Your FT:TT suggests low SHBG which means less non-bioavailable SHBG+T so TT looks lower. Suggest that you test SHBG.
Your posted labs do not show any signs of low iron. Based on labs it appears that you could reduce iron intake.
When doing labs, do not be dehydrated as that thickens the blood. A mini aspirin per day will help your thicker blood flow easier as that makes the walls of blood cells slip by each other easier.
What is your blood pressure.
Do you feel blood pulsing in your ears or neck?
Males typically do not need any iron as the body hordes it effectively. When males do need more iron they should be tested for a GI blood loss with an occult blood test to see if any blood traces in poop. Any digestive issues or food sensitivities?
Post current ferritin!
When you donate blood, levels drop then recover. Your ferritin and RBC lab results depend on lab timing.
Please post TRT protocol in mg’s, not volumes.
If injecting 1ml of 200mg/ml test that is your problem. T peak values will drive RBC as well. If injecting once per week, T levels get very high then drop, FT–>E2 rates and serum E2 levels are changing a lot. So any given lab test become sort of meaningless and your lab levels are more driven by lab timing than anything else.
Please self-inject 50mg T subq twice a week.
Always do labs halfway between injections to eliminate lab changes driven by timing changes. Labs at time of office visit can be wrong time. You should do labs at your convenience to have lab results to discuss with you doctor when you see him.
Self-injected T should be quite inexpensive.
Age? [fertility concerns]
Other health issues?
Medications?
Are you taking heart burn meds? Those can lead to multiple mineral and vitamin deficiencies.
What are your E2 lab results?
Please read the stickies found here: About the T Replacement Category
- advice for new guys - need more info about you
- 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.
KSman is simply a regular member on this site. Nothing more other than highly active.
I can be a bit abrupt in my replies and recommendations. I have a lot of ground to cover as this forum has become much more active in the last two years. I can’t follow threads that go deep over time. You need to respond to all of my points and requests as soon as possible before you fall off of my radar. The worse problems are guys who ignore issues re thyroid, body temperatures, history of iodized salt. Please do not piss people off saying that lab results are normal, we need lab number and ranges.
The value that you get out of this process and forum depends on your effort and performance. The bulk of your learning is reading/studying the suggested stickies.
