35, Healthy, Strong, but .... Low T, Need Help

Hey guys - long time member, first time posting in this section. I’ve read the stickies, and a number of posts - though it’s been a little tough for me to drum up the stones to post about this, but in any case here goes. (I’m posting under a new username since this is kinda personal and my old username contained searchable personal information)

I’ve been experiencing fading erections, fewer erections, a drop in drive, libido, emotional state, energy, etc. I’ve felt like my T is low. My wife and girlfriend (you read that correctly, we are a polyamorous triad) have both noticed fading erections. GF has anecdotally noted this more often when my back was worse. Wife has not specifically noted this, but has agreed that this is a problem. I used to want sex 3 or 4 times a day, now it’s maybe 3 or 4 times a week. This began several months ago, around the time I stopped lifting due to back pain.

I saw my PCP at Kaiser, who ordered the bloodwork you see. Following this he said “everything looks good!” - I told him he was nuts and asked for a referral. He responded that I could ask the Urologist about it when I went in for my vasectomy (which was scheduled a few weeks in the future). The Urologist said we should absolutely not proceed with the vasectomy until any other issues are completely sorted out. He exampined my testes, determined they were normal and healthy, then immediately referred me to another urologist, who I saw the next morning (yesterday) - he suggested TRT was probably the right call, and I asked to see an Endocrinologist, because TRT seemed like a bandaid and potentially missing root causes. The referral was made, but I still haven’t heard from the Endocrinology department - of course, I’ll be posting updates on here as they become available. I know my lab results are not exactly complete.

It just doesn’t seem reasonable that a 35 year old man in great shape with an amazing sex life should suddenly turn up with low Testosterone and suffering erections. All my other numbers looked really good - my blood pressure is 100 over 70, my resting heart rate is below 60. I’ve even been borderline paranoid about things that could lower my T. I avoid soy like the plague (so much that my ladies often used laugh at me about it - though they don’t laugh about it anymore). I don’t drink much at all, and I don’t even use endocrine disrupting sunscreen. The people I’ve told have looked at me in confusion - I’m fit, strong, very masculine.

Personal life has been more financially stressful due to some difficulty at my company (I run a small busness), we lost our biggest client who was continually dicking us around and it’s been tough to replace that volume of business, but this happened months before these symptoms began.

Now the basics, as per the sticky:

-age: 35
-height: 5’10.5"
-waist: 36"
-weight: 182 lbs
-describe body and facial hair: facial hair is thick, dark, grows quickly, and scrapes the faces of women when we kiss even if I’ve recently shaved.
-describe where you carry fat and how changed: around the midsection mainly, some in my cheeks. Love handles are visible, but not so bad.
-health conditions, symptoms [history]: Asthma - been off corticosteroids for a decade, only taking Serevent 1x/daily. Very well controlled. Recent condition symptoms include: low energy, poor mood, feeling defeated, less drive, lower libido, fading erections, emotional sensitivity, less patience.
-Rx and OTC drugs: Only other Rx drugs I’ve taken in the last year are Cyclobenzabrine, Mobic, and Ibuprophen, as needed for back issues - have not taken in months. NO hair loss drugs (I have an infuriating amount of hair). No recreational drugs, very little alcohol. I take a daily multi, zinc, and sometimes a t-booster with tribulus and longjack, which honestly hasn’t really done much beyond placebo.
-Diet: 2 eggs with toast and butter in the AM typically, lunch usually involves a decent serving of meat and vegetables, snakcs tend to be a little sweeter like dark chocolate with nuts, dried figs, etc, and dinner is usually meat carb and veg, often chicken or fish. (Been eating a bit less red meat due to the drought, but I still eat plenty)
-Training: Stopped lifting a few months ago due to back issues. Compensated by swimming, doing pull-ups, and running. Typically, I excersize about 4 or 5 days a week, on average between 30 and 50 minutes. I’ll often run 1.5 mi, swim for a mile or two in the ocean, then run another 1.5 miles home and feel good after. Sometimes it’ll just be a run, sometimes just a swim. I also work with my hands often, doing things like fabrication, but sometimes do pretty strenuous physical labor like roofing (which takes the place of workouts of course).
-testes ache, ever, with a fever? Testicles have had some pain occasionally typically coninciding with back pain. I’ve been informed by chiropractors that this is typical of sciatic nerve pressure - essentially phantom pain.
-how have morning wood and nocturnal erections changed - morning wood is hit and miss. Used to be every morning I awkoe with a glorious boner, but now it’s maybe 50/50, sometimes popping up after I awake, and usually not 100% hard.

Here is my labwork:

TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL (240 - 871 ng/dL) 269
ESTRADIOL (11 - 44 pg/mL) 11
FSH (no stated range) 3.6
LH (no stated range) 3.3
TSH (0.35 - 4.00 mcIU/mL) 1.80

CBC:
WBC’S AUTO (4.0 - 11.0 x1000/mcL) 6.2
RBC, AUTO (4.70 - 6.10 Mill/mcL) 5.47
HGB (14.0 - 18.0 g/dL) 16.2
HCT, AUTO (42.0 - 52.0 %) 47.3
MCV (80.0 - 94.0 fL) 86.4
MCH (27.0 - 35.0 pg/cell) 29.7
MCHC (32.0 - 37.0 g/dL) 34.3
RDW, BLOOD (11.5 - 14.5 %) 14.5
PLATELETS, AUTOMATED COUNT (130 - 400 x1000/mcL) 195

WBC Differential:
NEUTROPHILS %, AUTOMATED COUNT (42.0 - 75.0 %) 58.6
LYMPHOCYTES %, AUTOMATED COUNT (20.0 - 51.0 %) 30.3
MONOS %, AUTO (1.0 - 12.0 %) 7.9
EOSINOPHILS %, AUTOMATED COUNT (0.0 - 10.0 %) 2.8
BASOPHILS %, AUTOMATED COUNT (0.0 - 1.0 %) 0.4
NEUTROPHILS, ABSOLUTE, AUTOMATED COUNT (1.8 - 7.7 x1000/mcL) 3.6
LYMPHOCYTES, AUTOMATED COUNT (1.2 - 3.4 x1000/mcL) 1.9
MONOCYTES, AUTOMATED COUNT (0.1 - 1.0 x1000/mcL) 0.5
EOSINOPHILS, AUTOMATED COUNT (0.0 - 0.7 x1000/mcL) 0.2
BASOPHILS, AUTOMATED COUNT (0.0 - 0.2 x1000/mcL) 0.0
PSA (<=2.5 ng/mL) 1.0
CREATININE (<=1.30 mg/dL) 1.10
ALT (<=63 U/L) 27

Sorry for the long post, I wanted to get as much history and info as seemed pertinent as possible in the first post of the thread. Any help and advice would be very welcome.

EDIT - in addition to this, I should add that I’ve lost about 15 lbs over the last 5 or 6 months.

[quote]SvartSvensk wrote:
Hey guys - long time member, first time posting in this section. I’ve read the stickies, and a number of posts - though it’s been a little tough for me to drum up the stones to post about this, but in any case here goes. (I’m posting under a new username since this is kinda personal and my old username contained searchable personal information)

I’ve been experiencing fading erections, fewer erections, a drop in drive, libido, emotional state, energy, etc. I’ve felt like my T is low. My wife and girlfriend (you read that correctly, we are a polyamorous triad) have both noticed fading erections. GF has anecdotally noted this more often when my back was worse. Wife has not specifically noted this, but has agreed that this is a problem. I used to want sex 3 or 4 times a day, now it’s maybe 3 or 4 times a week. This began several months ago, around the time I stopped lifting due to back pain.

I saw my PCP at Kaiser, who ordered the bloodwork you see. Following this he said “everything looks good!” - I told him he was nuts and asked for a referral. He responded that I could ask the Urologist about it when I went in for my vasectomy (which was scheduled a few weeks in the future). The Urologist said we should absolutely not proceed with the vasectomy until any other issues are completely sorted out. He exampined my testes, determined they were normal and healthy, then immediately referred me to another urologist, who I saw the next morning (yesterday) - he suggested TRT was probably the right call, and I asked to see an Endocrinologist, because TRT seemed like a bandaid and potentially missing root causes. The referral was made, but I still haven’t heard from the Endocrinology department - of course, I’ll be posting updates on here as they become available. I know my lab results are not exactly complete.

It just doesn’t seem reasonable that a 35 year old man in great shape with an amazing sex life should suddenly turn up with low Testosterone and suffering erections. All my other numbers looked really good - my blood pressure is 100 over 70, my resting heart rate is below 60. I’ve even been borderline paranoid about things that could lower my T. I avoid soy like the plague (so much that my ladies often used laugh at me about it - though they don’t laugh about it anymore). I don’t drink much at all, and I don’t even use endocrine disrupting sunscreen. The people I’ve told have looked at me in confusion - I’m fit, strong, very masculine.

Personal life has been more financially stressful due to some difficulty at my company (I run a small busness), we lost our biggest client who was continually dicking us around and it’s been tough to replace that volume of business, but this happened months before these symptoms began.

Now the basics, as per the sticky:

-age: 35
-height: 5’10.5"
-waist: 36"
-weight: 182 lbs
-describe body and facial hair: facial hair is thick, dark, grows quickly, and scrapes the faces of women when we kiss even if I’ve recently shaved.
-describe where you carry fat and how changed: around the midsection mainly, some in my cheeks. Love handles are visible, but not so bad.
-health conditions, symptoms [history]: Asthma - been off corticosteroids for a decade, only taking Serevent 1x/daily. Very well controlled. Recent condition symptoms include: low energy, poor mood, feeling defeated, less drive, lower libido, fading erections, emotional sensitivity, less patience.
-Rx and OTC drugs: Only other Rx drugs I’ve taken in the last year are Cyclobenzabrine, Mobic, and Ibuprophen, as needed for back issues - have not taken in months. NO hair loss drugs (I have an infuriating amount of hair). No recreational drugs, very little alcohol. I take a daily multi, zinc, and sometimes a t-booster with tribulus and longjack, which honestly hasn’t really done much beyond placebo.
-Diet: 2 eggs with toast and butter in the AM typically, lunch usually involves a decent serving of meat and vegetables, snakcs tend to be a little sweeter like dark chocolate with nuts, dried figs, etc, and dinner is usually meat carb and veg, often chicken or fish. (Been eating a bit less red meat due to the drought, but I still eat plenty)
-Training: Stopped lifting a few months ago due to back issues. Compensated by swimming, doing pull-ups, and running. Typically, I excersize about 4 or 5 days a week, on average between 30 and 50 minutes. I’ll often run 1.5 mi, swim for a mile or two in the ocean, then run another 1.5 miles home and feel good after. Sometimes it’ll just be a run, sometimes just a swim. I also work with my hands often, doing things like fabrication, but sometimes do pretty strenuous physical labor like roofing (which takes the place of workouts of course).
-testes ache, ever, with a fever? Testicles have had some pain occasionally typically coninciding with back pain. I’ve been informed by chiropractors that this is typical of sciatic nerve pressure - essentially phantom pain.
-how have morning wood and nocturnal erections changed - morning wood is hit and miss. Used to be every morning I awkoe with a glorious boner, but now it’s maybe 50/50, sometimes popping up after I awake, and usually not 100% hard.

Here is my labwork:

TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL (240 - 871 ng/dL) 269
ESTRADIOL (11 - 44 pg/mL) 11
FSH (no stated range) 3.6
LH (no stated range) 3.3
TSH (0.35 - 4.00 mcIU/mL) 1.80

CBC:
WBC’S AUTO (4.0 - 11.0 x1000/mcL) 6.2
RBC, AUTO (4.70 - 6.10 Mill/mcL) 5.47
HGB (14.0 - 18.0 g/dL) 16.2
HCT, AUTO (42.0 - 52.0 %) 47.3
MCV (80.0 - 94.0 fL) 86.4
MCH (27.0 - 35.0 pg/cell) 29.7
MCHC (32.0 - 37.0 g/dL) 34.3
RDW, BLOOD (11.5 - 14.5 %) 14.5
PLATELETS, AUTOMATED COUNT (130 - 400 x1000/mcL) 195

WBC Differential:
NEUTROPHILS %, AUTOMATED COUNT (42.0 - 75.0 %) 58.6
LYMPHOCYTES %, AUTOMATED COUNT (20.0 - 51.0 %) 30.3
MONOS %, AUTO (1.0 - 12.0 %) 7.9
EOSINOPHILS %, AUTOMATED COUNT (0.0 - 10.0 %) 2.8
BASOPHILS %, AUTOMATED COUNT (0.0 - 1.0 %) 0.4
NEUTROPHILS, ABSOLUTE, AUTOMATED COUNT (1.8 - 7.7 x1000/mcL) 3.6
LYMPHOCYTES, AUTOMATED COUNT (1.2 - 3.4 x1000/mcL) 1.9
MONOCYTES, AUTOMATED COUNT (0.1 - 1.0 x1000/mcL) 0.5
EOSINOPHILS, AUTOMATED COUNT (0.0 - 0.7 x1000/mcL) 0.2
BASOPHILS, AUTOMATED COUNT (0.0 - 0.2 x1000/mcL) 0.0
PSA (<=2.5 ng/mL) 1.0
CREATININE (<=1.30 mg/dL) 1.10
ALT (<=63 U/L) 27

Sorry for the long post, I wanted to get as much history and info as seemed pertinent as possible in the first post of the thread. Any help and advice would be very welcome.[/quote]

Would had liked to see free testosterone and prolactin with thyroid tests.

I know there’s no reason for healthy 35 male to start suffering from this but it’s only wishful thinking and is not how life works.
It happens to males in their 20’s aswell. So don’t feel bad. In medical terms you’re not considered young anymore at age of 35, as horrible as it sounds. =)

TT is low. All else seemed ok to me.
If you’re experiencing a lot of stress for prolonged time, this will affect your levels. Reducing stress as a human being is usually very hard next to impossible. Fix one problem, next one will arise.

Low total testosterone isn’t necessarily the cause to your ed and reduced libido so fixing your hormone levels doesn’t guarantee anything really.
Did you know that back issues are linked and known to cause ED aswell?

It would seem atm that the trt will be your road.

If you haven’t, best bet is to read the stickies in here and learn before starting any treatment as the doctors are often really incompetent in this matter and usually trt is life time thing.

If your love triad allows it, you could start out by testing with gel and see what happens rather than injection straight away. Just because it’s alot easier to control that way and might be all you need.


Thanks so much, Divy - yeah, the Urologist suggested Androgel, and no AI. Multiple Urologists I’ve spoken with have said that back issues shouldn’t affect androgen levels or erectile function - I’d love to read more about the connection between the two… if you have any links for me I’d seriously appreciate it!

I wish my labs were more complete as well, hoping that the Endocrinologist will order a more complete set. I started testing my temp this am, but it may do no good as I’ve got a head cold. When I woke up I was at 98.3. Yesterday afternoon I was at 98.8. I don’t typically get cold at all (usually feel the opposite), I rarely even wear a wetsuit in the ocean.

One other thing (which I’ve edited the original post to include) is that I’ve lost weight. 15 lbs in less than 6 months. A bit concerned that I’ve lost muscle mass as I don’t appear to be substantially leaner. Here’s a pic to compare. (not the best, I know, I’ll try and have a better more recent pic taken soon)

What is the time line of the sexual issues and how does the introduction of Serevent fit that?

Your LH is not extremely low, but with the low T, your HPTA should be trying harder. So it looks like secondary hypogonadism.

We often see that thyroid issues are part of the equation, not necessarily causative, but can be additive.

Stress can take time to wear you down and fatigue your adrenals.
Corticosteroids can have lingering effects.

Please check your oral body temperature:

  • when you first wake up, should be 97.7-97.8, higher is OK, 97.3 is a problem
  • should also hit 98.6
  • often cause is not using iodized salt.
  • TSH=1.8 is getting too high, should be closer to 1.0, the lab ranges are stupid
  • if low body temps, need labs: TSH, fT3 fT4 and rT3[because of stress
  • low thyroid function robs drive, initiative, makes one fat and depressed, same symptoms as low T

Labs: - you have some now
TT
FT
E2
LH/FSH
prolactin !!!
AST/ALT
IGF-1
CRP [inflammatory marker]
DHEA-S
ADD TSH, fT3, fT3, rT3 if body temps are low.

Physical exam of testes detects gross problems. Doc cannot judge loss of size and reduced firmness. You and your partners are best judge of that.

When did you gain that weight [36" waist].
Unexpected weight loss can be a sign of trouble. How does time line of this fit with libido issues?

Back pain may benefit from a good massage therapist!!!
Can recommend in 66047


Here’s a body pic from today.

Thanks, KSman! Hoping that the Endocrinologist can order a more complete set of labs with the Thyroid markers, prolactin, etc.

I’ve been off Corticosteroids since 2006 or 2007, that’s when I began taking Serevent for asthma instead of Advair (which is Serevent plus a corticosteroid). Unfortunately, extended use of corticosteroids left me with a nasty case of candida and chronic heartburn, which I cured about 6 months ago with apple cider vinegar. Until that point, I was taking Omeprazole once a day. Sexual issues began about 3 months ago, maybe 4.

As for weight, I’d weighed in at 200 +/- 5lbs for a decade. When I trained, I kept the weight, but re-proportioned. Got down to 190 when I was boxing about 5 years ago, but other than that, I’d been basically the same weight the whole time. My waist is a little smaller than it has been historically, I’m sorta built like a pillar - my chest is as deep as it is wide. Sometimes that makes finding clothes that fight right difficult. As you can see, I’m not terribly overweight.

Adrenal fatigue and thyroid issues are certainly a possibility - once I’m off of this nasty cold I’ll take careful body temp measurements. (99 right now).

If my Thyroid is relatively asymptomatic, what would you hypothesize as the cause? I know adrenal fatigue can be a bitch (having gone through it before), but yeesh, to this extent…? :frowning:

Just google “back pain linked to ed”.
I’m experiencing lower back pain sometimes, have been for years now.
This info was something my chiropractic told me and i began to look more about it. Apparently back is linked to erection due to some nerve centers located in the back.

When i had sex with my wife last time ( was doing it from behind, so you know the movement i was engaging :slight_smile: ) i suddenly developed so big lowerback pain i could hardly walk. It has happened before aswell but is kinda rare. Phantom pain to testicles was horrible as well holy hell.

My chiro said that untreated “untreated locks in the vertebra, in spinal column can lead and affect to ED”. I don’t know the english word for this state, the vertebra is kinda “locked” to each other in small area ( obviously not whole back ) and cannot move properly, causing all sorts of symptoms. Edit: Found the english word it’s “Facet Joint Pain”.

http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/240381/161366/erectile-dysfunction/

Edit: Corrected early morning typos. IE Face joint pain = Facet joint pain etc. lol…

If it has only been three or four months, this may just be something temporary and there is a chance it will resolve itself in a few months. If i were you i would just treat it temporily with viagra until things return to normal, which they probably will. Premature TRT would prevent your body from returning to normal on its own. Age related hypogonadism doesn’t happen suddenly like that. More likely there is an underlying cause or stressor like an infection or pituitary tumor, for which you should perhaps be screened just to be sure. Chronic back pain may be such a stressor too.

Don’t get fixated on what someone’s chiropractor said about back issues. A back problem couldn’t reduce your libido, which is in the brain, not the penis,unless it is simply the chronic pain making you less horny. Many things can temporarily affect T and libido, including the aftermath of viral infections you didn’t even know you had, diet, etc., etc.

[quote]seekonk wrote:
If it has only been three or four months, this may just be something temporary and there is a chance it will resolve itself in a few months. If i were you i would just treat it temporily with viagra until things return to normal, which they probably will. Premature TRT would prevent your body from returning to normal on its own. She related hypogonadism doesn’t happen suddenly like that unless there is an underlying cause like am infection or pituitary tumor, for which you should perhaps be screened just to be sure.

Don’t get fixated on what someone’s chiropractor said about back issues. A back problem couldn’t reduce your libido, which is in the brain, not the penis,unless it is simply the chronic pain making you less horny. Many things can temporarily affect T and libido, including the aftermath of viral infections you didn’t even know you had, diet, etc., etc. [/quote]

Hypogonadism can happen quickly and there’s always reason for it but many times the causes simply have to be labeled as idiopathic.

ED almost never fixes itself. Treating with viagra and hoping for the best is the kind of bandaid that does nothing to find out the real cause as untreated hypogonadism has much more severe health implications than mere erection dysfunction.

Libido is sexual drive/desire, ED is erectile dysfunction and
they are very different things.

Reasoning with the fixation of anyones chiropracticer is true, this would be true to everyone elses doctor aswell.

However, only brain affecting your penis/erection is totally false and your back issues doesn’t need to be anything like chronic pain to decrease sexual function. There are many things in between when we speak about sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

I don’t have much trouble attaining an erection so much as trouble keeping it. Libido has definitely decreased, but I still feel the desire - the desire to be sexy, the desire to please my ladies, to love and be loved… I do feel the need to cuddle a little more than before, and generally I feel more “fragile”. It f***ing blows. I want to feel like ME again - confident, fearless, indomitable.

The weird thing is that this sorta feels inconsistent. Sometimes I feel more like myself, stronger, more driven… sometimes I feel like a scared puppy. Sometimes I feel like a goddamned sexual tyrannosaurus (see what I did there?), and then sometimes like I’m the one being hunted.

Reading some more about back issues, saw this http://www.emaxhealth.com/1020/52/34665/back-pain-treatment-could-solve-erection-problems.html

If chronic tightness in the low back or pelvic floor can cause reduced blood flow to the penis, is it not conceivable that it could also cause low blood flow to the testicles? I have been getting adjusted by a chiropractor regularly to overcome my back issues… and my hips are much less tight than they were a few months ago. If Viagra can restore blood flow to the penis, could it restore blood flow to the testes?

A note on size and “firmness”, the womenfolk haven’t noticed a change in them beyond their normal range - to me though, it feels like they oscillate between being huge and being tiny. I have the feeling that something is intermittently working and failing in my body, like an engine with a bad fuel pump, and I can’t seem to pin down what or why.

I have probs with keeping erection aswell, i still have pretty good libido usually and do think of sex a lot. Rare morning woods etc, usually none, but i’m having high estradiol atm and will treat it soonish and see what happens, i’m not trustful it’s the cause but will see within a month.

It will propably take time for you to figure your own causes and possible treatments to this. I’ve been on this road for while now, half a year or so.
There’s still many things for me investigate and experiment.

I was gonna joke that “bro you’re just turning bit older, that’s totally ok” but as i’m same age than you, i know it’d be a lie! ;))

[quote]Divyx wrote:

Hypogonadism can happen quickly and there’s always reason for it but many times the causes simply have to be labeled as idiopathic.

ED almost never fixes itself. Treating with viagra and hoping for the best is the kind of bandaid that does nothing to find out the real cause as untreated hypogonadism has much more severe health implications than mere erection dysfunction.
[/quote]

True, but it has only been a few months. It would be a shame to start TRT and possibly permanently damage the HPTA if the problem is due to something temporary (back pain, aftereffects of a virus like mono, etc.) that would have fixed itself by simply waiting another four months - using viagra in the meantime in such a case would do less harm than premature TRT. By the way, ED absolutely fixes itself in many cases, especially when caused by a temporary injury, anxiety (and the OP seems to have some anxiety about it), etc., especially in guys as young as the OP.

[quote]SvartSvensk wrote:

Reading some more about back issues, saw this http://www.emaxhealth.com/1020/52/34665/back-pain-treatment-could-solve-erection-problems.html

If chronic tightness in the low back or pelvic floor can cause reduced blood flow to the penis, is it not conceivable that it could also cause low blood flow to the testicles? I have been getting adjusted by a chiropractor regularly to overcome my back issues… and my hips are much less tight than they were a few months ago. If Viagra can restore blood flow to the penis, could it restore blood flow to the testes?[/quote]

I looked at the link and it seems plausible that resolving back pain can help erection problems, though their hypothesis that the problem was due to blocked blood flow is just speculation - there may be other reasons back problems can cause sexual problems, the simplest of which is that as we all know, guys can ignore a lot of discomfort for sex but when you cross a certain threshold of discomfort, the mood is quickly ruined.

On the bright side, if all this is due to your back problem, it should resolve itself in a couple of months when your back gets back to normal, as happens in the large majority of back problems with or without treatment.

By the way, at what time of day was the blood drawn? Morning draws have to be used for diagnosis since everyone’s testosterone levels are lower in the afternoon.

Also, is the back pain affecting your sleep? Bad sleep will ruin testosterone levels.

Are you taking pain medications or certain sleep meds? Either can lower testosterone levels while on them.

[quote]seekonk wrote:

[quote]Divyx wrote:

Hypogonadism can happen quickly and there’s always reason for it but many times the causes simply have to be labeled as idiopathic.

ED almost never fixes itself. Treating with viagra and hoping for the best is the kind of bandaid that does nothing to find out the real cause as untreated hypogonadism has much more severe health implications than mere erection dysfunction.
[/quote]

True, but it has only been a few months. It would be a shame to start TRT and possibly permanently damage the HPTA if the problem is due to something temporary (back pain, aftereffects of a virus like mono, etc.) that would have fixed itself by simply waiting another four months - using viagra in the meantime in such a case would do less harm than premature TRT. By the way, ED absolutely fixes itself in many cases, especially when caused by a temporary injury, anxiety (and the OP seems to have some anxiety about it), etc., especially in guys as young as the OP.
[/quote]

I can agree that immeditaly starting trt isn’t always the right choice.
All other things should be taken into consideration first. It might be the stress as i “guessed” in earlier posts, nearly impossible to say for certain.

Well ED is case dependant, i ofcourse hope it’ll fix itself but i have little faith in that personally. Then again i’m naturally pretty pessimistic person, not in evil way though. :slight_smile:

True that viagra could help in the meanwhile, but imo even that medication should be understood in somewhat basic level before taking it. Svart could read about ped5 inhibitors, he was asking some question about viagra earlier. If he hasn’t done so. Just don’t let it be constant habit and always rely on it so he knows where he’s at with the ED atm.

Where i’m also skeptical is humans ability to deal with stress. Somehow it seems that humans always finds new things to stress about constantly. One stress factor is eliminated, another one rises. However Svart does report from big stress issue atm and that alone could be the sole reason. Then again it could be the hormones, or it could be the back, or so many other things.

Best regards!

You guys might really be onto something with the sleep thing. I HAVEN’T been sleeping well for months. I toss and turn worrying about finances, my company… and every time I roll over in my sleep I get back spasms and pain which takes me out of sleep and means I need more time to fall back asleep. I noticed last night before bed my testes were enormous, and this morning, they were tiny.

I don’t take any sleeping medication, I mean, I took a benadryl when I had my cold to keep the symptoms down at night so I could sleep, and I felt amazing after the hangover had subsided, but other than that, zero sleeping aids other than magnesium at bedtime - and that hasn’t exactly been doing the trick. I stopped taking the Cyclobenzaprine even though it really helped with sleeping because I know that drug can really mess with hormones and cause ED, and it was having a negative effect.

Body temp yesterday am and today on waking was 97.7 on the nose. Got more blood drawn at the dr this am - a “testosterone panel” and prolactin. The endocrinologist phoned in labwork and didn’t even give me the chance to ask for extras. :confused: sigh. Kaiser.

Will update as soon as I hear more. Any suggestions for how I could shut my damned brain and back up so I can get proper sleep?

If you don’t consider drugs then one of the things i know:

CBT-I ( Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia ). Psychological training.

Go for an easy jog or walk outside.
Avoid any possible day naps.
Too much excercise in the evening could be counter productive to your sleep because of adrenalin.

It’s becoming apparent that first thing you need to solve is the high stress. It has your adrenaline elevated for sure, as well as cortisol which is big enemy of testosterone to say it bluntly. Then again there is the other side of the coin of low testosterone causing poor sleep and insomnia.

You could always tell your self that even if the business falls down, it’s not the end of your life but rather just a stage, transition. I think your problems are all too common in the entrepreneur world no matter of the business size.

Put all of your problems on notepad, or here, start to think a pattern what affects what, and do some kind of plan where you start fixing it.

My personal pick would be the stress, it’s a killer in every way even if you’d be 20 years old. Just my opinon bro.

Oh, I’ll totally take a pill to help me sleep as long as it’s not doing anything to harm my T levels or kill my brain in the long-term… I’m concerned about taking Diphenhydramine for that reason, but I guess I could give Melatonin a shot in the meantime.

I don’t drink caffeine after 2PM, I don’t exercise in the evenings, I do go for a walk in the evening often to take the dog to do her thing.

Behavioral therapy might help, worth a shot. I should ask my girlfriend what she thinks as she’s a therapist! :slight_smile:

Good idea about writing things down and formulating plans to fix them. Sometimes having things put on paper quietens my internal push notifications, heh. :slight_smile:

Chiropractor has suggested a firmer bed might help with the back pain at night. I need a new mattress anyway - queen size is too small for three people.

[quote]SvartSvensk wrote:
Oh, I’ll totally take a pill to help me sleep as long as it’s not doing anything to harm my T levels or kill my brain in the long-term… I’m concerned about taking Diphenhydramine for that reason, but I guess I could give Melatonin a shot in the meantime.

I don’t drink caffeine after 2PM, I don’t exercise in the evenings, I do go for a walk in the evening often to take the dog to do her thing.

Behavioral therapy might help, worth a shot. I should ask my girlfriend what she thinks as she’s a therapist! :slight_smile:

Good idea about writing things down and formulating plans to fix them. Sometimes having things put on paper quietens my internal push notifications, heh. :slight_smile:

Chiropractor has suggested a firmer bed might help with the back pain at night. I need a new mattress anyway - queen size is too small for three people.[/quote]

Yeah too soft mattress isn’t good if you have back issues.

It’s also 8 years old. My back hasn’t been too much of a problem until a few months ago, been very strong and solid for a number of years.

More test results back - still haven’t gotten prolactin numbers, but my T was up a little. Still no free T though, ugh. I’m sure Prolactin numbers will be coming soon.

TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL 240 - 871 ng/dL 364
SEXHORMONE BINDING GLOBULIN 11 - 78 nmol/L 17

Girlfriend has suggested hypnosis for sleep issues, and has said that trying to manage anxiety better may help. Also, I’m thinking about trying Ambien.

By lowing your stomach acid long term, you were probably reducing absorption of minerals and vit-B12 and perhaps oral vit-D3.

What dosing for the cider vinegar? I would like to pass that on to someone.

Ping me with new labs at thread: ksman is here.