Finally I've had a another test done - although the lab didn't want to test my free T until my prolactin is sorted out - it's high.

Here they are


SHBG - 64 nmol

DHEAS - 17.9 umol

Prolactin - 7.64

High proactlin is at odds with dopamine. It would certainly explain why fish oil doesn't work at all on me.

Do you have the normal ranges for each? Labs vary, depending on the testing methods.

High prolactin would certainly explain things, although the fish oil should help with that by raising dopamine.

Not to get personal, but that can be caused by very intense and/or prolonged nipple stimulation.

I don't know....I will have to ask the next time I have a blood test - they want to confirm the high prolactin so they can treat me.

Right....going to have the blood test on Tuesday. Since then I've been taking another brand of fish oil- Holland & Barretts. I know, nowhere near as fancy as Minami, but almost as strong. Holland & Barretts have around 420 DHA and 500 epa per capsule, and minami have around 450mg of dha. The lady at the desk called the service helpline to ask if they were ethyl esters oir the other kind. Apparently they are not ethyl esters.....this might, or might not be true (I have sent them an email as well).

Results so far.....good. Nothing massive, but some interesting notes about mood. I only take 1 tablet and I can feel the difference in about 2-3 hours. My mood goes up - I suffer from SAD, and taking this is similar to having a good day of warm sunshine. I took it this morning becuase I was having a huge post-ovulation crash in mood, and now I feel really good again. I've tried taking it 3 times now, on different days and the results are the same. I feel more.....and don't laugh Marrena....snuggly. My boyfriend think this is amusing since he is the major cuddling one of our relationship, so this has all come as a suprise. (Lol sometimes he cuddles and ahemm....snuggles me so much it can get quite annoying hehe ). I feel I want to touch and be touched more. Nothing huge sexually, but lovely all the same. It's like now I know how he feels all the time and it's great!


These last two days have been my ovulation days, so I think that's why I can get away with taking just 1 capsule. Note- sexual sensation was REALLY hightened yesterday. Like if we take the normal path to orgasm to be '0'- no sensation, and '10'- full orgasm. Then insead of starting at my usual 2-4, I was starting on like a 6-7!

(Here comes in our secret language ). When this lovey dovey, I-want-to-snuggle feeling occurs, sometimes I get tiny little flutterings in my heart, like it's a big glowing ball. A while ago a specialist in this area said my 'green heart' (you know what I'm talking about) had narrowed a little bit - could dopamine stimulate it perhaps? And as I type this, the top of my head, the crown is getting quite hot........ Hmmmmmmm....... )

Yes, the diet will help with that.

So are you saying this new fish oil is consistently working for you, libido-wise? I'm not sure I'm following all the way. Very interesting if so.

Of course after ovulation you should expect a temporary drop in libido. Women are cyclical creatures.

Yes I think they are working....although I can't take the full dose at the moment becuase it would give a false test result on the prolactin. If fish oil lowers it, then obviously they are going to look at my results and think the prolactin is naturally low when it's not.

I have excema, which I've heard can be a sign og the stomach's difficulty in absorbing omega 3. I do think for sensitive individuals, the natural form of fish oil is better absorbed. Oh and suprise suprise, I've got teenage skin again.

Oh my God. I can close the gyneflex 5 all the way for about 15 seconds. If I'm just flexing it without a lot of effort, the tip of my little finger can just about fit into the gap. LOL! I'm soooo glad I ordered the stong one! I would have been so pi**ed off if I'd ordered the regular! But does that just mean I'm tight? That's different from having good muscle-tone isn't it?

Oh and the fish oil thing was a fluke (again). It really worth doing your own research into these things- the lady at the desk in the shop phoned Holland & Barrets and came back with the reply that "yes these are natural fish oils, not ethyl esters"

Yeah right! I emailed their technical teams, and they said that they were synthetic! Also been having fishy burps with them!

I want to get these-

http://nordicnaturals.com/Petstore/whyNordicNatural.asp

Apparently fishy burps are a sign of rancid fish oil, as fishy taste is too. I bit into the capsules and yuck!

Also....the SHBG range is 20-120. So if we simplify that to mean 0-100, and adjust my levels accordingly, that means I', at 44 - sightly below the average.

To calcualte the FAI, my total T is 1.9 divided by 64 which would mean my free anrogen index would be 0.0296875. I'm still waiting for those prolactin test. I took 500mg of damiana yeasterday in tincture form. No difference! Ok, ok, so I was tired, but I still took a long time for me (10-15_ is about normal for me). What was weird was that the vaginal feeling felt great, but the clit was being sleepy. (Hehe my partner's shape would be excellent for a cul-de-sac orgasm) Building the energy up was hard. Probably due to my libdio slump.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Titania,

Fishy burps and fishy taste are normal for all types of fish oil. However, the fishy burps should be minimized with quality fish oil, and the fishy taste should taste like "good" fish, like high quality salmon rather than week-old canned catfood!

Damiana helps wake up the vagina but as you say it may slow down clitoral orgasms somewhat. Should help with libido though, greatly!

If you are particularly interested in easier clitoral orgasms, make sure to stay hydrated, eletrolytes may help, and as long as you don't have high blood pressure don't be afraid of salt.

My diet helps somewhat with clitoral orgasms by greatly increasing libido and also improving circulation, but the truly nifty thing about it is gaining vaginal orgasmic capability.

It sounds like your muscle tone is great. Work out with the Gyneflex in a way that feels pleasurable--you have good tone, now the goal is enjoyment.

very interesting about the damiana waking up the vagina but not the clitoris. To be honest I was probably dehydrated as well. There was no big libido difference- but there wouldn't be really if my prolactin is abnormally high.

But what do you think about my Free Androgen Index I posted?

I'm glad to see your SHBG is on the low side. Very good!

I'm confused where you got the total T amount. The way free T is calculated gives different units at the end. I'd like to see the lab ranges and units

Also I should mention I'm hardly an expert on this part of things! I'm not a doctor. What I know is that for my diet to work, total T has to be good, and the diet will help lower SHBG down to a low normal, thereby raising free T.

On the sexual health board which you post on frequently, I saw a post saying you could calculate you free anrdogens by dividing total testosterone in n/mol, with SHBG n/mol. This what 'distressed' from the sexual health board posted a while ago-

quote:

Notes on the FAI.
The Free Androgen Index is calculated by taking Total Testosterone in noml/L and dividing by SHBG in nmol/L
(Total T nmol/L / SHBG in nmol/L) (Some calculations then multiply by 10 or 100 - this doesn't change the ratio, only scales the values. The most common method we've seen multiplies by 100.)

Thus:
FAI = (Total Testosterone in nmol/L) / (SHBG in nmol/L) * 100
or
FAI = (Total Testosterone in ng/dL* 0.03467) / (SHBG in nmol/L) * 100
(Note: one formula uses Total T in nmol/L and the other in ng/dL.)

Example: Total T of 10ng/dL and SHBG of 80 nmol/L: The FAI would be 0.4333.

Obviously, working with a good provider will be essential to finding the proper treatment approach for each person. This information should not be used as a substitute for working with a provider who is knowledgeable and capable of treating your issues.

http://www.hisandherhealth.com/cgi-bin/ubb_newshe/ultim...i?/topic/1/2062.html

Both my total T and my SHBG values that I gave you earlier are in nmol/L

The upper limit of Total T in those labs is 3.0, I don't know what the lower one is.

Oh and this might be of use-

http://www.issam.ch/freetesto.htm

It's an online Free t and Bio-available T calculator (although I have no idea what Albumin means!

My results were - Free Testosterone 0.0291 nmol/L

Bio-Available Testosterone- 0.0944 nmol/L

Greg, "distressed," is an expert on testosterone. While not a doctor he is very knowledgeable.

I feel uncomfortable giving you particular advice on this without the labs normal ranges for free T. According to that, assuming a multiplier of 100, I would think your free T is terrific! But I might be wrong about that. In fact I must be, because I'm used to seeing total T in different ranges. I think it's best that you wait for your doctor; there might be some difference in American/British ways of calculating things.

Which would mean it probably is the prolactin interfering with dopamine that is throwing things off.