Blood tests - I have a great doc but...

[suprarob]

He only does "saliva" tests. He feels they are more accurate. He prescribes everything I recommend so I don't want to change. Everytime he gets the saliva results he tells me what is up and what is down. But according to all my research here every person should take responsibility for tweaking and not leave it solely to his doctor. Been on TRT for about a year now and these are my questions;

Can I just go get blood tests on my own or do I need a script?
I am 52,do I need a different blood test protocol than a younger guy?
Are there certain symptoms I should watch for?
Are there certain things I need to esp watch at my age?
Since I am new and i did research is the below a good testing protocol?
How often should I get tested,once a month?
Do I need to drop anything or add anything below?
What is a dr looking for in a rectal exam,cancer?
How does LH/FSH show that you may have cancer?

How is this?

-Total Testosterone
-Free Testosterone
-E2
-Prolactin
-DHT
-LH/FSH
-PSA
-DRE

[EverettCD]

You can get your own BW done. There are a few online companies that will do this for you.
When the Doc performs a rectal exam he's checking your prostate.
As for certain symptoms you should watch out for, what symptoms did you have prior to beginning TRT & has TRT resolved your symptoms?

The experts will chime in soon.

[austinite]

http://www.privatemdlabs.com/ You can get a full hormone panel there and lots more.

[steroid.com 1]

He only does "saliva" tests. He feels they are more accurate. He prescribes everything I recommend so I don't want to change. Everytime he gets the saliva results he tells me what is up and what is down. But according to all my research here every person should take responsibility for tweaking and not leave it solely to his doctor. Been on TRT for about a year now and these are my questions;

Can I just go get blood tests on my own or do I need a script?
You can get them on your own, there a number of resources for that.

I am 52,do I need a different blood test protocol than a younger guy?
No.

Are there certain symptoms I should watch for?
Elevated or suppressed levels of E2.

Are there certain things I need to esp watch at my age?
Elevated hematocrit and E2 levels among other things.

Since I am new and i did research is the below a good testing protocol?
How often should I get tested,once a month?
Every 6 months now that you are dialed in.

Do I need to drop anything or add anything below?
All depends upon blood work and your lifestyle.

What is a dr looking for in a rectal exam,cancer?
Yes. Prostate cancer is androgen dependent so elevated Testosterone can cause problems. But this should have been ruled out when you were evaluated for a TRT protocol.

How does LH/FSH show that you may have cancer?
I don't know if LH/FSH can indicate you have cancer but very suppressed or elevated levels could mean there is a endocrine malignancy somewhere and further testing would be needed.

How is this?
See kel's sticky at the top of the forum on finding a TRT Doc, the labs you need are listed in there.

-Total Testosterone
-Free Testosterone
-E2
-Prolactin
-DHT
-LH/FSH
-PSA
-DRE

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