Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: VanillaLover on June 10, 2022, 04:11:39 PM
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Hi all
Just got my blood test results. Blood taken day 5 of cycle.
Oestrogen is 392 (good, shows I am absorbing patches ok I reckon).
FSH is 13.5 which is raised I think as I expected (range for follicular phase is given 3.9-8.8 )
No idea what the testosterone/SHBG ones mean though ?
Testosterone 0.8 (range 0-2.6)
SHBG 129 (range 17-135) so I’m thinking this is def towards the high end.
But what do these two mean together ?
I would be so grateful if any of you lovely ladies could help.
Thank you so much
VL
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Because your SHBG is high, it makes your free androgen index (FAI) low which means that very little of your testosterone is 'bioavailable' (there are FAI calculators on google). I don't know if you take testosterone but at that level I would be looking to supplement.
There are different causes of high SHBG - mine too is high - higher than yours and a problem in terms of absorbing testosterone (but good that you absorb estrogen which I don't!)
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Hi VanillaLover,
The formula usually used to calculate your free testosterone percentage (FAI) is total testosterone/SHBG x 100. Testosterone is recommended for people with 1% or less.
So you would be 0.8/129 = 0.006 x 100 = 0.6%
There is a good factsheet about testosterone on the Newson Health website. It is about how much testosterone you have available and not just the total amount you have.
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My specialist just asked me out right, do you have a sex drive ?
Answer, no.
Okay, here’s a bottle of Tostron. Let me know how you get on.
She said again, go by symptoms, not levels.
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I think it just depends on the specialist. I agree that symptoms should generally be the leading factor.
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Thank you so much ladies, that’s very helpful. No I’m not currently taking testosterone. I will see what my consultant says when he reviews the results (whenever that may be!)
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The calculation is really just a guide, but a useful one. It does seem like you could do with some testosterone if you feel you need it. All the best!