Blood work question

[xponentialshift]

So my endo doesn't plan to check any of my hormone levels until after my first 3 months on hormones, but being the health nut that I am (thanks family lol) I want to get my levels checked anyway.
I am checking my estradiol levels, potassium levels (because Spiro), but I wasn't sure which testosterone level to check. The form gives two options: Free testosterone, and Total testosterone. Should I check both of them or just one?

The potassium test is $4 and the hormone tests are about $18 each, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if I have to get both T levels checked, but I thought I read somewhere that one of the numbers was useless for MTFs.

Don't worry I'm not self medicating, I have a psychologist, PCP/endo, and a doctor my mom works with is signing off on my blood work.

Thanks!

[Jessica Merriman]

My Endo had both checked at the start of HRT to get an accurate baseline. She would like to check it every three months while adjusting dosages. This is of course my personal experience.

[xponentialshift]

Thanks Jessica, that's what I figured I would do. I just wanted to make sure that at least some doctors do check both!

[galaxy]

A basic check should contain:

E2 (total estradiol)
T (total testo)
SHBG (+ free androgene index)

For additional health-infos:
Prolactin
LH/FSH
GammaGT

[KayXo]

Free testosterone is the testosterone that is actually active and can bind to receptors, total contains the testosterone that is not active and bound to SHBG. So, in my opinion, it's better to have free T checked.
Spiro also somewhat blocks T. A test can't tell you how much.

Do realize that estradiol levels do fluctuate quite a bit from moment to moment so really checking your levels is not an accurate assessment of your overall average levels. And besides, one level that works for one may not for the other, ideal level varies according to individual.

On Spiro, potassium is retained more but sodium is also excreted more.

[galaxy]

Free testosterone is always calculated via SHBG and total T. SHBG itself is a important parameter to check.

[Thylacin]

So my endo doesn't plan to check any of my hormone levels until after my first 3 months on hormones, but being the health nut that I am (thanks family lol) I want to get my levels checked anyway.
I am checking my estradiol levels, potassium levels (because Spiro), but I wasn't sure which testosterone level to check. The form gives two options: Free testosterone, and Total testosterone. Should I check both of them or just one?

The potassium test is $4 and the hormone tests are about $18 each, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if I have to get both T levels checked, but I thought I read somewhere that one of the numbers was useless for MTFs.

Don't worry I'm not self medicating, I have a psychologist, PCP/endo, and a doctor my mom works with is signing off on my blood work.

Thanks!

I did bloodwork once before starting, then once every 4 weeks for 6 months, now we're doing every 2 months.
I don't know why a doctor would want to delay testing for three months after starting HRT. It seems like a big change in what your body has going on inside it. But my doctor isn't an endo, so maybe he's just too careful lol.

My doctor and I check both free and total T, estradiol, full metabolic panel (liver enzymes, kidney stuff, white bloodcell, etc, etc), potassium, and prolactin.

[xponentialshift]

I did bloodwork once before starting, then once every 4 weeks for 6 months, now we're doing every 2 months.
I don't know why a doctor would want to delay testing for three months after starting HRT. It seems like a big change in what your body has going on inside it. But my doctor isn't an endo, so maybe he's just too careful lol.

My doctor and I check both free and total T, estradiol, full metabolic panel (liver enzymes, kidney stuff, white bloodcell, etc, etc), potassium, and prolactin.

My doctor did get regular blood work done before as starting, just not hormone levels because she believes that it doesn't matter what you start at, just where you are trying to get.
And as I am not on a high dose (and relatively healthy) there was no point to monitor levels until my body stabalizes at the three month mark (unless there was medical evidence that something went wrong before then)

I kind of agree with her, but I'm just too curious to wait that long...