SarahChen_PharmD said:The single most useful discipline is bringing the whole panel to a clinician rather than one flagged value.
Thank you — that is the clearest version of this I have read, and I have read a lot of them. Printing the relevant bit and taking it with me.
Adding the clinical framing, because it changes how the question reads.
Hormone panel changes on the hormone panel — relevant for anyone curious about endocrine effects:
- Testosterone: increased 35% (weight loss reduces aromatase in adipose tissue)
- Estradiol: normalized from elevated baseline
- SHBG: increased appropriately
- Free testosterone: increased 22%
- 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.
Dr.MetabolicMD 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…
Sex hormone labs after weight loss on the hormone panel — for the men in this thread:
Testosterone: 357 → 597 ng/dL (dramatic improvement!)
Free T: 7.2 → 13.7 ng/dL
Estradiol: 44 → 27 pg/mL
SHBG: 23 → 43 nmol/L
Visceral fat contains aromatase which converts testosterone to estrogen. As you lose visceral fat, this conversion decreases and testosterone naturally rises. I feel 10 years younger.
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Shop Reference StandardsEndoResFellow said:Most of the hormonal change here is a consequence of adiposity falling rather than a drug effect.
HPA axis assessment on the hormone panel: rarely ordered but informative for understanding the stress-metabolism connection:
4-point salivary cortisol:
- Morning: 17 ng/mL → 12 ng/mL (improved)
- Noon: 7 ng/mL → 5 ng/mL
- Evening: 4 ng/mL → 2 ng/mL
- Night: 2 ng/mL → 1 ng/mL
The cortisol curve is normalizing — less flat, better diurnal variation. Reduced visceral fat = reduced cortisol overproduction. The metabolic benefits cascade into stress hormone regulation.
Moderator note: the sourcing question belongs in the vendor section and has been split out. Thread quality here is what the rules are for. Keep it up.