How to measure HRT progress

[KayXo]

Yeah it was for you sorry.  Are you getting both Total Testosterone and "Free Testosterone, Direct" blood tests?  Many docs don't do the Free Testosterone.  It's really one of the most important tests to be honest, even my electrologist told me this.  It matters what is biologically available.  Best time to do the test is in the AM as that is when testosterone is at its highest level.  I did the test before taking spiro, to see how high it got overnight -- I don't know what your doc told you to do with respect to taking the anti-androgen drug near the blood test.. fasting or not?

Once I get all my hormone drugs sorted out I am going to do another AM fasting Free Testosterone test to see how high my T actually gets.  Then follow it up the same day, with another Free Testosterone test like 4 hours (or so) after I take my spironolactone to see how much the spiro tablet improved the levels.

On Spiro, measuring testosterone levels is meaningless because spiro blocks testosterone too so that some of what is measured doesn't even bind to receptors. The test cannot tell you how much is blocked. Same thing goes for cyproterone acetate and bicalutamide.

There was a study in men taking high doses of spiro and even though testosterone did NOT drop after a few months, there was breast growth in most and other signs of anti-androgenic activity, confirming spiro's blocking potential.

[JennJenn]

On Spiro, measuring testosterone levels is meaningless because spiro blocks testosterone too so that some of what is measured doesn't even bind to receptors. The test cannot tell you how much is blocked. Same thing goes for cyproterone acetate and bicalutamide.

There was a study in men taking high doses of spiro and even though testosterone did NOT drop after a few months, there was breast growth in most and other signs of anti-androgenic activity, confirming spiro's blocking potential.

When my Free Testosterone, Direct got over 4.2 (i.e. the normal range), when it was 5.6, I was getting new body hairs here and there and on face here and there.  I was on a significant daily dose of spiro as well.