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41

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
From what I’ve read about SHGB it is an antagonist to testosterone and binds to testosterone molecules and renders them inactive which means they cannot interact with androgen receptors. So what this means is that a high SHGB level would mean a low free test level because there is so much of it present it is binding to a great deal of your testosterone and rendering it inactive.

As far as fixing that though I have no idea sorry.

My vitamin D levels were also within the normal range and my doc said they needed to be higher so has me taking 10000 IU’s of Vit D3 daily.

[/quote]

Way is correct. When testosterone encounters Sex Hormone Binding Globulin in the blood it is effectively mopped up and taken out of circulation, so anything that reduces that effect is certainly beneficial.

Eating Salmon may reduce SHBG. I actually wrote an article a while ago on test boosting/estrogen reducing foods. I can post up some relevant excerpts if you like. : )

42

Did some more reading on the subject…Next blood test have your doctor test your t3, t4 and estradiol. Hyperthyroidism can lead to high levels of SHGB, elevated estrogen could also be a cause for it being so high.

43

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
Did some more reading on the subject…Next blood test have your doctor test your t3, t4 and estradiol. Hyperthyroidism can lead to high levels of SHGB, elevated estrogen could also be a cause for it being so high.[/quote]

TSH, fT4, fT3 and rT3 if you wanna get more than just the tip in there without the cost of going balls deep.

For your testosterone woes, also check out your DHEA-S. And you should try to get your estradiol measured (ultra-sensitive).

Attempting to boost your testosterone without addressing any (potential) underlying causes is risking an increase in SHBG or estradiol, even if you are only aiming to optimize and not overdrive your levels.

All these tests are fairly cheap even if purchased out of pocket.

You can bump your D3 easily and cheaply if you want. Dr. Holick (Vitamin D Solution) recommends from 30 - 50ng/dL (75-125 nmol/L). Mine is at 75ng/dL taking only 7k per day (could be less if I had more sunlight exposure). Shit is dirt cheap.

Starting a more complete thread (symptoms, lifestyle, etc) in the T Replacement section might prove useful, but take the suggestions with grains of salt as there are no medical professionals that regularly frequent that section.

How were things before starting your contest prep?

44

Jwesus - sorry, don’t know him. :slight_smile:

waylanderxx & anonym - Thanks for that information. I went to a different doctor today and had him check my thyroid, estrogen and redid my test levels. Why the first doctor refused to check my estrogen levels baffles me. Picked up some Vitamin D from the shops as well. Being that it’s winter here with less sun than usual, I’m going to experiment bumping those levels up a bit. The levels were generally good before I started the prep but my body seems ultra-sensitive to sudden dietary or caloric changes. During the school term, I often attribute waning libido to being around post menopausal women and 10 year olds all day long, but as I’ve been on holidays for two weeks now with no stress and lots of sleep, my normally raging holiday sex drive is completely dead.

45

My Biotest Stack

Currently using

I try to use Biotest supplements where I can because I like to show my support for this site and for the high quality products I know I’m getting. Living here in Australia getting access to Biotest products is not easy and because there’s only one provider, the costs are VERY expensive. We can’t get MAG-10, Anaconda or HOT-ROX, so I have to make do with other products.

Here’s what I’m currently using from Biotest for this prep.

Spike Shooter - One of the best stims on the market with an amazing taste. We can’t access the Spike tabs here because Yohimbine is banned, but this stuff tastes and works amazingly.

Superfood - Covers my nutritional bases nicely. I rotate it with other greens/superfood products so I don’t build an intolerance to it.

Rhodiola Rosea - Really helps in terms of lowering stress levels, and gives me a tremendous cognitive kick which I feel more strongly than most nootropics.

Curcumin - Insurance against accumulated aches and pains. Supposed to also assist in fat loss.

Mineral Support - Before bed to assist with sleep.

Flameout - My body has a weird relationship with fish-oil. One man’s cure is another man’s poison it seems, because if I take Fish-oil every day I get extremely bad brain fog after a while. I therefore have to rotate its use, taking it only once every 3 days or so.

Alpha Male - Started this last week to help the low T issues. Mighty Stu also strongly recommended this for contest prep, so I’m giving it a run. Will test my bloods in 3 weeks to see what effect its had. (Hopefully it does because at almost $100 a bottle, it’s not cheap!)

Used when not dieting

  • Grow! Protein - Natural Flavour
  • Surge Workout Fuel
  • Surge
46

[quote]Random Weights wrote:
Jwesus - sorry, don’t know him. :slight_smile:

waylanderxx & anonym - Thanks for that information. I went to a different doctor today and had him check my thyroid, estrogen and redid my test levels. Why the first doctor refused to check my estrogen levels baffles me. Picked up some Vitamin D from the shops as well. Being that it’s winter here with less sun than usual, I’m going to experiment bumping those levels up a bit. The levels were generally good before I started the prep but my body seems ultra-sensitive to sudden dietary or caloric changes. During the school term, I often attribute waning libido to being around post menopausal women and 10 year olds all day long, but as I’ve been on holidays for two weeks now with no stress and lots of sleep, my normally raging holiday sex drive is completely dead. [/quote]

If your lack of libido typically stems from prolonged periods of stress (physical or psychological), then cortisol would be the most likely culprit. Abnormal cortisol levels can affect other hormones, as well.

Occasionally, it can take a little time for things to bounce back - and the contest prep probably isn’t helping in that regard.

49

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Respectfully gents, whilst I used to think the same way you do about SHBG, that information is wrong.

SHBG is an essential part of the androgen transport mechanism, not something that mops it up and clears it away. The subject is complex and I can’t remember the precise ins and outs of it’s many functions.

BBB[/quote]

Thanks for mentioning that BBB. I had done the research and written this article about 2 years ago, and that’s what I came up with. I’ll have to look into that further. : )

50

[quote]Random Weights wrote:
Currently using
Flameout - My body has a weird relationship with fish-oil. One man’s cure is another man’s poison it seems, because if I take Fish-oil every day I get extremely bad brain fog after a while. I therefore have to rotate its use, taking it only once every 3 days or so[/quote]Have u tried other brands of Omega-3’s ?

51

[quote]Random Weights wrote:
My Biotest Stack

Currently using

I try to use Biotest supplements where I can because I like to show my support for this site and for the high quality products I know I’m getting. Living here in Australia getting access to Biotest products is not easy and because there’s only one provider, the costs are VERY expensive. We can’t get MAG-10, Anaconda or HOT-ROX, so I have to make do with other products.

Here’s what I’m currently using from Biotest for this prep.

Spike Shooter - One of the best stims on the market with an amazing taste. We can’t access the Spike tabs here because Yohimbine is banned, but this stuff tastes and works amazingly.

Superfood - Covers my nutritional bases nicely. I rotate it with other greens/superfood products so I don’t build an intolerance to it.

Rhodiola Rosea - Really helps in terms of lowering stress levels, and gives me a tremendous cognitive kick which I feel more strongly than most nootropics.

Curcumin - Insurance against accumulated aches and pains. Supposed to also assist in fat loss.

Mineral Support - Before bed to assist with sleep.

Flameout - My body has a weird relationship with fish-oil. One man’s cure is another man’s poison it seems, because if I take Fish-oil every day I get extremely bad brain fog after a while. I therefore have to rotate its use, taking it only once every 3 days or so.

Alpha Male - Started this last week to help the low T issues. Mighty Stu also strongly recommended this for contest prep, so I’m giving it a run. Will test my bloods in 3 weeks to see what effect its had. (Hopefully it does because at almost $100 a bottle, it’s not cheap!)

Used when not dieting

  • Grow! Protein - Natural Flavour
  • Surge Workout Fuel
  • Surge [/quote]

Holy Shit!

52

[quote]Random Weights wrote:

Vitamin D = 75 nmol/L (Normal Range = (.74) (I know it is slightly above the normal range, but should I be aiming to bump this up a bit higher?)

[/quote]

Ideal is often quoted as 70-90 (assuming your reference range is something like 30-100 in the units you listed)… looks fine.

[quote]Random Weights wrote:

Androgens

Testosterone = 19.4 nmol/L (Normal Range = 10.0 - 35.0)
SHBG = 79 (Normal Range = 10 - 50)
Free Testosterone = 217 (Normal Range = 225 - 275 pmol/L)
Free Androgen Index = 24.6 (Normal Range = 20 - 160.0)

LH = 4U/L (Normal Range = <8)

I had a feeling that the T-Levels were down so I ordered some D-Aspartic Acid and some Alpha Male and will be get my bloods retaken in 4 weeks time to see if there’s any changes.

Can someone help me interpret these results a little better and answer my questions regarding my Test and Vitamin D levels please.[/quote]

T output isn’t the problem - your total T is fine but your high SHBG is binding a lot of it… you could also have high E2/DHT (which are created from T).

[quote]Random Weights wrote:
When I initially asked him to test my Estradiol, he said that they don’t/won’t test those levels in men because it’s irrelevant.
[/quote]

This is not an uncommon response from docs. He is wrong about this (obviously), and lots of people posting in the TRT forum have this problem. Are you near a city with other doctor options? Can you test E2 and pay out of pocket?

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
Did some more reading on the subject…Next blood test have your doctor test your t3, t4 and estradiol. Hyperthyroidism can lead to high levels of SHGB, elevated estrogen could also be a cause for it being so high.

[/quote]

If you’re doing thyroid testing, make sure to test TSH along with Free T3 and Free T4 (don’t use total t3/t4). Granted this is more useful in diagnosing hypo than hyper, but it can still tell you something about how your body is working.

[quote]anonym wrote:
For your testosterone woes, also check out your DHEA-S. And you should try to get your estradiol measured (ultra-sensitive).

[/quote]

Do NOT get “ultra”-sensitive, it is for pregnant women.

Testing E2 and DHEA-S can help. There are no shortage of tests you can run that will provide good info, if funds/time aren’t limited. If you’re concerned, I’d recommend posting in the TRT forum… lots of knowledgeable guys in there.

Sorry for the long post but you asked for feedback… echo the others’ comments that you look pretty damn good at this point in your prep.

53

[quote]scj119 wrote:
Do NOT get “ultra”-sensitive, it is for pregnant women.[/quote]

Hmm… I know Dr. Crisler used to recommend that particular test (I have a slide show where he writes it is the only viable test for males). I’ve read he changed his preference to the ‘sensitive’ after a bout of lab errors, but that Quest is now running repeats on all their samples to safeguard.

I’ve never had a problem with Labcorp so I stick to their sensitive test, myself.

54

[quote]anonym wrote:

[quote]scj119 wrote:
Do NOT get “ultra”-sensitive, it is for pregnant women.[/quote]

Hmm… I know Dr. Crisler used to recommend that particular test (I have a slide show where he writes it is the only viable test for males). I’ve read he changed his preference to the ‘sensitive’ after a bout of lab errors, but that Quest is now running repeats on all their samples to safeguard.

I’ve never had a problem with Labcorp so I stick to their sensitive test, myself.[/quote]

Right - with Quest you want sensitive NOT ultra-sensitive. Labcorp sensitive is good. Dunno about other labs terminologies but I’d guess it’s the same.

55

Thanks guys for the comments and assistance regarding the drop in my hormone levels. I appreciate all the comments and advice.

To get a second opinion and follow up on some of the missing tests that people recommend I do. This second test was taken one week after the first.

Testosterone = 18.1 nmol/L (Normal Range = 10.0 - 35.0)
SHBG = 73 (Normal Range = 10 - 50)
Free Testosterone = 217 (Normal Range = 225 - 275 pmol/L)
Free Androgen Index = 25 (Normal Range = 20 - 160.0)

LH = 6U/L (Normal Range = <8)
FSH = 9U/L (Normal Range = 2-12)
LH/FSH Ratio = 0.67
Estrogen = 75pmol/L (Normal Range = 28-156)

Cortisol = 304nmol/L (Normal Range = 64-536)

TSH = 4 mU/L (Normal Range = 0.5 - 5.0)

Prolactin = 184 mIU/L (Normal Range = 86-324)

Iron 30 umol/L (Normal Range = 5-30)

Not sure if these figures shed any more light on things. Libido and lack of erections is still ongoing. Someone at the gym mentioned that dieting can be hard on SHBG levels. CT’s vid today on Youtube also mentioned about the various phases of recovery and his comments pertaining to hormonal recovery in response to heavy lifting was interesting. Maybe this out and out assault which in essence IS pre-contest prep is having these deleterious hormonal effects.

I am curious to see if the introduction of Alpha Male and DAA into the mix will help things out in the next few weeks. I plan to get everything retested in a month or so.

56

[quote]Random Weights wrote:
Thanks guys for the comments and assistance regarding the drop in my hormone levels. I appreciate all the comments and advice.

To get a second opinion and follow up on some of the missing tests that people recommend I do. This second test was taken one week after the first.

Testosterone = 18.1 nmol/L (Normal Range = 10.0 - 35.0)
SHBG = 73 (Normal Range = 10 - 50)
Free Testosterone = 217 (Normal Range = 225 - 275 pmol/L)
Free Androgen Index = 25 (Normal Range = 20 - 160.0)

LH = 6U/L (Normal Range = <8)
FSH = 9U/L (Normal Range = 2-12)
LH/FSH Ratio = 0.67
Estrogen = 75pmol/L (Normal Range = 28-156)

Cortisol = 304nmol/L (Normal Range = 64-536)

TSH = 4 mU/L (Normal Range = 0.5 - 5.0)

Prolactin = 184 mIU/L (Normal Range = 86-324)

Iron 30 umol/L (Normal Range = 5-30)

Not sure if these figures shed any more light on things. Libido and lack of erections is still ongoing. Someone at the gym mentioned that dieting can be hard on SHBG levels. CT’s vid today on Youtube also mentioned about the various phases of recovery and his comments pertaining to hormonal recovery in response to heavy lifting was interesting. Maybe this out and out assault which in essence IS pre-contest prep is having these deleterious hormonal effects.

I am curious to see if the introduction of Alpha Male and DAA into the mix will help things out in the next few weeks. I plan to get everything retested in a month or so.

[/quote]

You might want to take this to the TRT forum. SHBG is wayhigh, TSH is way high (you are using different units than I recognize, however typical units have a similar reference range and optimal is 1-1.5). TSH lab ranges are determined by a statistical distribution of how people test - NOT by what is healthy or optimal. Typically TSH>2 is a problem and TSH>3 is a bigger problem.

What time of day was your blood drawn? If 8am blood draw, your cortisol needs to be right at the top of the range and that level is a problem. If it was drawn at any other time of day that number is somewhat useless.

Do you feel cold a lot? Frequently fatigued? Do you use iodized salt or eat much seafood? Excessive dieting can lead to hypothyroid issues.

Reiterate my suggestion to make a post in the TRT forum…some smart dudes over there. And it would help keep this thread training-related for this forum.