Hi everyone, Susan here, 44, I work nights in hospital scheduling. Been lurking a while. Not here for biohacking charts—I just want to stop feeling winded on walks and maybe fit my old jeans again.
Night shifts wreck the food and sleep end of things, so I've been tracking what I actually eat at 3am and how much I move on days off. The first few weeks of any change are where I fall apart, and my biggest worry is keeping up with my kids. Any plain, honest stories would help.
Welcome. The SHBG drop is the piece I'd watch. The pattern that keeps showing up: 31 down to 21 around the 8-week mark, free T looking great on paper while someone still feels off.
That flat mood thing hit me too around week 7. Turned out I was sleeping 5.5 hrs and calling it better because I fell asleep faster.
Did you use sensitive E2 or standard? My standard read 47 and sensitive was 29 on the same draw.
Sensitive assay or standard? That changes the read.
Water weight at week 8 was real for me. Face looked puffy, socks left marks. Gone by week 12 without changing anything.
Morning wood returning is a good sign. What’s your BP and resting HR doing?
Resting HR went up 6 bpm for me early on, then settled. I log it daily so I could see the trend instead of guessing from feels.
The mood flat thing could also be expectations. I felt amazing week 3-4 then normal by week 8 and thought something broke.
I’m about 14 months in and remember this exact stage. My first follow-up had total T around 700, free T near 19, SHBG down from 30 to 18, and E2 up from 24 to 46. The water and flat mood peaked around week 8 and eased by week 14.
What helped me was keeping a daily note: sleep, mood 1-5, gym energy, salt intake, and whether I woke up at 3am. The numbers gave context but the notes showed the pattern. Your sleep and morning wood improving while mood lags is worth tracking for a few more weeks before drawing conclusions.
Did your la balso check prolactin or thyroid? My flat mood ended up not being E2 at all.
The daily log idea is solid. I use a note on my phone and rate mood before coffee. Patterns show up fast.
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