blood test question

[phylis anne]

About a year ago I wa reading through some threads here and the op had some questions that were blood related ,one of the members here suggested the next time they were in for blood work to use a female version of your name and list female gender.So my question here is when they draw your blood and the spec sheet lists you as male and male gender are they only looking for items related to a male? and if so what markers might they be looking for in a female? I am wondering if although I show normal for a male if I might show high for a female ?
confused as always

[Barbara Ella]

There are a lot of if...thens in answering this. A normal blood test will most not likely monitor any hormone levels. The doctor must request them. If you are on HRT and seeing a DR. He can request/should request them routinely. If you are still not out to your Dr. perhaps it is time to let him know you are transgender. I am not out publicly, nor full time, and my primary does not offer Trans services, other than general health. But I am out to him, and we regularly discuss trans issues. He will request Hormone tests if I ask him ( would not write a prescription for them), but I have another Dr. in Chicago who oversees my HRT. I have had my primary ask around, and no one in our clinic (Carle clinic/hospital in CHampaign Illinois) will offer HRT. Maybe time to trust your Health professional to get these answers.

Hugs,
Barbara

[Barbara Dugan]

I just got back from a doctor appointment were I was given my labs results and yes all the levels were interpretated as male standards, because the name on the samples were collected with my male name, now my doctor just consider the desired levels we are looking for a transgender woman.

[AllieSF]

The labs only perform the tests that the doctor requests. When they send out the results to the doctor and also to you if you request that, or to both if that is the labs standard procedure, they usually put in the recommended acceptable ranges for each specific test. I am not sure but believe that for many tests the ranges are the same, and for other tests the ranges my differ depending on whether one is male or female. However, the test results should be just that unbiased lab results. As said above, if not out to your doctor requesting and then interpreting the test results, your doctor may be only looking for markers or differences based on how you are listed in his/her records as either male or female with an incomplete picture of what is really happening with you. That is why it is important that each doctor know who you are, what you are and what other doctors are prescribing you. If not, one doctor may prescribed some medical treatment that will negatively react or impact some other ongoing medical treatment you are receiving or may receive in the future, which is extremely dangerous.

[phylis anne]

Thankyou all for the info ,and yes I agree with you I guess the next step is to discuss the reasons with my doc after asking him if he is able to deal with the t/g issue ,if not will find annother dr ,Barbara Ella---- I spent quite a few years in your neck of the woods as a usaf tech school instructor at chanute in rantoul ,
hugs all phylis anne

[Cheyenne Skye]

When I first started Hrt, my results came with male reference values. Since my name and gender marker change, they come with female reference values.

[Rianna Humble]

when they draw your blood and the spec sheet lists you as male and male gender are they only looking for items related to a male?

One time, they forgot to flag me as female on my blood test script. The lab flagged up warnings because my T was abnormally low for a man and my E was abnormally high for a man. Doctor didn't make that mistake again.

[LeaP]

One advantage of male reference ranges is that they draw your eye instantly to the out of normal range warnings, especially in what can be a long list of individual results.

[Rianna Humble]

Problem is, Leap, my readings were not outside of the normal range. They were outside of the male normal range.

[LeaP]

For a MTF, the use of the male reference ranges instantly highlights the things of interest. That's usually, and primarily hormones. (There are a few other labs which differ by sex, but assessing which lab results should use which sex reference range isn't necessarily obviated by taking cross-sex hormones.) I already know what my personal targets and ranges for hormones assays. And the fact is, not everyone on MTF hormones has targets within the female normal range anyway. My T level target is outside of both the male AND female ranges for any age group. My E2 target is high for the menstrual cycle phase it purportedly mimics (as is the case for many of us) and, of course even that is a non-sequitur because virtually all cisfemales my age would properly use a post-menopause range anyway!

In the end, you have to keep in mind that sex-specific ranges were created with cis people in mind, not us. Which reference ranges we use and why is more a matter of convenience than anything else.