Since I have been talking to myself in this thread a lot :), I decided to add a few more comments of things that I am learning. Of course, I don’t know if this “learning” will help me or just provide more questions, but some of it has been interesting.
The urine test I had from ZRT is “snake oil medicine” according to some doctors as there is “no scientific evidence” to support this type of urine collection for hormone testing. I don’t know about all that, but it was worth trying the test.
I had never heard of “Bisphenol A” before this test. The test showed a “high” concentration.
Supposedly high levels are caused by SOME water bottles, plastic wrap, soup cans, etc. I started re-checking all the plastic bottles I use (water, soft drinks, etc.), and according to the markings (“Furthermore, plastics marked with a #1, 2, 4, or 5 don’t contain BPA and may be better choices)_”, none of them should be a concern. I very rarely ate soup out of a can, but I did use plastic wrap when heating items in the microwave. Bisphenol A is also in thermal receipts, something I touch multiple times per day.
Oh, and I also found that the use of hand sanitizers allow BPA from thermal receipts to enter your blood stream more easily.
Once I figured out what it was, I looked around to find out what it does. That was the weird part.
An increased urine BPA level was associated with increased prolactin (p<0.001), estradiol (p<0.001), sex hormone-binding globulin level (p=0.001), and a reduced androstenedione (p<0.001) and free androgen index level (p=0.021).
Source
After adjustment for potential confounders using linear regression, increasing serum BPA concentration was statistically significantly associated with [1] decreased androstenedione levels, [2] decreased free testosterone levels, [3] decreased free androgen index, and [4] increased sex hormone-binding globulin levels.
Also affects sperm quality. Source
This was both an interesting and confusing find. I get a half-dozen receipts from other businesses each day … and we use thermal receipts in my business. And I live out of plastic bottles, so I couldn’t imagine what change I would make.
Since no one has a good handle on what REALLY causes increased SHBG (and I have HIGH SHBG levels), I keep looking for anything that might shed some light on the underlying source.
The only thing I can do with this information – stop storing food in plastic containers (I will buy glass); never refill a water bottle; never drink from a water bottle that has been in the direct sun (!); no more canned soup; stop covering food with plastic wrap, especially when heating in the microwave; stop keeping receipts in my wallet; and wash my hands after touching receipts.
Updated 1/19/18: I realized that I drink out of plastic cups very often at home. I liked some of the plastic cups that some restaurants give you and I found myself using them instead of the glass ones. When I checked the recycling number on the cup, some were questionable as to whether BPA was included. I have stopped drinking out of this type of plastic cup.