31 Y/O. Bloodwork. Test Cyp From Doc, Should I Take It?

So i have been having lots of symptoms for past couple years, VA just kept telling me i was depressed. Finally went to a family doc, he sent me to urologist who ran bloodwork. His first lab he only did total test which came back at 312 ng/dL reference range 348-1197. So he ordered more lab work, second set of labs as follows

Total - 276 ng/dL ref range 348-1197 (lean men up to 40)
Free test- 7.1 pg/mL ref range 8.7-25.1 pg/mL
Luteinizing hormone- 2.9 mIU/mL ref range1.2-10.6 mIU/mL
Prolactin- 13.1 ng/mL ref range 2.5-17.4 ng/mL

After those labs doctors nurse called said he wanted to put me on androgel i said i don’t want a gel i have a wife and 3 young kids don’t wanna risk contamination.

So she called back saying doctor is gonna do 1cc a month of test cypionate. Everything i have read on half life is don’t do one a month its bad, also that i should take HCG to keep my testicles going.

Any input on this would be appreciated as i go to see the doctor to get first shot on monday 3-20-17.

Yes, you want once per week (at least) injections. Some do better with 2x/week, but I would try 1/week first. What is your E2? Do you want more children?

No clue what any other levels are those are only test the urologist ran, i am fine with no more kids currently have 3 and the wife is fixed but being so young i don’t wanna screw myself over by not knowing and just agreeing with a doctor that may not be well versed in this area for someone my age I’m sure there are large differences in a 31 guy and a 65 guy. So not worried about sperm count don’t really want my balls shrinking up but also if there is possibility of doing something different to just boost natural production so i don’t have to do TRT for rest of my life i would be interested in that also.

Given those concerns, you might start with HCG (only) and see how you respond.

Probably secondary hypogonadism. Testing LH is not enough as it is pulsatile and has a short half-life, so any lab can catch a peak or trough. Better to test LH and FSH as FSH has a longer half-life. steadier levels and often a better indicator of LH status than LH itself.

Low LH/FSH can be caused by blows to the head, this is quite well known.

TRT injections of once a week are frequently not going to work well. Most should be self-injecting T twice a week. Your doc is an idiot and most doctors are.

Suggested protocol:

  • self inject 50mg T cyp twice a week
  • take 0.5 mg anastrozole at time of injections, adjust to get near E2=22 pg/ml
  • optional: inject 250iu hCG SC EOD
  • You can inject T with #29 1/2" 0.5ml insulin syringes, least cost ReLion brand at Walmart. Inject SC/SQ - into fat under skin

Many who show up here also have thyroid issues. Normal on labs does not count. Please see last paragraph in this post. Iodine from iodized salt is extremely important and critical for children too, women need more than men as iodine is stored in breast tissue.

You need to read all four stickies below.

Please read the stickies found here: About the T Replacement Category - #2 by KSman

  • advice for new guys
  • things that damage your hormones
  • protocol for injections
  • finding a TRT doc

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.

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Also should test:
E2 - estradiol
fasting glucose
fasting cholesterol - can be too low, 180 ideal, <160 is a problem
CBC
hematocrit

VA is often very inept at these things, based on what others have posted

Thanks. I’m based in Toronto, Canada.

I have a meeting with an anti-aging clinic on Wednesday so will ask that they run these tests as well.

Will keep you posted on how things go.

TRT in Canada is difficult. You need to press for the goals suggested here:

Self injected T
hCG to preserve testes and/or fertility, can be different issues
Anastrozole to get E2 near E2=22pg/ml - 80 pmol/L

Do not know about VA in Canada, in USA they typically think that T levels for 80 year old men are OK for young guys.

BTW, spend most of my life in S Ontario. Family is old Toronto.