T Nation

28 Years Old, ED Issues

#1

Hey guys,

28 year old male here 171lbs

I’ve been experiencing ED more … in that i have poor erection strength (masturbating or sex) and, with more and more frequency, failure to achieve erection during sex. My refractory period is also about 15+ hours. I got some blood work done (morning, no food) to see if there was something glaring. I posted the results below. Small doses of Cialis seem to resolve my issues but overall does anyone see anything that would be of issue here?

Prolactin - 6.7 ng/mL (range 1.5-9.3 mIU/mL)
Sex Hormone Binding Glob - 48 nmol/L (range 10-50 nmol/L)
Testosterone - 797 ng/dl (range 250-1100 ng/dL)
Testosterone Free - 137.1 pg/nl (35-155 pg/mL)
LH - 5.4 MIU/ml (range 1.5-9.3 mIU/mL)

Thanks in advance for any help

#2

SHBG is very high. SHBG is made in the liver. Some liver problems can increase SHBG, as well as some other medical issues or starvation diets.

High SHBG creates more SHBG+T that is non-bioavailable and also inflates TT so TT overstates your T status.

We normally expect high SHBG to lower FT and your FT is very good. So this is odd and creates some doubt about what is going on. Your problem does not seem to be low-T.

Low thyroid function as most of the same symptoms as low-T.
See last paragraph to evaluate.

What is your history of using iodized salt?
Outer eyebrows sparse?
Do you feel cold easily?

Please read the stickies found here: About the T Replacement Category

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Evaluate your overall thyroid function by checking oral body temperatures as per the thyroid basics sticky. Thyroid hormone fT3 is what gets the job done and it regulates mitochondrial activity, the source of ATP which is the universal currency of cellular energy. This is part of the body’s temperature control loop. This can get messed up if you are iodine deficient. In many countries, you need to be using iodized salt. Other countries add iodine to dairy or bread.

#3

Very much appreciate the quick reply. I will go out and grab a thermometer to gauge temperature.

Glad to hear it doesn’t appear to be low T. Doc says it’s all normal (as it’s in range) but ultimately that doesn’t really address my problem and while the Cialis is fine it really is just a masker of the problem.

I eat about 2500 calories a day so definitely not on a starvation diet. Macros come out to roughly 240g protein, 103g fat, and between 100-200g carbs per today (rotate). Salt wise I’m just using basic Trader Joes sea salt. Would there be any harm in trying out Ionic Iodine drops (225mcg) for a week and seeing if there is an impact?

I do not feel cold easily. My outer eyebrows do not seem sparce.

#4

That is your iodine deficiency.
How long not using iodize salt? - history -

Prepared foods and restaurant meals rarely use iodized salt. So its up to your cooking and salt shaker.

Because your labs do not male sense, repeat at some point.
Important to test FSH and LH.

Q: Would there be any harm in trying out Ionic Iodine drops (225mcg) for a week and seeing if there is an impact?
A: Get body temps first. And you need to be taking selenium to protect your thyroid from selenium deficiency damage.

#5

Haven’t used iodized salt for at least 8-9 years so if it’s as simple as using iodized salt that would be amazing (guessing my mom used it in her cooking me going off to college). I read the sticky here: Thyroid Basics Explained so maybe iodized salt will only be enough to tread water but at the very least it will allow me observe a difference. I didn’t see too much on selenium in that sticky aside from mentioning it’s needed to prevent iodine issues. How would I go about supplementing it? (Source/amount?)

I will post my temps as soon as i pick up the thermometer today

I do bruise easily (my bruises tend to spread… not painful but very noticeable) even the area where they took blood for the test is a deep purple now… this may be completely unrelated but is it relevant?

#6

Not using iodized salt looks like a public health crisis to me.

#No other labs to post? CBC and hematocrit?

Bruising might be a vit-B deficiency.
Please describe diet.

  • not just macros

A selenium deficiency disables enzymes that clean up the normally produced free radicals generated in T4 production. If those enzymes do not work, cells are damaged and the immune system comes in to destroy the damaged cells. That can go wrong and there can be anti-bodies generated that see normal thyroid cells as foreign and you have an auto-immune disease, often Hashimoto’s.

Find a high potency B-complex multi-vit with trace elements including 150mcg iodine and 150-200mcg selenium.

As an example: amazon.com/Life-Extension-Two-Tablets-Count/dp/B006299OYG
You can look for others with similar contents. Note that the label is showing content for 2 tablets.

Quotes:
A deficiency of vitamin C, iron and vitamin K is usually associated with easy bruising.

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency & Bruising

#7

Checking back in here. I did the following: bought Optimen Vitamin pills. I originally was taking 1 per day but increased it to 2 pills per day. I also bought iodized salt and have been adding it on everything.

Results? I don’t have stats but the difference is… remarkable. I’m getting morning wood nearly every day and ED issues have disappeared. I can’t say for sure but it seems like my refractory period has decreased as well. Now, I don’t know what the change is primarily attributed to, could be any of the above, could also be that it’s summer and I’m outside getting more sunlight. Regardless, this is awesome for the time being and hopefully things are resolved!

Overall, thanks so much for your input here KSman… these issues are very personal (and emotionally draining) and there is so little good solid info out there. I’m incredibly appreciative that you’re taking the time to answer all these questions so quickly… I know a lot of these cases sound similar but it helps a lot to have someone respond personally.

#8

Please find 5000iu Vit-D3 tiny oil filled capsules. Take 25,000iu first 5 days, 5000iu thereafter.

Very interesting progress!

#9

Been a few months here. Issues are not perfect, BUT I’m having morning wood pretty much everyday now. Based on what I can see, sunlight is the biggest factor for me. If I get tons of direct sunlight, it’s like a rock. If I go a few days with very little sunlight then there are issues.

Supplementation doesn’t seem to be as effective as the direct sunlight approach but I don’t have much of a choice now that it’s getting colder/winter is coming. I wish I could have done a before and after check on Vitamin D levels, I’m curious to see if my theory is right on this one. Are there any specific vitamin D level tests you would recommend me checking out now?

These issues are always tough to figure out since there are so many factors involved but for anyone reading this who has a desk job and bundles up… try going outside and getting direct sunshine. It may help and it is free!