What Free T Do You Strive For?

[Jimstigator]

Less talked about than total testosterone, but equally important in the big picture... Free testosterone.

When I started TRT I was fresh off long term Nolvadex which raised my SHBG to top of range. This has dropped over time on TRT... Last tested few months ago at 22 (16.5-55)... Low... but I also had low E which might explain it.

So. Free T. Mine was low initially due to high SHBG. Now it's high. On 8/14 I tested TT of 915, but a free T of 23 (8.5-25.1). These numbers are likely even higher now.

Truth be told, while I can build muscle like a mad man, I don't feel 100%. I've read numerous places guys struggle with low libido and other symptoms when free T is high.

Generally the top of the TT range, nearing 1300, is the limit for TRT guys. This the same for Free T? Am I pushing that limit or is over 23 ok? Being near the top of the range?

Where do you guys fall?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Havasu]

My TRT Doc likes to keep people in between 18-25. Says that can be maintained with complete safety long term. Sometimes he'll allow it to be a bit higher as long as everything else looks good. Most doc's I've talked to don't trust the blood test, as the true bio free t test I guess only a few labs actually perform, and it's quite pricey. I've been shown to use this calculator.

Free & Bioavailable Testosterone calculator

You can use a constant of 4.3 for your Albumin if you don't know your actual albumin, but you do need to know your SHBG. With my last tests I believe I was right around 25.04-25.8ng/dl For free T which put me at 2.48%, and 570-587ng/dl Bio Available, which put me at 58.2%. Total T was 1010

 

[Jimstigator]

My TRT Doc likes to keep people in between 18-25. Says that can be maintained with complete safety long term. Sometimes he'll allow it to be a bit higher as long as everything else looks good. Most doc's I've talked to don't trust the blood test, as the true bio free t test I guess only a few labs actually perform, and it's quite pricey. I've been shown to use this calculator.

Free & Bioavailable Testosterone calculator

You can use a constant of 4.3 for your Albumin if you don't know your actual albumin, but you do need to know your SHBG. With my last tests I believe I was right around 25.04-25.8ng/dl For free T which put me at 2.48%, and 570-587ng/dl Bio Available, which put me at 58.2%. Total T was 1010

Great info, thanks!

While I get blood work every 2 weeks as a standing order, it doesn't include free T. I get that every few months as part of a major workup. Part of my curiosity stems from the bane of my existence... sensitive nipples/gyno which started pre-TRT. As I've said before, even with tanked E, my nips can get sensitive. Over the course of TRT, my average sensitive E is like 15. I am starting to see a correlation between higher T levels and the sensitivity... again... completely independent of E readings. Pre-surgery, sensitivity of both the nip itself, and the underlying lump. Now, with like half my damn pec removed to get the gland out, its just the nip tissue, on some occasions. Haven't pinned it all down yet, but was hoping free T adds to my little self research experiment.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Havasu]

One thing I forgot to mention is there is an iOS app for that Free T Calculator. It's called BioT

 

[Virginian]

Free T. Mine was low initially due to high SHBG. Now it's high. On 8/14 I tested TT of 915, but a free T of 23 (8.5-25.1). These numbers are likely even higher now.

Truth be told, while I can build muscle like a mad man, I don't feel 100%. I've read numerous places guys struggle with low libido and other symptoms when free T is high.

Generally the top of the TT range, nearing 1300, is the limit for TRT guys. This the same for Free T? Am I pushing that limit or is over 23 ok? Being near the top of the range?

Where do you guys fall?

What are the units for your free T? Mine labs have free T units of pg/mL with a range of 30 to 135 pg/mL.

I like to keep a total T of about 900 to 1000 ng/dL (range 250 to 1100). At my total T levels, my free T is typically about 200 to 250 pg/mL, far above range. Doctor would prefer it to be within range.

Is it true that high free T decreases libido? Mine is not as good as I would like.

 

[Mprtz]

I like to keep my TT up there too... at one point my free T was up over 6%. I didn't feel any bad effects from it, but I suspected that I had "crashed" my SHBG levels and was concerned that SHBG buffers not only T but E2. Very low SHBG could possibly lead to elevated free estradiol and related symptoms even when total E2 is under control (this is somewhat speculative, so please take it as such).

I did a short run of Nolvadex to bring up my SHBG levels. Seems like it worked, because my SHBG has tested in range and my free T has returned to a more reasonable level (just above range rather than 3 times top of range).

 

[halfwit]

Maybe I'm an odd duck, but I am usually 2-4x over the free T range, and definitely don't have any libido problems whatsoever. I don't recall my SHBG values, but I know I'm towards the bottom of the range.

My .02c

 

[Alpin]

Docs here look at only TT, Bio Avail.T. ...
haven't met many that diagnose hypogonadism or monitor TRT thru "free test"....

 

[Alpin]

Less talked about than total testosterone, but equally important in the big picture... Free testosterone.

When I started TRT I was fresh off long term Nolvadex which raised my SHBG to top of range. This has dropped over time on TRT... Last tested few months ago at 22 (16.5-55)... Low... but I also had low E which might explain it.

So. Free T. Mine was low initially due to high SHBG. Now it's high. On 8/14 I tested TT of 915, but a free T of 23 (8.5-25.1). These numbers are likely even higher now.

Truth be told, while I can build muscle like a mad man, I don't feel 100%. I've read numerous places guys struggle with low libido and other symptoms when free T is high.

Generally the top of the TT range, nearing 1300, is the limit for TRT guys. This the same for Free T? Am I pushing that limit or is over 23 ok? Being near the top of the range?

Where do you guys fall?

Thanks,
Jim

For what its worth....
on adex mono I had 20 pg/ml estradiol, TT 265-288, Free Test below range at 25 pmol / l ( range : 31-94 pmol / l ) but Bio Avail.T at 7.1 nmol / l (range: 2.5-18nmol / l). SHBG at 23 nmol / l. Range for it was 16-53.
I'm not sure how accurate Free T is....
I can't seem to find the right answer. Docs here say Bio Avail.T is most accurate.
whats your take on this?

 

[Chiefy]

That would make the most sense to me. Since BAT includes albumin bound testosterone, and the bond between albumin and total T is weak/reversible, that amount of T should be somehow factored into the amount of circulating T that you have.

I'm not sure how accurate BAT tests are, but if they can be considered even remotely accurate I think that's an important value to look at...more so than free T alone.