I just recieved my result.
FSH < 0.66 u/l
LH < 0.2 U/L
prolactine 33.30 ug/l
testosterone total 0.87 nmol/l
SHBG 45.6 nmol/l
estradiol 222 pmol/l
blood test was took 13 hour after last dose
am i doing fine? i feel like my estradiol level is low :(
i have my 3 month control on thursday, i suppose the endo will increase the dose
I don't really know, but it's nice to see another person with a higher E number. Most people I see here are saying around 170, but mine's at over 500 after about the same time frame. My doc doesn't seem to think it's an issue though, so I'm just rolling with it for now.
this is my opinion, just talk it trough with your doc ...
testo fine
0,3-3,6 female range
0,8 nmol/l
estro in menopausal level
60 pg/ml converted
too low imo
as a rule of thumb many endos strive for 200 pg/ml or above
As you say they plan to up dosage. You might talk about striving for levels of 200 pg/ml or above .
There is one form of hrt with injections and implants where levels are higher, which in itself drives down t without anti androgens. Quite a few endos use this effect. Its only considered safe with internal application, like implants and injections.
If you are on oral you might prefer sublingual... it bypasses the liver with intake and is supposed to be less causing clotting factors.
Its more effective but causes levels to ride fast. So to keep levels steady its preferable to spread the daily dose in a few small doses. This way ups and downs like a menopausal effect which might affect mood.are avoided.
Another strategy is to use one skin patch for steady levels and pills...
you might think about adding bioidentical progesterone...
it might help with breast development, with rounding and some glandular parts, and have some anti androgen effects, and counter some side effects of estrogen. You might try if a cycle of a few days or taking continous works best.
Quote from: Emileeeee on January 05, 2016, 08:15:39 AM
Most people I see here are saying around 170, but mine's at over 500 after about the same time frame.
Please regard units. In pg/ml its about a third.
hugs
If you are on pills then the blood should be drawn 4 hours after ingestion. If you are on gel then 12 hours.
The E looks a little low as most GICs in the UK like 400-600 nmol/L but given that 13 hour gap then e looks reasonable. No matter what time difference you use, be consistent. I always have bloods done at 11am because I always take my hormones at 7am, that way I can consistently adjust the dosages.
Your T level looks very good.
yeah.. i am on estrace and cyproterone acetate taking a dose of estrace in the morning when waking up and a dose when going to bed (androcur+estrace) . I however did not take the dose before doing the blood test.
Something else that could have bugged my levels is after 1 month on HRT i freaked out, was suicidal and ended at hospital for 2 days. Before going to hospital i took injection of HCG , 2 pills of nolvadex and 1 pill of clomid ... i resumed my HRT 2 day after .
Quote from: archlord on January 05, 2016, 08:24:09 AM
yeah.. i am on estrace and cyproterone acetate taking a dose of estrace in the morning when waking up and a dose when going to bed (androcur+estrace) . I however did not take the dose before doing the blood test.
Something else that could have bugged my levels is after 1 month on HRT i freaked out, was suicidal and ended at hospital for 2 days. Before going to hospital i took injection of 0.5ml of HCG , 2 pills of nolvadex and 1 pill of clomid ... i resumed my HRT 2 day after .
If you are seeing your endo then why not discuss the times at which you take the pills and when he/she would like the bloods to be drawn in order to get accurate results?
After nine months my E was 117 pg/ml and T was 120 ng/dl on a fairly standard HRT regimen and changes were happening. Your units are different so I have no idea how that compares but if you are feeling good and things are happening then let it work.
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Quote from: Deborah on January 05, 2016, 08:37:44 AM
After nine months my E was 117 pg/ml and T was 120 ng/dl on a fairly standard HRT regimen
according to laura_7 my E is at 60 pg/ml wich is half you had (it is on female range but low) and my T is much lower( wich is perfect) at 25 ng/dl
My E also raised significantly between 3 and nine months on the same dose.
Starting level (pg/ml) - 43.4
3 months - 71.3
9 months - 117
My endo also told me that these levels will continue to change with time.
It looks to me like everything is moving along in the right direction for you.
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Quote from: archlord on January 05, 2016, 08:43:58 AM
according to laura_7 my E is at 60 pg/ml wich is half you had and my T is much lower( wich is perfect) at 25 ng/dl
Be careful - in the US they measure things in pg/ml and everywhere else seems to use pmol/L. Since you posted your results in pmol/L that is what I posted the reference range in.
Some "average" reference ranges are on Wikipedia in both types of unit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reference_ranges_for_blood_tests#Sex_hormones
Quote from: Laura_7 on January 05, 2016, 08:20:31 AM
Please regard units. In pg/ml its about a third.
My number is in pg/ml. I just checked it again to be sure.
Quote from: Emileeeee on January 05, 2016, 08:49:49 AM
My number is in pg/ml. I just checked it again to be sure.
Are you on injections or implants ?
With injections the levels can be even higher the first day.
hugs
Low dose of pills.
E levels are pretty much irrelevant if you take estradiol in pill form. If you would be on patches or implants it would tell actual E levels. If you would take full daily dose sublingually 2 hours before blood test it could show you 2220 pmol/l or 4000 pmol/l . Would that make you more happier or your endo more scared?
here is a graph showing how intake influences levels:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,186946.msg1665088.html#msg1665088
hugs
Just for reference then, my last blood test was about 4 hours after I took the pills. The 3 month blood test was maybe 3 to 3.5 hours after the pills.
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To the OP - do what your endo tells you. I am not aware of any qualified endocronologists on here. By all means ask your endo about what you read here but remember who is responsible for your medical care.
Oh maybe that's why she wasn't as freaked out by it as I was.
Quote from: pyhxbp on January 05, 2016, 09:14:00 AM
To the OP - do what your endo tells you. I am not aware of any qualified endocronologists on here. By all means ask your endo about what you read here but remember who is responsible for your medical care.
Yes definitivly.. I would so like to be on injections but for some reason they arent prescribing it here in canada ( or in rare case)... i know how to do injections i did dose of testosterone 4 time per week( yep, estrogen is like once every 3 week, i was doing shots 4 time per week lol.. outchie) when i was doing bodybuilding... At least if he increase my estrogen dose that would make me happy ( i could be able to divide it in 3 dose per day) as it looks like Cyproterone Acetate is doing wonders for my T level.
Is there any arguments i could give to my endo to make him prescribe me injections
Quote from: archlord on January 05, 2016, 09:20:49 AM
At least if he increase my estrogen dose that would make me happy
Your prolactin measurement is already quite higher than it should be. Ideally it should be under 18 ug/l
i think my pre-HRT control prolactin level was at 23 or 25 . The endo told me that it is to be checked but it doesnt matter under 50
Did they take blood samples all at once, or did they take it 4 times over 45 minutes? Prolactine blood test must be taken with 15 minute intervals, while you rest on bed, in order to get correct result.
Quote from: Lagertha on January 05, 2016, 09:38:56 AM
Did they take blood samples all at once, or did they take it 4 times over 45 minutes? Prolactine blood test must be taken with 15 minute intervals, while you rest on bed, in order to get correct result.
they took the samples all at once in both pre-hrt and 2.5 month test
Quote from: archlord on January 05, 2016, 09:41:03 AM
they took the samples all at once in both pre-hrt and 2.5 month test
Don't worry about that number then... this means your prolactine measurement is invalid. Your actual prolactine levels were probably quite lower.
Quote from: archlord on January 05, 2016, 08:01:24 AM
I just recieved my result.
FSH < 0.66 u/l
LH < 0.2 U/L
prolactine 33.30 ug/l
testosterone total 0.87 nmol/l
SHBG 45.6 nmol/l
estradiol 222 pmol/l
blood test was took 13 hour after last dose
am i doing fine? i feel like my estradiol level is low :(
i have my 3 month control on thursday, i suppose the endo will increase the dose
Estradiol is low, yes. The equivalent of 60 pg/ml but if you are feminizing and feeling good, that counts more. :) Levels also fluctuate in a day so could be higher or lower at any other time, blood tests don't give the whole picture.
Prolactin is high because of Androcur. Too high can mean prolactinoma when you are taking Androcur. I have levels over 100 but I am only taking estradiol (injection) and progesterone so it's normal and perfectly fine. :)
Your SHBG is low because you are taking a low dose of oral estradiol and intake has been inconsistent before blood test.
Injections are available in Canada through compounding pharmacies, I should know...I am Canadian as well. This would avoid having to take Androcur as estradiol alone would shut down T production.
Only after adequate estradiol is found in your case, should progesterone be included, I think. I don't believe it's anti-androgenic to any significant degree at the doses we take but can complement estrogen, perhaps. Depends. Besides, Androcur is a progestogen so you're already getting somewhat of an effect. But, I believe it is contraindicated in those prone to depression, suicide as it can worsen it.
I'm not a doctor, please double check and follow his guidelines.
After seeing my endocrinologist, he said my numbers were fine for a starting dose . He increased my estrace dose by +2mg and doubled my androcur dose. He said i should reach the 300-350 range and my Test level will be K.O. then in 6 month he will increase again the estrogen level
With Androcur, be on the lookout for depression/anxiety and fatigue. Also have your doctor check prolactin levels regularly since Androcur is known to increase it. If you have nipple discharge (milk secretions), advise doctor immediately.
I think for estrogen, what matters is to find that dose for YOU that makes you feel best and provides adequate feminization. Best of luck. :)
Quote from: KayXo on January 07, 2016, 04:07:54 PM
With Androcur, be on the lookout for depression/anxiety and fatigue. Also have your doctor check prolactin levels regularly since Androcur is known to increase it. If you have nipple discharge (milk secretions), advise doctor immediately.
I think for estrogen, what matters is to find that dose for YOU that makes you feel best and provides adequate feminization. Best of luck. :)
depression/anxiety and fatigue = part of my new life i just try to learn how to deal with it
Instead of giving up and dealing with it, why not avoid those things that worsen it...Androcur can potentially make it worse. There are other anti-androgens, you know. Just be on the lookout.
I prefer having those side effect the being on barely effective spiro that last in system for sooo short Time and make you pee 400 Time A day . This is my choice ;)
I Wont be on anti-androgen all my Life anyway . Ill' meet criteria for covered SRS next december so its tempory and I want as much feminization possible
It is your choice indeed and I totally understand about Spiro...I don't like it much either. But, there are alternatives still. Taking bicalutamide, an anti-androgen (affordable at low, effective doses) instead OR switching to injections where you won't need anti-androgens at all. You can also take a low dose of Androcur to minimize/avoid side-effects. A low dose is still VERY effective.
you may find that increasing your e levels helps with the depression. When I started hrt I got super depressed for about three months I was nearly suicidal. I told my endo at the 3 mo follow up and he upped the dosage despite my numbers looking good and my depression went back to what it was before which I can generally cope with. Fortunatley? I normally have a really high anxiety level but my depression tends to be low level.