Hi All,
As a 50+ male - what should my total testosterone, free testosterone & biovailable testosterone levels be?
Your total should be around 750 ng/dl. Give or take 100. But really your free T is more relevant as you can have low ish total T and still decent free T. Do you have bloodwork results?
Yes - Been waiting for 4 weeks for the results but finally got them.
SHBG - 44 nmol/L
Trough TRT - 20.8 nmol/L
Albumin - 40 g/L
Do you require any other info?
The answer will be different for everyone, I’m optimal at 500 ng/dL do to having low SHBG. SHBG is the centerpiece for every hormone elevation, it’s what hands out all the cards. You shouldn’t concerned yourself what levels should be at a particular age, you want Free T levels in the optimal ranges you had when in your 20’s which is 20-26.5 pg/mL.
Total T is not the active portion of testosterone, the Free T is the active portion and is where the rubber meets the road. President Trump’s levels are 460, so you should be higher, but as we get older SHBG increases and Total T increase and Free T decreases.
Yes we need to see the free portion of testosterone, this is what matters. This Total T level isn’t high enough to get Free T levels optimal, maybe for a low SHBG guy such as myself. The problem with some doctors is they want everyone mid-range, this is an indication they are inept at managing men on TRT because SHBG levels will determine how high Total T needs to be.
I once remember a guy that had an SHBG level of 246 and a natural Total T of 1995 produce extremely low Free T levels well below range. This guy would likely need steroid levels to achieve sufficient Free T levels. This guy had a an extremely strong pituitary gland.
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Ok. I have my bloods tested every 10 weeks. I’m on Nebido for Klinefelters Syndrome - have been for the past 4 years.
It has taken me the last 4 years to be able to get the bloodwork that I require to get the results that I have in front of me.
As you say - I dont want the T levels of a 50 year old man - I want the T levels of a 20+ year old man.
My Free T levels - with the above figures measure out at 0.391 nmol/L = 1.88% and my Biovailable T levels are 8.55 nmol/L = 41.1%
I understand that my total T levels are meaningless as they are right at the end of my cycle - whereas at the beginning of my cycle my total T levels are pushing the 40’s.
You have a 10% chance at fertility at best. You have been kept suboptimal the entire 4 years, you need to find a competent doctor outside the NHS which is notoriously incompetent in managing men on TRT.
Your Free T levels need to be at the top, this is the healthy ranges where natural men score.
0% fertility. Not interested in the fertility side. totally interested in keeping my free and bio T levels at optimal.
My total T - mid cycle (6 weeks after a 12 week injection) is around 31.8 (917 ng/dl)
Then drops to the low 20’s at the end of my cycle.
I hear where you are coming from - same thoughts had crossed my mind since being diagnosed.
So (a) how do I increase my free T and Bio T whilst staying on injectable T?
My Total Test is 635 with FSH over 22, LU over 10.
I am 50 yrs old with symptoms of Low T but I can’t find anyone to help with my labs.
If you can I’d get some more blood tests done, SHBG, Free-T, TSH, T3, Free T3, Reverse T 3, couple of others perhaps. If you have a high shbg your free test will be lower. Thyroid issues can cause similar symptoms as low t. Do you use a cpap or ever had a sleep study? Poor sleep can cause similar issues as well.
The problem is your doctor see Total T is above midrange and look good, but no Free T was tested. Low T in managed healthcare is <300, but some doctors don’t know to test Free T because they are incompetent and don’t bother reading guidelines.
You need to try and find and endocrinologists and hope he/she isn’t clueless, once you get the diagnosis you can go anywhere you want for treatment, you should be looking at private doctors to treat you or you could end up like me.
I was started on TRT with iron deficiency which lead to big health problems down the road.
No sleep issues that I am aware of other than not sleeping as sound as past years etc… yeah I am learning on the fly so I am figuring out I need more labs looks like…
Since my last post in August 2019 - some things have changed.
I have come off Nebido due to underlying issues and have switched to self injection of Sustanon 250ml every 2 weeks. I have been on Sustanon for 12 weeks.
My first 12 week blood test has revealed the following:
SHBG : 36 nmol/L
Albumin : 36 g/L
Total T : 29.3 nmol/L
This makes my Free T : 0.726 nmol/L (2.48%) & Biovailable T : 14.4 nmol/L (49%)