Given repeated user requests, I am writing this article very briefly to group the parameters of greatest interest for reference blood values, for those taking AAS, it is fundamentally important to monitor their health before starting anabolic chemotherapy, which should be given before , during (in the longest cycles) and after therapy.
I will not write control ranges in order not to infringe on medical skills This article is for informational purposes only. Many anabolic steroids can raise blood hematocrit (making it denser), blood pressure (due to increased water storage) and can cause changes in blood lipids, HDL / LDL ratio.
The first check is a complete blood count (and urine test) ) to determine the general health of the subject. The values ​​are set by the attending physician and are payable when paying for the ticket. I will not describe them, because they are standard values ​​that the doctor will indicate without any indication from the patient. We now turn to specific, in this regard, hormonal analyzes. The following values ​​are of greatest interest:

Free and total testosterone
95% of circulating testosterone in humans is produced by Leydig cells, which are found in the testes.
Women have a small percentage of circulating testosterone and are produced by the adrenal glands and ovaries.
Free testosterone is the active part of testosterone, part of the testosterone is bound to certain proteins called SHBG, and part is converted to DHT and estradiol.

LH
LH, a glycoprotein secreted by the anterior pituitary gland (pituitary gland), is responsible for signaling to Leydig cells that regulate testosterone production.
If the testes are not sensitive to LH, gonase, clomid and nolvadex will not help to restore normal hormonal production.
In women, this stimulates the transformation of the ovarian follicle into the corpus luteum.

FSH
in men this is fundamental because it activates Sertoli cells delegated for the spermatogenesis process.
women produce estrogen and progesterone.

SHBG
sex hormone transport protein is produced by the liver, and high levels can be caused by a single state of hypogonadism or in some cases hypothyroidism.

Estradiol
This is the most potent of the estrogenic hormones, it is responsible for water retention, adipose tissue hypertrophy, gynecomastia and possibly even prostate hypertrophy and tumors. In men, it is very important to check the level of this hormone for the reasons stated above, it is also the main estrogen and is responsible for the negative feedback cycle that suppresses the production of endogenous testosterone.
Most likely, if the levels of estrogen are very high, there will be a state of hypogonadism.

Prolactin
Under normal conditions, it is present in small amounts in the blood (also in men) and is controlled by another hormone, dopamine, which inhibits its production. Prolactin hypersecretion in humans is the cause gynecomastia, decreased libido, testosterone inhibition, and is also associated with high cortisol levels.

Cortisolo
Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands when the pituitary gland is stimulated by ACTH, the pituitary gland itself.
Cortisol is considered a stress hormone because it is stimulated under severe psychophysical stress, it intervenes to keep vital functions balanced, it is our body’s strongest anti-inflammatory agent, and it is an androgenic hormone antagonist. Overproduction of cortisol lowers and defeats the immune system, accelerates the production of fatty acids and alters the function of the thyroid gland. Ultimately, it can also lead to alopecia, depression, a predisposition to infections and chronic headache.

If you also want to check for thyroid activity, use the following options: FT3 , FT4 , TSH .