Hola

I am just curious to know when people here taking estrogen doing blood test, do you do it after a 10-12 hours fast?

My Estrogen goes from about 25 to 60 and it kind of worries me, yet my gynecologist says "it's fine because we know how much we put in (dose)".

Usually I take the pill at around 7-8 in the evening then do the blood test at about 7-8 in the morning so 12 fast. Might it all broke down?

I know it should be more like 200-300 usually (some even more), next blood test I am planning to take with a pill an hour before just to compare.

Still I'd love to know if this is normal for people here, this kind of level if 12 hours fast before blood test and also maybe what are your levels and how long before exam have you taken the pill, also maybe how well development was for you.

I am a bit worried and thinking I might want a second advice from another therapist as he multiple times said "that level is fine because we know the dose" and I also feel changes are just not coming, nothing changes in my body, my fat goes to the belly, etc...

For example my latest and before latest blood tests were:
Estrogen 51 and 50 pg/ml, Testosterone Total < 0.2 ng/ml (they didn't bother for a precise number seeing how low it was) and 0.33 ng/ml.

Please advise. Should I look for a new gynecologist? Is it normal if you take the pill 12 hours before to get so low results? How do you take your pill before blood test?

Edit: I added the Testosterone levels just so it is obvious this shouldn't be the problem as they are really low even pre-op.

Uhm, wouldn't asking the doctor who prescribes these blood tests be faster? Just ask that person. Or perhaps even the personnel of the hospital where you do the tests know. It just takes more courage to ask them. :p

it's normal for levels to fluctuate through out the day. It can also take approx six months for your hormone levels to change from predominately T to predominately E. And the doctor knows the safest and most effective way to do this is slowly. Rushing it will only jeopardise results. I take my E around lunchtime (never during am) and again around dinner time. Of course I have to assume you're still within the first six months of E judging by this question!

No Muffin, I am about 3 years on hormones and the gynecologist working with me keeps saying "It is fine", and he is the one who prescribes it "A" and I mentioned it in the first post..

This is why I am worried that after 3 years there are barely changes and the surgeon is unconcerned about the very low level of the estrogen (on the test sheet they show as male range still).

I went to him multiple times about it and I decided to ask here if the results are normal for other people too, taking the possible decay time into account (telling how long from taking a pill until the blood test, etc) and wanted to know if people here, from their own experience, would say it is normal or I should really go look for another doctor.

just sent you a PM ...!.... not being allowed to discuss dosage levels and all .. xP

well, if you are not developing, and E is low, and the doc is not adjusting things then I think it is time for a second opinion.

I had misunderstood your question. Then, yeah, I believe looking for another doctor is a good idea.

Quote from: Myself on June 18, 2011, 01:17:59 PM
Hola

I am just curious to know when people here taking estrogen doing blood test, do you do it after a 10-12 hours fast?

My Estrogen goes from about 25 to 60 and it kind of worries me, yet my gynecologist says "it's fine because we know how much we put in (dose)".

Usually I take the pill at around 7-8 in the evening then do the blood test at about 7-8 in the morning so 12 fast. Might it all broke down?

I know it should be more like 200-300 usually (some even more), next blood test I am planning to take with a pill an hour before just to compare.

Still I'd love to know if this is normal for people here, this kind of level if 12 hours fast before blood test and also maybe what are your levels and how long before exam have you taken the pill, also maybe how well development was for you.

I am a bit worried and thinking I might want a second advice from another therapist as he multiple times said "that level is fine because we know the dose" and I also feel changes are just not coming, nothing changes in my body, my fat goes to the belly, etc...

For example my latest and before latest blood tests were:
Estrogen 51 and 50 pg/ml, Testosterone Total < 0.2 ng/ml (they didn't bother for a precise number seeing how low it was) and 0.33 ng/ml.

Please advise. Should I look for a new gynecologist? Is it normal if you take the pill 12 hours before to get so low results? How do you take your pill before blood test?

Edit: I added the Testosterone levels just so it is obvious this shouldn't be the problem as they are really low even pre-op.

Usually the estradiol range most endos treating MTFs shoot for is 100-150 pg/ml. Not 200-300 pg/ml. That's high. I have heard some like to be in the 150-200 pg/ml range, but that is in the minority. If you've been testing consistently in the sub-100 pg/ml range (ie 3 or more E2 tests in the same month), than something needs to be adjusted. You can not simply take one single blood test as absolute fact, that's why if something comes up abnormal, most experienced endos will test you several times say over a 30 day period before making any adjustments. There are too many variables with just one test, such as lab or processing error. Have your endo check your estradiol (E2) over a 30 day period and go from there. That way you'll have a better idea of what is truly going on.

As for fasting before a blood test, I only do this if they are testing my blood glucose levels (sugar levels)... eating will not affect the result of your estradiol (E2) levels at all.

No eating won't affect the E2 levels but is taking the pill 12 hours or 1 hours before makes a difference? Probably, I am wondering if that's why the results are so low.

The reason I have a 10-12 hours fast is because we do all blood tests at the same time, liver, kidney, blood count, hormones and all that.

This isn't just one test, it's pretty much all of them, I only posted the latest 2 tests but it's pretty much consistent and as I said, my gynecologist is ok with that and says there is no use to look into it because we know the dose I am taking, this is why I came with the story asking if it is normal considering the 10-12 hours wait from between two pills or if I should look for another therapist considering this one refuses to pursue this (why do I need to repeat this all the time? :/ sorry I am getting a feeling no one is actually reading my posts)

If that were the case then it would be more common for people to test under the normal range as most take their pills the same time as you (night before) including myself. I think it's safe to scratch that from the list of possibilities.