Question About DHT

[AbsoluteZ3R0]

DHT isn't often measured in routine bloodwork for TRT, but one thing I've noticed is that when it is it's usually never out of range. Like estradiol, DHT is a metabolite of testosterone and one would expect it to go up as testosterone levels rise, but it doesn't seem to rise to the same extent as estradiol in response to elevated testosterone levels. Why is that? Is there any circumstance in which DHT would actually decrease in response to increased total testosterone? I remember reading once that in hypogonadal men, sometimes 5-alpha reductase activity increases as a compensatory mechanism, since DHT is the stronger androgen. I don't know if there's any truth to that, but I do find it interesting that elevated DHT rarely seems to be an issue for men on TRT. Obviously, there are men who lose hair more quickly after starting trt, but do these men actually have their DHT levels measured before and after to confirm the correlation?

 

[Vince]

Gene has a really good explanation, I'll repost it for you.

Henry - Let me explain; Transdermal applications of Testosterone must pass through the layers of the skin to be absorbed into the bloodstream as opposed to an injection that puts it right in directly.

Within our skin resides an enzyme called 5 alpha reductase (5-ar). This enzyme is also present in body tissues as well but not near as abundant within the skin - especially the scalp and scrotum.

This enzyme converts testosterone into DHT so those men who use a transdermal application tend to have a higher level of DHT.

Now, DHT is about 10 times more androgenic than testosterone and as such has positive and neg benefits. The positive benefits are a good result from the use of TRT but the big one is an increase in stated increase in libido!

So, the statement on the other forum is correct for this reason on its impact on libido. The downside for higher DHT for some men is hair loss.

Now, gaining lean muscle mass is based on Testosterone serum levels and not by the mode of application. While many men get higher levels of Testosterone levels via injection versus transdermal; the fact remains that muscle growth will happen depending upon serum levels and not mode of applications.

So, there you have it; hope this helps.

and a good website. https://thinksteroids.com/steroid-profiles/dht/

 

[madman]

Injectable trt doses usually do not raise dht too much unless one is extremely sensitive/prone. Usually when injecting supra-physiological amounts of testosterone it is more common than not to experience increased dht and encountering possible dht related side effects such as acne/hair loss/prostate enlargement if one is genetically prone to such side effects! Transdermal at trt dosages are more prone to increasing ones dht levels especially if applied to the family jewels.

 

[Vince]

I've only had my shbg and dht tested once so far, both in the normal range. I felt there was no need to test again.