Hi guys, I’m new to the forum looking for some advice about my T levels.
I recently had them checked with bloodwork testing Glucose, Thyroid (Not T4), Lipids, Vitamins, Proteins, Minerals etc… Everything came back normal and my T levels were 13 nmo/L, which I understand to be within the normal range. However, having read into it somewhat, I understand 13nmo/L to be relatively low for someone of my age. I feel that this is reflected in my outward appearance; I’m 5’,6", 133lbs with thin patchy facial hair around my chin, cheeks and jawline and ordinary body hair on my legs, groin, underarms and back of my hands but only fine, vellus hair on my forearms.
I’m concerned that I haven’t physically matured appropriately for my age and combined with a deficiency in concentration, memory and having suffered with low moods and depression since the age of 18, have reason to believe that this may be down to a hormone imbalance of some kind.
Would any of you kind folks possibly have any advice as to what course of action I should take in getting to the bottom of this?
Post your the results of your tests including ranges.
Read the sticky (yes, it’s long and there’s lots of links) and the link on thyroid within. Use the format KSman suggests for new posters and answer all the questions.
I don’t have the results to hand but I have an appointment with my GP on wednesday. New to the forum so apologies for missing the sticky and thanks for the heads up! I will ask for a print out and update on Wednesday.
Okay, sorry it’s late, I’ll try to provide as much information as possible with regards to the requirement of the sticky:
Age: 22 Height: 5’,6" Waist: 32" Weight 130lbs Body and Facial Hair: Normal body hair in under arms, groin, legs with a trail leading to navel. Fine vellus hair on arms and thin patchy beard but is very sparse below the jaw line. Fat: Mostly carried around the belly although still some semblance of abs Health Conditions:
ASD (Autism): Diagnosed April last year although presumably I’ve had it all of my life. Causes difficulty in social interaction, reading non-verbal communication, social attentiveness, eye contact and reciprocation of non-verbal gestures.
Clinical Depression: Diagnosed at 18. Symptoms include feelings of hopelessness, low mood, lack of motivation, suicidal tendencies, suppressed appetite and insomnia. Drugs: Currently taking Mirtazipine for depression although have been on Fluoxetine, Sertraline, Valium and Citalopram. Admittedly, I was roped into trying Megavol at 17 when I used to train properly, however stopped after 2 weeks due to an increase in blood pressure. (Possibly damaged my endocrine system?) Lab Results: (No ranges on the print-out)
Potassium = 3.9 mmol/L
Sodium = 143 mmol/L
Creatinine = 83 umol/L
Urea = 2.7 mmol/L
Testosterone = 13 nmol/L
FSH = 6.3 U/L
LH = 2.1 U/L
TSH = 2.5 mU/L
**Diet:**Poor diet due to lack of appetite but plenty of meat, seeds, berries, dairy.
**Training:**Sedentary lifestyle Testes ache?: Very occasional tenderness to left testicle although no signs of abnormalities. Morning Wood: Few and far between. Erections in general have become more difficult to achier and maintain recently and libido is diminished.
Are these all the labs you got? Please refer to the stickies that Ksman suggested. I am also a noob but learning every day and could help you more regarding your levels provided we have your full labs with ranges.
I’m a fellow depressive, and quite possibly on the spectrum too, so you have my sympathy.
Depression messes with your head in a lot of subtle ways. Some of your problems regarding body image might be in your head, rather than an actual issue. And some will resolve themselves over time - I couldn’t grow a beard at your age, but can now in my forties.
Furthermore a lot of symptoms of depression and low T overlap.
And the ASD probably means you’ve overthinking everything. I do it a lot myself.
Get your free T levels checked. If that’s low then it can worsen depression, and it’ll worsen the libido killing side-effects of any SSRI you’re taking.
You should also check Cortisol. Some depressives hypersecrete it, and it drives down testosterone levels, amongst other things.