Questions Regarding Blood Results

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

I’m 25 years old. I am 6 foot and current weight 157 pounds. I was feeling tired and had dull ache in the left groin area going back 4 years. I had an ultrasound done in 2010 and they found a small varicocele (non significant). Urologist reported this could be a source of pain.

Recently, had a ct scan of the lower abdominal area. The found no evidence of hernia. Moreover, I tend to gain weight around the chest, stomach, and love handles, but I have an ectomorphic frame. I recently got a blood test and I would like to share the results with you all. I welcome all feedback. I would especially appreciate feedback on my Testosterone (Total and Free), LH, FSH, and TSH levels. Thanks.

Lipid Panel

Cholesterol Total - 123 mg/dL
HDL - 66 mg/dL
Triglycerides - 55 mg/dL
LDL - 46 mg/dL

Chol/HDLC Ration - 1.9
NON HDL Cholesterol - 57mg/dL

*Target for non-HDL cholesterol is 30 mg/dL higher than LDL cholesterol target.

glucose - 81 mg/dL

Creatine - .88 mg/dL

TSH - 1.58 mIU.L (.40 - 4.50 mIU/L) <—Low?

FSH - 2.9 mIU/mL (1.6 - 8.0 mIU/mL) <—Low?

LH - 3.6 mIU/mL (1.5 0 9.3 mIU/mL) <—Low?

Prolactin - 15.7 (2.0 - 18.00 ng/mL) <—High?

Total Testosterone - 623 ng/dL (250-1100 ng/dL) <—Low for my age?

Free Testosterone - 135.2 pg/mL (35.0 - 155.0 pg/mL) <—Low for my age?

Moreover, I had received a blood test before. I had gone to India for 4 months. Exposed to pollution and caught two strains of dengue at the same time. When I had returned I had dropped to 135 pounds from 170 pounds (net decrease of 35 pounds). I had received a blood test not too long after and my testosterone was 488 ng/dL. Could this be a sign of testicular dysfunction.

My urologist claimed that my testicles were on the smaller side of normal and said there shouldn’t be a problem. Semen analysis was performed and I have a 25 million sperm count/mL with 70-80% good morphology and good movement.

I also regularly take ginseng but I stopped 4-5 days before the blood test. Could this have altered my blood results? Should I get another test done?

2

Ur fine. Cholesterol low… This is not good for your hormones, ksman says under 160 is all caused mortality. Fsh and lh are on the low end but your total t is ok and free t is great. Tsh is optimal Nd not low. Prolactin is getting up a bit but not really high at all

3

Yes, low cholesterol is a problem. You need a good intake of healthy fats, including animal fats.

Read the advice for new guys sticky and be open minded to all of the different concerns there. We need more info.

Read the thyroid basics sticky and come back with your oral body temperatures and history of use of iodized salt and/or vitamins that list iodine. Note the symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Need E2 with TT and FT.

With your illnesses and weight loss, adrenal fatigue and elevated rT3 are concerns. These terms are in the first sticky.

Where are you? This affects your treatment options.

4

Thank you KSman and iw84aces for the great input.

KSman:

I contracted dengue fever in late 2010. It’s been a little over 2 years. Are my LH and FSH levels normal or are they a sign of pituitary dysfunction? I didn’t get a good night sleep before. Moreover, are my T-levels normal for my age? Should I go ahead an schedule a retest?

Could my low cholesterol be a contributing factor to my testosterone, LH, and FSH numbers?

I will definitely increase my intake of healthy fats including animal fats as you recommended. Are red meats critical to this process?

iw84aces:

Could my low cholesterol be a contributing factor to my testosterone, LH, and FSH numbers? Would I be a good candidate for testosterone therapy? Should I schedule an appointment for pituitary tumor?

5

Yes as ks said you need some healthy fats. Cholesterol is a key element in testosterone production. I’m going to say no at this point to and MRI ur prolactin is ok if u ask me. I’m curious and also think you should read the thyroid basics sticky take note of rt3 and adrenal fatigue as said above. U don’t want T if u have thyroid problems or adrenal problems. Fix these first and see what Htpa does. Forget testosterone for now. Just some insight! I am maxed out with total t and my free T is less then yours. I’d quit trt and be you in a second

6

[quote]iw84aces wrote:
Yes as ks said you need some healthy fats. Cholesterol is a key element in testosterone production. I’m going to say no at this point to and MRI ur prolactin is ok if u ask me. I’m curious and also think you should read the thyroid basics sticky take note of rt3 and adrenal fatigue as said above. U don’t want T if u have thyroid problems or adrenal problems. Fix these first and see what Htpa does. Forget testosterone for now. Just some insight! I am maxed out with total t and my free T is less then yours. I’d quit trt and be you in a second[/quote]

I greatly appreciate your input. I had a look at adrenal fatigue and it seems as though I fit the symptoms. I’ve had OCD for a very long time and it has caused me severe stress for 8 years. Moreover, my parent’s went through financial trouble and my father wasn’t well which caused even more stress. I’ve been in and out of severe depression for a very long time. I developed a whooping cough which and a squishy pain sensation in the back of my head which all went away not too long ago. My India trip in 2010 didn’t help either. I feel as though I’m starting to pull out of it but I still experience the following symptoms:

You feel tired for no reason.
You have trouble getting up in the morning, even when you go to bed at a reasonable hour.
You are feeling rundown or overwhelmed.
You have difficulty bouncing back from stress or illness.
You crave salty and sweet snacks.
You feel more awake, alert and energetic after 6PM than you do all day.

http://www.adrenalfatigue.org/what-is-adrenal-fatigue

7

Read the thyroid basics sticky. This may be helpful. Dr Lawrence Wilson has a book on adrenal fatigue that is recommended to read. Also respiratory i infections are also a big part of adrenal fatigue

8

[quote]iw84aces wrote:
Read the thyroid basics sticky. This may be helpful. Dr Lawrence Wilson has a book on adrenal fatigue that is recommended to read. Also respiratory i infections are also a big part of adrenal fatigue[/quote]

Thanks. I will def check the sticky out. I’ve been getting about 5-6 hours of sleep a night as well (I’ve been going to sleep consistently around 1:30-2:00am). Moreover, when I sleep really late I tend to wake up around 11 am even though I get about 7-8 hours. I should probably fix my sleep cycle but does it really make a difference to T-levels? To combat any irregularities to stress hormones I’m thinking about taking Ashwagandha. I read about it online and it apparently does help. Also, how do you feel about B5 supplements?

9

Adrenal fatigue is complex: I direct people to get Wilson’s book on ‘adrenal fatigue’, available at amazon.com
No simple pill or supplement is going to help you.

With low cholesterol, things start to go wrong in every system in the body. So we do not expect that the hypothalamus and pituitary are going to perform as expected. So while there is not direct path connecting cholesterol to LH/FSH, there can be secondary effects.

Yes, LH/FSH is low. Actually FSH is the more important indicator and that is low.

Stickies: You will see that:

  • Adrenal fatigue increases rT3
  • rT3 blocks fT3, creating functional hypothyroidism even if thyroid hormones are perfect
  • TRT can have poor/bad results if thyroid function or adrenal function is poor
  • Ones body then cannot meet the increased/restored metabolic demands that come with TRT
  • So you can see that jumping on TRT may be big mistake, find the underlying issues.

Note that transdermal TRT often does not work when there are functional hypothyroidism problems.

10

[quote]KSman wrote:
Adrenal fatigue is complex: I direct people to get Wilson’s book on ‘adrenal fatigue’, available at amazon.com
No simple pill or supplement is going to help you.

With low cholesterol, things start to go wrong in every system in the body. So we do not expect that the hypothalamus and pituitary are going to perform as expected. So while there is not direct path connecting cholesterol to LH/FSH, there can be secondary effects.

Yes, LH/FSH is low. Actually FSH is the more important indicator and that is low.

Stickies: You will see that:

  • Adrenal fatigue increases rT3
  • rT3 blocks fT3, creating functional hypothyroidism even if thyroid hormones are perfect
  • TRT can have poor/bad results if thyroid function or adrenal function is poor
  • Ones body then cannot meet the increased/restored metabolic demands that come with TRT
  • So you can see that jumping on TRT may be big mistake, find the underlying issues.

Note that transdermal TRT often does not work when there are functional hypothyroidism problems.[/quote]

Thanks for your input KSman. You are exceptionally knowledgeable! Is it possible that I may have secondary hypogonadism? Or could it just be that they were off for one day? I don’t get how my T-levels can be 623 and free T so high when I have low side of normal LH and FSH. I will purchase the book and I’m already taking notes from the various threads that you referred me too. I am working to get my cholesterol up as well.

11

Update: I’ve been increasing my intake of cholesterol both LDL and HDL and I’m doing meditation. I feel pretty good. I’ve also ordered some ashwagandha and I’ve been trying to sleep by 10:30 pm. Good sleep is probably the hardest to achieve. Any natural remedies, strategies, techniques to get earlier better sleep. Thanks!

12

Your T levels are not that bad and with your T levels being that good with lh and fsh on the low end that means the boys are doing a good job. work out cholesterole and andrenals. get lab works for adrenals and post more labs as per advice for new guys sticky

Ksman asked where you were located? This dose matter. answer his questions as he is the one who talks to everyone and will be able to point you in the right direction as far as doctors maybe.

You need a retest. also check your adrenals and thyroid if you have coverage. you can test yourself at lef.org if in the US and doctor won’t test. pay out of pocket.

for adrenals test

Acth
c peptide
aldosterone if u want
cortisol
insulin
glocose
Igf-1 if you want to see growth hormone status
also need cbc and lipid profile
ast alt
zink
vit d
vit b 12
calcium
ferritin
heck check everything you can…

I wouldn’t worry so much about if you are primary or seconday at this point… You may be able to recover whatever may be suppressing your hormones… find the underlying problem… good luck sir

13

Your T levels are not that bad and with your T levels being that good with lh and fsh on the low end that means the boys are doing a good job. work out cholesterole and andrenals. get lab works for adrenals and post more labs as per advice for new guys sticky

Ksman asked where you were located? This dose matter. answer his questions as he is the one who talks to everyone and will be able to point you in the right direction as far as doctors maybe.

You need a retest. also check your adrenals and thyroid if you have coverage. you can test yourself at lef.org if in the US and doctor won’t test. pay out of pocket.

for adrenals test

Acth
c peptide
aldosterone if u want
cortisol
insulin
glocose
Igf-1 if you want to see growth hormone status
also need cbc and lipid profile
ast alt
zink
vit d
vit b 12
calcium
ferritin
heck check everything you can…

I wouldn’t worry so much about if you are primary or seconday at this point… You may be able to recover whatever may be suppressing your hormones… find the underlying problem… good luck sir