Community Conversation => Transitioning => Hormone replacement therapy => Topic started by: iKate on October 25, 2015, 11:07:45 AM Return to Full Version

Title: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: iKate on October 25, 2015, 11:07:45 AM
Just got back my last set of labs.

Estradiol - 160.2 pg/mL
Testosterone - <20 pg/mL
Free Testosterone - <2 pg/mL
SHBG - 82.60 nmol/L

E seems a tad low. I don't have as much "hurt" in my breasts as I used to either. It actually stopped for a while until I started P.

I take a fairly high oral dose.

Should I be concerned?
Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: Deborah on October 25, 2015, 11:41:15 AM
According to the lab that does my blood tests that looks perfectly normal.  As for the hurt I think that can be expected to go in cycles.  At least I hope that's true because mine have been less painful lately too. ???

Quote***Menstruating Females (by day in cycle relative to LH peak)

***Follicular phase (-12 to -4) 19.5 - 144.2 pg/mL

***Midcycle (-3 to +2) 63.9 - 356.7 pg/mL

***Postmenopausal Females 0.0 - 32.2 pg/mL
Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: Rachel on October 25, 2015, 05:05:49 PM
I am not a doctor and if concerned a call to your practitioner is in order.

Oral has a tendency to peak and fall "relatively" quickly. When I was on oral I split my dose AM/PM as per my doctors instructions. If you do E sublingual I have read here that it bypassed the liver and has more E in you system as opposed to swallowing. If you do sublingual it also increased your E level quicker and has a quicker rate of fall. So when and the way you took your E is very important. When you have that information then you can look at a graph of sublingual E over time and compare your results.
Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: Lady_Oracle on October 25, 2015, 08:16:53 PM
levels are weird, what like Cynthia said with pills the half life is quick. It's best just to go by how you feel, if you're feeling good and nothing "feels off" then you're good. Breast growth pains come and go, which is totally normal regardless of your levels.
Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: Mariah on October 25, 2015, 08:40:55 PM
I would contact your doctor if you concerned about it. My endo tries to keep around 200, but not over 200 for my midcycle number from injections. Hugs
Mariah
Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: iKate on October 25, 2015, 09:44:07 PM
Could just be that the half life is less. I take one pill in the morning at 6am. The dr appt was at 3:30. So yeah it could just be half life.
Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: Mariah on October 25, 2015, 10:13:58 PM
Very well could be considering how quickly the level can drop between doses.
Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: warlockmaker on October 25, 2015, 10:14:32 PM
Many of us who have been on HRT and have a regular blood test can tell you that the E level goes all over the place, this is based multiple factors. We are not cis females, attempting to correlate our levels with their can be misleading. As we elvolve there could be different absorption level as needed by the body and we get rid of the excess. I have an endo that is familiar with this and had one that focused only the blood tests. My last blood test, a month ago on the first test was 760, which I though was high and had it done a week later and it was 103. Other readings have been in the 100 and up to 492. Stick with an endo and Dr who have experience with us as hormones are veryt tricky and affects each of us differently.
Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: Ms Grace on October 25, 2015, 10:18:12 PM
My endo tells me my levels and they just go straight over my head. If he's happy that they're good then I'm happy.

Maybe ask your doc for a retest and/or express your concerns?
Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: nessa on October 25, 2015, 11:57:56 PM
Quote from: iKate on October 25, 2015, 11:07:45 AM
Just got back my last set of labs.

Estradiol - 160.2 pg/mL
Testosterone - <20 pg/mL
Free Testosterone - <2 pg/mL
SHBG - 82.60 nmol/L

E seems a tad low. I don't have as much "hurt" in my breasts as I used to either. It actually stopped for a while until I started P.

I take a fairly high oral dose.

Should I be concerned?
i had my levels checked at 4 weeks of being on hrt and my estrogen was 827pg/ml
testosterone was 74 ng/dl


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Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: iKate on October 26, 2015, 08:37:19 AM
Yeah the T level should be ng/dL. Just checked. <20 ng/dL.
Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: iKate on October 26, 2015, 08:38:32 AM
Quote from: warlockmaker on October 25, 2015, 10:14:32 PM
Many of us who have been on HRT and have a regular blood test can tell you that the E level goes all over the place, this is based multiple factors. We are not cis females, attempting to correlate our levels with their can be misleading. As we elvolve there could be different absorption level as needed by the body and we get rid of the excess. I have an endo that is familiar with this and had one that focused only the blood tests. My last blood test, a month ago on the first test was 760, which I though was high and had it done a week later and it was 103. Other readings have been in the 100 and up to 492. Stick with an endo and Dr who have experience with us as hormones are veryt tricky and affects each of us differently.

Mine specializes in trans patients pretty much. She seems to know her stuff. She really doesn't talk too much about levels, just results.
Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: JennX on October 26, 2015, 06:59:21 PM
Your levels are fine.

Your serum estradiol should be anywhere from 120-200 pg/ml.

See this link: http://press.endocrine.org/doi/pdf/10.1210/jc.2009-0345
Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: Jessika on October 27, 2015, 03:41:20 PM
Just seen the results from my test online..

MALE Normal Ranges is the chart used...

TESTOSTERONE            147 Low   ng/dL        Range: 250-1100   
TESTOSTERONE.FREE   16.8 Low   pg/mL       Range: 35.0-155.0

The Estrogen results are not showing yet...

The message from my Endo read kinda like this but the numbers seem kinda in a different format:

QuoteThe complete blood count and chemistry panel were normal.  The estradiol is 62, up from 42 in July and the free testosterone is 16.8, down from 38.9 in July.  Everything is going well.  The estradiol level in a female varies throughout the menstrual cycle, and after menopause is quite low, so a level of 62 is within the normal menstruating female range at some point in her cycle.

So the numbers are confusing.

EDIT: From July's Test which was: (July) ESTRADIOL   42 High   pg/mL   Range: ><=29
I compared that to the message and it means I am now at: (October) ESTRADIOL   62 High   pg/mL   Range: ><=29

So I guess I'm good. He said he wants to keep the dosage I am on for the next 4 months and check again. :)
Title: Re: E levels - should I be concerned?
Post by: KayXo on October 27, 2015, 03:54:26 PM
What matters most is well-being and feminization. Some need higher, some lower levels and anyways levels fluctuate. The optimal range will vary from one individual to another because so many factors vary like genes, metabolism, other medicines taken, sensitivity, etc. I do best on levels above 1,000 pg/ml, some do fine on 100-200.