Why didn't my levels change much despite a dose imcrease?

[Whatzup]

I was on cypionate 100mg weekly and after the increase to 200mg they didn't change much in 2 months.

As follows:
100mg
Total T 644
Free T 32
Rbc 6.14
Htc 52.4
Hemoglobin 17.6
E2 52

200MG
Total T 1195
Free T 32
Rbc 6.07
Htc 52.6
Hemoglobin 17.6
E2 70

 

[zancek0]

Have you tested your SHBG levels?

 

[Whatzup]

Have you tested your SHBG levels?

Yes in the past like 15 and 17

 

[JmarkH]

Your SHBG most likely went up on the higher T dose. The Albumin numbers matter also.

 

[Whatzup]

Your SHBG most likely went up on the higher T dose. The Albumin numbers matter also.

Shbg kinda confuses me. Correct me if I am wrong. They say for people with low shbg you don't really need a high t dose. But how does more t raise shbg?

 

[Cataceous]

Total testosterone basically doubled, which is about right when the dose is doubled and SHBG doesn't change. The free testosterone tests are probably immunoassay-based, which renders them nearly useless. Free testosterone is also expected to double in this situation.

More generally, think of free testosterone as the main driver of your benefits. Total testosterone includes testosterone in "storage". Think of SHBG and albumin as the storage. More SHBG allows more storage and more total testosterone. But this is pretty independent of free testosterone, which is driven directly by the TRT dose:

TRT dose -> sets free testosterone -> sets total testosterone also as function of SHBG

If you play with a free testosterone calculator and hold free testosterone constant then you'll quickly see that raising SHBG increases total testosterone, while lowering SHBG decreases total testosterone.

A lot of the conventional wisdom about SHBG is misguided or just wrong. It's fair to suspect that high or low levels may cause some problems, but these don't directly relate to free testosterone and the details have not been nailed down. For example, there's speculation that low SHBG leads to reduced androgen signaling, without a concurrent reduction in estrogen signaling. In this hypothesis it is the signaling imbalance that leads to symptoms and difficulty dialing in TRT.

As for factors affecting SHBG, androgens tend to decrease it while estrogens tend to increase it.

 

[Whatzup]

How come on a lower dose 100mg my ferritin has been lower like 12 and on 200mg 25?
Thoughts on this?

 

[Whatzup]

Is a Hematocrit of 52.6 dangerous?

 

[Keepfit1]

I was on cypionate 100mg weekly and after the increase to 200mg they didn't change much in 2 months.

As follows:
100mg
Total T 644
Free T 32
Rbc 6.14
Htc 52.4
Hemoglobin 17.6
E2 52

200MG
Total T 1195
Free T 32
Rbc 6.07
Htc 52.6
Hemoglobin 17.6
E2 70

Reds, Hct , Hgb can take longer to change, I think it’s a 120 day cycle

 

[Whatzup]

Reds, Hct , Hgb can take longer to change, I think it’s a 120 day cycle

For the better or worse?

 

[Systemlord]

Is a Hematocrit of 52.6 dangerous?

No, if it was, everyone would be evacuated from high altitude places like Denver, CO and Big Bear.

One could make the argument that a slight elevation in HCT is healthier.

Stroke-Related Mortality at Different Altitudes: A 17-Year Nationwide Population-Based Analysis From Ecuador.

Living at higher elevation with higher hematocrit may decrease cardiovascular risk! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8525493/...

www.excelmale.com

Results: A total of 38,201 deaths and 75,893 stroke-related hospital admissions were reported. High altitude populations (HAP) had lower stroke mortality in men [OR: 0.91 (0.88–0.95)] and women [OR: 0.83 (0.79–0.86)]. In addition, HAP had a significant lower risk of getting admitted to the hospital when compared with the low altitude group in men [OR: 0.55 (CI 95% 0.54–0.56)] and women [OR: 0.65 (CI 95% 0.64–0.66)].

Conclusion: This is the first epidemiological study that aims to elucidate the association between stroke and altitude using four different elevation ranges. Our findings suggest that living at higher elevations offers a reduction or the risk of dying due to stroke as well as a reduction in the probability of being admitted to the hospital. Nevertheless, this protective factor has a stronger effect between 2,000 and 3,500 m.

 

[Keepfit1]

For the better or worse?

Well with doubling T to 200 it’s likely the reds wii rise with time , but maybe not

 

[Another Great Day]

Total testosterone basically doubled, which is about right when the dose is doubled and SHBG doesn't change. The free testosterone tests are probably immunoassay-based, which renders them nearly useless. Free testosterone is also expected to double in this situation.

More generally, think of free testosterone as the main driver of your benefits. Total testosterone includes testosterone in "storage". Think of SHBG and albumin as the storage. More SHBG allows more storage and more total testosterone. But this is pretty independent of free testosterone, which is driven directly by the TRT dose:

TRT dose -> sets free testosterone -> sets total testosterone also as function of SHBG

If you play with a free testosterone calculator and hold free testosterone constant then you'll quickly see that raising SHBG increases total testosterone, while lowering SHBG decreases total testosterone.

A lot of the conventional wisdom about SHBG is misguided or just wrong. It's fair to suspect that high or low levels may cause some problems, but these don't directly relate to free testosterone and the details have not been nailed down. For example, there's speculation that low SHBG leads to reduced androgen signaling, without a concurrent reduction in estrogen signaling. In this hypothesis it is the signaling imbalance that leads to symptoms and difficulty dialing in TRT.

As for factors affecting SHBG, androgens tend to decrease it while estrogens tend to increase it.

Great explanation. Thank you.