Testosterone isn't the only factor - estradiol

[deltasigma]

From my unscientific, highly non-random sampling methods, I’ve concluded that if you ask ten guys taking nut juice, about half will love it and half won’t. I’m one of those people who can’t tolerate it. This might offer part of the explanation.

The complex effects of testosterone, investigators found, depend partly on its conversion in the body to a type of estrogen. The insights will help guide the development of better ways to diagnose and treat men who don’t produce enough natural testosterone.

Testosterone is a sex hormone that plays important roles in the body. In men, it’s thought to regulate sex drive (libido), bone mass, fat distribution, muscle mass and strength, and the production of red blood cells and sperm. A small amount of circulating testosterone is converted to estradiol, a form of estrogen. As men age, they often make less testosterone, and so they produce less estradiol as well. Thus, changes often attributed to testosterone deficiency might be partly or entirely due to the accompanying decline in estradiol. . . . . . .

. . .

The researchers found that the dose of testosterone required to produce different effects in the body varied widely. The influence of testosterone and estradiol also differed. As the testosterone gel dose was reduced, the scientists showed, reductions in lean mass, muscle size, and leg-press strength resulted from decreases in testosterone itself. In contrast, increases in body fat were due to the related declines in estradiol. Both testosterone and estradiol levels were associated with libido and erectile function.

[Meatros]

Right - if you have high testosterone your body might also increase your E2. There are some other factors at play as well (I can’t quite remember them off hand though). I know that some people take adex and hCG to control for these sorts of hormone issues.