Name: Scott
Age: 22
Weight: 80 kgs
Body Fat: approx 12% (self-described as skinny fat)
Nationality: Irish
Alright guys,
I’ve been gearing up for a post for a while and after reading all the stickies I’ve pulled the trigger. Basically my concern is that my testosterone levels were quite low for my age and in the last year I’ve been researching it heavily. In my first two blood tests total T was on the floor (10nmol, 12nmol respectively) but in the most recent test it came back at 17nmol.
The problem here is that even though my natural levels aren’t bad, I still struggle with symptoms of low T. I’ve always found it hard to put on mass (with supps and diet), can’t seem to get rid of man boobs and I’ve never had a huge interest in sex. Similiarly, I don’t have morning wood, or surges of desire if I see women in the street. I would also describe my energy levels as okay, not amazing though. In first year college I went to the gym for a year with no noticeable differences in size or mass.
I live in Ireland so TRT was never an option. On the basis of the new blood test, which tested high levels of E2 and cortisol, I’ve started taking a few supplements. Glycine and Phosphatidyl Serine for the high cortisol and Diindolylmethane [DIM] for the estrogen. Will these have a positive effect on my situation or are they useless?
Recent Blood test:
Note: test taken at 1pm. I know it’s not ideal but it was the only option.
Total T: 17.2 nmol 8.6-29.0nmol
Free T: .506 nmol[2.94%] No ranges
SHBG: 18.5 nmol 16.5-55.9
FSH: 3.5U/l 2-12U/l
Prolactin: 181mU/l 86-324mU/l
Cortisol:675.5nmol/l Cortisol reference ranges: am - 171-546n/mol, p pm 64-327n/mol
Thyroid looks good. But checking body temps as per the thyroid basics sticky is the bottom line. Keep iodized salt in your diet.
You do have the look of lower virilization. So your T levels have not declined, just never got to a higher level. Your facial hair does seem to be decent.
Total T levels [TT] can vary over time and by the hour. However FT levels are very changing in natural guys, so TT is the better overall indicator.
You did not report E2 lab results.
You did not report cortisol lab results. What other labs are you holding back?
If E2 is elevated, lowering that should increase LH, FSH and T to some extent. If you could get your hands on some anastrozole, that would be helpful at 0.5mg/week in divided doses. Read stickies and understand anastrozole over-responder. There are other AI’s as well.
Aromatase increases T–>E2. Alcohol, weed and general levels of body fat make things worse. Avoid soy products. Low cholesterol can cause problems. In your climate, you may be vitamin D3 deficient. Can you find strong supplements? Many are taking 5,000iu per day in tiny oil based caps. If you can get lean, that will help. However, low-T promotes fat gain and low energy, so that can be difficult and if thyroid status is poor, more of the same.
So you need to focus on the issues above that may improve your metabolism. An AI would be very useful to get your optimal. You are mostly needing to see what you can do with diet, exercise and lifestyle.
I drink and smoke occasionally but certainly not enough
to stop me getting lean. Have never been able to break past the amount
of fat that I have now - no matter how in shape I am I still have moobs
. I’m banking on DIM to breakdown my high E2 levels.
AIs are definitely the way forward but my doc will never issue a script for
arimidex. Are there AIs I could import / or supplements that
have a similar effect?
There are on line sources for anastrozole and aromasin. Getting that there may be a problem. Many obtain in the UK
Your E2 would be better near 80 pmol/L
Alcohol and other drugs can impair the liver’s ability to remove E2 from your blood stream and E2 increases. A complete blood count often includes AST/ALT which increases if the liver is stressed by drugs or disease. Do not do resistance training or anything else that would make your muscles sore as that can also increase AST/ALT making the results less definitive.
Are you going to check body temps etc? Or is this selective reading?
