End Cycle bloods
Test E 500mg Week T/F (250mg)
Added AI to lower E2 1mg Armidex ea wk
Summary of bloodwork mid cycle to end a cycle
• hs-CRP: 2.82 → 8.01 mg/L — jumped well above range, this is an inflammation marker worth mentioning
• Hemoglobin: 17.4 → >17.5 g/dL, Hematocrit still >51% both times — persistently at/above the top of range, which is a known risk with testosterone therapy (polycythemia)
• LDL/ApoB ratio: 1.4 → 1.19 — now below range
• Remnant Cholesterol: 21.2 → 16.21 mg/dL — now below range (was borderline high)
• Ferritin: 129 → 80.9 ng/mL
Unchanged / notable
• Total Testosterone: >1500 ng/dL both times (assay ceiling)
• Free Testosterone was tracked in June but doesn’t appear on the July panel
• SHBG was tracked in June but also doesn’t appear in July
• TSH: 0.751 → 1.53 (both normal, roughly doubled)
• Vitamin B12: 638 → 518 pg/mL (still normal, trending down)
3-panel trend (5/11 → 6/8 → 7/13/2026):
• Better: Lipids improving across the board — LDL, ApoB, Total Cholesterol, TC/HDL and Trig/HDL ratios all trending down; Vitamin D went from deficient to optimal; HDL slowly rising.
• Watch closely: Hemoglobin and Hematocrit sit at/above the top of range on all three draws — classic TRT-related polycythemia pattern, doesn’t seem to be resolving.
• New concern: hs-CRP jumped sharply on the latest draw (1.70 → 2.82 → 8.01 mg/L) — worth flagging
• Fluctuating: Estrogen swung high then low; Ferritin steadily dropping (271 → 129 → 81).
• Unchanged: Total Testosterone maxed out (>1500 ng/dL) at every draw.
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The things that stand out to me are the persistent hematocrit over 51%, the hs-CRP at 8.0 mg/L, and the E2 of 58. hs-CRP is a nonspecific marker of inflammation and can be elevated from a recent illness, dental issues, hard training in the previous 24–72 hours, poor sleep, smoking, obesity, or an underlying inflammatory condition. If you trained hard before labs or were fighting something off, I’d repeat it after a few weeks under similar conditions.
At 5’7”, 202 lb, and ~19% body fat on 500 mg/week of Test E, you’re also likely aromatizing more than someone who’s leaner. More adipose tissue means more aromatase activity, which could certainly contribute to the E2 of 58 and explain why you ended up adding Arimidex.
I’d also make sure hydration is good, ask whether you live at elevation, stay on top of cardio, monitor blood pressure, and consider whether sleep apnea or heavy snoring could be contributing to the elevated hematocrit.