Hey,
First post on the forum so go easy on me 
Been trolling the forum for a couple weeks now and I’ve been really impressed with the knowledge you guys have on TRT so I thought I’d ask some advice. Sorry in advance about the essay but I think it’s important to give you guys as much info as I can.
I have an appointment booked with the urologist this week and it’s taken me a long time to get it so I’d like to get the most out of the time I have with him.
To give you a brief history, I’m 26, 5’ 11" and 176lbs, I’ve always felt kind of “off” my entire adult life and I’ve always been seeking the answer. Symptoms include:
- Persistent and unpredictable dips in mood resulting in deep depression
- Anxiety
- Zero libido 90% of the time
- Difficulty gaining any more muscle
- Put on body fat easily
- Patchy body/facial hair
- Mental fogginess
- Fatigue
- Dick/Balls cold to the touch, balls never “hang”
For a long time I suspected something like depression, unhealthy lifestyle habits etc etc. Doctor prescribed several different anti-depressants which made little to no difference. Decided I needed to eliminate all possible causes within my control, I:
- Got out of a unhealthy relationship
- Got a better job
- Stopped anti-depressants
- Gave up smoking
- Started lifting 3x week and interval training 2x
- Eating healthy and tracking all my macros (plenty of red meat and veg)
- Reduced alcohol consumption
- 8+ hours of sleep per night
- Dating women (to kick-start my libido)
I even stopped masturbating for 3 months to see if that made a difference!
All these things did make a difference to the way I felt about myself, especially lifting. The problem is I experience these massive “highs” where I felt like I could conquer the world, massive libido, increased strength and confidence etc then all of a sudden I just “drop” and lose all of that, these periods can last anywhere between a few days and few months then I just return to this kind of numb state.
Few months ago I decided to go to my GP and get everything checked. First thing he tested me for diabetes - negative, then he tested me for Vitamin D - levels good. As a last resort he decided to check my testosterone levels. Results came back and the doc explained that while my levels were within the “normal” range they were at the very bottom of the scale. Because they were still in range he decided not to do anything about it.
Few months went by, problems persisted so I booked another appointment - insisting I was referred to a urologist. Uro sent a letter to my doc saying that my levels were very low for someone of my age (can’t remember numbers) and he would be happy to prescribe TRT but it would render me infertile.
Cut to the present - I’ve managed to get an appointment with him which has taken 3 months. He explained to my doctor that he wanted to check the function of my pituitary gland but that’s all I know.
After reading a lot of info on here and other people’s experiences I am almost certain that low levels of testosterone are to blame for most of the problems I’ve experienced since adulthood. I also have a suspicion that heavy marijuana use in my teens may have contributed to this.
Given that it’s taken me so long to get this appointment, I’m worried that if there’s a follow up it’s going to take another 3 months to even get the ball rolling with treatment so I want to get the most out of the time I have with him.
I am concerned about the fertility risk but I’d rather take TRT and be happy then be fertile and feel that life is just a constant slog.
From what I’m reading on these forums most doctors are not well educated when it comes to hormones. So with that in mind - what sort of questions should I be asking? Should I be insisting on certain tests? Is there anything I can do to speed up the process?
Again, sorry for the essay, look forward to seeing what you guys have to say,
Cheers,
Jon