Hormone panel changes — looking for input

Taking the question as asked, rather than the general version of it. Quarterly for the first year is convention rather than evidence, and it is defensible for a simple reason: it is roughly the interval over which HbA1c becomes informative again, since it reflects about three months of glycaemia. After the first year, and once doses are stable, annual is reasonable unless something specific is being followed.

I would rather be corrected than agreed with, if it comes to it.

amsterdam_pete said:

Quarterly for the first year is convention rather than evidence, and it is defensible for a simple reason: it is roughly the interval over which HbA1c…

Agreed, and reference ranges are laboratory-specific. Comparing your number to somebody else's range, or to a screenshot from another country, is how people convince themselves something is wrong.

Admin said:

Bloods taken before and after nine months, and the changes are large enough that I want to understand which are cause and which are consequence.

This matches mine closely enough to be worth saying so. One addition: if the lab changes analytical platform between your draws, the comparison breaks and nobody tells you. It is worth asking when a value moves inexplicably.

From the other side of the consultation, briefly.

Hormone panel changes on the hormone panel — relevant for anyone curious about endocrine effects:

• Testosterone: increased 28% (weight loss reduces aromatase in adipose tissue)
• Estradiol: normalized from elevated baseline
• SHBG: increased appropriately
• Free testosterone: increased 31%
• Cortisol AM: within normal limits, no significant change

My reproductive endocrinologist says the testosterone improvement alone could explain the energy and mood benefits I've experienced.