Guest guest Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 <Hollis/Dee, What's SHBG stand for? Thanks, ~~> HI , As Hollis said, SHBG stands for Sex Hormone Binding Globulin and is a Protein not a hormone. It's the principle protein that regulates and 'binds' the hormones up, leaving just a small portion or percentage (1% to 5%) free and 'unbound' to be 'active' and beneficial. That's why you may see a suggestion, for instance, if you were to get your testosterone levels tested, you not only want to know the 'total' T but also ' the 'free & unbound' levels. Because SHBG is usually a % of the total that is the acting portion and working for you. With T as an example, the free & unbound portion should be between 1- 3% of the total with an average of 2. If you were below the 1%? That would mean no matter how high your 'total' testosterone is, you likely have little or none that is active so it's not working or being beneficial for you. By the way only a serum analysis (a blood test, not a saliva test ) can measure the SHBG because saliva testing can not measure proteins. Don't get confused that SHBG is a hormone because of the word hormone is in its title, it's not. You can spit out hormones but you cannot spit out proteins. *smile* Besides 'I' prefer a blood test anyway for our hormones rather than saliva because it's the standard ranges that most use and far easier to make comparisons. High SHBG levels also play a possible role in the development of endometriosis by the way. Hope that helps. Dee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 Dee,Thanks for the great explanation. It's much better than anything i would have puttogether!Hollis <Hollis/Dee, What's SHBG stand for? Thanks, ~~> HI , As Hollis said, SHBG stands for Sex Hormone Binding Globulin and is a Protein not a hormone. It's the principle protein that regulates and 'binds' the hormones up, leaving just a small portion or percentage (1% to 5%) free and 'unbound' to be 'active' and beneficial. That's why you may see a suggestion, for instance, if you were to get your testosterone levels tested, you not only want to know the 'total' T but also ' the 'free & unbound' levels. Because SHBG is usually a % of the total that is the acting portion and working for you. With T as an example, the free & unbound portion should be between 1- 3% of the total with an average of 2. If you were below the 1%? That would mean no matter how high your 'total' testosterone is, you likely have little or none that is active so it's not working or being beneficial for you. By the way only a serum analysis (a blood test, not a saliva test ) can measure the SHBG because saliva testing can not measure proteins. Don't get confused that SHBG is a hormone because of the word hormone is in its title, it's not. You can spit out hormones but you cannot spit out proteins. *smile* Besides 'I' prefer a blood test anyway for our hormones rather than saliva because it's the standard ranges that most use and far easier to make comparisons. High SHBG levels also play a possible role in the development of endometriosis by the way. Hope that helps. Dee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.