Lab results, symptoms and timing for everyone on hormone therapy — TRT, menopause and HRT, and thyroid — written for men and women equally.
Start hereWhat to record on testosterone, menopausal hormone therapy and thyroid medication — and why the timing of a blood draw changes the number more than almost anything else.
Injected testosterone is a slow-release depot, not a steady drip: the ester chain sets how fast it empties, which is why levels peak and fall between injections and why the timing of a lab draw changes the number.
Total testosterone, free testosterone and bioavailable testosterone describe the same blood three different ways — and SHBG, the assay and the time of the draw decide how far apart they land.