Please read the stickies found here: About the T Replacement Category - #2 by KSman
- advice for new guys
- things that damage your hormones
- protocol for injections
- finding a TRT doc
Low-T is the symptom, need to find the cause.
Secondary hypogonadism and T levels have always been lowish.
Might be in part be caused by low thyroid function.
Thyroid lab ranges are insane.
TSH should be nearer to 1.0, TSH=2.35 is a problem
fT4 is mid-range which is good.
fT3 is the active hormone that regulates mitochondria in your cells as part of the body’s temperature control loop. fT3 was not tested.
Please check oral body temperatures as per the thyroid basics sticky.
Testing PSA at your age was nuts, do not repeat
Labs:
TT=255
FT
T4=6.2 is well below midrange
fT4=1.1
fT3
rT3 - you may need to fight for this
E2
LH/FSH 2.1/4.4
fasting glucose
fasting cholesterol
TSH=235
Liver function appears OK.
prolactin is not a cause
TSH and T4 suggest iodine deficiency. What is your history of using iodized salt? Iodine is needed to make thyroid hormones.
Are your outer eyebrows sparse?
Do you feel cold easily?
Stress, in your case, over training can affect your adrenals and rT3 can become elevated. rT3 interferes with fT3. This condition is characterized by increased T4–>rT3 and if T4 levels are increases, you get even more T4–>rT3. So we need to look at this possibility.
When young guys over-train, blasting with adrenalin with low T and/or low thyroid function, that is an added level of stress. Many simply would not have the energy or endurance with those background conditions.
Action items:
report history of iodized salt
report oral body temperatures
start reading the stickies
Most doctors fail at these things. You need to know more than they do, not hard, and cannot be passive.
Understand that TRT creates risks to fertility. Also discussed in the stickies.
PS: We do see a lot of guys your age show up with similar conditions and over-training sometimes as well. You are not alone, small comfort.