Nelson Vergel
Founder, ExcelMale.com
I decided to do a video on what the highest levels of estradiol should be for men on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). There's a lot of confusion on the subject since LabCorp and Quest have very narrow sensitive estradiol test ranges. Those estradiol test ranges were derived mostly from men not on testosterone replacement therapy. Men on TRT usually tend to have higher testosterone levels than men that are not on testosterone replacement. So, believe it or not, there is actually a paper that was published many years ago that predicts estradiol and DHT levels in men given different doses of testosterone. This study looked at what happens to blood levels of testosterone, estradiol and DHT when you inject different doses of testosterone in young and older men. This study was very nicely done at the Boston University School of Medicine by well-known testosterone researchers. Dr. Bassin is one of them who has done excellent work for the last 30 years.
Testosterone is the precursor hormone for estradiol. Estradiol is a hormone more abundant in women than men that is produced by the aromatization of testosterone in the liver, fat, and other cells. Nature created it for a reason. It has been shown to be responsible for healthy bone density and cholesterol but its role in men's sex drive, body composition, and other variables is a source of great debate.
Many anti-aging or men's health clinics prescribe anastrozole, a blocker of estradiol production, to men who start testosterone replacement (TRT). Higher estradiol blood levels in the presence of low testosterone can potentially cause breast tissue growth in some men and possibly other issues. Some people speculate that high estradiol can also lead to erectile dysfunction but no scientific papers have been published on this subject. Since higher testosterone blood levels can originate higher estradiol levels, the belief is that using anastrozole will prevent breast tissue growth and erectile dysfunction by lowering any potential increase in estradiol. However, we have no data on how high is too high when it comes to this hormone in men using testosterone therapy. Emerging data shows that low testosterone-to-estradiol ratios may be more closely correlated to infertility, gynecomastia and erectile problems than high estradiol levels alone.
The truth about these speculations is starting to emerge but we still do not have enough data to say what the upper value of the optimal range of estradiol really is. We have a lot of evidence about the lower side of the optimal range since it has been found that estradiol blood levels below 10-20 pg/ml can increase bone loss in men. A recently published study also nicely demonstrated that low estradiol can be associated with higher fat mass and lower sexual function in men. So, be careful when a clinic wants to put you on this drug without first justifying its use.
High Estradiol Blood Level in Men: How High is Too High?
Testosterone is the precursor hormone for estradiol. Estradiol is a hormone more abundant in women than men that is produced by the aromatization of testosterone in the liver, fat, and other cells. Nature created it for a reason. It has been shown to be responsible for healthy bone density and cholesterol but its role in men's sex drive, body composition, and other variables is a source of great debate.
Many anti-aging or men's health clinics prescribe anastrozole, a blocker of estradiol production, to men who start testosterone replacement (TRT). Higher estradiol blood levels in the presence of low testosterone can potentially cause breast tissue growth in some men and possibly other issues. Some people speculate that high estradiol can also lead to erectile dysfunction but no scientific papers have been published on this subject. Since higher testosterone blood levels can originate higher estradiol levels, the belief is that using anastrozole will prevent breast tissue growth and erectile dysfunction by lowering any potential increase in estradiol. However, we have no data on how high is too high when it comes to this hormone in men using testosterone therapy. Emerging data shows that low testosterone-to-estradiol ratios may be more closely correlated to infertility, gynecomastia and erectile problems than high estradiol levels alone.
The truth about these speculations is starting to emerge but we still do not have enough data to say what the upper value of the optimal range of estradiol really is. We have a lot of evidence about the lower side of the optimal range since it has been found that estradiol blood levels below 10-20 pg/ml can increase bone loss in men. A recently published study also nicely demonstrated that low estradiol can be associated with higher fat mass and lower sexual function in men. So, be careful when a clinic wants to put you on this drug without first justifying its use.
High Estradiol Blood Level in Men: How High is Too High?
