Hi guys! I’ve been interested in my testosterone levels lately. I first got it checked 2 months ago where they only checked my total testosterone which came out to be 12.7 nmol/l (about 366 ng/dl). I wanted to check my testosterone levels due to the following symptoms:
Brain fog
depression and anxiety
low libido and ED
Very little muscle mass/low strength
Age: 22
Height: 5’11
Waist: 40"
Weight: 192 lbs
Hair: I have a nice bit of body hair, chest, back etc. but I can’t grow a proper beard. It always comes out patchy and thin.
Fat: Almost all of my fat is around my stomach. My arms and legs are very skinny.
No health conditions. My mother and sister both have hypthyroidism.
Took cymbalta for a few months when I was 18 but no other drugs
My testes have never ached
My diet is pretty clean: a lot of chicken breasts, steak, vegetables, other whole foods, although I do cheat occasionally and I do drink on the weekends.
Training: Admittedly I’m pretty sedentary
Morning wood: Almost never. I can’t remember the last time I had it, and I never did have it very often.
LAB RESULTS
Total Test: 12.5 nmol/l (360 ng/dl) (5.5-25.2)
FSH: 2.6 IU/L (0.9-12.0)
LH: 4.3 IU/L (0.6-12.1)
Prolactin: 13.7 ug/L (3-14.7)
Estradiol: 88 pmol/l (40-161)
TSH: 2.186 mIU/L (0.350-4.940)
Free T3: 4.2 pmol/L (2.6-5.7)
I also asked for free testosterone, free T3, and Vitamin D and they flat out never did the tests. As if they forget.
I’m wondering particularly if my FSH and LH, while in range, would be considered sort of low, and if that is what is causing my low normal testosterone. Also is my prolactin a bit high? It is within range but seems high normal. Would my prolactin have any effect on my FSH and LH? Thanks for any advice guys!
Any ideas would be appreciated guys. I’m really feeling the effects here. My doctor let me do a trial run on t-injections and it vastly improved my sex drive before my natural production shut down. Instead of upping the dose or asking for hcg I decided to shelve the t injections for now. I enjoyed the experience but I’m not sure the effects of trt is worth it, especially when there is probably some sort of underlying cause.
I’ve asked for free testosterone on every blood test but they refuse to check it. I also checked my cortisol after and everything was nearly dead center in range. The only things that are off are my low normal testosterone and high-normal prolactin. Could that prolactin be causing my slightly lower t level? I’ve also scheduled an appointment with an endocrinologist but they are in very short supply where I am from and my appointment isn’t until next year.
Prolactin is inhibitory at the hypothalamus/pituitary so yes it will cause low T. It could have been an odd-ball day and measured high, I’d get another lab value. Functional tumors of the pituitary in these cells are relatively common.
Get busy living or get busy dying. Your body will not fight to keep you healthy if you just sit around. It will instead slowly take away abilities, including sexual, until you wither to nothing. Exercise, you’re too young to sit around with boner killing T levels.
There is no direct test for free-T. It’s a math equation of albumin-SHBG-TT. I think the test is useless since you can’t change your serum protein levels other than dietary shortages of protein.
Awesome, thanks for the advice c27 I truly appreciate it!
When I get a chance I will post my cortisol levels too but they are pretty dead center for both the am and pm.
I know this is a bit far out there; but lately I’ve been reading a lot about adult ADHD and looking back through my life I think I might have the innattentive sub type. ADHD is caused primarily by lower dopamine. Dopamine is inversely related. So low dopamine could cause high prolactin which could cause low normal testosterone levels. Think this could be a factor? And do you think my prolactin levels are actually high enough to cause my testosterone to be as low as it is?