Need help with lab results

[sleek996]

First, I'd like to say thanks to everyone for the wealth of information on this site. I'm 42 years old, 5'9" 162 lbs and have been on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for 3 months now. I started with a test level of 384, feeling tired and low libido. I was dosing 100mg/week but switch to 50mg/every 3.5 days. I'm felling great but my last blood work shows my test level at >1500 and this is on the day before my next injection. I'm also taking 1/4 Aromatase inhibitor (AI) every 3.5days the day after my test injection. Also taking 250iu Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) 2 times a week on the day before my injection

Test >1500. (348-1197)
Estradiol 28.8 (7.6-42.6)
Hemoglobin 17.9 (12.6-17.7)
Hematocrit 51.2 (37.5-51)
Ast sgot 55 (0-40)
Alt sgpt. 81 (0-44)
Fsh <.02 (1.5-12.4)
Lh. <.02 (1.7-8.6)

Should I be of concern on the high test level, especially when they should be much lower on the day before my next injection? Should I drop my test to a lower dosage?

I will also start donating blood but need advice on the frequency

My fsh and lh level are So low, is there anything I can do to raise those levels?

 

[halfwit]

DAMN! I'm VERY jealous of your reaction to test as I take more than 2.5x of what you do and still do not break 1,000ng/dL. I'd hop on some Liv.52 (Livercare) by Himalaya as this will help with your ALT/AST levels, but other than that your results are REALLY good. Being above 1500ng/dL is something that is up to you and your doctor as many do not like seeing folks with test levels that high (legality), while some do allow their patients to remain at slightly supraphysiological levels. You're definitely taking care of estrogen (estradiol), so your chances of negative side effects are minimized.

You can donate whole blood every 56 days at the Red Cross. If you notice that your RBC is getting up there as well, you can also donate platelets every 7 days. LH and FSH are going to remain near zero as that is what your pituitary gland uses to signal to your testes to make testosterone. As you are supplementing it by injection, your body recognizes this and has shut off this signal. Unless you're terribly worried about your testicle size, there is no need to worry about these levels. (They don't shrink THAT much by the way.)

 

[gdevine]

Using the edit button please add ranges for each lab.

Did you get Free T and/or Bio-Available T?

Ty.

gd

 

[sleek996]

I added range and I'm not sure regarding your question. I got the blood work through privateMd using the female panel test. Could you please elaborate on the free T and/or bio-available T question?

Thanks halfwit for your reply and suggestion on the liver52.

 

[gdevine]

First, I'd like to say thanks to everyone for the wealth of information on this site. I'm 42 years old, 5'9" 162 lbs and have been on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for 3 months now. I started with a test level of 384, feeling tired and low libido. I was dosing 100mg/week but switch to 50mg/every 3.5 days. I'm felling great but my last blood work shows my test level at >1500 and this is on the day before my next injection. I'm also taking 1/4 Aromatase inhibitor (AI) every 3.5days the day after my test injection. Also taking 250iu Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) 2 times a week on the day before my injection

Test >1500. (348-1197)
Given your injection protocol of every 3.5 days your serum levels should be pretty consistent. This Total Testosterone lab of 1500 is either an error or you are living in supraphysiological levels which a man can't sustain for any duration...our bodies weren't built for that. This is too high, obviously. Assuming the lab is correct you need to reduce your dosage amounts to get this back to healthy youthful levels, meaning <1000.
Estradiol 28.8 (7.6-42.6)
Nice, but keep in mind if you lower your Testosterone dosage you will have to keep an eye on your E2 as you may not need as much of the Aromatase inhibitor (AI) on the dosage you're on now.
Hemoglobin 17.9 (12.6-17.7)
Hematocrit 51.2 (37.5-51)
You know what to do here.
Ast sgot 55 (0-40)
Alt sgpt. 81 (0-44)
Liver enzymes are elevated. This is a sign of inflammation somewhere in the body due to any number of medical reasons. They can also elevate with certain drugs like Tylenol or alcohol use. Keep an eye on it.
Fsh <.02 (1.5-12.4)
Lh. <.02 (1.7-8.6)
As noted, you are HPTA suppressed so these will be tanked.

Should I be of concern on the high test level, especially when they should be much lower on the day before my next injection? Should I drop my test to a lower dosage?
Talk to your Doctor about lowering your dosage, you can't live at this serum level for a sustained period of time as neg sides will present and they aren't fun or healthy for you.

I will also start donating blood but need advice on the frequency
Agreed.

My fsh and lh level are So low, is there anything I can do to raise those levels?
See note above, this is normal on TRT--> HPTA Suppression.

Total Testosterone: This lab measures your total serum level including testosterone bound to SHBG and Albumin.
Bio-Available: This lab measure your total serum level sans SHBG.
%Free Testosterone: This lab measures total serum level sans SHBG and Albumin.

The last two are very important as they are the measurement of the serum level that the body can use. Testosterone bound to SHBG, usually like 96%, is useless and just gets metabolized out. We like to see %Free in the 2-3% range. Gives us a better picture of how our testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) protocol is working.

Talk to your Doctor about lowering your dosage and give blood as soon as you can.

edit: You need to find out from the lab if they use a different Testosterone lab for women versus men. Women have virtually no Testosterone serum levels when compared to a man so the lab may different thus your elevated levels - false reading. It's the same for why when men get estrogen tested they need to use the "Sensitive assay" as men have virtually no estrogen when compared to a women. Find this out as soon as you can before making any adjustment to your protocol.

 

[sleek996]

Thanks gdevine...it makes total sense. I will get new bloodwork just to be sure.
Is there a specific day in relation to my injection for best bloodwork?

 

[gdevine]

Thanks gdevine...it makes total sense. I will get new bloodwork just to be sure.
Is there a specific day in relation to my injection for best bloodwork?

The day before your next injection.

 

[1693]

edit: You need to find out from the lab if they use a different Testosterone lab for women versus men. Women have virtually no Testosterone serum levels when compared to a man so the lab may different thus your elevated levels - false reading. It's the same for why when men get estrogen tested they need to use the "Sensitive assay" as men have virtually no estrogen when compared to a women. Find this out as soon as you can before making any adjustment to your protocol.

That lab is available for either sex....a person checks a box if they are male or female so it should be fine but the >1500 could possibly be a lab error or it's a very efficient way to use 100mg of test....

Hormone Panel for Females

Description: ***Both MALES and FEMALES order this panel, please be sure to enter the gender that you want reference ranges for when placing your order, as each gender has different reference ranges for these tests. ***
Menopause is the time in a woman's life when menstruation stops permanently. Most women go through menopause between ages 45 and 55. In the US the average age for menstrual periods to stop completely is 51.

This panel will help diagnose the onset of menopause. Significant deviations from the normal range may require further evaluation by your physician.

Includes:
-Estradiol, serum;
-Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH);
-Luteinizing Hormone (LH);
-Testosterone, serum;
-Complete Blood Count (CBC): Hematocrit; hemoglobin; mean corpuscular volume (MCV); mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH); mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC); red cell distribution width (RDW); percentage and absolute differential counts; platelet count; red cell count; white blood cell count; immature granulocytes.
-Comprehensive Metabolic Profile (CMP): A:G ratio; albumin, serum; alkaline phosphatase, serum; ALT (SGPT); AST (SGOT); bilirubin, total; BUN; BUN:creatinine ratio; calcium, serum; carbon dioxide, total; chloride, serum; creatinine, serum; globulin, total; glucose, serum; potassium, serum; protein, total, serum; sodium, serum.

Patient Instructions: Patient should fast for 12 hours preceding collection of specimen. If using a testosterone cream please be sure you have not rubbed any into the antecubital area of your arm for the last 24 hours as it can give elevated results.

Categories: Hormones and Metabolism, Female Specific Tests, Infertility Testing

Price: $59.99 Add To Cart

privatemdlabs.com/lab_tests.php?view=all&show=1032&category=14&search=#1032

 

[gdevine]

^^^^He got the female labs --> "I got the blood work through privateMd using the female panel test".

 

[Megatron28]

^^^^He got the female labs --> "I got the blood work through privateMd using the female panel test".

The female panel is for both males and females. When you are purchasing it you note your sex and they compare your results against the correct reference range.

 

[gdevine]

The female panel is for both males and females. When you are purchasing it you note your sex and they compare your results against the correct reference range.

So you're saying the lab is not different for men and women just how they reference it against gender and reference range.

You'd think they'd have a different assay to measure Testosterone in women. Their serum levels are so low compared to men that they fall at the flat end of the assay's bell curve so one has to wonder how accurate it is for women?

The reason we order the "Sensitive Estrogen" assay for men is just the same reason. Men have such little estrogen compared to women that on the standard default Estrogen assay designed for women, men fall at the flat end of the bell curve as well. So the net effect is that for men using the standard E2 lab is that it tends to over estimate serum levels and hence provides usually an inaccurate measurement.

You would think it would be the same for measuring testosterone in women wouldn't you?

I just don't have a lot of experience with women's hormones or testing for that matter.

 

[Megatron28]

So you're saying the lab is not different for men and women just how they reference it against gender and reference range.

You'd think they'd have a different assay to measure Testosterone in women. Their serum levels are so low compared to men that they fall at the flat end of the assay's bell curve so one has to wonder how accurate it is for women?

The reason we order the "Sensitive Estrogen" assay for men is just the same reason. Men have such little estrogen compared to women that on the standard default Estrogen assay designed for women, men fall at the flat end of the bell curve as well. So the net effect is that for men using the standard E2 lab is that it tends to over estimate serum levels and hence provides usually an inaccurate measurement.

You would think it would be the same for measuring testosterone in women wouldn't you?

I just don't have a lot of experience with women's hormones or testing for that matter.

This panel does not include the sensitive E2 test. But the cost of the panel is much cheaper than ones that include the sensitive test. Since it is often "close enough" for many guys needs they choose to save a few bucks. They have panels with Sensitive E2 if you are willing to pay a little more.

I don't know the answer to your question about the different testosterone assays. I know there are different lab tests which provide different degrees of accuracy but I don't know how they work with women.

 

[sleek996]

Yes, I did check the male gender during the checkout phase. The only reason I used the female panel was after reading some post, many have suggested that panel. I wasn't aware of the different accuracy in tests. Thanks for clearing that up

Also the test numbers didn't have a specific number, it literally said >1500 on the report. So does that mean 1500-1600 range or it could be 1700 for example?

 

[1693]

Also the test numbers didn't have a specific number, it literally said >1500 on the report. So does that mean 1500-1600 range or it could be 1700 for example?

It's unknown how much higher than 1500 it is....it could be 1501 or it could be 5000....

 

[1693]

Next week I'll try to get more info from Labcorp and privatemdlabs on the estradiol tests...it's a bit confusing and I'm about to get a lab done.

Another guy did three different E2 test from Labcorp and came up with this below....it doesn't make a lot of sense so far:
=============================================================
I recently had all three of their e2 tests done; two that came back with results in line with each other and on the total opposite end of the spectrum.

Estradiol, LCMS, Endo Sci
Labcorp test# 500108
result: <1.0 pg/mL

Estradiol- Roche ECLIA methodology
Labcorp test# 004515
result: 15.9 pg/mL

Estradiol, Sensitive
Labcorp Test# 140244
result: 227 pg/mL

 

[Megatron28]

One thing to keep in mind with the various E2 tests is that the HIGHER your E2 the more accurate the standard test will be. Where the need for the Sensitive E2 assay comes into play is when your E2 is on the LOW end of the spectrum. The regular assay is not as accurate when the numbers start getting smaller.

My most recent labs put me on the lower end of the E2 spectrum. The Sensitive assay put me about 10 points lower than the Non-Sensitive assay was indicating. For what it is worth, anecdotal evidence from other guys shows the same 10 point difference when your E2 is at the lower end of the range. So when I got the sensitive assay for E2 I realized I was taking too much arimidex.

And just a reminder, it really sucks when your E2 gets too low. Don't try to crush it. Low E is just as bad as high E. You want to get into the sweet spot. That is what a lot of guys struggle with when starting testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and is a big part of the "dialing in" equation.

 

[sleek996]

Next week I'll try to get more info from Labcorp and privatemdlabs on the estradiol tests...it's a bit confusing and I'm about to get a lab done.

Another guy did three different E2 test from Labcorp and came up with this below....it doesn't make a lot of sense so far:
=============================================================
I recently had all three of their e2 tests done; two that came back with results in line with each other and on the total opposite end of the spectrum.

Estradiol, LCMS, Endo Sci
Labcorp test# 500108
result: <1.0 pg/mL

Estradiol- Roche ECLIA methodology
Labcorp test# 004515
result: 15.9 pg/mL

Estradiol, Sensitive
Labcorp Test# 140244
result: 227 pg/mL

Please keep me updated from what you hear from labcorp...with such a huge variant in e2 test from those labs, is there a lab that most use with good steady results?

On the other hand, I'm still reluctant to changing my protocol as I really really feel good. Ton of energy, my workout has been excellent, great mood, incredible morning wood but I do not want to stay in the 1500 range on my test if it's accurate.