3 month follow up labs. Unsure about estradiol?

I just had my 3 month follow up labs after starting with Defy. My protocol is 50mg test cyp, 300mcg HCG, and .125 Anastrazole all of them MWF. Below are my before and after labs.

Total Testosterone - before 490, after 1224
Free Testosterone - before 6.2, after 24.5
Estradiol Sensitive - before 20.2, after 40.7
SHBG - before 37.9, after 38.3

All other labs normal before and after. Hematocrit is 47 and was 41 on my pre labs however it was 44 a week before those labs and I have noticed it bounces around some.

When I started my protocol I was not taking the Anastrazole although I did order it just in case. About 3 weeks in I was seeing my weight go up. I have been the same weight no matter how good or bad I eat and even regardless of activity for over 20 years so I had a feeling it was Estrogen. Then I went to work two days in a row and was asking people if it was hot or just me and everyone was looking at me like I was crazy. The following morning when I hit the scale I was 12 pounds more than my standard weight so I figured I would take the Anaztrazole. I took .125 that day and then another the next day and the following morning I had dropped 5 lbs. Then I stopped for another week and the exact same thing happened so I started taking it as was prescribed originally. Over the next few weeks I went back to within 4-5 lbs of my original weight which is fine as I figured I may naturally just have a few extra pounds being on TRT.

My experience so far has been great. I can recover from exercise like I did when I was younger. I went from taking a nap every day to not having taken one in two months. My sex drive was high before and has remained the same. One thing that I have noticed however is there are times when it is more difficult to finish than before and now I am wondering if that is from my estradiol being a little high. At times I am get a little snappy as well which I assume could be Estradiol related.

What I am wondering is if it might be worth trying to lower my estrogen a little or not? I am really quite happy with where I am with the exception of those couple small things that I suspect could be from Estradiol. When I had my original consult Dr Calkins made it sounds like an estradiol of 40 would be acceptable but I am wondering if it is something that I should see if we can work on or not?

I know Dr. Calkins is sensitive to the risk of crashing your E, but he also seems very receptive to tweaking protocol. You have room to go down, so I would ask about doubling your anastrazole to see if you feel better with lower E. I just switched over to him and he's doubled my dose out of the box (due to gyno symptoms) and my E is much lower starting off than yours.

I'd adopt the prescribed dose at the prescribed time, give it at least four weeks, and see how you do. It's a modest, responsible dose that you were prescribed, and you seem very well attuned to your body's response so far.

CoastWatcher said:

I'd adopt the prescribed dose at the prescribed time, give it at least four weeks, and see how you do. It's a modest, responsible dose that you were prescribed, and you seem very well attuned to your body's response so far.

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Totally agree.

CoastWatcher said:

I'd adopt the prescribed dose at the prescribed time, give it at least four weeks, and see how you do. It's a modest, responsible dose that you were prescribed, and you seem very well attuned to your body's response so far.

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I may be wrong, but I took from his post he has given it 8 weeks.

BayArea said:

I may be wrong, but I took from his post he has given it 8 weeks.

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My pint was that four weeks following a change in protocol will usually produce sufficiently stable serum levels to hazard a blood draw.

BayArea said:

I may be wrong, but I took from his post he has given it 8 weeks.

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This is correct. I have been on the prescribed dose for 8 weeks. When it was initially prescribed the Dr. had said there would be no issue going without to start and see how I do. My question is should I be concerned with an estradiol of 40 with very minimal symptoms or would I be better off sticking with what I have going now since things are going so well?

RLW said:

This is correct. I have been on the prescribed dose for 8 weeks. When it was initially prescribed the Dr. had said there would be no issue going without to start and see how I do. My question is should I be concerned with an estradiol of 40 with very minimal symptoms or would I be better off sticking with what I have going now since things are going so well?

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I would continue with what is going well. As I commented, you seem attentive to how your body has responded to your protocol so far.

RLW said:

This is correct. I have been on the prescribed dose for 8 weeks. When it was initially prescribed the Dr. had said there would be no issue going without to start and see how I do. My question is should I be concerned with an estradiol of 40 with very minimal symptoms or would I be better off sticking with what I have going now since things are going so well?

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I wouldn't be concerned with estradiol of 40, it's not too high with your levels of total T. I also gained weight when first starting TRT and my estradiol has never been high.