the biosynthesis, from omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, of resolvins and protectins, which critically shorten the period of neutrophil infiltration by initiating apoptosis. As a consequence, apoptotic neutrophils undergo phagocytosis by macrophages, leading to neutrophil clearance and release of anti-inflammatory and reparative cytokines such as transforming growth factor-β1. The anti-inflammatory program ends with the departure of macrophages through the lymphatics.”
—Charles Serhan

So inflammation may also reduce the biosynthesis of albumin, the part of blood plasma that carries the more bio-active hormones that can be influenced to become active, unlike SHBG-sex hormone binding globulin.

Sorry if this is out there, I don't think this has been addressed yet, when you get time try and look over this link from Wikipedia, it's very informative. There's a ton of other info out there about this so other sites might explain it better. And seriously look into the ratio of omega 3's to omega 6's, it should favor more 3's, that should help in reducing immflamation. You might see some better gains once inflammation is reduced.



http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflammation#Systemic_inflammation_and_obesity