Brief history - around 4 years on TRT. Two on pellets, two on cream, and now 9 month self injecting test cyp. I use the protocol suggested here: t+HCG+AI. Injecting T in the amount of .375 mg twice weekly. I was taking 1mg of Arimidex per week. My total and free test numbers are consistently good, TT between 975 to 1084 and FT between 27 and 34. All tests done by Labcorp.
Here is the problem - my e2 numbers are very inconsistent and I cannot figure out why. On February 7 of this year my E2 was 33.6. I was taking 1mg of Adex split in two doses. I decided to up the dosage to 1.5 mg per week split in three doses. Tested E2 only on March 27 and it was down to 25.7. So far so good. I kept the dosage there but was slowly feeling not great. Libido was less, morning wood was inconsistent, so I decided to have E2 tested again. On June 5, the number came back at 13.3. That explained the way I was feeling so I went back to 1mg per week split in two doses.
My doc ordered new tests and went in July 2. Got the test results from the doc today. My E2 was 58.8!!! It makes zero sense to me. The ONLY thing I changed between the two tests was decreasing the dose as mentioned and eliminating diet soda and all starchy carbs from my diet. Any ideas or insight would be most welcome. Thanks.
First thing that comes to mind to me is that your body overcompensated for the higher Adex dosage so that when you went back to 1mg it kept pumping out the extra E2 the body thinks it needs for balance.
It was only a few weeks from the dose change to the new test, perhaps not enough time for the balance to come back.
I don’t know if this will help you at all, but here’s what I do:
I am on 200mg of Test-C, 100mg on Monday and 100mg on Thursday. I take 1mg a Adex a week, broken into four doses, which I take Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Also hCG EOD. With this setup I can time my blood tests to be on Monday mornings, four days after my T injection, and two days after my hCG injection, on the day I am due for both.
I have had three E2 tests since starting this setup and the scores have been 22, 23, and 22 respectively. I’m not sure why your numbers are so crazily apart, but I wonder if you’re taking things on consistent days and testing at the same point in your protocol every time.
I appreciate both responses. As far as the timing of the test, I have not been consistent and I will pay more attention from here out. As far as the over-correcting, I have not heard of that happening but would certainly not rule anything out.
Timing: However things are done, best to test right before a new injection… so you are as flat as you get in your cycle as opposed to being at a peak. Peaks would be a bad read, you want to know what the trough is. Reading at different days in the cycle will make results that are apples and oranges.
Overcompensation: Like any other bodily function, the body always seeks its “normal” balance. Dump a bunch of T in there and E production goes up to get back to the ratio the chemistry is looking for. Add T while suppressing E and the body tries to pump it out to try to get that balance, but you have the actual ability (aramotose release) to make E cut off. The body isn’t getting the results it thinks it should (but you do, less E), so it tries harder to reach a balance (within reason, it’ll only be able to do so much).
Cut off (or restrict) the supply of AI and all that bodily effort to reach balance is now way too much… and you end up with too much E for a while. As you’d expect, eventually, the body will cut E production to get the desired ratio, but since your T is up there, the amount of E will be more than you want.
But the main thing is that in the short term, you’d get an overly large E reading upon cutting down AI.