Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[hoping4best]

Hello again,
I've been struggling with whether to try testosterone again. I was on it 2 years ago for a few months and that's when my hair loss began, so I was quickly taken off it. My hair loss has continued, so I often now wonder if the loss is related to being on higher HRT (started around same time) and fluctuating hormones in general, and the addition of testosterone was a red herring.

I went on an HRT break for testing for the first quarter of this year, and my estradiol and free testosterone levels *both* dropped to "undetectable" (I am 42 and have one ovary, and it is completely non-functional).

Now I'm back on an estradiol patch and cyclical progesterone, and my free testosterone levels are higher again (0.3 ng/dL free T, 7/4 ng/dL "bioavailable T"), along with my estradiol levels (86.2 pg/ml, which I think is 316.44 pmol/L?). Though I still have no libido (although that might be the fault of The Burning Urethra, sigh), unusually low self esteem, and muscle loss/weakness.

I'm confused on my blood work between "free testosterone" and "bioavailable testosterone" levels. I will ask my endocrinologist next time I see him, but I wonder if anyone who takes testosterone has any insight into those differences. And I wonder what levels people have feel good *for them*, where they fall in your lab's reference ranges, and what's generally considered "normal", though I understand that particularly with T, everyone is different.

Tempest, anyone else, any thoughts on this? I searched for threads, but had trouble finding this. Feel free to point me to one if this stuff has been well covered.

Thank you!

[Hurdity]

Hi there

There was a thread about T levels recently ( 3rd page back) if you have a look - you will see from the title - and it;s here:
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,36164.msg579644.html#msg579644

You can read my response there. There are some women who see private gynaes who measure and comment on their T levels but this isn't the norm in UK ( well neither is prescribing T actually!). I don't know whether free or total T is measured but it wouldn't be very helpful to measure total T since most of it is bound to SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) from what I understand, so the free T is what is important.

The dosing is that which gives T within the physiological range for women and which restores libido amongst other things. There is no absolute value for feeling good. Also as I said the test (in UK anyway) is not sensitive enough to distinguish greatly between high and low T levels as it the test is designed for men and therefore measures T at the bottom of the range.

You estradiol levels - if they are accurate - are more pertinent and if they were that low (depending on the method used) then replacing these to an average level should be first priority - and depending where you are in menopause. Only then is T replacement normally advisable.

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[hoping4best]

Thanks Hurdity. It's not standard to give women in the US testosterone, either. So it's also a bit murky here.

I'm post-menopausal due to complete ovarian failure of my one remaining ovary.

I seem unable to tolerate patch doses that get my estradiol levels higher than they are right now without breast pain and adenomyosis pain, so maybe I can't get them high enough to safely experiment with testosterone. So perhaps I'll be out of luck on that front.

I will check out that thread. Thanks again.

[Hurdity]

Hi there - sorry - I must have been half asleep last night - I read that your oestrogen levels were now undetectable. If those oestrogen levels are what you are now at currently (300+ pmol/l) then that's a good level (and would be higher than mine for example I am sure  tho' not measured recently). That being the case then I am sure a specialist gynae would be able to prescribe testosterone if you are experiencing lack of libido and muscle weakness. Are you able to find a gynae who is prepared to do this as it sounds like you could benefit? Apologies if I misread your post.

Hurdity x

[hoping4best]

No worries, Hurdity. I appreciate it.

In the US, where I live anyway, I haven't had too much trouble getting a testosterone script. I have some tubes of testim in my cabinet right now, but I've been afraid of making my hair loss worse and haven't taken any.

I'm unsure whether my current free T level is too high at 0.3 ng/dL. Two years ago, when I first tried supplementing testosterone and first started losing my hair l, my free T went up to 0.6, but by comparison at the time my estradiol was much lower. Tempest said on another thread that it's about the balance of hormones, so that has made me wonder again if I should give it another go.

How low a dose/how infrequently can I get away with taking a pea sized amount, I wonder. Twice per week?

[Hurdity]

Even if T tests were reliable - looking at the link given by Tempest in the thread I linked to in my earlier post below, you would be at the lower end of normal range - but as I said symptoms are a better clue. I use a pea sized blob of Testogel ( the 1 % preparation) daily. This is a pretty low dose compared to some women who make a sachet last a week.

Hurdity x