Blood Test Results - Need Advice

Pharma TRT
1

Hey all,

First post here, unfortunately it’s in this forum! Basically, last year I attempted an ill informed test/deca steroid cycle, everything was fine until about week 6 when i injured my back, prolapsing two discs in my L4/L5 region. Due to the injury I couldn’t train so I stopped the cycle early and proceeded with PCT of clomid however I didn’t have enough and wasn’t able to run a proper protocol, with the earliest I could get additional clomid a month later.

Anyhow, it seems as though my testes have failed to recover from the cycle so I went to the doc in December to get some blood work done, after which he assured me I was fine. Since then, my testes are still yet to recover and I’m feeling a bit more sluggish in general as well as having what I believe is brain fog, and having read a wealth of information on this forum decided to go back to the docs yesterday and pick up a print out of my results from December.

I’ll post the results but first here are my stats

-age 22
-height 5’10
-waist 34"
-weight 90kg
-describe body and facial hair - Quite hairy all over except back, as to be expected from a Greek!
-describe where you carry fat and how changed - I was obese as a child up until 15, the fat that remained was stored particuarly on my legs, ass and waist.
-health conditions, symptoms [history] - None
-Rx and OTC drugs, any hair loss drugs or prostate drugs ever - None other than antibiotics etc.
-describe diet [some create substantial damage with starvation diets] - A relatively typical mediterranean diet for the most part, however for the past 4 months i’ve been eating a lot cleaner and I’m currently in my first month of dieting with Shelby Starnes.
-describe training [some ruin there hormones by over training] I train 4 times a week push/pull/legs
-testes ache, ever, with a fever? After ceasing the cycle my left teste in particular ached for a couple of weeks but then subsided.
-how have morning wood and nocturnal erections changed - morning wood seems to come and go, although I generally have to set a few alarms to wake up so may not remember if i had a morning wood with my first alarm.

So here are my lab results

TSH - 1.26mIU\L (0.50 - 4.00)

*That was the only thyroid test my doctor did, I’m seeing him again on Tuesday and will request fT3 and fT4 as well as any others.

TT - 25.0nmol\L (8.3 - 30.2)
SHBG - 17 nmol\L (13 - 71)
Calc. FT - 755 pmol\L (225 - 725)

Fasted Serum Glucose - 5.00mmol\L (4.0 - 6.0)

FSH - 3 IU\L (1-10) This worries me
LH - 7 IU\L (1-10)

Unfortunately he didn’t test for E2 or Prog which i will request when I see him.

He did however test for sensitive oestradiol which from what I’ve read here is useless? ANyhow the result was

Sensitive Estradiol - 136 pmol\L (50-150)

25-Hydroxy Vitamin D - 22nmol\L (> 50) Noted as having a moderate Vit D defficiancy which my doc didn’t mention. I’ve been supplementing with 2,000IU Vit D3 daily for the past couple of weeks, should I increase the dose?

So, from my lab results, it would seem my FSH is low which would explain why my testes don’t quite hang like they used to, and my relatively uneducated guess would be a screwed up HPTA from the Deca causing hypogonadism. Although to be fair, at this point I feel as though I’ve read that much on the subject that i’m not retaining any of it and could be completely wrong.

When I see my doc on Tuesday I’m going to request the same labs as well as whatever is recommended here to get a fuller picture.

Symptoms wise, my sex drive is still there and it’s not difficult to get and maintain an erection although I feel as though I’m not as sexually driven anymore and I can’t recall the last time I’ve gotten an erection for no particular reason.

Is there anything glaring at me from my understandably incomplete labs? To be completely honest I’m hoping that I’m not going to have to start TRT and that it could possibly be fixed by a restart of some sort, but I know that is wishful thinking.

Just really looking for some advice at this point!

Thanks guys,

Nick

2

welcome on board.

I would definitely kick up the D3 to 6,000iu daily.

The oestradiol test (which equals E2 I believe) seems like the right test or close to it. You are at 37 pg/mL (I believe if I converted correctly) which is almost double the ideal level of 22 pg/mL (or 80.7 pmol/L). This could explain some or all of your symptoms.

TSH isn’t terrible by any means. before you ask for new tests, what is your waking body temp?

testing for 8am Cortisol might be helpful, as would ferritin levels.

Total T and free T look great.

3

You do not have hypogonadism!!! There are guys here that would kill to have your Total and Free T levels…The problem doesn’t appear to be in your androgens, as PC stated…

It looks like your E2 test is legit, and you are slightly higher…most people here recommend 22 pg/mL as the “sweet spot” but a lot of this depends on your SHBG as well…somewhere between 20-30 is about right, and you are on the upper end…

Agree with PC to up your Vit D dose…I take 10k iu/day, but 6k is a good starting level…retest in 4-6 weeks to dial it in (if possible)

Thyroid looks excellent, but I would still push for ft3 and ft4 at the minimum, and Tt3, Tt4, Rt3 if you can get it…but I would be surprised to see anything alarming there…

Cortisol is always a good indicator…if your problems seem to come and go throughout the day, this could be your issue…I would try and get the 4x saliva cortisol test if you can…google search it and you will find companies that offer it…if not, 8 am serum will be a good start…

From your bloodwork, I can’t see anything at all that I would want to address aside from E2…maybe consider some research lab Anastrozole and dose at around 0.5 mg/week in 2-3 divided doses and gauge any changes…

4

you can also try supplementing with 25mg Zinc and/or trying DIM.

could also be a cortisol issue as VT stated. low cortisol drives increased aromatase as your body need cortisol to process Testosterone. Not enough cortisol causes your body to try and dump T by converting it to E2.

5

Are you in Greece now? Then iodine intake should be good.
Using iodized salt or sea salt?

You E2 is too high which is inhibiting your HPTA. Lower E2 and many aspects of your well being may improve.

Short tempered or intolerant? That can be E2.

Check waking body temps and follow through the day to see when and what peak levels, report here.

6

Hey guys,

Sorry for the incredibly delayed response and thanks so much for the responses.

It’s cleared my mind a bit!

So to answer the questions, I’ve been dosing D3 at 6k IU a day. I think the improvement in general wellbeing is noticable, I do feel slightly more alert.

I’ll have to check my waking body temps. What kind of thermometer is best to do this with?

I live in Australia, not Greece, although I do use iodised salt primarily.

In terms of lowering my E2, how would I go about that? I have easy access to arimidex so I probably wouldn’t go via the research chem route, purely for ease.

I’m not really short tempered, never have been, although in saying that it’s been getting progressively worse.

In terms of body temps, I notice that about an hour after I eat I start to get hot flushes. Not sure if this is indicative of anything.

My other concern is that considering I’m not hypogonadal, I do believe my testes have indeed shrunk since my stupid cycle. Is it possible to use HCG and a full PCT to bring them back to speed?

Thanks again for your help guys, you have no idea how much it’s appreciated.

7

You may be able to use HCG to recoup the fullness, but this is a tad risky and I would definitely not do it personally…you risk suppressing your natural production–but if they bother you that much, then you have to consider if your cosmetic risks are worth it. Your testicles are functioning fine right now, so why risk it? Personal call.

“Why was I not using hcg all along?” is a better question

[quote]
In terms of lowering my E2, how would I go about that? I have easy access to arimidex so I probably wouldn’t go via the research chem route, purely for ease.[/quote]

Then go with the adex and not the research chem. 0.5 mg/week in 2-3 weekly divided doses as you monitor your symptoms. Retest in about 4 weeks midway between your doses.

Don’t start steroid cycles without PCT in the future–this is really dumb.

8

Thanks for the advice VT, greatly appreciated.

Agreed, why was i not using hcg all along is certainly the better question, it’s just a shame i didn’t ask it at the time. In terms of my testicles, i have to admit the cosmetic aspect of it is bugging me a bit and it’s definitely a big risk for something that is at the end of the day a cosmetic issue, although in saying that it’s definitely bugging me a lot.

I only asked the HCG question because i’d read of a protocol for that purpose in a thread on here. Considering the risks i don’t think i’ll go through with it, but i’d certainly be keen to know if there is a kind of standard protocol for that kind of thing.

I’ll pick up some adex over the weekend and start next week, will report back and then get tested after four weeks.

I don’t think i’ll be doing steroid cycles in future, this has definitely turned me off.