I just got back some bloodwork back and wanted a little bit of feedback.
My dose of androgel is very low, about 13g of 1% gel per week, applying 1-2 compressions per day, but this has seemed to give me normal levels. I have a prototypical case of primary hypogonadism as I began TRT with small nuts, low T (275 ng/dl), and LH through the roof.
Here are my recent results after 1.5 years on the same dose.
CBC
WBC ~ 4.8 x10E3/uL Range 4 - 10.5 (a little low?)
RBC ~ 4.92 x10E6/uL Range 4.1-5.6 (OK, I think?)
Hegaglobin ~ 15.5 g/dL Range 12.5 - 17 (OK)
Hematocrit ~ 46.3% Range 36-50 (a little high?)
Platelets ~ 199 x10E3/uL Range 140-415 (a little low?)
Test, Serum 550 ng/dl Range 348-1197 (lower than optimal, but OK)
LH ~ 23.3 mIU/mL Range 1.7-8.6 (High, especially while on TRT, yes?)
FSH ~ 56.7 mIU/mL Range 1.5-12.4 (High)
Estradiol ~ 10.0 pg/mL Range 7.6 - 46.2 (Low end).
I also did Thyroid tests, everything was in range, so did not want to post (yet).
My thoughts/concerns:
CBC looked OK, but I just wanted to confirm. WBC/platelets a little low??
Testosterone reading is a little baffling because it was as high as 946 ng/dl with the same dose last I checked. It seems like my readings should not vary that much, but I realize there are several variables. I plan to retest, and I don’t mind doing this monthly if need be.
LH seems quite high for an individual on TRT. This makes me question the degree to which I’m taking in the T from Androgel. I don’t take anything that boosts LH. Once concern raised on another post is that I could have pituitary issues leading to high LH, i.e. adenoma, which I have yet to rule out.
Estradiol is OK as far as I know. Maybe a little low?
The next tests I plan to get are IFG-1, T (again), free T, and cortisol. I’m doing this all for my own curiosity, as I’m not really symptomatic of any major issues. I might do a pituitary MRI, but I probably need to have a doc order that and go through insurance. I’m mainly trying to figure out why LH is so high.