Blood results back... Help needed

[Cockney76]

Hi everyone,
I'm hoping someone could help me out reading my blood test results.
This is my situation and background: I'm 39 work out in the gym 5 times a week for about 7 years eat healthy have a well balanced diet and don't drink alcohol vey often.
I have been experiencing low T symptoms on and off for a couple of years. I'm losing interest in everything, can't think clearly, don't sleep well, feel tired, increased Body fat, decrease in strengt and serious depression... I can still get erections, but my appetite for sex has decreased. I decided to get my T levels checked. The first test came back 2.5, the low range of normal, so decided to to get the full blood check done. Here are the results ( my t levels are up but still feel crap) I've read they are still pretty low.....
I'm overall pretty muscular 5ft 10 205lbs and about 16% body fat. Can anyone see what the cause of my low t could be. As most of the results came back within the normal range. Thanks

Testosterone 4.69 ng/ml range 2.8-8.00
Estradiol 12.00 pg/ml

T3 2.49 pg/ml range 1.71-3.71
T4 1.04 ngl/ml range 0.70-1.48
TSH 2.317 ml range 0.350-1.494

Cortisol 19.00 ug/dL range 4.46-22.7

CBC
Hb 14.6%
Hct 44%
Neutrophils 56
Lymphocytes 38
Eosinophils 2
Monocytes 4
Red cell morphology -normal

SHBG 25.74 range 14.5- 48.4
LH 7.77range 1.7-8.6
FSH 4.4 range 1.5-12.4

Cholestrol 238
Triglyceride 127
Hdl 43
LDL 166

 

[Jackadee]

Hi everyone,
I'm hoping someone could help me out reading my blood test results.
This is my situation and background: I'm 39 work out in the gym 5 times a week for about 7 years eat healthy have a well balanced diet and don't drink alcohol vey often.
I have been experiencing low T symptoms on and off for a couple of years. I'm losing interest in everything, can't think clearly, don't sleep well, feel tired, increased Body fat, decrease in strengt and serious depression... I can still get erections, but my appetite for sex has decreased. I decided to get my T levels checked. The first test came back 2.5, the low range of normal, so decided to to get the full blood check done. Here are the results ( my t levels are up but still feel crap) I've read they are still pretty low.....
I'm overall pretty muscular 5ft 10 205lbs and about 16% body fat. Can anyone see what the cause of my low t could be. As most of the results came back within the normal range. Thanks

Testosterone 4.69 ng/ml range 2.8-8.00
Estradiol 12.00 pg/ml

T3 2.49 pg/ml range 1.71-3.71
T4 1.04 ngl/ml range 0.70-1.48
TSH 2.317 ml range 0.350-1.494

Cortisol 19.00 ug/dL range 4.46-22.7

CBC
Hb 14.6%
Hct 44%
Neutrophils 56
Lymphocytes 38
Eosinophils 2
Monocytes 4
Red cell morphology -normal

SHBG 25.74 range 14.5- 48.4
LH 7.77range 1.7-8.6
FSH 4.4 range 1.5-12.4

Cholestrol 238
Triglyceride 127
Hdl 43
LDL 166

Your thyroid seems to be a bit low, yeah (TSH)? Your T is definitely a bit low, but perhaps a boost in your thyroid could bump it up a bit? I'm no expert, just trying to help.

 

[Cockney76]

I just noticed a typo the normal range values for TSH are 0.350 - 4.940
My LH levels are also on the high side of normal. Does anyone know what this could possibly indicate?

 

[Jackadee]

I just noticed a typo the normal range values for TSH are 0.350 - 4.940
My LH levels are also on the high side of normal. Does anyone know what this could possibly indicate?

Good call on the TSH! His thyroid should be fine then.

 

[jozifp103]

Your thyroid is fine. You're right in the middle. Low tsh indicates a more active thyroid (usually) but free t3 and t4 are the true indicators Of thyroid function. Your t is low ish but not terribly low, but seeing as your lh is on the higher end this would indicate a lack of function in the testicles rather than the pituitary. This would normally mean you are primary hypo gonadal. This is a hypothetical as I'm not sure your test levels are low enough to fall into that category.

Lets get some more opinions first.

 

[Cockney76]

Thanks for helping fellas... my T levels on my first blood test about 3 months ago came in at 2.50 the lab range was 2.8-8.0... The doctor here in Thailand was happy to administer injections of testosterone, but admitted he was no expert in this area...I appreciated his honesty....anyway, I decided I need get myself clued up on al this and after a lot of searching around on the net I then found here. i looked into what blood work needed to be done and got the tests done.
I don't want to jump into anything that could mess me up anymore, however I really would like a cure to relieve me from feeling fatigued, brain fog, lack of interest, depression. I noticed in the gym that was getting weaker and my body fat was going up and nothing's changed in my diet is clean, i don't overtrain in fact I've gradually stopped going to the gym and feel withdrawn I've taken time of work as I just can't be seem to get out of bed, I can get erections I just can't be arsed to shag my mrs. I've lost total interest in life, I'm only 39 and have a great life ahead everything before this has been going well. Sorry to ramble on just trying give you the bigger picture.

 

[jozifp103]

no worries man. I felt the same way at the age of 21 and dealt with it until I was 24 before I decided to jump on trt. best decision I've ever made. quality of life had increased tremendously. just make sure you know what you're doing because doctors can be a little behind on this subject.

 

[lucius11]

Yep, most of us have had all those symptoms and TRT does not fix them all. Your last blood work looks pretty decent to me. T levels are decent, Thyroid looks good. Not sure why that first test was so low. Blood tests are only a snapshot in time ... but it's looking like low T is not the issue just yet. TRT might help but being 39 ... it' going to be a long haul managing your T levels for the next 30+ years if you go that route.

 

[Cockney76]

I've also noticed my E2 estrodial They never gave a reference range but with a bit of googling, it's come up low side of normal ... Does anyone know what this could indicate?

 

[lucius11]

I don't believe there is too much reason to be concerned. Someone else can chime in if they see something. Most of the time the concern is too much E2 ... the higher the T levels, the more E2 that is produced through aromatization. Your body needs some E2 (hence the reason why Aromatase is in your body). When you jack up the T levels usually the E2 follows (unless you have good genetics/low body fat).

If your E2 is too low you will have some symptoms ... joint pain is common, also may have erectile disfunction if you really crash your E2. Folks on TRT take an AI to lower the E2 level so it stays in the normal range. If your E2 is too high, you will ultimately start developing female like features ... basically you can start to develop more breast tissue ... so called gynecomastia and perhaps other bad things.

Also there are two E2 tests ... a regular test that's not all that accurate and a "sensitive" test. This may be the regular test. If you are not taking an AI and you are not showing any symptoms from low E2, then I'm kinda thinking it's OK. If you are taking an AI ... it might be time to back it down a bit. Keep in mind that a blood test is just a single snapshot in time, these levels can move around a bit.

 

[Cockney76]

I'm not taking an AI, I've never even taken any aas before. I have been getting joint pains in my wrists and even after a long walk in my knees..... I feel like an 80 year old for the last 2/3 months.

 

[lucius11]

I have been getting joint pains in my wrists and even after a long walk in my knees..... I feel like an 80 year old for the last 2/3 months

Sorry to hear this. Feeling like this sucks ... perhaps your E2 is low. Your E2 would go up if you were on TRT ... not saying you should do this at 39. My understanding is that males do not produce any estrogen ... it all comes from aromatization (converted from testosterone). So if your natural T levels are dropping ... your E2 would drop as well. Kinda looks like you don't aromatize much T. You are not quite at the bottom of the range for T levels and you are pretty young so it may be tough to get on TRT even though this might just fix a lot of the symptoms you are feeling. You are kinda in limbo for the moment.

Perhaps someone else has some suggestions. Getting your E2 up a bit would be nice. Not sure how to do this.

 

[jozifp103]

ya when I was low T my estro was @ 16. I definitely had sore joints, lethargy, irritability at those levels. I personally feel better with slightly elevated estradiol, not too high, but in the 40's is the sweet spot for me. I believe it's more about the ratio of test/esto not so much the actual number. my experience at least.

your e2 levels are typical with lower lest levels like yours. once you get your test up, the e2 will follow.

 

[Cockney76]

So you think I should go for it? I'm sitting on the fence, desperate to feel good again but concerned about playing with my horemones if there is no need to.
As the dr said my blood test were good, and seemed to think I was a hypercondriact when reeled of the list of symptoms..... For a few years, I thought it was just depression, so I cleaned up my diet and trained, positive thinking etc but recently I can't even work out, I'm weak as shit and have no interest. I read somewhere that you can try trt but after 4 weeks you loose your natural production of test. So if I tried it for 3 weeks to see how I felt, would that fuck up my natural production, if I didn't feel any effects?

 

[jozifp103]

it will shut you down fairly quickly. but restarts are often successful for those wishing to discontinue trt. 3 weeks is hardly long enough to notice the benefits. I can tell you from my experience that it was a godsend for me. I messed myself up at the young age of 21 and dealt with it for three years while doctors told me I was fine. ive been on trt for 3 months side effect free. my sex life is 1000% better and my mood, confidence, outlook on life, motivation, energy, physical fitness, and overall quality of life is drastically better. if you are on a good protocol there should be no health issues or side effects. however, finding the right protocol is not easy. it is a lot of trial and error.

it's not like you're taking steroid doses, you're just putting yourself in normal range. low test can actually be dangerous to your health, moreso than above average levels. I'm not pushing trt on you, I'm just trying to open your mind to it because it can be great if you really need it.

most doctors will tell you your levels are fine if you are within range, but this range also includes 80 year old men with type II diabetes. you know your body more than any doctor does. pinning yourself 1-2x a week is a small price to pay for a better quality of life.

 

[lucius11]

it will shut you down fairly quickly. but restarts are often successful

Sure, these are all valid points. My experience is that it takes a few months (perhaps 3-6) to get sorted on "regular" TRT (i.e., testosterone). So if you can get on regular TRT, you will be running it for a while before you feel better. Either you are going to do it or you aren't. I'm in my 50s and my total T was around 300. So there was no issue about my natural production - andropause - it's done and it's not coming back. So for me it was simple.

If you went on test - your natural production would be pretty much shut down over time. If you wanted to stop, your natural production should come back pretty well after 6 months - but nobody can guarantee that. Nobody could say what your levels would come back to. This also assumes that you have access to the compounds to bring your natural production back - PCT stuff. Stopping cold turkey would be - very very unpleasant - so this is really not an option. Stopping regular TRT with the assistance of the right compounds is indeed possible.

Keep in mind, there is more than one way to do TRT. There are plenty of TRT clinics that know all about this stuff. They know what all the compounds do, they can deal with complex health issues, and they have doctors that can prescribe the right compounds. For example, you could go on HCG only (HCG-monotherapy I believe) ... this would just increase your natural production. This would bring your E2 up as well. If you wanted to stop I don't know whether there is any "PCT" required. I tried HCG for a while, it definitely increased my T levels but also spiked my E2 (which might be really good for you).

I'm not an expert on all the TRT alternatives but I think you have a few options that could work for you and maybe going on Test is not needed just yet. Feeling like crap is not really working out for you so you gotta do something. The big questions are, can you get you insurance to cover this or can you afford this on your own and can you get access to this stuff (i.e., will a doctor to prescribe this for you given your current levels).

I get my TRT from a former board sponsor. They know this stuff inside and out - as do many of the TRT clinics out there. If you qualify for treatment and can afford it, a good TRT clinic can easily address these kinds of problems much better than most of us here on this board - it's what they do every single day. If I were you I'd be making a few calls to TRT clinics if your local doc won't take care of you.

 

[Cockney76]

Thanks for teh info fellas. I live in thailand, so getting test, hcg, is no problem. My doctor is ok with me doing it. He admitted that he is not experienced or knowledgable about trt, so that's why I am doing research myself. However he said if I turn up with the Gear he will inject it for me.... So the ball is fully in my court.

 

[lucius11]

I live in thailand, so getting test, hcg, is no problem

That's great, you definitely have a whole lot of options being in Thailand. I'm kinda thinking HCG-monotherapy would be ideal - but I am by no means a doctor or even an expert. This would push your test levels up and also help you produce more estrogen. Keep in mind, I never tried HCG-monotherapy. And of course there are always down sides/risks to any medications (and I'm not exactly sure what they are). Given where you are, I think I would do some research on that.

From what I can see, HCG-monotherapy almost always requires some estrogen control (AI) so you would need to regular do blood tests in the beginning and be prepared to take a small dose of AI to keep your estrogen in check. It may be tricky to get it dialed in just right (I never really got complete control of my estrogen on HCG). I have no trouble staying dialed in on testosterone only. One day you will probably transition onto regular TRT with testosterone. But while you are on HCG, I believe your fertility is maintained or even enhanced (if you care about that).

 

[Cockney76]

Yeah I do care about that.... No kids and was hoping one day. Today I was in bangkok and had a consultation with a dr in a wellness centre. He wants to do more blood work, but reckons the high side of normal LH results and the low t is an indication of onset of hypogonadism and said you can wait until symptoms get worse or try it now.... If the blood results come back the same or worse, then I'm gonna take the plunge. He seemed to know his stuff and was a really nice guy, it's a bit more expensive than going alone, but for the first 4-6months it would be peace of mind knowing that I've got a professional monitoring my labs and also getting legit gear, as that is something you can't be 100% sure about over here. He also we consult via Skype as I don't live in bangkok. Thanks so much for your advice and help lads.

 

[jozifp103]

if you have high LH and low T then that would indicate primary hypogonadism which means the problem lies in your testicles rather than your pituitary. if that is the case, hcg would be ineffective since your testicles are not responding to LH stimulation.