I recently skipped my regular 2x/week injection for routine bloodwork to satisfy my PCP. He request/expects bloodwork every 6 months.
I reduce my serum levels knowing he doesn’t want me near or over the top of the range.
Strange thing is my TT levels were reduced by my FT levels were up!
I have noticed this before with a correlating increase in libido when I temporarily reduce my weekly dosage for my doctor’s bloodwork.
Does anyone know what could cause this increase in FT? I wasn’t taking anything else except my T injections.
was your shbg higher last time?
Stayn at the lower dosage
Curious, what makes you think your free T levels are higher with the dose reduction?
It doesnt work that way, but if thats the case, why go up in dose to begin with?
There’s lab error, or your SHBG went down, allowing FT to go up with less TT. I think over time taking testosterone will lower SHBG eventually so it makes sense
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I asked OP for the last SHBG. No reply. That’s all it is.
Shbg can fluctuate like all the other numbers.
Perhaps he can go lower on dosage
Goal should be least amount to resolve symptoms and have decent free t.
You didn’t answer the question
I didn’t have SHBG tested on the 2nd test. But the tests were just 3 weeks apart.
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The blood work shows free t went up even with a dose reduction.
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I don’t know the reason but suspect it’s short lived.
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That wasn’t to you. That was too the post above me. He didn’t answer your question.
It does not matter what his shbg is in this case.
Did you test closer to trough on the higher dose?
Why not?
It’s my understanding that when my shbg is low my free t will be increased, not being bound up.
That’s been the pattern on my blood work.
When you post blood work or try to comprehend the data you must understand where the numbers come from. You didn’t specify the lab, test type, etc but when you’ve done this long enough you can quickly see the lab and test type. So here goes:
Before (Quest):
TT = 959 ng/dL by LC/MS
fT = 141 pg/mL (14.1 ng/dL) using equilbrium dialysis to measure free T % then fT is free T% * TT
After (with skipped shot, Labcorp):
TT = 765 ng/dL (ECLIA)
fT = 23.2 pg/mL (2.32 ng/dL) using direct EIA fT measurement (you can read on here why you shouldn’t use this assay if you want accurate fT measurement)
ratio of old fT measurement to new fT measurement = 14.1/2.32 = 6.08 which is what you’d expect since the direct fT assay is NOT quantitative (just a windsock).
So I’m still not following, why do you conclude that you fT is higher now than previously? Is this because you are high on the range now and weren’t before?
My concern is you don’t have the accurate data to draw that conclusion. And impossible to compare direct EIA free T result with equlibrium dialysis free T result in a quantitative fashion. The EIA method is simply not accurate and isn’t measuring free T.
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Sorry, I don´t understand.
Your Free T was 23.2 pg/ml after and 141.0 pg/ml before. Is there an error on the metric units? Or maybe i´m seeing wrong. I see picogram…for both tests.
If 23 is high, then 141 is ultra high ?
And that´s confusing for me. The ranges are also diffent : 6-21 vs 46-224.
I have 23pg/ml of Free T with my Total Testosterone serum levels fluctuating from a mere 250 to 350. I´m not on TRT.
In your test, it says 23pg/ml is high. Then, do I have a high free T or a very low free T ?
Gotcha, I knew the tests were different (one I paid for, the other was through my insurance and PCP) but wasn’t aware it was so inaccurate when measuring FT.
Thanks for the insight.
One test was at trough, and the other at an extended trough to intentionally reduce the number so my doctor doesn’t reduce my prescription.