What hormones should I have tested at a minimum before starting a DHT blocker or anti-androgen?

[TheDarkHour]

I'm on the verge of deciding between finasteride or RU, but I'd like to establish my baseline hormone levels before starting either treatment. Some recommendations suggest testing around 20 hormones to determine baseline levels, but this could be quite costly, especially if I plan to retest later to assess the impact of finasteride or RU. Additionally, being in the UK, it seems that only testosterone testing is available through the NHS.

I've found a package from Medichecks that covers testosterone, free testosterone, estradiol, and DHT for approximately £200. Would this be sufficient, or should I consider testing other hormones as well?

 

[Derek Clapton]

The key one is estradiol, because elevated levels of that are what cause the most side effects like gyno, ED, low mood etc. The other side of that though is if you find levels increase once using a 5ar blocker, while you may want to control it to prevent side effects, the elevated estrogen may well also help your hair - some people try to elevate their e levels for their hair, and obviously women don't get male pattern baldness. From my experience fina/duta worked but the sides were nasty. I initially dismissed the warnings and thought it was fine but the side effects were very slow to develop and not noticeable day to day, but they were definitely there.

 

[TheDarkHour]

The key one is estradiol, because elevated levels of that are what cause the most side effects like gyno, ED, low mood etc. The other side of that though is if you find levels increase once using a 5ar blocker, while you may want to control it to prevent side effects, the elevated estrogen may well also help your hair - some people try to elevate their e levels for their hair, and obviously women don't get male pattern baldness. From my experience fina/duta worked but the sides were nasty. I initially dismissed the warnings and thought it was fine but the side effects were very slow to develop and not noticeable day to day, but they were definitely there.

What side effects did you get?