Low T and Dr's orders

[jwcool000]

I'm 24yo
-6'3"
-245#
-bf 19%
-Lifting for 9 years (3 seriously)
-Diet as clean as it gets (200+g Protein, 2500-3k cal/day, not an ounce of processed BS and minimal simple carbs)
-BF% checked monthly

So my normal lifting routine is 4-5 days/week with 1-2 HIIT cardio sessions/week. Yet....for the past three months, my lean mass has been decreasing from 203#-198#. So I went and found the best hormone guy in my area and he ran my blood.

T total: 438 ng/dL
T free: 73.9 pg/mL
DHT: 19 ng/dL
SHBG: 32 nmol/L
Albumin 3.9 mg/dL
Estradiol:41 pg/mL
FSH: 2.8 mIU/mL
LH: 4.1 mIU/mL


Hey said that it was odd that my DHT was so low, but my regular test levels were OK. He also said that my estrogen was a little high, but not dangerously so. I told him that the catabolism is my main concern. He RXed me the Aromatase inhibitor (AI) Arimidex (Anastrozole) (2g/week) in order to stop aromatization and free up some T, ideally bringing my T levels higher including the DHT. He recommended that I try this for a month and if it doesn't work, we may consider testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), but that it was ultimately up to me.

My questions are as follows:

1. Are the above levels actually low?
2. Will the a-dex actually increase T significantly enough to stop the catabolism
3. Is worth going on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) at age 24?!
4. What am I/dr not seeing here?

Please help! Thanks so much.

 

[UserAt204]

Your numbers are ok, meaning not great but not bad. A guy could have T lower than yours but still feel great so it kinda depends on the person.

Your estro is just a little high. I like mine at about 28-30 but 25-35 is ok basically when estro gets high your t levels can go down because it's bound and converted to estro so yes an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) can help by lowering estro.

SHBG and albium can do the same but your SHBG is not to bad either.
Your lh and fsh are on the lower side but still look ok.

You could try the adex but I would think .5mg 2-3 times a week is plenty. People respond different to AI's and I have to be careful with adex even on a cycle because my estro will crash fast and then you would really start to feel like shit. 2g a week seems like a lot to me but may be ok for you.

Honestly if you need testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) even at your age it's a good thing and can keep you healthy and feeling good. There are some articles out showing a correlation of negative health issues in men that have elevated estro and the claim is that guys even at around 37-39 estro were more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes etc.

Honestly it sounds like you have a really good doc. Most will not test estro in men and you doc checked all the right things and even went as far as giving an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) so I would follow his advice and see how things work out.

 

[jwcool000]

Your numbers are ok, meaning not great but not bad. A guy could have T lower than yours but still feel great so it kinda depends on the person.

Your estro is just a little high. I like mine at about 28-30 but 25-35 is ok basically when estro gets high your t levels can go down because it's bound and converted to estro so yes an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) can help by lowering estro.

SHBG and albium can do the same but your SHBG is not to bad either.
Your lh and fsh are on the lower side but still look ok.

You could try the adex but I would think .5mg 2-3 times a week is plenty. People respond different to AI's and I have to be careful with adex even on a cycle because my estro will crash fast and then you would really start to feel like shit. 2g a week seems like a lot to me but may be ok for you.

Honestly if you need testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) even at your age it's a good thing and can keep you healthy and feeling good. There are some articles out showing a correlation of negative health issues in men that have elevated estro and the claim is that guys even at around 37-39 estro were more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes etc.

Honestly it sounds like you have a really good doc. Most will not test estro in men and you doc checked all the right things and even went as far as giving an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) so I would follow his advice and see how things work out.

Thanks for the comprehensive reply! As a first-time poster, I really appreciate it.

Also, yes you're right, my doc is THE BEST. He's actually a doc that specializes in hormones and does a lot of gender switching for other patients (here on the west coast). I thought that was pretty funny. I told him I like tits, but not enough to get my own, haha.

Anyways...
If the adex doesn't fix the catabolism, and I choose to go the testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) route, I'm stuck creaming or pinning for life it seems like. As a generally fickle person, "for life" is a pretty big deal. Granted, I've been a fatty all my life, while maintaing a good diet, so it's tempting to say the least. Anyways, I know only I can answer the testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) question, but let me pose this question to you AT204, if these were your stats, would you be ok getting on TRT?

 

[UserAt204]

It would all depend on how I feel. Honestly I've been around this long enough that I'm ready for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) when the time comes. I'm in my 30's and still recover fine from cycles(which is different from you) but I just know that im not willing to suffer the sides of low T. The more I read, the more health related problems I find associated with it.

Now I wouldn't say that you are hypogonadal just yet and a doc can help you decide that. Here something to think about, having a higher percent of body fat increase the amount of aromatase in your body which usually means more conversion to estro. So you BF% is likely correlated to your estro number. I'm not saying it's the sole cause because I really don't know but it can have an impact.

If you are suffering effects of low T (low for your body) then it may be part of the reason you are struggling to lower BF etc.

I would also find that decision hard to make at 24 because I'm sure I did a lot of things then that I would never consider now and honestly at my age, the thought of doing something forever seems like a rough choice. But eventually I will choose that route to maintain health and quality of life.

You don't really have to make any decisions right now. Try the therapy he has put you on and see how that works then you can talk to your doc and evaluate your situation. There is no rush in this.

We also have a trt/hrt forum here and I'm sure there are a lot of guys you could talk to there and there are some your age but many guys had lower T levels than you but you can't always base things on a number. Symptoms have to be figured in as well.

You could also check out the diet section and talk to the mod 3J and see if there are any flaws in your diet that you may not see. Some guys respond better to carbs and some to fats so there's always room to play with things and see if something else will work better for you.

 

[jwcool000]

Thanks, that's all pretty clear.

I've never run a cycle, so I assumed my levels would've been better than they are. Sadly, it's just one more reason not to run one. I just hate busting my ass at the gym for negative
results, haha.

As you kinda get at, the BF% is a vicious cycle. Lower test and higher aromat bc of higher BF; Higher BF bc of low test and higher estro. A rock and a hard place. Last month, I dropped my cals to 2.25k, ate only low-glycemic carbs (except for PWO), and leaner proteins, dropping 6# fat but 2# muscle in the process, so yeah my levels are hurting my progress significantly

I will keep working with the doc as you suggest. Thanks for your time.

 

[AlanLat]

^

If you have low t to the extent that it massively fucks with your moods and quality of life you won't be asking anyones opinion if you should go on trt. You will almost be forced into it and will never look back.

I'd give my left nut to be in your position.

 

[Necrosis]

^

If you have low t to the extent that it massively fucks with your moods and quality of life you won't be asking anyones opinion if you should go on trt. You will almost be forced into it and will never look back.

I'd give my left nut to be in your position.

....if you'd give you left nut to be in his position I think it's safe to say you currently don't have much need for it anyway.

 

[AlanLat]

^

Fair play. It's not really doing alot for me now anyways.