Hey guys,
I’m high SHBG also (female just starting TRT with originally very low TT and free)
I’ve been reading that use of DIM can significantly increase SHBG. 
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I began taking the supplement shortly after finding I was retaining water on the new TRT. It seemed to work very well for this, very quickly.
But now I’m concerned of its overall effects on my HRT regime. Whether it’s lowering my exogenous estrogen too much, etc. and affecting my available T by potentially bumping up my already elevated SHBG.
labs after two months of TRT showed a good increase in Total, but my SHBG climbed even higher! 116-176
Using an online calculator, I see my free testosterone did increase about eight fold. Up to a whopping ( sarcasm) 0.04.
Moreover I am feeling positive effects but feel there’s more to gain. I’m now above normal level totals for a 57-year-old female, and hoping my doctor doesn’t mind if TT climbs to get the desired effect. Wondering if;
- It was it the DIM causing the counterintuitive RISE in SHBG after starting TRT? Noticed the (unregulated) capsules have 350 mg which seems a lot
- Or was it that I’d just finished my final 2 month marathon training block where volume and intensity were much higher than at original blood testing?
- Or if I’m having a paradoxical response to the increased exogenous hormone. Some people, so I’ve read, respond this way initially. It makes sense that maybe the body is probably trying to protect against a sudden change
I might never solve the binding protein issue, but my thyroid and liver look in very good health. I don’t take oral estrogen either. Not gonna change my diet to become insulin resistant in order to lower SHBG either.
protein intake over 100g daily.
I tried Boron for a while but the original study and that was actually pretty weak…. With very few subjects , but it seems to be all the rage on Reddit
My doctor was only going to look at total testosterone for this first follow up.
I ordered the SHBG panel because I think it’s important for assessing true clinical response.
I meet with her next month. I’ve already upped my dose probably 20% for the past several weeks and my total is still under 100 But deemed “above normal”. Free is minimum about half of what I hear women have when responding well
Learned for women and children, lab testing of Free is a complete waste of time and money, since levels are so low. In fact even though my total t went from 9 to 84 and SHBG 117 to 176, lab values for Free were 0.7 and.03 respectively.
So I used a free online calculator where you input the total and the two binding hormones, SHBG and Albumin to estimate Free and bioavailable ratios.
Seems there should be a solution for those of us with high binding proteins and such low available testosterone! We need it. I’ve struggled with ADHD and motivation and afternoon energy levels and really found TRT beneficial for addressing these. Now I want to see the physiological changes in my body!
if my GYN doc isn’t supportive, I may switch to an online company. I wanted to do injections anyway. I also hear in addition to having less DHD conversion, they may suppress my SHBG more rapidly.
I realize when the binding protein lowers you often have to adjust the dose so you don’t end up with too much!
I’ll deal with that when and if I ever see it
appreciate any insight from you guys! All the best,
Lisa