What was your T level at the beginning of HRT?
759 ng/dl. My therapist almost didn't believe it, as I look very androgynous.
Heck, a female colleague at work even said that I'm the least testosterony guy she knows (not out to her -- I smiled :)).
190-200 ng/dl.
I'm pretty sure mine was in the 500's somewhere. I guess that's pretty normal... for a guy.
Edit: 517 ng/dl to be exact. Is this high or low?
Quote from: girl you look fierce on May 16, 2013, 06:20:05 PM
1031 ng/dl, funny enough kinda like theo it was checked when my therapist sent me in to see if I had low T (I went along w/ it cause I wanted to know my level.. sux he didn't think to check my LH
Maybe you have Mild Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. That causes high levels of T.
Quote from: Alainaluvsu on May 17, 2013, 01:01:38 AM
Maybe you have Mild Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. That causes high levels of T.
That was my suspicion as well, but as I had some stuff dumped into liquid nitrogen prior to starting HRT, I know that at least under the microscope certain elements functioned adequately (lower limit, but still). It is my understanding that even a diagnosis of mild AIS would imply sterility; hence I think I'm pretty much borderline AIS, but without actually hitting the formal criteria.
200 ng/dl. I'm guessing that's one reason why HRT was effective - it took only a low dose of estrogen to get my T down to 30-40 ng/dl (which is within female norms).
I have no idea of what my T was pre hrt. 2 months of a full dose got it down to 25 ng/dl and it never rose above that since, with it usually testing in the single digits. Due to a number of factors, I wouldn't doubt that I have some sort of intersex condition. The doctor doesn't want to test me for it though, citing "it wouldn't matter anyways, your treatment wouldn't change!"
@xterra
I believe I was in the low 700's. I just had a blood sample taken & will be interesting to see the results at my Dr. appointment May 30. I'm very sure my Dr. will start me on Estrogen about two months earlier than I expected. It depends on how I am coming along on Spiro, been 5 weeks now.
Quote from: Jesslee on May 18, 2013, 02:43:41 AM
The doctor is telling you the truth especially if you have some type of mild/partial AIS, my endo was having a very tough time trying to lower my T levels and raise my E levels without hurting me (she did not know I had GID), I was warned of gynecamastia, fatigue, loss of libido etc, etc.. I was put on a low dose of E then she got scared and switched me to a low dose of spiro, then got scared again and wanted to switch me back to an even lower dose of E.
When I finally came out to her and told her I had been dealing with GID my entire life and had personally seen four psychologists/psychiatrists to try and deal with it over the years, well you should have been there it was probably one of the only times a doctor ever smiled and breathed a sigh of relief when a patient told them they were Trans.
She immediately upped my dosage and since then things have been much better!
LOL!! That's awesome!! Screw the letter, huh? Have the results been to your liking? Was / is it difficult to nuke your T?
The only reason I'd want a test is because being intersex is probably easier to explain to people that it is a biological issue and not a mental issue. "Well I have xx chromosomes" is easier to say "I just hate being a boy" ... not that it really matters much anyways, most people who meet me can tell there is no boy inside of me anyways :D
Quote from: Jesslee on May 18, 2013, 03:57:47 AM
Trust me even after you find out there will always be people who will say that it is irrelevant (my Mother). There are closed minded bigots everywhere who will always find a reason to say it is all your fault (I sometimes wish they had to deal with GID), schizophrenia was diagnosed at one time as "demonic possession" nowadays neurologists can easily show what a schizophrenic's brain looks like, but there are still some religious sects that are convinced it is demonic possession and the brain is altered after the fact.
Also mild/partial ais is not easily diagnosed, and from what I was told they cannot always detect it, but I do believe this could be a cause for our GID. there are some studies that seem to back this up. This new MRI research being done in Spain seems to possibly offer us hope to prove (without a postmortem) that there are physical differences in the brains of FTM's and MTF's:
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1473581/Transsexual-differences-caught-on-brain-scan (http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1473581/Transsexual-differences-caught-on-brain-scan)
Maybe someday we can get the insurance companies to recognize this!
Honestly I wouldn't doubt it if I had something different at the chromosomal level. I don't think I had AIS because my facial hair and body hair grew in pretty masculine (indicating no resistance to androgens), but my testes are small, my voice dropped yet can still be very feminine with very little effort, and my skeletal structure never filled out like a male would. I have a friend with de la Chapelle Syndrome (XX male) and we have quite a few things in common.
We can all hope that insurance companies will recognize it. As far as the truly ignorant, they will be who they are but most of society will laugh at them for being that way. For the most part, I haven't had trouble when people found out that I was trans. Most are shocked for an hour or so but after that, still treat me like a female. I guess if I knew I was intersex (especially XX), I could be like "I have the same chromosomes as a girl, what do you expect?"
Quote from: Jesslee on May 18, 2013, 03:57:47 AM
I think you live in the NOLA area? (I have never been there I really want to visit someday, maybe we could meet), I love Creole/Cajun food I have gotten pretty good (I think) with some of my dishes, I make most of my seasoning/sauces from scratch but I have recently started using something called CajunPower sauce (I have read it was made by a very famous creole chef) I heard it is used/available in a lot of restaurants in NOLA, have you ever heard of it?
I do. The place is worth a visit. It's one of those places where, if you like it, you'll never want to leave. But I've never heard of Cajun Power. I just get the crap from Walmart. I can usually work miracles with those alone ;) And yes, if you're ever in town, you need to hit me up.
Actually they are born with testes. They may or may not have smaller than normal or undescended testes, too. Many masculinize the same as cis men do, too.
I don't have an official T level measurement from before HRT, but I have very good reasons to suspect that my T levels were abnormally low. Such as, not really having a lot of body hair, having a rather pear-shaped body that still managed to have a waist-hip ratio in the "healthy" range of the mid-0.8's despite being 270 lbs, pretty much no sex drive whatsoever, very low muscle mass, and a general lack of defining masculine features. And I also do know that when I started HRT, my T levels were down even below the female "normal" range after only 3 months on the absolute minimum dose of Spiro. So yeah, methinks I was pretty testosterone-deficient way before I started HRT. I don't have official levels, but I'm guessing I was at the very lower end of the "normal" male range before starting, if not lower.
Quote from: girl you look fierce on May 27, 2013, 03:20:06 PM
Lol :D wow, apparently it is pretty common. It's like a club! :P
xD what should we call it?
My testosterone was somewhere in the high 800s pre HRT. Now is it basically non-existent.
I was surprised at just how high the level was... I had thought that I'd've been a lot more masculine than I turned out to be based on T levels alone, but I was lucky I suppose.
Quote from: Kelly J. P. on May 27, 2013, 03:26:30 PM
My testosterone was somewhere in the high 800s pre HRT. Now is it basically non-existent.
I was surprised at just how high the level was... I had thought that I'd've been a lot more masculine than I turned out to be based on T levels alone, but I was lucky I suppose.
You can join the club too ;D
Quote from: kyh on May 27, 2013, 03:29:48 PM
You can join the club too ;D
I pledge my soul and sword to the prosperity of the Club, my lady.
/dorkface
Quote from: Kelly J. P. on May 27, 2013, 03:33:13 PM
I pledge my soul and sword to the prosperity of the Club, my lady.
/dorkface
Yay! Slumber party!
/sillyface
My T pre-HRT was about 130-140. Normal male range iirc is 250--1100.
Quote from: Beth Andrea on May 27, 2013, 03:41:33 PM
My T pre-HRT was about 130-140. Normal male range iirc is 250--1100.
Yours was extremely low! Omg :O nice!
Quote from: Jesslee on May 28, 2013, 03:51:53 AM
how about we call it the "You have a mental illness club, because society does not want to spend the money & time to learn this is a genetic problem" sorry I am being a little sarcastic ;)
I think we should call it The Manly Testosterone Levels Sorority.
Quote from: kyh on May 28, 2013, 03:54:18 AM
I think we should call it The Manly Testosterone Levels Sorority.
That sounds good also :laugh:
Or the "Super-Manly Testosterone Levels Sorority"!!!
Quote from: Sammy on May 28, 2013, 06:08:26 AM
I dunno which system are You all using as the reference, but my T was 6.74 ng/ml (the average rate for males should be 3.30 - 8.05 ng/ml), so I am somewhere in the middle.
The american standard measurement is ng/dl, I believe. The conversion is simple enough; you could basically just get rid of those decimal periods and have your numbers in the hundreds, as per the conversion.
My T was at 2.23 NG / ML. How did some of you have so much T in your systems?
Quote from: Anna! on May 28, 2013, 09:26:46 AM
My T was at 2.23 NG / ML. How did some of you have so much T in your systems?
Testosterone is much higher during puberty, and it falls off afterwards over the years. The older one is, the lower their testosterone tends to be.
Genes and other factors also play a role.
Quote from: girl you look fierce on May 28, 2013, 10:43:34 AM
For reference
I started so late :o( though I'm glad I never had to know my levels at like 15. Woulda FREAKED. lol
I don't have numbers for a number of things that I've heard here and there, so thank-you for your contribution.
Quote from: girl you look fierce on May 28, 2013, 11:08:34 AM
:)
Unfortunately judging by people's levels, it seems like T level is not a very good predictor of anything!
I concur that it must be genetics which play the most part in this all...
I didn't test my T in the beginning, but after 3 months of LOW spiro, I was at 8.58ng/ml (858ng/dl?)
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi209.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fbb70%2Flilkorsjchjis%2F20130526_211828_zpsaaae8ab6.jpg&hash=148b0d814a6b1e3c610982bb3c7c22d67e1b2ff9)
After 3 weeks of androcur, that happened. 0.17ng/ml >> 17ng/dl. According to the normals posted on the lab results. Wow. Andro works(ed) for me.
Yah, I'm glad the doc switched me. And I don't have to worry about what food I eat!!! Yay!! Only alc...but I don't drink anyway. I like driving toooo much.
I do wonder why andocur isn't legal in the US. I mean, it's "gov't" legal, since they use it on nasty old men who can't stop themselves...
Ive been on HRT for over two months and my T levels were 850 ng/dl. I'm over 55 years old and while i'm small framed and 5ft 7ins my family have very fine features. Before HRT I have a full head of hair, low beard growth and minimal body hair. The high T is ment to be a blessing - IF YOU ARE A MALE.
Well mine was 140 e knock it down to 25 in the first 60 days
My T was at 350--basically the absolute bottom of normal for my age starting (26). The weirder thing was that my E level was significantly elevated over where it should have been for a bloke (about double the expected max, which is nothing like where a women is during puberty, but still odd).
It's possible I have some kind of intersexy thing going on--voice didn't drop, less body hair than my sis, limited facial hair, female-range bone structure, 0.73 hip-waist, puberty terminated at 16, blahblah. Might just be that I was anorexic from 11 to 26 though--that can screw with development and hormone levels. Basically the only things testosterone puberty hell did to me were a brow ridge, adam's apple, a bit of facial hair, (all three now excised) and 6 feet of height (which I love, actually). Well, that and drove me nearly insane. ;)
I am not on HRT yet.
I got my sex-hormones complete levels tested first time in my life a month ago and I had high T=25.59nmol/l (~730ng/dl). I was guite annoyed and sad when I saw the result, I was hoping in lower result. That is near the upper treshold for a male. But from some unknown reason I don't have much body hair except on hands and legs (and unfortunately some thick facial hair, but on small face areas) and physically I am glad I don't have too much masculine shape. And my estradiol and progesterone levels was also above average for a male E=47pg/ml P=1.097ng/ml (I was using some herbal pills for post menopausal treatment but for 14 days maybe it rised the levels, I don't know...).
Hey, can anyone help me out with this? I lost my paperwork but I remember it being in the 500 range. I see everyone is posting a completely different number.
Anyways, if anyone could tell me if that's high or low? I remember telling my gyno that does my hormones that I barely grew any facial hair and it took weeks for it to be noticeable. Then after the results came back in, she pointed out the numbers and said it was higher than she expected considering my facial hair.
Thanks!!
Quote from: Michelle S. on June 25, 2013, 05:49:13 PM
Hey, can anyone help me out with this? I lost my paperwork but I remember it being in the 500 range. I see everyone is posting a completely different number.
Anyways, if anyone could tell me if that's high or low? I remember telling my gyno that does my hormones that I barely grew any facial hair and it took weeks for it to be noticeable. Then after the results came back in, she pointed out the numbers and said it was higher than she expected considering my facial hair.
Thanks!!
There are diffrent units used in measurements. For example my results was in nmol/l and many people here uses ng/dl or ng/ml.
I think your result are in ng/dl judging from the value.
500 is about average for a male I guess.
BTW:
Conversion between weight based units is pretty simple...
example [ng/ml]=[ng/dl]/100.
And Here is conversion calculator for those who want to convert between molar and weight units...
http://www.endmemo.com/medical/unitconvert/Testosterone.php (http://www.endmemo.com/medical/unitconvert/Testosterone.php)
Hope it will help.
Quote from: Sarah84 on June 25, 2013, 05:54:28 PM
There are diffrent units used in measurements. For example my results was in nmol/l and many people here uses ng/dl or ng/ml.
I think your result are in ng/dl judging from the value.
500 is about average for a male I guess.
BTW:
Conversion between weight based units is pretty simple...
example [ng/ml]=[ng/dl]/100.
And Here is conversion calculator for those who want to convert between molar and weight units...
http://www.endmemo.com/medical/unitconvert/Testosterone.php (http://www.endmemo.com/medical/unitconvert/Testosterone.php)
Hope it will help.
Awesome thanks. It calculated, 17.35 nmol/L. You're saying this about average? I can live with that :) I always thought, minus the lacking of facial hair, that I was go to be full of t.
Can I ask a side favor by chance? I also remember my e level being like 37? The printout said that "normal" was <39. Does this mean I had relatively high e levels for a "man," I just had high e all together or is that really a meaningless figure?
Thanks! You people are so smart, I thought I had to ask :)
Quote from: Michelle S. on June 25, 2013, 06:11:47 PM
Awesome thanks. It calculated, 17.35 nmol/L. You're saying this about average? I can live with that :) I always thought, minus the lacking of facial hair, that I was go to be full of t.
Can I ask a side favor by chance? I also remember my e level being like 37? The printout said that "normal" was <39. Does this mean I had relatively high e levels for a "man," I just had high e all together or is that really a meaningless figure?
Thanks! You people are so smart, I thought I had to ask :)
I am not really sure about the E. My printout was similar, I had 47pg/ml estradiol. There was some graphical symbol showing that I am above their lab range for a male, but the concrete E range tresholds was not present on the paper. I only know that I am probably right on the max treshold (something I like :))
37pg/ml should be above average.
I am confused about total estrogen vs. estradiol. I know there should be more estrogens(estrone, estriol etc?), but I don't know if they have any singnificant influence.
I hope there is someone who can clarify this?
Oh and I have one question. Have anyone tested Free Testosterone Index? My value was 44%. I don't know if it has some valid meaning in males. It should measure how much T is unbounded to SHGB and thus can be used and bounded to cell receptors. The rest of T should be locked =>doesn't cause "harm" to my body :). Am I right?
Sarah
Quote from: Sarah84 on June 25, 2013, 06:49:29 PM
Oh and I have one question. Have anyone tested Free Testosterone Index? My value was 44%. I don't know if it has some valid meaning in males. It should measure how much T is unbounded to SHGB and thus can be used and bounded to cell receptors. The rest of T should be locked =>doesn't cause "harm" to my body :). Am I right?
That is my understanding, and one of the reasons why my endo suspects that my rather high initial T levels (759...) did relatively little harm all things considered.
You can calculate your free androgen index quite easily by dividing your total T by your SHBG value * 100. Just be careful to use the same units; usually nmol/L. Not a perfect comparison to free T, but close enough. Anything under 30 seems to be seen as androgen deficient, female values are between 7-10.
I got my test results back a few days ago, and apparently my T is pretty low for guys at 263ng/dl (standard American unit, right?). I'm hoping that's low enough that a) I won't need a high dosage of Spiro, or b) proscar (generic, ofc) + estrogen would be enough to bring it down to female range. Estrogen sounds pretty cheap, but I just don't have the funds for Spiro :/
Quote from: Theo on June 26, 2013, 06:25:51 PM
That is my understanding, and one of the reasons why my endo suspects that my rather high initial T levels (759...) did relatively little harm all things considered.
You can calculate your free androgen index quite easily by dividing your total T by your SHBG value * 100. Just be careful to use the same units; usually nmol/L. Not a perfect comparison to free T, but close enough. Anything under 30 seems to be seen as androgen deficient, female values are between 7-10.
By total T You mean T as such or T plus free T? Because, if it just T, then my index is 17 (ng/ml for T and nmol/L for SHBG). And looking at myself in the mirror, I have to admit that puberty was quite kind on me - well it could have been even kinder, but we cant wish everything :P
Quote from: Horizon on June 27, 2013, 12:13:44 AM
I got my test results back a few days ago, and apparently my T is pretty low for guys at 263ng/dl (standard American unit, right?). I'm hoping that's low enough that a) I won't need a high dosage of Spiro, or b) proscar (generic, ofc) + estrogen would be enough to bring it down to female range. Estrogen sounds pretty cheap, but I just don't have the funds for Spiro :/
Its is so weird reading about You guys in US, because Spiro is dirt cheap here in Europe - it is the E which is more expensive, though I would not call it overpriced too...
Quote from: Sammy on June 27, 2013, 02:22:41 AM
By total T You mean T as such or T plus free T? Because, if it just T, then my index is 17 (ng/ml for T and nmol/L for SHBG). And looking at myself in the mirror, I have to admit that puberty was quite kind on me - well it could have been even kinder, but we cant wish everything :P
Its is so weird reading about You guys in US, because Spiro is dirt cheap here in Europe - it is the E which is more expensive, though I would not call it overpriced too...
Total T, so the standard value that they give you when you get it measured. Note though that you have to convert the T into nmol/L prior to doing the calculation. Grabbing my 6 week result, I had 424 ng/dl for T, and 87 nmol/L for SHBG, so the calculation is: (424(T value)*288.42(molecular mass of T)*10(dl->L) / 87(SHBG) ) * 100
Actually in my case the androcur is the more expensive component. I'm always surprised at just how cheap the E is. So it seems YMMV even when just looking across Europe.
Pre it was 457...after 6 months it was 254. Changed from 100mg of Spiro a day to 200mg...can't wait to see the next reading.
After 16 months, my levels have been very consistent...
E is 434 pg/mL (normal range for a male is 0-56)
Testosterone, Free [L] <0.2 pg/mL (normal range for a male is 5.0-40.0)
Testosterone, Total [L] 46 ng/dL (normal range for a male is 291-739)
(Ranges are from the lab report, yours may vary)
Quote from: Beth Andrea on June 30, 2013, 09:25:44 AM
After 16 months, my levels have been very consistent...
E is 434 pg/mL (normal range for a male is 0-56)
Testosterone, Free [L] <0.2 pg/mL (normal range for a male is 5.0-40.0)
Testosterone, Total [L] 46 ng/dL (normal range for a male is 291-739)
(Ranges are from the lab report, yours may vary)
Hm. After 4 months I'm running at:
E: 61 pg/ml (0-56 range -- pre-HRT baseline value was 48)
T total: <20 ng/dl (129-767 range -- pre-HRT baseline 759)
While measured in the morning prior to me taking my pills, I got a bit worried about the relatively low E. My endo told me that she is mainly looking at the LH and FSH values, and as long as they are low, everything is okay:
LH: 0.6 mlU/ml (1-7.6 range -- pre-HRT 3.03)
FSH: 0.3 mlU/ml (0.7-11 range -- pre-HRT 3.24)
Seeing as my breasts are still growing etc. I'm inclined to trust her expertise for now. :)
Yeah, numbers are just that--numbers. While I do feel good seeing mine, I know that even if I didn't, I "feel" right, in terms of aggression/anxiety/body hair caused by T (non-existent), while at the same time feeling and seeing femme changes and etc = good E values.
245 ng/dl. I had been on a lower dose of Spiro for a few months though, so I will never know what it was before..
My starting testosterone serum 17.8nmoL/L
Serum free T4 12.6pmol/L
TSH 1.21mU/L
Xx Holly
768 ng/dl prior to hrt back in june. :/ nit sure where its at now, i see the endo for follow up in sept
I will never know, Self medded for years prior to getting my first blood test, But I did do significant damage to my testicles prior to my transition tho so I'd imagine it to be lower, Aside from that I don't know but it felt like a colossal amount.
At the beginning my t level was 120.