Advice needed for follow-up labs

I am getting ready to have some labs drawn (12 weeks since starting TRT). I am trying to find out what would be helpful.
My first labs were drawn 6 weeks after starting TRT. I was on 100mg Cypionate once a week. Labs were drawn 18 hours after my last injection. My results were as follows:

Total T=812.6
Free T=22.02
SHBG=22.05
Albumin=4.5
Estradiol=49.41 (not sensitive)
TSH=1.34
FreeT4=1.38
Vitamin D 25-OH=12

The lab my bloodworm was send to was InterPath. I am planning to go to DiscountLabs for my follow up. I am thinking Total T, Free T, Estradiol (sensitive test), SHBG.

As a side note, I have not experienced any improvement in libido, which has been zero since I started TRT and still is zero (it was very low already prior to TRT). Following my labs, I started on an AI. I initially took 0.5mg twice a week. Due to information I read on this discussion group I decreased my AI to 0.25 twice a week to prevent crashing. I also got advice to split my injections to at least twice a week. I have been injecting 75mg twice a week (with my AI). I am 6'6 and currently weigh 282. I dropped down from 297 12 weeks ago.

I would tremendously appreciate any advice you might have pertaining to what tests I should have run.

labs are always done in the trough right before your next injection, 18hrs like you did just makes those kind of useless. If you've been on this new protocol for 6 weeks then I think those tests you stated would be sufficient.
If money allows you to you might also consider PSA and DHT, and Estradiol, Free. With your SHBG @ ~22 we may need to see the Free E numbers.
I would not recommend a dose change to anything that might take your Free T over the lab range.

Vince Carter said:

labs are always done in the trough right before your next injection, 18hrs like you did just makes those kind of useless. If you've been on this new protocol for 6 weeks then I think those tests you stated would be sufficient.
If money allows you to you might also consider PSA and DHT, and Estradiol, Free. With your SHBG @ ~22 we may need to see the Free E numbers.
I would not recommend a dose change to anything that might take your Free T over the lab range.

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Thanks Vince! My PSA 12 weeks ago was 0.797. Would it make sense to run it again? Do you think I should run a more thorough thyroid panel? (i.e. TSA, T4, T4 free, T3, T3 free). What about Progesterone?

If money allows sure run all those Thyroid labs, you should have had FT3 which is the most important indicator there. If you have a PSA with a low history then you can omit that and just run it annually. Progesterone...yes, Progesterone, no.

Given your SHBG levels once weekly injections isn't the best choice, 50mg SQ or IM twice weekly or even smaller doses EOD is going to provide better results. You may even be able to lower your estrogen injecting more frequently, estrogen levels dictate how men feel mentally on TRT more than testosterone. Men with lower SHBG should give SQ a try first as this has been known to cut estrogen in half for some men.

Labs drawn 18 hours after injection is just plain wrong, we typically peak 24-48 hours after injection.

Thanks! It was actually because of a comment you made weeks ago that I switched to two injections per week from one. Thus far no change in symptoms. I don't do estrogen injections though. I am taking the pill form (0.25) twice a week with TRT injections. I agree with you and Vince that labs should be done just prior to injections. I am looking forward to the labs, especially with a sensitive E2 test. I hope that with further weight loss, my SHBG will rise a little. Not sure how quickly that might happen.

Janosch said:

Thanks! It was actually because of a comment you made weeks ago that I switched to two injections per week from one. Thus far no change in symptoms. I don't do estrogen injections though. I am taking the pill form (0.25) twice a week with TRT injections. I agree with you and Vince that labs should be done just prior to injections. I am looking forward to the labs, especially with a sensitive E2 test. I hope that with further weight loss, my SHBG will rise a little. Not sure how quickly that might happen.

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When you inject smaller more frequent doses of testosterone some men are able to lower their estrogen as a result do to peaking on smaller doses of testosterone. When estrogen is high it may seem as if TRT isn't working, also you may not even require an AI on more frequent injections.

Sorry, I was asking Prolactin, not Progesterone. I read some research that shows an involvement in ED, PE and low libido...