I keep getting conflicting information from google, and also too much autocorrection to estradiol. What is the normal level of estrone in an adult female?

I got my levels checked recently. I was at a new doctor, and he unexpectedly tested for estrone as well as estradiol.

ESTRONE 1093 pg/mL
ESTRADIOL 137 pg/mL

He wrote in the results portion of my bloodwork that 'testosterone is suppressed and estrogen is elevated' and didn't say the estrone level was bad (as in too high), but I'm still wondering what the normal level of it is and what roles estrone plays in feminization as opposed to estradiol. The internet conflates estrone with estradiol too much and I don't want to think of them as synonymous unless that's actually the case.

Anybody know?

I don't know but would be interested to hear. Looks like you have a healthy level, whatever it is!

Estrone is a weaker form of Estrogen that will not do a lot for transition.  Your Estradiol level looks good from anything I have seen, and that is the one that counts for transition.  If the doctor didn't say it is bad it is most likely not bad.

My doctor is only going to look at "Total Estrogen" which is Estrone + Estradiol and thinks a number like 250 pg/ml would be just fine for me.  So this is sure a YMMV number.

HTH


Erin

They are two forms of estrogen. Estradiol is the more potent one and hence that is the only one that I am tested for and the one that is widely used in HRT.

To me, your estradiol level looks acceptable, but I am not an endo. I don't know about your estrone level but I don't think its a big deal.

Just as everyone mentioned above, estrone is a weaker estrogen than estradiol, about 8 x less potent. There really are three estrogens, estradiol (E2), estrone (E1) and estriol (E3), from strongest to weakest, estriol being about 80 x weaker than estradiol.

When taken orally, estrone exceeds, by far, the levels of estradiol because of the extensive metabolization in the gut and liver. Non-orally, they are far closer to each other, in terms of levels although pellets and injectables seem to do the best job of mimicking the ratio of estradiol:estrone typically found in pre-menopausal females, that is, estradiol:estrone 2:1.

In the body, estradiol converts to estrone as estrone also converts back to estradiol. The conversion is interchangeable. Much of the conversion of estradiol to estrone seems to take place in the liver, gut and I think even skin, which is why transdermally, estradiol:estrone ratio is 1:2 to 1:1. Bio-identical progesterone increases rate at which conversion of estradiol to estrone takes place. Also, estrone converts irreversibly to estriol.

I suspect that too much estrone (and estriol) relative to estradiol may not be good for feminization because estrone (estriol), similar to phytoestrogens, may act as a blocking agent to estradiol at the receptor level so that less estradiol can bind to receptors. It's a little like what happens when we take certain anti-androgens, where the anti-androgen occupies androgen receptors and blocks androgens from binding there. Since estrone has a much weaker effect on receptors, this means that receptors are mostly occupied by the weaker estrone and hence, feminization may be compromised. That's why I think injectables and pellets may be optimal, then transdermal and finally, sublingual followed by oral.

Quote from: KayXo on June 10, 2014, 11:45:38 AMI suspect that too much estrone (and estriol) relative to estradiol may not be good for feminization because estrone (estriol), similar to phytoestrogens, may act as a blocking agent to estradiol at the receptor level so that less estradiol can bind to receptors.

This is exactly what I've been nervous of.

Thank you and thank you OP for bringing this up, I'm going to ask my endocrinologist about this tomorrow.

This is just suspicion and I hope your doctor is open-minded enough to consider this possibility. Compare this to what happens with anti-androgens, I think it's a pretty sensible and sound analogy so that he might consider this. Good luck! and let us know what he says...I've really had much better results on injectables but he could just say it's because levels are higher and perhaps he is right but I think it's still something to strongly consider.