Blood test results. Any thoughts?

[KvanH]

So I got blood drawn yesterday to check where I stand as for test levels. Didn't really schedule for a comprehensive hormone panel as the idea was just to see that 'things are still working'. I'll lay out the results how I got them and I've also converted them to more familiar unit of measurements for you US folks and I looked up the reference values for the US, which differ somewhat from ours.


S -Testo 15.0 nmol/l (8.0 - 29.0)

S -SHBG 40 nmol/l (15 - 95)

S -TestoF 217 pmol/l (155 - 800)
Free, calculated

Estradiol 0.05 nmol/l < 0.15


S -Testo 433 ng/dl (300 - 1200)

S -SHBG 4.3 ug/ml (1.1 - 6.7)

S -TestoF 6.3 ng/dl (9.0 - 30.0)
Free, calculated

Estradiol 14.4 pg/ml (10 - 40)


I haven't taken anything hormonal since my last Tamox pct which ended 12 weeks ago. I haven't been too diligent with taking bloods and didn't know much about this stuff years ago, so I don't have pre blood levels before ever taking any PED's. I'm 33 yo. I know this is not much to go with, just kind of felt like posting this for some discussion/possible thoughts.

I know I won't get prescribed trt with this total T level where I live, but that free T is not looking good. I guess I could try to lower shbg with maybe boron and tongat ali, but that's kind of a band-aid solution and I don't even know how well they work. Suggestions? One weird thing is that I've had an itching nip for some time now on and off, but E2 is pretty low too. Could I really have an environment for gyno growth with that low E2 (with free T being so low)? The lab didn't offer sensitive test for E2.

 

[Whisky]

Did you get an albumin result bro? As far as I know the only other thing that test binds to (apart from SHBG) is albumin.....

I wouldn’t try to lower shbg (it’s not high), I’d look at albumin as although it’s outside an area I now a lot about it’s the only thing I believe could account for that result....

TRT, SHBG & Health - Facts, Questions and Evolution | The Men's Health Clinic

If you’re on TRT, you’ve more than likely heard of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). But have you wondered what it is, what it does, and how it affects our health? In this blog, I will detail exactly that, outlining what we know, what we can speculate, and from that – how we can potentially …...

themenshealthclinic.co.uk

 

[KvanH]

Did you get an albumin result bro? As far as I know the only other thing that test binds to (apart from SHBG) is albumin.....

I wouldn’t try to lower shbg (it’s not high), I’d look at albumin as although it’s outside an area I now a lot about it’s the only thing I believe could account for that result....

TRT, SHBG & Health - Facts, Questions and Evolution | The Men's Health Clinic

If you’re on TRT, you’ve more than likely heard of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). But have you wondered what it is, what it does, and how it affects our health? In this blog, I will detail exactly that, outlining what we know, what we can speculate, and from that – how we can potentially …...

themenshealthclinic.co.uk

Hmm.. That's a new one. I have to look into it, thanks. All the tests i took are laid out above.

 

[KvanH]

Did you get an albumin result bro? As far as I know the only other thing that test binds to (apart from SHBG) is albumin.....

I wouldn’t try to lower shbg (it’s not high), I’d look at albumin as although it’s outside an area I now a lot about it’s the only thing I believe could account for that result....

TRT, SHBG & Health - Facts, Questions and Evolution | The Men's Health Clinic

If you’re on TRT, you’ve more than likely heard of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). But have you wondered what it is, what it does, and how it affects our health? In this blog, I will detail exactly that, outlining what we know, what we can speculate, and from that – how we can potentially …...

themenshealthclinic.co.uk

I just realised that as the free T is calculated with the 'Anderson formula' using TT and shbg, the albumin is not accounted for. So basically the relation between my TT and shbg is poor, and that results in low free T.

But it's 'only' 12 weeks from my latest pct and 16 weeks from the last cycle, so this may not be permanent and I'm still recovering.

 

[Whisky]

I just realised that as the free T is calculated with the 'Anderson formula' using TT and shbg, the albumin is not accounted for. So basically the relation betweem my TT and shbg is poor, so that it results in low free T.

But it's 'only' 12 weeks from my latest pct and 16 weeks from the last cycle, so this may not be permanent and I'm still recovering.

I may be completely missing something but I thought those two were directly correlated. So a high range t level with a low range shbg level would result in high free test and vica Versa.

given your shbg reading that relationship doesn’t stack up as the reason for low free test as far as I could tell?

 

[KvanH]

I may be completely missing something but I thought those two were directly correlated. So a high range t level with a low range shbg level would result in high free test and vica Versa.

given your shbg reading that relationship doesn’t stack up as the reason for low free test as far as I could tell?

It's exactly like you say. It's just that the free T is calculated with the Anderso'n formula (at least here) using TT and shbg. So I guess with the lowish TT I should have lower shbg also to make my free T better. (Better would obviously to have higher TT)

Couldn't really find anything on the Anderson's formula in english with quick Googling, but it seems to be the standard here.

The formula:
S -testo (nmol/l) x (2,28–-1,38 x log SHBG nmol/l/10)

 

[KvanH]

One thing to add that came to mind is that if we look the 'US values' and reference ranges, I converted the values I got from the lab, but picked up the reference ranges from the web. So if in the US they use different formula to calculate the free T, then the converting from our meausurement units and comparing to the US reference range don't work. As the free T is still barely in range in our ref range, but pretty badly under the US ref range. So getting the same TT and shbg values in the US, the calculated free T might be higher. Seems weird tho, so I don't know.

 

[NoAddedHmones]

I think you have mathed wrong. If free-T is in range in one format, it should also be after conversion.

 

[KvanH]

I think you have mathed wrong. If free-T is in range in one format, it should also be after conversion.

The ref ranges vary betweem countries and I didn't convert the ref ranges, I pulled them from web. I can't remember where I pulled them from, cause' it's some time ago that I found them and saved screen shots to my phone.

If I do a straight conversion of the free T ref range it's: 4.5 - 23.1 ng/dl. So then it's barely in range like in the labs I got. I wanted to use the ref ranges that are usually used in the US and also highlight the bad result. The same level of several hormones can put you in range in some country and out of range in some.

 

[KvanH]

Here's a zoom in from one of the screen shots I have.

So you can see even before any conversion my free T is under the US range (the nmol/l range that is listed also).

This is the converter I used.

Testosterone conversion calculator to nmol/L, ng/mL, ng/dL, ng/100mL, ng%, ng/L, µg/L units. Online converter from conventional to SI units | UNITSLAB.COM

Testosterone conversion calculator for units in scientific, laboratory and medical reports. Units conversion: nmol/L, ng/mL, ng/dL, ng/100mL, ng%, ng/L, µg/L.

unitslab.com