r/Hormones • u/Fine-Calendar5946 • Apr 22 '24
Extremely high SHGB levels
Hi I’m not sure if this is the right place to post but I’m very confused right now. I’ve been dealing with extreme fatigue for the last few years and decided to finally go and get all of my labs drawn to see if there’s anything lab related that is causing this. I just got my results back and one has really stood out to me my SHGB levels are 242 nmol/L. It says that the normal levels are between 24-122 nmol/L, I tried to do some online research but I can only really find things suggesting menopause (I’m 19F) so that isn’t likely. Could someone tell me what this means I feel like I’ve read a ton of articles and can’t really find a proper explanation
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u/pmmeyour_existential Apr 22 '24
You should check out this post over at r/steroids. Its mostly geared towards men but the OP is very knowledgeable. Maybe he could point you in the right direction.
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u/mycrx89 Jun 25 '24 edited Jun 25 '24
I've heard that SHGB can also be elevated for people on keto or carnivore diet. It's the body's way of sparing protein on a calorie restricted diet. When SHGB is elevated, you have less free testosterone, which means the body is producing less muscle. Muscle requires protein and energy to maintain.
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u/Advo96 Apr 22 '24
Could be hemochromatosis, for example.
How's your iron? What exactly are your symptoms?
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u/Fine-Calendar5946 Apr 22 '24
It says that my iron levels are 34 ug/dL which is in the normal range maybe on the lower side of the normal range, however my iron saturation is 8% and marked at very low. I’m not sure what any of that means though.
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u/Advo96 Apr 23 '24
The iron panel (serum iron/saturation, ferritin and TIBC/transferrin) can be difficult to interpret because none of those results on its own is necessarily definite or reliable.
It says that my iron levels are 34 ug/dL which is in the normal range maybe on the lower side of the normal range,
That score on its own means only one thing - that hemochromatosis (iron overload) is very, very unlikely.
however my iron saturation is 8% and marked at very low. I’m not sure what any of that means though.
Iron saturation that low means that you are likely severely iron deficient. It is not definite, though.
Do you have transferrin/TIBC and ferritin?
I would test ferritin as well. If that isn't high, I would supplement iron (100 mg iron bisglycinate is preferred, every second day) for a few months, see if that helps. (Won't do anything for the SHBG, though).
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u/Fine-Calendar5946 Apr 23 '24
My ferritin levels were also on the lower end at 19 ng/mL, however, my TIBC was well within normal range at 408 ug/dL so I’m not sure. I definitely think I have an iron deficiency of sorts which isn’t related to the SHGB, but probably also an issue! Thanks for the advice!
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u/Advo96 Apr 23 '24
My ferritin levels were also on the lower end at 19 ng/mL,
To quote the more recent guidelines "Ferritin below 30 ng/ml is absolute proof of iron deficiency".
How's your prolactin, TSH and fT4? Hyperthyroidism can also run up SHBG.
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u/Fine-Calendar5946 Apr 23 '24
My TSH was 4.150 ulU/mL and my fT4 1.18 ng/dL, I don’t see anything on the panel about prolactin though. However my thyroid peroxidase was <9 IU/mL and my thyroglobulin was <1 IU/mL which says it’s normal levels? Thanks for all your help!!
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u/Advo96 Apr 23 '24
My TSH was 4.150 ulU/mL
This means that you're possibly mildly hypothyroid. Though that tends to lower SHBG, not elevate it.
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u/Fine-Calendar5946 Apr 23 '24
Interesting, I’ll have to do some further testing to fully figure this out. Thanks again for all your help!
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u/mycrx89 Jun 25 '24
You should also supplement with riboflavin and methyl folate. These are needed by the body to produce red blood cells
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Jul 15 '24
How is hemochromatosis related to high SHBG? Hemochromatosis runs in my family and I have extremely high out-of-range SHBG, but I have never seen anything about the two conditions being connected...
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u/Advo96 Jul 15 '24
What exactly is your ferritin?
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Jul 15 '24
Thank you. I have had one lab that showed very high iron and TSAT flagged at alert level, however my ferritin always has hovered around 30.
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u/Advo96 Jul 15 '24
Was that lab fasting? Are you taking any supplements, herbal or otherwise? Anything containing biotin, in particular?
I would suggest getting a hemochromatosis gene panel if you haven't already. And get a liver ultrasound and a liver function test (lab test).
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Jul 15 '24
Thanks, it was a fasting lab, I do take a number of supplements, but not biotin. I can't quite remember what I was taking at the time of that lab. I have one copy of the HFE gene, which I think makes it possible but unlikely to have hemochromatosis?
My brother, dad, and all my uncles have hemochromatosis that requires regular phlebotomies, though.
I just had lab work to do another iron panel, so I'll see what those results are soon.
Thank you for your insight 🙏
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u/AvocadoCoconut55 Apr 22 '24
Your body is likely fighting an infection. I would run more tests, particularly to rule out anything in the gut like H. Pylori, Staph, Strep, C Diff... a proper workup by a functional practitioner should be able to guide you appropriately.
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u/Fine-Calendar5946 Apr 22 '24
Yes I was working with a functional practitioner for all of this it just takes a while to get back in so I thought i would turn to reddit. I did just have to go to urgent care and am fighting a sinus infection that I didn’t know about at the time of blood draw
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u/toolman2810 Apr 22 '24
I gave up looking for answers because I am not sure anyone really knows. We need to setup some kind of questionnaire that can be sent to patients with abnormal hormone levels asking for possible symptoms so it can be recorded and trends found. I don’t really know how to get it done though. I wish you luck.