Lecture Notes: Hormone Optimization and Estradiol Monitoring

Introduction

• Topic: Monitoring estradiol (E2) levels in hormone therapy
• Discussion on the necessity of checking estradiol levels when there are no symptoms or side effects

Key Points

Estradiol Monitoring

• Personal Experience: The speaker mentions not having checked their estradiol levels for years due to no symptoms.
• Irrelevance of Serum Levels: Estradiol serum levels are not indicative of its function in different parts of the body (brain, bones, heart).
• Comparison Analogy: Checking E2 levels without symptoms is like checking the weather in Italy to decide on carrying an umbrella in Belgium.

Medical Perspective

• Testing Principle: In medicine, do not test for something if it will not change the course of treatment.
• Estradiol in Relation to Testosterone: Estradiol levels generally rise with testosterone but eventually plateau.
• Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs): If no AIs are being used in testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), monitoring estradiol is often unnecessary.

Additional Resources

• The speaker mentions multiple videos available on the channel discussing the use of AIs in TRT.
• Encouragement to subscribe and turn on notifications for more content.

Conclusion

• Testing estradiol levels without symptoms or planned treatment adjustments is often deemed unnecessary.
• Emphasis on watching additional channel content for in-depth understanding of concepts discussed.