Quote from: DanielleA on March 29, 2016, 03:30:07 AM
DHEAS - 16.0 umol/L
Testosterone - 9.9 nmol/L
Oestrogen - 206 pmol/L
I have a feeling that testosterone should be lower but when I take too many antiandrogen pills, it makes me sick.
DHEAS in ug/dL is 331, higher end of female range in young females, middle range in males under 50. Overall, still somewhat high.
Testosterone in ng/dl is 285 so above female range (under 100) but at low end of male range (can go as high as 1,000).
Oestrogen, which I'm assuming is estradiol and not oestrogen which is the sum of estradiol and estrone (please clarify, just to be sure), is 56 pg/ml, which is the low end of female range, going up to 650 pg/ml during a menstrual cycle. It's slightly higher than male range (10-40).
What anti-androgen are you taking? Are you taking estrogen and how so? oral, patch, gel?
You need to also understand that levels of these hormones will fluctuate over time so for this reason, are not always reliable. They may be significantly higher or lower at another given point in time.
Testosterone is also not a completely accurate indicator as it comprises bound testosterone (to SHBG) which doesn't bind to androgen receptors so best is free testosterone, or bio-available T. If you are taking an anti-androgen that is also blocking testosterone, then you may have high levels but some of this is blocked so perhaps it's ok after all.
Finally, one cannot just based on numbers predict how you will do. It may well be the case that you are quite sensitive and respond well to these levels so perhaps your doctor doesn't need to change a thing, AT THE MOMENT. BUT, usually (or always), doctors will aim for testosterone levels that are at least inferior to 100 ng/dl (3.47 nmol/L) and perhaps ideally around 30-60 ng/dl (1.04-2.08 nmol/L). I am post-op and my levels are 0.3 nmol/L!
To resume, blood levels, in this case, may not reveal much. How you feel and how you respond (feminization, breast growth, hair, skin, fat distribution, etc) will allow you to best gauge whether what you are taking at the moment is working out for you. Much more than numbers.
Quote from: Anna R on March 29, 2016, 05:37:08 AMAim is T level of 2, E level between 200-400.
No sense in aiming for levels because of all the reasons cited above. Some women also may need higher levels of E to respond properly and feel good, some lower levels of T, it DEPENDS on the individual. There is no study that has shown a certain level or range works best for all transgendered women. It was arbitrarily set without justification. Even in women, levels fluctuate greatly, from as low as 73 pmol/L - 2,386 pmol/L during one single menstrual cycle.
Quote from: DanielleA on March 29, 2016, 07:04:18 AM
Upon googling DHEAS it seems like it is somehow responsible for body hairs , which might explain why it is taking so long to remove my facial hair.
DHEAS is the inactive form of DHEA which is a WEAK androgen which later converts to more potent androgens such as testosterone and DHT. So one should instead focus on those stronger androgens, especially DHT which is the reason why body hair grows thick and scalp hair sometimes dies. Facial hair, if properly treated (best is electrolysis as it's proven to be permanent) should not regrow, regardless of androgen levels. But, if you are seeing new hairs grow on your face or thinner hairs turn into thicker ones, then yes, lower T and DHT would be best and you should discuss this with your doctor.
QuoteIs there any forms of antiandrogens that might not make me sick? I take spironolacitone.
Taking spironolactone with food sometimes helps. You need to drink enough (pure) water and eat enough salt to avoid side-effects like muscle cramping, tiredness, dizziness, heart palpitations, dryness, headaches. Also limit high potassium stuff.
Other anti-androgens include cyproterone acetate (I personally wouldn't take it due to potential side-effects), bicalutamide (Casodex) and LhRh agonists like Zoladex, Lupron and Synarel. Estrogen can also be taken alone (usually by way of injections) and will, in high enough doses, reduce testosterone levels as the more E there is, the less T the body will produce.
