140mg T/week (70mg every 3.5 days) labs were done at the trough and you are hitting a TT 785 ng/dL with an SHBG 20.9 nmol/L which would most likely have your FT level on the higher end.
Also, keep in mind that your peak TT/FT level will be higher.
Although TT is important to know FT is what truly matters as it is the active unbound fraction of testosterone responsible for the positive effects.
Relying on the FAI (Free Androgen Index) is pointless and the only way to know where your FT level truly sits on such protocol (dose T/injection frequency) is to have it tested using the most accurate assays such as the gold standard Equilibrium Dialysis or Ultrafiltration.
This appraisal of the dynamics of testosterone binding to proteins and of the free hormone hypothesis offers guidance for the application of free testoster
academic.oup.com
Methods
Free androgen index
Merits
• Represents the ratio of total
testosterone/SHBG
• Has been shown to correlate with free
testosterone measurements
• Simple to obtain
Problems
• Overly simplistic and inaccurate measure of free testosterone concentrations
• Poor indicator of gonadal status
• Dependent on accurate measurements of total testosterone and SHBG
• Most experts do not favor its use
View attachment 13342
Unfortunately when testing FT many men use/rely upon the direct immunoassay (inaccurate) let alone outdated linear law-of-mass action calculated methods which are flawed.
When getting lab work done it would be wise to use the most accurate assays for TT/estradiol (LC/MS-MS) and FT (Equilibrium Dialysis or Ultrafiltration).
You tested TT, estradiol, and SHBG most likely using the standard immunoassays and unfortunately did not have your FT tested using an accurate assay let alone did not include critical blood markers such as RBCs/hemoglobin/hematocrit.
Sure you can still rely on using the calculated method to get an idea of where your FT sits but the only way to truly know is to have it tested using the most accurate assays (ED or UF).
Not sure why you are getting labs every 6 weeks unless you were constantly tweaking your protocol.
Keep in mind many fail to realize that when starting trt or tweaking a protocol (dose T/injection frequency) that
hormones will be in flux during the weeks leading up until blood levels stabilize (4-6 weeks when using TC/TE) and it is common for many during this transition to experience what we call the
honeymoon period where there may be a strong increase in libido/erections and overall euphoric feeling due to increasing T levels/dopamine.
Unfortunately, this is temporary and short-lived for most as the body will eventually adjust.
It is also very common for many men to experience ups/downs in energy/mood/libido/erections/recovery
during the transition as the body is trying to adjust which can be very misleading.
Even then do understand that once blood levels have stabilized (4-6 weeks) it will take another 2-3 months for the body to fully adapt to those new levels and this is the critical time period when one should gauge how they truly feel overall regarding relief/improvement of low-t symptoms.
When looking at the big picture the first 4-6 weeks is very misleading for most!
2-3 months after blood levels have stabilized if you continue to feel great overall and blood markers remain healthy then one can truly claim that your protocol is effective!
Patience is key.
