So I just got the results of my last medical exams and my testosterone is low (0.4 ng/ml) which is great, but my estradiol is also low! Lower than the last time when I was actually taking a lower dose!! My November exam marked 64.26 pg/ml of estradiol, and this time I got 57.92 pg/ml while taking more. How is that even possible? Ugh I'm frustrated now, I feel like I'm wasting my time with a low dose! No wonder I'm not getting as much results. Or I don't know if it's because I took the exam 24 hours after taking the last dose?? I'm going to the endo tomorrow and will ask him to increase it anyways.

Quote from: Charlie Nicki on January 09, 2018, 03:06:02 PM
So I just got the results of my last medical exams and my testosterone is pretty much non existent (0.4 ng/ml) which is great, but my estradiol is still low! Lower than the last time when I was actually taking a lower dose!! My November exam marked 64.26 pg/ml of estradiol, and this time I got 57.92 pg/ml while taking more. How is that even possible? Ugh I'm frustrated now, I feel like I'm wasting my time with a low dose! No wonder I'm not getting as much results. Or I don't know if it's because I took the exam 24 hours after taking the last dose?? I'm going to the endo tomorrow and will ask him to increase it anyways.

The thing with monitoring levels is that you want to aim to have the blood drawn at about the same amount of time after you dose, this depends on delivery method.. For example, for IM, you want to aim to have the blood drawn about 1/2 way between injections or just before the next.

Taking the blood at different intervals will result in varied levels.

Quote from: Charlie Nicki on January 09, 2018, 03:06:02 PM
So I just got the results of my last medical exams and my testosterone is low (0.4 ng/ml) which is great, but my estradiol is also low! Lower than the last time when I was actually taking a lower dose!! My November exam marked 64.26 pg/ml of estradiol, and this time I got 57.92 pg/ml while taking more. How is that even possible? Ugh I'm frustrated now, I feel like I'm wasting my time with a low dose! No wonder I'm not getting as much results. Or I don't know if it's because I took the exam 24 hours after taking the last dose?? I'm going to the endo tomorrow and will ask him to increase it anyways.

The same thing happened to me last results (2 weeks ago) so my endo doubled my dose.  He thought maybe the patches might not be adhering well enough, I think they are though.
Good luck tomorrow girlfriend!

Personally, my goal was never some estradiol level which even experts admit to not knowing the optimal level but that I get some breast growth, feel good, maintain/develop a feminine physical appearance, etc. Some actually do quite fine at low levels and don't need more while others may need more. It just seems to depend on the individual and their sensitivity. Also, estradiol levels fluctuate so might have been much higher anyways had you measured them earlier.

Lastly, it may also be that intracellularly (inside your cells), your E2 (estradiol) levels are much higher because of high concentrations of E1 (estrone) and E1S (estrone sulfate), typical of individuals who take estradiol orally or even sublingually, that convert to a significant amount of estradiol.

Thanks everyone. I had my endo appointment today and all he said was "levels fluctuate" and increased my dosage a bit. Not as much as I wanted so I will take a bit more than what he said. I have another appointment in 2 months so hopefully I'll see more changes.

Well at least it's an increase.  Hopefully it will spur a bit of action for you. 

(((Hugs)))  Jess