I’m 37, 260lbs probably 20ish% bf. Lately I’ve been really tired and almost impossible to lose weight even under 2000 calories daily and training more than I’ve ever have. I figured it might be thyroid but my first blood test doctor said it was low test. I guess they only test free test. Mine was 4.3 and range was 7.6-31.4. He prescribed me test at 200mgs every three weeks (sigh). But I told him I wanted full bloodwork done before I start and I was hoping total testosterone would be included, but I guess they don’t do it there. I can’t find any testosterone knowledgeable doctors in my city. So I went and got more bloodwork done, including Free T4 & T3, FSH, LH, prolactin and estradiol. Everything is in range but now my free test is 7.9 so technically in range and he says I don’t need to take the test anymore (sigh again).
Should I try and convince him to take the test because I’m on the very low end of the range? I have the prescription already but since it’s covered by insurance I figure I better try and do it the legit way so I can keep getting covered.
My balls are already tiny (possible from past use) and don’t plan on any more kids. Do I need HCG?
Yeah, you’re “in range” but so what. You’re old man low, and it’ll go back down off test, like a diabetic would without insulin. After injections, levels would be in range, so does that mean no more insulin that day? Or Tomorrow? Cannot grasp that line of thinking
.
If testicular atrophy bothers you, or anyone else important to you, low dose hCG will help plump up the boys.
When was that obtained relative to your last test injection?
Lab ranges and healthy ranges aren’t the same things, these ranges don’t take into account your age and we know our levels decline as we age. Elderly men typically scores in the 200-300 ng/dL ranges and you are scoring 227 ng/dL at 37 years old. You are scoring way below all other men in your age group who on average score over 600 ng/dL. You’re so far from normal.
Clearly your doctor is incompetent and therefore you shouldn’t listen to him. Your Total T is 227, well below the cut off point where doctors would offer you TRT. You say there are no good TRT doctors in your city, you’re going to have to narrow it down for us.
Being in range doesn’t mean you are going to feel good, my Free T needs to be at the very top of the ranges to feel good. Androgen therapy has been ignored for so long by mainstream medicine that only a select few doctors worldwide are truly good at TRT.
Total T is bound to SHBG therefore not bioavailable, Free T is the unbound portion of testosterone and I don’t see that your doctor even tested it and I would imagine he will refuse to do so.
Your doctor isn’t even aware of your dangerously low estrogen at 13 pg/mL by our US measurements, if not addressed you can expect a diagnosis of osteoporosis in the future. In your case estrogen is low because testosterone is low, we convert testosterone into estrogen through the aromatase enzyme in fat tissue.
@highpull Thanks for the reply! @systemlord I asked for SHBG and he said they don’t do it there and/or have the ability to do it. I don’t even know if that’s my total test or free test? I assumed it was free test. Thanks for the reply
