Quote from: JLT1 on October 17, 2015, 11:09:10 PMI don't know the effect of that type of level for the 75+age bracket as there is no data that I have found....
Men with prostate cancer (median age was 75, up to 91) were given patches or injections and levels ranged from 400-700 pg/ml. I believe these studies were for up to a year and no complications arose in respect to thrombosis or cardiovascular incidents. In fact, one paper noted that such levels were protective of such incidences.
It is true that pregnant women experience high levels for 8-9 months, BUT if levels climb up to 75,000 pg/ml, with the absolute risk of DVT being 0.05-0.2% during pregnancy AND given we only reach, AT MOST 4,000 pg/ml, but usually less, I personally (my opinion, I'm not a doctor) consider the risk to be low. Pregnancy has also been shown to be associated, interestingly, with a lesser risk of breast cancer while nuns who never become pregnant, experience a higher risk.
I've also known, throughout the years, many transwomen, in their forties and fifties on levels exceeding 1,000 pg/ml, some of whom had experienced complications such as DVT on oral non-bio-identical estradiol and who had absolutely no problems on such high levels when on injections.
I don't see how if complications such as DVT don't occur (even in older populations who are more at risk and individuals with predispositions, like Factor V Leiden mutation) in the short-term (1-5 years), complications will suddenly arise later. Researchers often even remark that should complications arise, they usually do within the first year. Risk should be immediately reflected in blood tests within months of starting treatments as clotting factors, proteins would jump up or down, CRP (C reactive protein) would increase, blood pressure should rise etc. Studies have shown this is not the case. If one is worried, one could have tests done every 3-6 months...
Lastly, going back to the sixties, prostate cancer stricken males were put on high dose oral estrogen and breast cancer was unheard of, same was true of Harry Benjamin's patients on high dose injectables.
If one considers all the above, I would say the risk is quite low but like I said, this is only my opinion and some doctors also share this view. To each their own but to me, it just makes a whole lot of sense. I've been on high levels for more than a year.
I'm not advocating high levels, please don't misinterpret me BUT in my case, they were most beneficial and in some others, they might be where lower levels didn't produce the desired results.
As always, discuss with your doctor, share with them and in the end, follow their orders.
