i dont understand this

[powerlifterty16]

I was bored today and used a free testosterone calculator..
my shbg is 23.5
my tt is 371
my albumin is 4.7


the results were
free t is 8.52 NG/DL
BIOAVAILABLE T is 218 ng/dl


i converted the free t to pgml and it came out to 85 which is way more than the labcorp range of 9.3-26.5...although when i last had that tested i was only at 6.....are my free and bioavailable numbers good?

[powerlifterty16]

122 views and no replies...oh well if anyone wants to help id appreciate

[bass]

you been here long enough to know that you need to post ranges as well edit your post and add ranges.

[powerlifterty16]

you been here long enough to know that you need to post ranges as well edit your post and add ranges.

thanks for replying bass. I used an online calculator imputing my shbg, my albumin, and my total t, and the calc told me my free t in ng/dl and my biavailable t in ng/dl. It did not have ranges.

I converted the free t to pg/ml bc my labcorp bw was in pg ml...however the confusion lies in the fact that the labcorp range is 10-26pg/dl while the quest range is 30-155 pg/ml.....my free t was 85 pg/ml using the calculator.....im guessing the quest range is more in line with my number....and id be 85 on a scale of 30-155....idk..the labcorp range is way different than quest...and my labcorp test was low. I am having trouble finding a bioavailable range also.

[bass]

no, labcorp is pg/ml not pg/dl

[powerlifterty16]

my bad typo..both quest and labcorp say ml

[LowT Mike]

Ok. I see the conundrum. Easy fix and I apologize for not telling you this earlier. i beleive it was me that turned you on to the Bio T app. This app was obviously built by software engineers with very little consultation from a medical or TRT specialist. So easy fix...The NG/DL is WRONG if you are going by lapcorp comparison. Just sub out NG/DL for PG/ML. Thats right. Your Free T is in fact 8.52 pg./ml.

There are vast differences with reference ranges with many different lab testing companies. Quest says something like free T 56-200 pg/ml for reference range. While lab corp says something like 7-24 pg./ml. WHO IS RIGHT??? Somebody made an error a long time ago and never corrected it. I chalk it up to our vast medical society having very little education on free T and docs rarely test for it nor understand it...Therefore this correction has never been made. Best advice I can give use the same lab, get blood draws the same time throughout treatment and discover your own baseline and stage appropriately. You can see the confusion if you are using Lab corp for years while on TRT then switch to Quest.

[powerlifterty16]

thanks mike as usual so it's 8.52 on labcorp and 85.2 on quest?
damn mike no matter what range i use im low hahahaha. Dont feel bad though, I dont think it was you who told me about the app. I think I actually knew about the app but never had my shbg numbers so never used it...but i finally have one so gave it a shot.

any idea on my bioavailable t and whether that's correct/good? I'm relieved to know my free t is still bad....gives more hope to fixing my t and feeling better.

[Moparman]

I thought I read that the differences in the ranges was because the way the lab does their testing- using there proprietary methods- results in levels that are specific to the particular method that company used. That's why the ranges are vital.

This isn't like measuring temperature or distance where there are measuring devices that must meet certain criteria (traceable to some golden standard).

So quest does their test different from labcore. They use a different method or tool or process so their results are different- still correct when judged by the ranges they used- but different nonetheless

[powerlifterty16]

mopar, i was thinking something similar. the labcorp free testosterone says ''direct''...not sure if that is why the range is different...either way as lowtmike clarified my free t is definitley in the shitter heeh

[LowT Mike]

Correct Moparman. however Pg/ml is still pg/ml. thats a measurable constant. Picrograms of FreeT per ml. Whatever method you used the result "in a perfect world" should be the same across the board. Many Docs believe Quest simply screwed up a longtime ago and refuses to change the reference range and get on the same page as 90% of lab testing agrees with the 7-24 pg/ml range. In the long run it dosent really matter which lab test you use. The goal is to stage treatment with labs and look for elevating or sinking levels over time. Either one works in my book. But for consistancy better to use one lab and stick with it.

[powerlifterty16]

Correct Moparman. however Pg/ml is still pg/ml. thats a measurable constant. Picrograms of FreeT per ml. Whatever method you used the result "in a perfect world" should be the same across the board. Many Docs believe Quest simply screwed up a longtime ago and refuses to change the reference range and get on the same page as 90% of lab testing agrees with the 7-24 pg/ml range. In the long run it dosent really matter which lab test you use. The goal is to stage treatment with labs and look for elevating or sinking levels over time. Either one works in my book. But for consistancy better to use one lab and stick with it.

what i dont understand is, if they are equivalent ,then how come my old quest result was 73 on the 50-200 or so scale? no way i dropped from 73 then to 8 now! I think perhaps quest uses a diff methodology...idk....im glad to hear you think labcorp is right though since that's who i go with due to my insurance...i used to go to quest all the time. Hey mike, what do you think of the ''women, children and hypogonadal males'' total testosterone test? I had that one last time, and heard it's more accurate (tt was 371).

[LowT Mike]

Correct powerlifty thats what we are talking about. quest uses a 50-200. labcorp and everyone else use 7-24.