Wifes HRT results

[jwws9999]

My wife has been on doctor prescribed HRT consisting of test cream, the results have been good and she is very happy with the treatment so far, She's had no side affects whatsover and can only speak positively about it. However, she just got her latest blood work results and has some questions. Her dose is 0.3 mils of 1 percent test cream per day, and I can't figure out how my grams of test that is. Also, her total T results were 98, which are at the high end of the range, but her free T was only 0.1 on a range of 0.4 to 0.8. Everything I've read on the web (there's not much), said women should not be concerned with total T as much as free T. Was wondering what everyones (especiall vettesters) opinion of this was

Also, a little more info, she's 52, 5'4" and 115 pounds. She's in menopause, and started treatment when she had all the signs of low t, had her t levels checked, and they both came back at zero

[jwws9999]

by the way, she had a complete blood workup done, and everything came back normal including thyroid and vitamin D

[HRTstudent]

I would say the same thing probably goes for women as it does for men.

Some doctors prefer free, some prefer total, and both have a valid point.

The reality is, free and bound testosterone both serve useful functions and are important (nature don't make no junk, as they say).

I'm no expert in female HRT, but I can't imagine goals are much different -- to get into the mid-range or middle-high (ie "youthful" )area of normal.

Finally, if she's feeling good then that is what really matters! I put more weight on that than one specific test of (arguably) questionable importance.

[jwws9999]

we decided that we are going to switch over to what vettesters wife is doing and start injecting 8 mg test cyp sub q and see how that works outs. like the men on this forum, the cream is annoying, expensive, and she feels it is inconsistent in the absorbtion.

[msmopar]

What was the name of the cream that she uses?

[jwws9999]

it was compounded by a pharmacist

[jwws9999]

The other question we have is will the injections take 3 - 4 weeks to kck in the same way they do as a male

[HRTstudent]

The notion of "kick in" is rather ambiguous...

the testosterone starts to exert its effects within hours.

Now, when going from hypogonadal to normal then it takes time to notice certain effects, but that doesn't mean the drugs were not working well before then. If your wife was on gels before then switching to injects should not be of significance (other than the fact that it might get her levels higher or lower).

[Vettester]

jwwws, I could be wrong, but if your wife's compounded cream is 1%, then it's probably 10mg per gram. 0.3 should be 3mgs, which is about right for transdermal or vaginal application.

It's not all that quite uncommon to see women with these low free testosterone numbers. Without doubt, her SHBG has to be quite elevated, which is the culprit that is tying up all the testosterone. Sometimes, this is a quick fix, with making some changes in the diet, and supplementing a regiment of vitamin D nettle root, omegas, and even the administration of exogenous progesterone in a BHRT regiment. Other times though, it can be a lot more complicated than that, as an array of disorders can attribute to this imbalance, like hyperthyroidism (or an autoimmune pathology), metabolic issues, hepatic related issues, etc... And then to complicate it more, high SHBG can be further associated with various medications and other substances.

If possible, what I'd like you to do ... Have her start an account here, introduce herself, and post up all of her labs, stats (just so people won't ask again), and any background information that is relevant to her situation. We need to see what all the baseline values were pre-TRT. Just because the labs say 'normal', they could be anything but ... I'll see if I can't get a hold of PPC and have her look at your wife's thread once it's in place. Her knowledge in this area is impeccable!

[jwws9999]

thanks Vette, I'll ask her. She's also going to up her Vitamin D. She also got all her baseline bloodwork done last month and everything else including thyroid and lipids came out very well. But her baseline T levels before trt were basically *ero. On the present regiment, her total T is 98, and her free t is 0.1. All in all, it's been great, the hot flashes have all but disappeared, her energy levels are much better, and she's had no androgenic sides

[msmopar]

thanks Vette, I'll ask her. She's also going to up her Vitamin D. She also got all her baseline bloodwork done last month and everything else including thyroid and lipids came out very well. But her baseline T levels before trt were basically *ero. On the present regiment, her total T is 98, and her free t is 0.1. All in all, it's been great, the hot flashes have all but disappeared, her energy levels are much better, and she's had no androgenic sides

Thanks so much for the update. My T levels are basically zero now too. My total T is 3 and free is 0.4. And I have the worst hot flashes ever!! I really hope my cream arrives soon. The hot flashes are unbearable!!

[jwws9999]

Thanks so much for the update. My T levels are basically zero now too. My total T is 3 and free is 0.4. And I have the worst hot flashes ever!! I really hope my cream arrives soon. The hot flashes are unbearable!!

you'll be very happy with the test cream, her hot flashes were horrible as well , but have almost disappeared

[Vettester]

thanks Vette, I'll ask her. She's also going to up her Vitamin D. She also got all her baseline bloodwork done last month and everything else including thyroid and lipids came out very well. But her baseline T levels before trt were basically *ero. On the present regiment, her total T is 98, and her free t is 0.1. All in all, it's been great, the hot flashes have all but disappeared, her energy levels are much better, and she's had no androgenic sides

Please keep me posted if she starts a new thread. I'll be watching for it.
Thanks

[msmopar]

Does the cream only say 1% on it? The stuff they sent said it is 25 mg/ml. But the bottle says apply 1ml (4clicks) every morning.

Now I'm no dr but I have stayed at a few holiday inns. I'm thinking those instructions have her applying 25 mg every day for a total of 175mg of test a week. Surely that can't be right. That's a mans dose

I'm calling the dr tomorrow.

Edit: I was told the cream leaves the body in 24 hours. So it doesn't last long like test cyp.

[msmopar]

Btw I applied 12mg last night and slept great. Only had one mild hot flash. Does it really work that fast?

After some online searching I've found that absorption of test from cream is only about 10%. So if the cream is 25mg/ml and I take 1 ml then I'm only absorbing 2.5 mg a day. That's only 17.5 mg per week which seems to agree w dosage levels I've seen for women on the web.

[Vettester]

Btw I applied 12mg last night and slept great. Only had one mild hot flash. Does it really work that fast?

After some online searching I've found that absorption of test from cream is only about 10%. So if the cream is 25mg/ml and I take 1 ml then I'm only absorbing 2.5 mg a day. That's only 17.5 mg per week which seems to agree w dosage levels I've seen for women on the web.

You are correct, only approx. 10% will actually absorb. My wife takes 4mg to 6 mg per week of cyp, along with other hormones to mimic a monthly cycle (rhythmic is I believe the protocol). 60ng/dl on the serum is kind of her sweet spot, plus aiming for 2% free test. She went to cypionate to get a better E1,E2,and E3 conversion, as the compounded test was converting more DHT than desired. Something for you as well to keep an eye on.

[jwws9999]

Btw I applied 12mg last night and slept great. Only had one mild hot flash. Does it really work that fast?

After some online searching I've found that absorption of test from cream is only about 10%. So if the cream is 25mg/ml and I take 1 ml then I'm only absorbing 2.5 mg a day. That's only 17.5 mg per week which seems to agree w dosage levels I've seen for women on the web.

yes, it does work very fast for the hot flashes, and womans dosages are up for alot of debate. Michele's doc goes on blood work AND how she feels