Hi guys. First time posting but I’ve been reading posts here for a good year or so. Finally got labs done and just want some opinions on my results. Originally had issues with ed but through enough research I found out about ordering Viagra etc from India. Which works great for the most part for it’s intended use. Before this discovery I was having no morning wood, and even if the libido was there the erection either wasn’t or was very lack luster. I’ve tried all the herbal supplements I could find. Ones that used to work no longer did so I did tons of research and tried basically every herbal test booster I could find. Some would work for awhile and then would kinda fall off. I quit taking all that stuff so I could get bloods done and find out where I’m at. I currently gnc mega men’s multivitamins, zinc, magnesium, 5000iu vit d, 2000mg fish oil, curcumin, osteo biflex, and l-citrulline daily. Also drink a protein shake every morning that has creatine, bcaa’s etc. My diets pretty good. Not always the best but not total trash. I’m 38, 6’2" and 193lb’s. So not much fat and a fairly athletic build I guess. My main problems now are lack of energy(sometimes major), lack of motivation, mental foginess, sore muscles for no real reason and probably a few others I’m forgetting. I’ve had the same job for 3 years doing the same basic stuff (pretty active at work 50+ hours a week) and the last 6 months to a year I’ve got sore muscles from shit I should be used to. Pretty much sick of feeling this way and will be having a baby in a couple months so definitely don’t wanna feel this tired when the baby comes. Just wondering others opinions on if I should give trt a go and if anything on my labs is of major concern. I’ve done a lot of research on trt and on learning to read my labs. I don’t have a Dr. Haven’t been to one in years. Kinda have trust issues with doc’s. If I do go on trt it will probably be on my own. Already sourced everything I should need to make it happen from legit pharmaceutical sources. Really just wanna make sure labs are good before I start and I have all pertinent info pre-trt. Any help is greatly appreciated. Had to copy and paste as I couldn’t get actual labs to upload.
CBC With Differential/Platelet
WBC 7.0 X10E3/UL 3.4-10.8 01
RBC 5.18 X10E6/UL 4.14-5.80 01
HEMOGLOBIN 15.5 G/DL 13.0-17.7 01
HEMATOCRIT 47.2 % 37.5-51.0 01
MCV 91 FL 79-97 01
MCH 29.9 PG 26.6-33.0 01
MCHC 32.8 G/DL 31.5-35.7 01
RDW 12.8 % 12.3-15.4 01
PLATELETS 282 X10E3/UL 150-450 01
NEUTROPHILS 58 % NOT ESTAB. 01
LYMPHS 30 % NOT ESTAB. 01
MONOCYTES 11 % NOT ESTAB. 01
EOS 1 % NOT ESTAB. 01
BASOS 0 % NOT ESTAB. 01
IMMATURE CELLS 01
NEUTROPHILS (ABSOLUTE) 4.0 X10E3/UL 1.4-7.0 01
LYMPHS (ABSOLUTE) 2.1 X10E3/UL 0.7-3.1 01
MONOCYTES(ABSOLUTE) 0.8 X10E3/UL 0.1-0.9 01
EOS (ABSOLUTE) 0.1 X10E3/UL 0.0-0.4 01
BASO (ABSOLUTE) 0.0 X10E3/UL 0.0-0.2 01
IMMATURE GRANULOCYTES 0 % NOT ESTAB. 01
IMMATURE GRANS (ABS) 0.0 X10E3/UL 0.0-0.1 01
NRBC 01
HEMATOLOGY COMMENTS: 01
Comp. Metabolic Panel (14)
GLUCOSE 97 MG/DL 65-99 01
BUN 26 HIGH MG/DL 6-20 01
Comp. Metabolic Panel (14)
CREATININE 1.28 HIGH MG/DL 0.76-1.27 01
EGFR IF NONAFRICN AM 71 ML/MIN/1.73 >59 01
EGFR IF AFRICN AM 82 ML/MIN/1.73 >59 01
BUN/CREATININE RATIO 20 9-20 01
SODIUM 141 MMOL/L 134-144 01
POTASSIUM 4.9 MMOL/L 3.5-5.2 01
CHLORIDE 103 MMOL/L 96-106 01
CARBON DIOXIDE, TOTAL 23 MMOL/L 20-29 01
CALCIUM 9.9 MG/DL 8.7-10.2 01
PROTEIN, TOTAL 6.9 G/DL 6.0-8.5 01
ALBUMIN 4.7 G/DL 3.5-5.5 01
GLOBULIN, TOTAL 2.2 G/DL 1.5-4.5 01
A/G RATIO 2.1 1.2-2.2 01
BILIRUBIN, TOTAL 0.4 MG/DL 0.0-1.2 01
ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE 68 IU/L 39-117 01
AST (SGOT) 18 IU/L 0-40 01
ALT (SGPT) 20 IU/L 0-44 01
Lipid Panel w/ Chol/HDL Ratio
CHOLESTEROL, TOTAL 128 MG/DL 100-199 01
TRIGLYCERIDES 77 MG/DL 0-149 01
HDL CHOLESTEROL 53 MG/DL >39 01
VLDL CHOLESTEROL CAL 15 MG/DL 5-40 01
LDL CHOLESTEROL CALC 60 MG/DL 0-99 01
COMMENT: 01
T. CHOL/HDL RATIO 2.4 RATIO 0.0-5.0 01
FSH and LH
LH 7.0 MIU/ML 1.7-8.6 01
FSH 3.7 MIU/ML 1.5-12.4 01
Testosterone, Free+Total LC/MS
TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL, LC/MS 506.1 NG/DL 264.0-916.0 01
This LabCorp LC/MS-MS method is currently certified by the CDC
Hormone Standardization Program (HoSt). Adult male reference
interval is based on a population of healthy nonobese males
(BMI <30) between 19 and 39 years old. Travison, et.al. JCEM
2017,102;1161-1173. PMID: 28324103.
This test was developed and its performance characteristics
determined by LabCorp. It has not been cleared or approved
by the Food and Drug Administration.
FREE TESTOSTERONE(DIRECT) 13.0 PG/ML 8.7-25.1 01
Dihydrotestosterone
DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE 86 HIGH NG/DL 02
Reference Range:
Adult Male: 30 - 85
Thyroxine (T4) Free, Direct, S
T4,FREE(DIRECT) 1.05 NG/DL 0.82-1.77 01
DHEA-Sulfate
DHEA-SULFATE 476.3 HIGH UG/DL 102.6-416.3 01
TSH
TSH 1.880 UIU/ML 0.450-4.500 01
Prolactin
PROLACTIN 6.7 NG/ML 4.0-15.2 01
Prostate-Specific Ag, Serum
PROSTATE SPECIFIC AG, SERUM 0.7 NG/ML 0.0-4.0 01
Roche ECLIA methodology.
.
According to the American Urological Association, Serum PSA should
decrease and remain at undetectable levels after radical
prostatectomy. The AUA defines biochemical recurrence as an initial
PSA value 0.2 ng/mL or greater followed by a subsequent confirmatory
PSA value 0.2 ng/mL or greater.
Values obtained with different assay methods or kits cannot be used
interchangeably. Results cannot be interpreted as absolute evidence
of the presence or absence of malignant disease.
IGF-1
INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR I 230 NG/ML 83-233 01
Reverse T3, Serum
REVERSE T3, SERUM 16.2 NG/DL 9.2-24.1 01
Estradiol, Sensitive
ESTRADIOL, SENSITIVE 14.8 PG/ML 8.0-35.0 01
This test was developed and its performance characteristics
determined by LabCorp. It has not been cleared by the Food and
TRIIODOTHYRONINE (T3), FREE
TRIIODOTHYRONINE (T3), FREE 3.4 PG/ML 2.0-4.4 01
SEX HORM BINDING GLOB, SERUM
SEX HORM BINDING GLOB, SERUM 43.0 NMOL/L 16.5-55.9 01
@mhward
I wonder why your DHEA & dht are so high? Your IGF is great. Many of your levels look similar to me before trt.
You said you will do trt on your own. If you do decide to do trt and you want a doc that will basically send you the testosterone to do what you want with then I can put you in touch with my doc. With a total T of 500 you’ll find it hard to get a doc to prescribe you which is why I’m offering mine.
Thanks for the response. I forgot to add that I supplement dhea. I have 50mg pills. But I have ordered 25mg. Which I plan on taking every other day instead of daily. Also started taking pregnenolone. I was just trying to rule out deficiencies. It was way cheaper to try pregnenolone sup vs the blood test. I would like to have a doc to consult but the cost of doc for script etc might be a bit much on budget when I can get labs on my own and test cyp is pretty damn cheap. I plan on trying Hcg just to see if it makes me feel good or shitty but that would be after a few months on test only. Not sure why dht is high but my hair has been thinning for quite some time so I assume it’s genetic but I could be wrong.
Your Total T and Free T levels should be higher given your LH value which suggests underperforming testicles, the leydig cells are not very sensitive. Add to it your SHBG is on the higher end which doesn’t help matters.
Managed health care isn’t where anyone should go to optimizes their hormones, not in a sick care system as men are often kept suboptimal and generally poorly managed. Most doctors believe Total T in range is normal and believe you are looking to get steroids coming in with normal levels.
It just goes to show you how ignorant the average doctor is related to sex hormones, most cardiologist are clueless and I hear stories all the time about doctors freaking out because their patient is on TRT through private practice and don’t know anything about testosterone.
Repeat total T measurement. Make sure to get blood drawn in the morning after overnight fasting. If again >500 ng/dl i wouldnt do anything.
I agree that LH is in the upper range which could indicate low performance of testes. If LH sensitivity further declines as you age you might develop late onset hypogonadism.
I had a total T of 600 and TRT changed my life. I wouldn’t get hung up on numbers. If you have the same symptoms as someone with a 200 total T then what’s the difference.
I have an SHBG of 40. That’s high?
Yes agree, everybody is different. But with 500 one is in the mid range if the population distribution at age 40. The propability that low T is the real root cause of the symptoms is lower then if you are at 300 ng/dl.
TRT not only has pros and you are stuck mostly for life. Its a question of risk/burden to benefit.
But well a short course of T to find out is absolutely appropriate given that you will find somebody who prescripes it with those numbers.
Labcorps ranges top out at 55, you are higher than midrange.
@systemlord
I see people at 20 (you’re around there) and others around 70 that also complain. I thought 40 is the sweet spot. I’ve never heard of anyone having problems in the 40 range.
A lot of guys lack commitment and prefer the path of least resistance, for some the burden is too great and they would rather suffer low T than commit to TRT.
I’ll never understand the guys that get on TRT and feel good but want to stop because taking 1 min to inject however many times a week is just too much of a hassle.
I’m not saying every day is a shit show. I’ve tried all kinds of ways to feel better without meds or poking myself. But at this point I’ve pondered the pros and cons of it and if it makes me feel normal/good again I’ll end up trying eventually. Having to wait for posts to show up kinda sucks.
That’s pretty much how I feel at this point. Especially when it comes to lack of energy and motivation. I mean I’m gonna have a baby and still have to go bust ass at work every day. It’s not like the numbers are gonna magically get better.
Even with free T being on the lower end of range? Maybe if I could get shbg to drop and stay that way but from what I’ve seen the only way to reliably do that is healthy doses of test. It’s hard to look forward to only feeling shittier.
Yeah that’s pretty much the same conclusion I came to. If free T was upper range I’m sure I wouldn’t even be on here or looking into any of this. I’ve read enough horror stories on this forum to know that doctor’s are for the most part idiots when it comes to hormones. Hence the reason I opted for the do it myself plan of action. I just don’t have the money to Dr shop. And T Mills just seem like a big rip off for maybe $30 a month in supplies.
I don’t see it being that big a deal if it makes you feel good. Even if it takes some time to get dialed in. I’ve never injected myself with anything so I imagine that will take some getting used to plus trial and error. How does one determine an approximate proper starting dosage?
The doc runs $150/month. The problem with ugl is you don’t ever know for sure cacti how much you’re taking. For a cycle of you think you’re doing 500mg but it’s actually 400 or 600 then you may not even notice. But for TRT you don’t want to be taking 120mg one month and then 150mg the next month because both bottles are labeled the same but aren’t. Anyways, something to think about. Plus if you ever lose your source or it gets hung up in customs for a month you you might be screwed so maybe have a couple backup months worth at all times.
All i am saying is that the higher your natural T level is the lower the probability is that TRT resolves all the problems. There are a ton of different reasons out there to feel fatigued other then low T.
And its not only a question of commitment but also eg a medical (polycythemia, pot infertiliy, risk of infection) or financial (i pay 120 Euros per month).
If low T is really the culprint then of course the benefits by far outweights the risks.
And sometimes there is no better way to find out then just trying.
I get that but having not completely shitty T levels vs levels of an 18 year old is a drastic difference. Fatigue is one of the hundreds of things it helps. Just the physical difference from pre-trt of 600 to 12 months of TRT is so drastic it in itself has been worth it even if nothing else has changed. I’m the exact same weight but15-20 lbs more muscle and went from 25% body fat to 13-15%. That’s without really doing much differently in the way of training and diet. I would say the physical changes have been the least priority for me as the mental changes I’ve made have been unbelievable. I was able to get off anti-depressants, have much more confidence, much less emotion based decision making, I want to have sex 50 times a day and my penis gets as hard as a penis can get. It basically grew an inch because before I wouldn’t get but 75% erections.
I’m only saying all this because I was in the exact same boat and was told I don’t need TRT by just about everyone. I did it anyway and it’s been the best decision I’ve ever made.