Total vs. Free Help Please

[nickyrara]

My results from 2 blood tests taken two months apart have produced similar results. My TOTAL Testosterone is LOW 245 and 190 (260-1000) respectively. However my FREE Testosterone is HIGH at 3.0 and 2.9 (1.0-2.7).

I took the tests because I had many symptoms of low T.

Can someone please explain ?

Thanks in advance.

Nick

[MANWHORE]

Originally Posted by nickyrara

My results from 2 blood tests taken two months apart have produced similar results. My TOTAL Testosterone is LOW 245 and 190 (260-1000) respectively. However my FREE Testosterone is HIGH at 3.0 and 2.9 (1.0-2.7).

I took the tests because I had many symptoms of low T.

Can someone please explain ?

Thanks in advance.

Nick

Your free Test is high compaired to what? .. your total test or a normal males Test?

[nickyrara]

Not sure I understand. Blood results had both Total and Free. Total was low 195 for a range of 260-1000 and free was high 2.9 for a range of 1.0 - 2.7. I apologize if I'm not explaining it properly just reading directly from results.

[gregxy]

Just out of curiosity what time of day did they take the blood?

Free T can vary quite a bit during the day

My results were the opposite, total=390 free=0.68. I also have symptoms
of low test. My blood was taken at 10:00 AM about 3 hrs after I got up.

[MANWHORE]

Originally Posted by nickyrara

Not sure I understand. Blood results had both Total and Free. Total was low 195 for a range of 260-1000 and free was high 2.9 for a range of 1.0 - 2.7. I apologize if I'm not explaining it properly just reading directly from results.

no you are explaining it right,i don't know what i was trying to ask. .. Is that 2.9% free of total Test?

[ASaxon]

It would be nice to know how your testosterone is binding to SHBG and Albumin. Sometimes with free T tests the lab will include SHBG if free T is a calculated value since it’s expensive to test it directly. Do you know what your SHBG was? From my understanding, if your SHBG is low you won’t get much of your testosterone to bind to SHBG which leaves the left over testosterone in its free form. I believe this could also happen if your Albumin protein levels are low too. Just something to check on.

[nickyrara]

Both tests were taken first thing a.m.

Yes 2.9 as a percentage of Free. 56.9 in a range of 50-210.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for all the help.

[nickyrara]

sorry meant % of TOTAL !

[MANWHORE]

Well it just sounds like your body is not producing enough Test and therefor not alot of SHBG so more of the Test is in the free form. .. Once you have more Test in your system your body will produce more SHBG and it will even out or even get worse .. as far as free Test goes i mean.. Like instead of 2% free you will have 1% free but that can be taken care of with very high doses .. Another reason high doses do work and are not a waste but i'm not saying do that ...

[Axl]

Here is a good caculator you can toy with. It will help you understand how it is calculated. It is a good tool: it is developed and validated by two doctors from two different Belgian universities.

These calculated parameters more accurately reflect the level of bioactive testosterone than does the sole measurement of total serum testosterone. Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) circulate in plasma unbound (free approximately 2 - 3%) ,bound to specific plasma proteins (sex hormone-binding globulin SHBG) and weakly bound to nonspecific proteins such as albumin. The SHBG-bound fraction is biologically inactive because of the high binding affinity of SHBG for testosterone. Free testosterone measures the free fraction, bioavailable testosterone includes free plus weakly bound to albumin.

I will bet you that your SHBG levels are aproximately at 13 nmol/l......
http://www.issam.ch/freetesto.htm

[mranak]

Free is the active testosterone, and it is more importanant and accurate than total.

You apparently have low SHBG. I don't see a problem with this, although it might be interesting to get our bioavailable (free+weakly bound) testosterone as well.