I am a 38 year old male, 6’ 205 lbs. My labs were just processed and are as follows:
Test | Result |
---|---|
Total Testosterone | 421 ng/dL |
Free Testosterone | 8.9 pg/mL (8.7-25.1) |
Dihydrotestosterone | 26 ng/dL (low, 30-85) |
DHEA-Sulfate | 105.3 ug/dL (102.6-416.3) |
LH | 5.8 mIU/mL (1.7-8.6) |
Prolactin | 8.9 ng/mL (4.0-15.2) |
Estradiol | 17.1 pg/mL (8.0-35.0) |
SHBG | 39.6 nmol/L (16.5-55.9) |
IGF-1 | 211 ng/mL (83-233) |
TSH | 3.72 uIU/mL (0.450-4.500) |
Free T3 | 3.3 pg/mL (2.0-4.4) |
Reverse T3 | 26.1 (high, 9.2-24.1) |
Free T4 | 1.54 ng/dL (0.82-1.77) |
TPO | 21 (0-34) |
I have marked some tests in bold where they are outside of or near thresholds. It seems to me that my testosterone levels are somewhat low, although within the expected average range. DHT is clinically low, but I’m not sure what effects this may have. I also don’t know how to interpret thyroid tests, but I can see that all of them are elevated except for fT3. My PCP had just my total T tested about four months ago and it came in around 360 then.
I also had other important tests performed, such as lipids, PSA, etc, and everything looks outstanding. I lift heavy (for me) and do high intense cardio six times a week and have been for nine months (I shoot for 6x/wk - I often cannot recover well enough and only get in 3 or 4 per week). I have seen moderate strength and size gains, but not what I would expect. I am seeing some fat loss, and eating in a moderate calorie deficit (~1900 net daily), but I am really struggling to remove fat around my chest and upper back. My diet consists ONLY of fish, nuts, olives, chicken, and green leaves. That’s it, with absolutely no cheating, and I target 150g of protein daily. My blood pressure is great at around 110/77 both morning and night.
In addition to joint pain and clicking, and what seems (to me) like slow progress in strength training, what first drove me to have this testing done were a lot of the symptoms I see here in this community and others including low libido, weaker erections, fatigue, off-and-on depression and anxiety, and brain fog, and joint pain. These symptoms seem to wax and wane in severity. Also of note is that I still deal with facial and shoulder acne (also comes and goes in flairs) in my late 30s. When I went through puberty I got some moderate gynecomastia that still hangs around to this day - not sure if that’s relevant.
I have a history of major surgery (lumbar fusion) with several years of daily lowish-dose opiate use. I also used SSRIs and Xanax for many years until I had finally had enough of the psyche horse shit and stopped all medication 12-18 months ago. I cannot imagine what my T levels would have tested at during my surgery recovery while I was taking all the drugs.
I would appreciate anyone’s thoughts if they have them. I have yet to schedule an appointment with the clinic I’m dealing with (Defy), but these are the concerns I would raise with them. I realize that I’m within the range where I may be treated if I ask to be, but I want to be careful. But there may be a thyroid issue as well? Not sure.
Thanks!