Full body hormone checkup - the tests to have done

[Quantum Cat]

I want to go ask my Doctor to do a full bloodwork to see if anything's amiss after taking finasteride for a few years.

can people recommend what tests I should ask to have done?

Testosterone and Estrogen seem the two obvious ones

 

[Fanjeera]

LH, FSH, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estradiol, prolactin, progesterone, allopregnanolone, glucose. You have a very good doctor, if you manage to get them all. Finasteride doesn't alter the hormones that much, but these should be checked anyway to be sure you're healthy.
Of course tell your doctor what it's for. Maybe he has ideas.

 

[Quantum Cat]

thank you, I'll see if I can get all those tested. Then I'll ask for a prostate checkup as it may be inflamed.

 

[Wuffer]

Check for free testosterone as well. I saw a study that finasteride might lower this, though I don't really understand why it would.

 

[Fanjeera]

It doesn't matter. Then you may want to check SHBG, DHEA and androstenedione too. Not much info in them, though. You will just see the whole axis working properly.

 

[Quantum Cat]

free testost is different to normal testost?

 

[Fanjeera]

It's the available fraction of T for your body to use at that moment. I don't think it's that imformative, though. If you have more binded to the globulin, it means more of it is distributed evenly in the body. Tissues probably have mechanisms to unbind it from it. But surely, too much SHBG will lead to problems. Nothing relatable to finasteride.

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Definitely get your progesterone levels tested, everybody on the drug, who care enough! That analysis is so cheap and wide-spread everywhere, so no excuse, if your doctor doesn't allow it. You can get it yourself from a lab.
If progesterone is high, we have a problem.

 

[Quantum Cat]

I'll ask for Progesterone too

 

[Quantum Cat]

saw my doctor. He was willing to do a thyroid and liver function test, but was against doing any other hormones. He seemed to think they wouldn't be very relevant unless I was having specific symptoms, and he also said that it would be a bit pointless since they fluctuate frequently anyway.

so I don't really know - I decided not to push it further since he wasn't very aminable

when I mentioned about the propecia horror stories I read on the net, he reminded me that many many men take finasteride for prostate conditions and most experience no problems.

 

[IrishFella]

saw my doctor. He was willing to do a thyroid and liver function test, but was against doing any other hormones. He seemed to think they wouldn't be very relevant unless I was having specific symptoms, and he also said that it would be a bit pointless since they fluctuate frequently anyway.

so I don't really know - I decided not to push it further since he wasn't very aminable

when I mentioned about the propecia horror stories I read on the net, he reminded me that many many men take finasteride for prostate conditions and most experience no problems.

He's right.

 

[Quantum Cat]

yep, not to mention that most of these men will be taking 5mg per day which is the standard dose for BPH. 5x as much as us guys do

still, I would have liked to have the tests done just to put my own mind at ease

 

[Blackout]

It doesn't matter. Then you may want to check SHBG, DHEA and androstenedione too. Not much info in them, though. You will just see the whole axis working properly.

Fanjeera what does it mean if your DHEA is out of range ELEVATED?

 

[Fanjeera]

Don't know. That you have much reserve from what to make testosterone?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DHEA