My labs from the 4th

[Artesia]

I finally got my lab results from August 4th.

My Testosterone, Total Q was 7.  This was the first time my T was tested since I began transitioning.

My Estradiol was 76.

I think my draw still use male values for the test as it said my T was low, and E was High.

My last test for Estradiol was 310, which was on May 25.

My dose for Estradiol was decreased by 25% after the May 25 test.  Both tests, I were at the same time of day, and before taking my morning dose of Estradiol, and over 9 hours after my evening dose.  I don't know why it would make that big of a difference.

[Laurie]

Hi Artesia,

  Have you talked with your doctor to see what they might thing the drop in E was from? Good on the T though.

Hugs,
   Laurie

[Artesia]

Not yet.  I just received the results today.  I will call and ask, and then receive a response in a couple weeks, or months.  The Endo Department at the Indianapolis VA is a bit slow.

[Dena]

Tablets have about a 2 hour half life in the body. Say you had a peak of 1000 pg/ml. After 2 hours it would be 500. After 4 hours it would be 250. After 6 hours 175. After 8 hours 87. This is why you want know the time of the last dose as it can really throw the understanding of the tests off if you are measured just after you took a dose.

Something you didn't mention is the time of the evening dosage. If the evening dosage of the first test was way late or it was a full dose instead of a split dosage, that can also obscure the results.

[Artesia]

I take my pills before bed every day, and bed time is between 9:30 and 10:00 pm nightly.  Excepting days where I am on the day shift, but could not have the test on those days as that would put the test time after 2pm.  It would be dissolved by 11 or so.

[KayXo]

Tablets have about a 2 hour half life in the body. Say you had a peak of 1000 pg/ml. After 2 hours it would be 500. After 4 hours it would be 250. After 6 hours 175. After 8 hours 87.

Citing one study where sublingual intake was compared to oral, at a given dose, mean levels were:

At 1 hour after intake: 451 pg/ml
At 2 hours: around 200 pg/ml, already less than half the concentration an hour before hence half-life is VERY short, about 1 hour.
At 3 hours: 115 pg/ml
At 4 hours: close to 80 pg/ml
At 6 hours: a little less than 60 pg/ml

This is one of the reasons I personally don't like sublingual, because I don't react well to such quickly fluctuating levels. Everyone is different. Also, this makes measurement of levels quite useless and invalid. At 1 hour, you could be well above the doctor's 'ideal' levels, at 12 hours, under the 'ideal' level. Depending on when your blood is drawn, your doctor can decide to reduce your dose or increase your dose. It's silly.