Give me an idea what I'm missing out on by using "piss poor assays"

[RickB]

I do bloods a lot, so I pay out of pocket. I've been on a protocol for about 6 weeks and I'm getting blood drawn. At 10 weeks I plan to use the gold standard assays madman and others talk about. But for now, can someone explain or point me in the direction of posts/links about the downsides of the regular standard free and E2 assays?

I have noticed that free, and even more so E2, standard results usually seem to fluctuate directly with my symptoms and my doses. In other words, when I take an AI, my E2 is lower, and when I don't take one, it's higher. And same thing for free, and basically same thing as far as symptoms - elbows hurt and E2 comes back low.

Are these standard assays just occasionally off, or are they always somewhat off? How are the gold standard assays that much better?

 

[Vince]

Check out the labs at discount Labs.

 

[RickB]

Check out the labs at discount Labs.

Thanks. I have done so, and I've read a little about the methodology from different sources. I'm just wondering what flaws there are in the standard tests, like examples of how the results differ from the gold standard. Because at least so far, my standard results have changed incrementally with dosage. So I'm wondering how they fall short comparatively.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Thanks. I have done so, and I've read a little about the methodology from different sources. I'm just wondering what flaws there are in the standard tests, like examples of how the results differ from the gold standard. Because at least so far, my standard results have changed incrementally with dosage. So I'm wondering how they fall short comparatively.

A regular immunoassay-based estradiol test will be very close to the sensitive LC/MS one if your inflammatory markers are low (mostly CRP) and if your E2 is not very low.

 

[Systemlord]

The sensitive E2 test is also more reliant of technician skill to be accurate.

 

[Unlockable]

I did sensitive and standard e2 on the same day at labcorp after my first 10 weeks on TRT.

Testosterone 941 (264-916)
Sensitive E2 36 (8.0-35)
Standard E2 30 (7.6-42.6)

Then again after 8 months or so I did them on the same day
Testosterone 1145 (264-916)
Sensitive E2 43.3 (8.0-35)
Standard E2 51.6 (7.6-42.6)

The sensitive was higher the first time and lower the second time. The first time the standard was lower but considered in range and the sensitive was high by range both times.