Please indicate units when mentioning levels as they are different from one country to another. Also, it's worthwhile mentioning what you are taking, as some agents not only reduce testosterone but also block testosterone such as cyproterone acetate and spironolactone. Just to illustrate, in the case of spironolactone, despite no reduction in Testosterone (T), anti-androgenic/feminizing effects were observed, probably because it blocked T.
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Volume 24, Issue 4, pages 465–473, October 1978
"To evaluate the long-term effects of spironolactone, 30 normal males were randomly divided into three groups(...)"
"The study was double blind and lasted 10 months."
(doses were typical of what is prescribed for transwomen)
"The concentrations of testosterone, estradiol, estriol, luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, progesterone, and prolactin were also determined before treatment and at two-month intervals during treatment."
"Spironolactone induced no significant changes in the metabolic clearance of androstenedione or testosterone.Plasma concentrations of the various hormones did not change as a result of either spironolactone or the development of gynecomastia. Inhibition of testosterone synthesis or alteration in its metabolic clearance by spironolactone does not appear to be the cause of spironolactone-induced gynecomastia in man."
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1977 Aug;45(2):255-60.
"One group of nine men took *mg daily for 4 weeks, none for 4 weeks, then *mg daily for 4 weeks."
"The serum concentrations of FSH, LH, testosterone and estradiol, however, did not change during either period, nor did the FSH and LH responses to synthetic gonadotropin-releasing hormone."
"Another group of 9 men took * mg of spironolactone daily for up to 24 weeks. During this time, 6 developed gynecomastia and 2 noted a decrease in libido." (dose was higher than typical for most transwomen)
"No change occurred in the mean serum concentrations of FSH, LH, testosterone or estradiol."
"We conclude that spironolactone-induced gynecomastia and occasional semen abnormalities do not appear to be due to changes in the serum concentrations of testosterone or estradiol. We hypothesize that these changes may be related to binding of canrenone to tissue androgen receptors."
So that when taking either drug or bicalutamide/flutamide which only blocks Testosterone, levels in and of themselves don't reveal the whole picture. The blocking effect, not measured by blood tests, appears to be quite significant. Instead, relying on measures such as oily/dry skin, hair growth, body odor, breast/fat changes, etc. would appear to be more reliable, especially considering everyone's sensitivity to hormones is different.
In addition, total testosterone is composed of SHBG bound T which doesn't trigger androgen receptors or is inactive thus does not give an accurate reading of what is truly going on. Bio-available T or free T is more precise.
The total testosterone range in females is, nonetheless, just for your information, anywhere from 6-90 ng/dl, depending on the woman and lab values.
Estradiol range in females is VERY wide, from as low as 20 pg/ml during beginning of menstrual cycle to 650 pg/ml during ovulation and up to 75,000 pg/ml, during pregnancy. It even overlaps the range of men (10-30). There seems to be no normal.
What the right level for one might be may not be right for another. Individuals vary.
Aust NZ J ObTtet Gvnaecol 1998. 38: 3: 45
"it is difficult to define a therapeutic drug concentration (...) because patients may vary in their oestradiol requirements (...). In addition, serum oestradiol levels may not necessarily reflect tissue oestradiol levels."
CLIMACTERIC 2005;8(Suppl 1):3–63
"Even though there is a significant correlation between
the serum concentrations of estradiol and their
clinical effects, e.g. on hot flushes or bone mass,
the serum level of an individual woman does not
predict the therapeutic effect. As shown in Figure 1,
the number of hot flushes differs largely in
patients who showed identical estradiol levels
during transdermal hormone therapy1. This casts
considerable doubts on the usefulness of regular
measurements of hormone levels for the prediction
or control of a therapeutic success."
Ask yourself: does the same concentration of alcohol in the blood of everyone result in similar effects or even at different times in the same individual? The answer is obvious.
Additionally, levels FLUCTUATE from one moment to another so that really it doesn't say much.
Maturitas, 12 (1990) 171-197
"When the serum concentrations of natural or synthetic sex steroids are measured
at short time-intervals after administration and repeatedly during long-term
treatment, it becomes obvious that there are large intra-individual and interindividual
variations. This holds true for both the contraceptive steroids and the natural
oestrogens and does not apply solely to the oral route. Long-term studies
indicate that an important influence is exerted by predisposing factors, particularly
the metabolic capacity of the liver, on the pharmacokinetics of sex steroids.
Large variations in oestradiol and oestrone levels can be observed in an individual
woman from day to day or from hour to hour, even during transdermal therapy
with oestradiol"
Understand this, ask as many questions as you want, share with your doctor.
