-44, 5’5, 170 lbs. 34 waist.
-Body hair is fairly thick, hasn’t changed.
-Body fat stored primarily around my lower waist, never can get rid of that roll, even when dieting down to 150 lbs. 2 years ago.
-Only health condition is high blood pressure which I inherited, take an ACE inhibitor and diuretic daily for it since I was 18.
BLOOD TEST results from 7/11/11 (I left out CBC and metabolic panel for brevity)
Lipid Panel
Cholesterol, Total, 222 mg/dL (100-199)
Triglycerides, 87 mg/dL (0-149)
HDL Cholesterol, 79 mg/dL (>39)
VLDL Cholesterol, 17 mg/dL (5-40)
LDL Cholesterol, 126 mg/dL (0-99)
Thyroid Panel With TSH
TSH, 4.440 uIU/mL (0.450-4.500)
Thyroxine (T4), 8.7 ug/dL (4.5-12.0)
T3 Uptake, 33% (24-39)
Free Thyroxine Index, 2.9 (1.2-4.9)
Testosterone, Free/Tot Equilib
Testosterone, Serum, 357 ng/dL (249-836)
Testosterone, Free, 8.21 ng/dL (5.00-21.00)
% Free Testosterone, 2.30% (1.50-4.20)
PSA, 1.0 ng/mL (0.0-4.0)
IGF-1, 214 ng/mL (101-267)
Estradiol, Sensitive, 9 pg/mL (3-70)
LH, 1.3 mIU/mL (1.7-8.6)
FSH, 4.3 mIU/mL (1.5-12.4)
-My diet consists of chicken breast, lean burger, lean pork, fish, whole eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, lots of water, etc. averaging 3600 cals a day.
-Training four days a week, one bodypart a day, primarily compounds. I train all-out balls to the wall in the gym 45 min. to an hour. Take a deload week every two months or so. I do experience frequent joint pain in my knees and shoulders.
-My libido has been the driving force behind seeking answers. In the last year or so I’ve had difficulty at times finishing, and often just don’t feel like having sex (despite having a hot wife). This bothers me the most.
-Besides libido I have found myself increasingly irritated and frustrated at work and don’t feel like being there half the time. I thought I was just burned out, but the other symptoms make me wonder.
The blood test results that stood out were LH (low), TSH (high), E2 (low), test and free test (low). From reading several other posts I’m thinking I may have hypothyroid problems which could be depressing my test levels. I’ve read about people using Armour to bring up thyroid levels, but from the latest information it seems Armour has changed the formulation and it may not be as effective.
I have visited stopthethyroidmadness and am planning to start taking morning temps. Any other advice or blood tests that I should be aware of?
Thanks in advance for any assistance.