As shown in this article, what happens is that the 5ar enzyme starts to saturate at higher doses of testosterone. DHT levels still increase with the higher doses, but less for each incremental increase in testosterone. What's interesting to consider is that there may be some competitive inhibition of other 5ar processes at higher T levels, leading to problems.
When u say that 5ar enzymes start to saturate with higher levels of testosterone, does this only affect the conversion test into dht, or when higher test levels saturate 5ar enzymes, it could affect anything that uses 5ar enzymes in its conversion process? For example, could the 5ar enzymes that convert progesterone into dihydroprogesterone be affected from higher test levels?
That research showed the saturation effect with testosterone being converted to DHT. However, I was speculating that other processes using the 5ar enzyme could be similarly impaired at higher T levels, and yes, this would include progesterone's conversion. There are others too:
Interesting. I heard about the saturation for E2 and DHT with higher Test level before but never looked at the mechanism. The enzyme saturate, but doesn't "burn" as Mark Gordon mentions, perhaps in the brain it may be different.
Could you mind me again what you use? I think you mentioned micronized oral progesterone.
What are you taking to increase your progesterone while on TRT?
That’s the thing, I’m taking nothing to increase prog directly, and for around 2-3 years now it has come back around 1.4-1.6 (0.0-0.5). I eliminated everything that could possibly increase prog, at one point, and it still came back around 1.4-1.6. Cannot figure out for the life of me why it keeps coming back so high
Have you tested PROG and seen a high result when you were not taking nandrolone or only when taking nandrolone?
That's a great suggestion for Gman's case. The regular test picks up other things besides progesterone and isn't necessarily accurate. The LC/MS test, which is truly specific for progesterone, has a normal range that includes zero for adult men. That's always one of my talking points when arguing that progesterone just isn't that important for men.Have you used the LC/MS test?
Ya I took nandrolone out for quite a while, and prog didn’t budge. Was still high
So I did back in July 2022. But I didn’t use the sensitive version ever again due to the reference range being different. Here were my resultsHave you used the LC/MS test?
I’m currently use an injectable, which I find it works the best, more physiologic as it doesn’t make that first pass in the liver.
My interpretation of these results is that your actual progesterone level is below the limit of detection. The less specific, standard progesterone test can pick up other things as progesterone, the same way a standard testosterone test will count nandrolone as testosterone for example.
Thanks. What benefits have you experienced?
Interesting. That would be very ironic if these past couple years I’ve thought I had an excess of prog in my system, when in reality I probably should have been supplementing with prog this whole time lol
anxiety and mood improved, some sort of fear of heights improved, I believe it improved my thyroid and adrenal function, better skin, erections sex drive and libido. I was hoping to see improvements in my sleep like other experienced in here, but I don't think I noticed anything in that regard
keep us posted, I may actually take the LC/MS as well, I think there has been some inconsistency with my Progesterone testing since the beginning as well
