Recent Posts

1

Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Would you go on TRT? if...

« Last post by Cataceous on Today at 08:16:06 pm »

What is your SHBG? That is a key parameter in determining whether your testosterone level is low. What about thyroid numbers? Vitamin D status? DHT?
https://www.peaktestosterone.com/Testosterone_Tests.aspx

My dr hasn't tested it every time, but the several times he has, it sits around 40.

For a short period last year, it went down to 32-33. Unsure why. I was taking a multivitamin and cialis more regularly back then, that's about all I can think of.

As an example, total testosterone of 500 ng/dL and SHBG of 40 nmol/L yield a calculated free testosterone of about 9 ng/dL. This is low enough to cause problems for some guys, so it could be contributing to your symptoms.

Thanks - the last high 500s test I had was in the fall. TT 580, SHBG of 40, and FT of 101. A few weeks ago, I hit 539 and 101.9 (SHBG wasn't tested).

Where do guys usually start having issues with low FT?

How risky to my HPTA would it be to try pinning again?

Wish I knew what got my SHBG down last year.

Depending on the test type, measured free T may or may not have much value. If your results are from equilibrium dialysis then they do possibly make sense and are consistent with calculated values. These are all around 10 ng/dL, which I tend to view as a threshold. We rarely see guys with higher numbers complaining of low-T-type symptoms. But as free T goes down from there the problems increase.

There's very little risk to your HPTA from short-term TRT. You may or may not get some suppression, but recovery should be relatively fast. Even with longer-term TRT the risk is modest. The main issue is the longer recovery time.

2

Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Starting TRT today...couple of questions

« Last post by HRD LVN on Today at 11:35:56 am »

I can also assume that my estrogen has always been a bit high. In my youth (around 10 or so), I started to to develop some gyno.

This is even more reason you need to get your E2 off the top of the range and somewhere at or below mid range.
Just getting your E2 mid scale not counting the extra T you should start feel better.

3

Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Starting TRT today...couple of questions

« Last post by HRD LVN on Today at 11:32:04 am »

My SHBG is 41 nmole/liter (16.5-55.9)
My estradiol is 41 of/mL (8-35)

I will amend my suggestion above to add .25mg/wk of your anastrozole do to your weight and E2 being already over range before TRT.

.25mg altogether, or at each injection?

.25mg/wk not at every injection. In 5-6 weeks your T will be at a steady state and your E2 with AI should be stable at some number. Get a mini blood test TT/FT/E2 then we can go from there. If your doc won't give you the mini blood test buy it from DiscountedLabs that is where I go. It is dirt cheap and they are a sponsor here. In fact Nelson sent me an email back on 3/14 Save 10 Percent Off  Our Everyday Low Prices by Using this Code at Checkout:
10percentoff

At your current body fat percent you are going to make a lot of E2 from your injections. This is another reason I suggest you start much lower than 200/wk. 80 is much safer with less bad sides but enough to get your metabolism fired up so you can start burning that fat.
I am 5'9" I was 260 (42"waist) 3 years ago I am 192 now 34" waist). Been there done that so to speak.

No one want to crash their E2 the bad side effects really suck but you also don't want your E2 to go any higher in fact IMO your >40 is way to high.
24-33 would be a much better range. Being so over weight you could already have the beginnings of gyno. Having over ranged E2 and over ranged prolactin is how boys start the process of becoming girls.

What day would be suggested to take the anastrozole? I’m taking the test on Sundays and the hcg on Friday and Saturday.

I honestly don't think it makes any difference. How about Sunday night?
The half life of anastrozole is 2 days. So only taking 1 a week I don't think the whole steady state thing comes into play where you end up with double what you are taking. (5 x half life of a medication = Steady state of that medication)

4

Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Would you go on TRT? if...

« Last post by nissan1414 on Today at 11:19:33 am »

Lots of things yet to consider.

However.

Low 500’s for mid-30’s seems low to me. But there is as yet no labs that show your free t levels. As cat pointed out SHBG is really needed.

The effect of clomid seems potentially promising. The POSSIBLE reason you got emotional as a response was that some of the testosterone produced converted to Estradiol and thus the emotional aspect.

Also the one time you did take Testosterone you seemed to respond positively.

Those two things at least point to the fact that low T and getting properly balanced could help.

Your low body fat would tend to produce less Estradiol. But when taking T or clomid which produced T may cause your Estradiol levels to shoot up. Again  SHBG can shed some light on this.

Probably not an issue here but it may also be beneficial to get thyroid labs done. TSH, Free T4 and free T3 as a minimum.

Thanks for your input....SHBG is typically around 40, but for a period last year, it dropped to around 32-33.

I've had my thyroid tested repeatedly for years to try to find the cause of fatigue, and it always turns back ok. Most recently:

TSH 1.36 mIU/L   0.40 - 4.50 mIU/L
T3 FREE 3.2 pg/mL   2.3 - 4.2 pg/mL
T4 FREE 1.3 ng/dL   0.8 - 1.8 ng/dL

Part of me also keeps wondering if my sleep issues are causing this, or the other way around. I've been through sleep studies, sleep doctors, you name it, and the consensus is that I'm just a light sleeper, and that I would benefit from keeping a perfectly consistent sleep schedule (i.e. not staying out late on a Friday). But magically, every one of my friends is able to tolerate that all just fine. So who knows.

Thyroid levels look OK for someone not on any thyroid meds. Free T3 could be up a little but it is 47% of rhe range and the ruke of thumb for someone already on thyroid meds is about 50% to 66%. But like I said for not being on meds your levels are fine in my opinion.

Have you had your cortisol levels checked?  Specifically waking response. Recently my daughter had this done (saliva test via a swab). In her case she had a negative waking response. The normal reaponse is that cortisol will increase by about 50% 30 minutes after waking level. In her case her levels DECREASED!  She just repeated the morning test  (yesterday) to see if this was an random response or is repeated to confirm.  Still awaiting the results which should come in today or next few days.

Low cortisol can cause you to be lethargic and not able to deal with stress well.

But I think it is more likely low T. I would expect total T for mid 30’s man to be 650 if not higher. Low T symptoms seem to start for some men around 10. And you are hovering at or below that level.

Thanks for your input - I have had cortisol and ACTH checked twice, last year. One time was lower (but I think done a little later after waking), but in range. The more recent test was fine. I had another endo look over the results, and she was totally comfortable with it. I really thought I'd found something there - but I figure if 3 doctors say it looks fine...

I'd like to believe it's fine as well, as I've always had issues with jolting awake early, overly excited for the day, and unable to sleep any longer.

I definitely felt like garbage last year while in the 400s. Cleaning up on the diet, partying, and keeping to my gym routine helped get me into the 500s again.

Years ago when I first had my T tested, I was working late at a bar 3 nights a week, eating take out, not exercising, etc. And I still hit 590 no problem.

5

Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Need advice please look at my labs

« Last post by Flyingfool on Today at 10:59:17 am »

Thyroid numbers look great!

The rule of thumb is FT4 to be 50% and FT3 to be 50% to 66% of the range.

The body only really jses at the cellular level the FT3.

Your levels are FT4 is 43% and FT3 is at 66%. TSH for what its worth is exactly where doctors love to see it perfect. (Between 1 and 2)

Reverse T3 is within normal range so no real red flag there.

6

Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Would you go on TRT? if...

« Last post by Flyingfool on Today at 10:53:43 am »

Lots of things yet to consider.

However.

Low 500’s for mid-30’s seems low to me. But there is as yet no labs that show your free t levels. As cat pointed out SHBG is really needed.

The effect of clomid seems potentially promising. The POSSIBLE reason you got emotional as a response was that some of the testosterone produced converted to Estradiol and thus the emotional aspect.

Also the one time you did take Testosterone you seemed to respond positively.

Those two things at least point to the fact that low T and getting properly balanced could help.

Your low body fat would tend to produce less Estradiol. But when taking T or clomid which produced T may cause your Estradiol levels to shoot up. Again  SHBG can shed some light on this.

Probably not an issue here but it may also be beneficial to get thyroid labs done. TSH, Free T4 and free T3 as a minimum.

Thanks for your input....SHBG is typically around 40, but for a period last year, it dropped to around 32-33.

I've had my thyroid tested repeatedly for years to try to find the cause of fatigue, and it always turns back ok. Most recently:

TSH 1.36 mIU/L   0.40 - 4.50 mIU/L
T3 FREE 3.2 pg/mL   2.3 - 4.2 pg/mL
T4 FREE 1.3 ng/dL   0.8 - 1.8 ng/dL

Part of me also keeps wondering if my sleep issues are causing this, or the other way around. I've been through sleep studies, sleep doctors, you name it, and the consensus is that I'm just a light sleeper, and that I would benefit from keeping a perfectly consistent sleep schedule (i.e. not staying out late on a Friday). But magically, every one of my friends is able to tolerate that all just fine. So who knows.

Thyroid levels look OK for someone not on any thyroid meds. Free T3 could be up a little but it is 47% of rhe range and the ruke of thumb for someone already on thyroid meds is about 50% to 66%. But like I said for not being on meds your levels are fine in my opinion.

Have you had your cortisol levels checked?  Specifically waking response. Recently my daughter had this done (saliva test via a swab). In her case she had a negative waking response. The normal reaponse is that cortisol will increase by about 50% 30 minutes after waking level. In her case her levels DECREASED!  She just repeated the morning test  (yesterday) to see if this was an random response or is repeated to confirm.  Still awaiting the results which should come in today or next few days.

Low cortisol can cause you to be lethargic and not able to deal with stress well.

But I think it is more likely low T. I would expect total T for mid 30’s man to be 650 if not higher. Low T symptoms seem to start for some men around 10. And you are hovering at or below that level.

7

Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Would you go on TRT? if...

« Last post by nissan1414 on Today at 10:40:15 am »

What is your SHBG? That is a key parameter in determining whether your testosterone level is low. What about thyroid numbers? Vitamin D status? DHT?
https://www.peaktestosterone.com/Testosterone_Tests.aspx

My dr hasn't tested it every time, but the several times he has, it sits around 40.

For a short period last year, it went down to 32-33. Unsure why. I was taking a multivitamin and cialis more regularly back then, that's about all I can think of.

As an example, total testosterone of 500 ng/dL and SHBG of 40 nmol/L yield a calculated free testosterone of about 9 ng/dL. This is low enough to cause problems for some guys, so it could be contributing to your symptoms.

Thanks - the last high 500s test I had was in the fall. TT 580, SHBG of 40, and FT of 101. A few weeks ago, I hit 539 and 101.9 (SHBG wasn't tested).

Where do guys usually start having issues with low FT?

How risky to my HPTA would it be to try pinning again?

Wish I knew what got my SHBG down last year.

8

Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Would you go on TRT? if...

« Last post by Cataceous on Today at 09:57:16 am »

What is your SHBG? That is a key parameter in determining whether your testosterone level is low. What about thyroid numbers? Vitamin D status? DHT?
https://www.peaktestosterone.com/Testosterone_Tests.aspx

My dr hasn't tested it every time, but the several times he has, it sits around 40.

For a short period last year, it went down to 32-33. Unsure why. I was taking a multivitamin and cialis more regularly back then, that's about all I can think of.

As an example, total testosterone of 500 ng/dL and SHBG of 40 nmol/L yield a calculated free testosterone of about 9 ng/dL. This is low enough to cause problems for some guys, so it could be contributing to your symptoms.

9

Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Would you go on TRT? if...

« Last post by nissan1414 on Today at 09:27:47 am »

Lots of things yet to consider.

However.

Low 500’s for mid-30’s seems low to me. But there is as yet no labs that show your free t levels. As cat pointed out SHBG is really needed.

The effect of clomid seems potentially promising. The POSSIBLE reason you got emotional as a response was that some of the testosterone produced converted to Estradiol and thus the emotional aspect.

Also the one time you did take Testosterone you seemed to respond positively.

Those two things at least point to the fact that low T and getting properly balanced could help.

Your low body fat would tend to produce less Estradiol. But when taking T or clomid which produced T may cause your Estradiol levels to shoot up. Again  SHBG can shed some light on this.

Probably not an issue here but it may also be beneficial to get thyroid labs done. TSH, Free T4 and free T3 as a minimum.

Thanks for your input....SHBG is typically around 40, but for a period last year, it dropped to around 32-33.

I've had my thyroid tested repeatedly for years to try to find the cause of fatigue, and it always turns back ok. Most recently:

TSH 1.36 mIU/L   0.40 - 4.50 mIU/L
T3 FREE 3.2 pg/mL   2.3 - 4.2 pg/mL
T4 FREE 1.3 ng/dL   0.8 - 1.8 ng/dL

Part of me also keeps wondering if my sleep issues are causing this, or the other way around. I've been through sleep studies, sleep doctors, you name it, and the consensus is that I'm just a light sleeper, and that I would benefit from keeping a perfectly consistent sleep schedule (i.e. not staying out late on a Friday). But magically, every one of my friends is able to tolerate that all just fine. So who knows.

10

Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Would you go on TRT? if...

« Last post by nissan1414 on Today at 09:22:45 am »

What is your SHBG? That is a key parameter in determining whether your testosterone level is low. What about thyroid numbers? Vitamin D status? DHT?
https://www.peaktestosterone.com/Testosterone_Tests.aspx

My dr hasn't tested it every time, but the several times he has, it sits around 40.

For a short period last year, it went down to 32-33. Unsure why. I was taking a multivitamin and cialis more regularly back then, that's about all I can think of.