Canada Blood Work Cross Reference to Suggestions on this Forum

RR5 · Jun 1, 2018

I am having some confusion surrounding my blood tests and what ranges I should be looking for. It is hard for me to directly correlate my tests to the numbers talked about on this forum. Maybe when answered this can be posted as a sticky. I assume many Canadians would be looking for this info.

Blood Work Suggested here

Total Testosterone
- ng/dL from this Forum
  - >500 Ideal
- Not sure what lab this correlates to in Canada. I am thinking Testosterone Am or pm. Anyone know? Testosterone am/pm is reported in nmol/L
Free Testosterone
- % from this Forum (I assume ng/dL?)
  - 2% of total Test
- pmol/L in Canada
- I tested at 769 pmol/L
PSA
- ng/dL from this Forum
  - <4 optimum
- ug/L in Canada
  - <0.04
- I tested at 0.3, Canadian range says <2.6 is good. Not sure if something is wrong with my conversion or me.
Estradiol
- 20-40 pg/mL from this Forum
  - 32 optimum (Generally speaking)
- 73 – 146 pmol/L in Canada (using online converter)
  - 117 optimum (Generally speaking)
- I originally tested at 87 with low t. The Dr put me on Arimidex with Test C and brought down to 55 pmol/L. If this conversion is correct I am thinking I need to stop the Arimidex.
TSH
- U/ml from this Forum
  - <2.5 optimum
- mU/L in Canada
  - I tested at 2.65.
- I wonder if this is the same unit. I cannot find a conversion online.
Free T3
- pg/mL from this Forum
  - >3.7 optimum
- pmol/L in Canada
  - >5.68 optimum
- I tested 5.3 before TRT. Have not been tested since.
Ferritin
- ng/mL from this Forum
  - >30 optimum
- ug/L in Canada
  - >30 optimum
- Same unit by the looks of it

The below was not on my Canadian labs. I will request this on my next bloodwork and update this section.

Liver Enzymes
Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR)
Hematocrit
Iron
HDL

madman · Jun 1, 2018

RR5 said:
I am having some confusion surrounding my blood tests and what ranges I should be looking for. It is hard for me to directly correlate my tests to the numbers talked about on this forum. Maybe when answered this can be posted as a sticky. I assume many Canadians would be looking for this info.

Blood Work Suggested here

Total Testosterone

ng/dL from this Forum

>500 Ideal

Not sure what lab this correlates to in Canada. I am thinking Testosterone Am or pm. Anyone know? Testosterone am/pm is reported in nmol/L

Free Testosterone

% from this Forum (I assume ng/dL?)

2% of total Test

pmol/L in Canada

I tested at 769 pmol/L

PSA

ng/dL from this Forum

<4 optimum

ug/L in Canada

<0.04

I tested at 0.3, Canadian range says <2.6 is good. Not sure if something is wrong with my conversion or me.

Estradiol

20-40 pg/mL from this Forum

32 optimum (Generally speaking)

73 – 146 pmol/L in Canada (using online converter)

117 optimum (Generally speaking)

I originally tested at 87 with low t. The Dr put me on Arimidex with Test C and brought down to 55 pmol/L. If this conversion is correct I am thinking I need to stop the Arimidex.

TSH

U/ml from this Forum

<2.5 optimum

mU/L in Canada

I tested at 2.65.

I wonder if this is the same unit. I cannot find a conversion online.

Free T3

pg/mL from this Forum

>3.7 optimum

pmol/L in Canada

>5.68 optimum

I tested 5.3 before TRT. Have not been tested since.

Ferritin

ng/mL from this Forum

>30 optimum

ug/L in Canada

>30 optimum

Same unit by the looks of it

The below was not on my Canadian labs. I will request this on my next bloodwork and update this section.

Liver Enzymes

Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR)

Hematocrit

Iron

HDL

Do not get too worked up over having to convert every blood marker into the US units.

Use your CAD lab reference ranges/units to gauge how your testosterone protocol (dose/injection frequency) is effecting your blood markers.

Certain blood markers such as total t/free t, shbg, estradiol (standard assay), various TSH markers as well as others can be converted and compared.

Sensitive assay used to be only available in the US and is now available in certain provinces in Canada through Dynacare but most Canadians still do not have access to this and have to rely on the e2 (standard assay) which is meant for women and tends to overestimate in men.

Here is a calculator that will help you with many of those conversions.

Under BLOOD CHEMISTRY- scroll down the list for various tests https://www.menshormonalhealth.com/hormone-unit-conversion-calculator.html

madman · Jun 1, 2018

Total T in Canada is in nmol/L.

You definitely need to know what your hemoglobin/hematocrit were pre-trt as they are going to increase possibly to the point where your levels may be too high and you will have to start donating more.

CBC (complete blood count) is critical to have when on trt!

mdm14 · Jun 2, 2018

I’ve had blood tests in Canada (LifeLabs) and the US (LabCorp) a few weeks apart. I am not on TRT. When I converted the Canadian results for total testosterone and free testosterone (SHBG same units I believe), they were very close to the US results.

The main difference I found was that the Canadian reference ranges were much larger. I’m Canada I was mid-low free and mid-high SHBG. However, well in range for both. On the US labs under their reference ranges, I was low free and high SHBG, both out of range. This has been a sticking point for me finding treatment here in Canada. I think this may have to do with LabCorp reference ranges are broken down by age brackets whereas LifeLabs is from age 13-100.