May have to stop being a natty, testosterone finally checked and way low

[bravenewworld]

@scott2511 I don’t think it’s considered unnatural to just bring yourself to normal levels. Hubby started TRT and it has literally been life changing AMA

 

[dennyhawk]

@scott2511 I got checked at 37 and it came back at 211. Then got checked again a month later and it was 212. Got checked a third time and it was 215. Military put me on TRT just to get my levels to around 600-700 and it’s a game changer in all aspects. Especially when it comes down to spending time with the family. People can label it whatever they want but the quality of life changes are amazing.

 

[msallyjm]

@scott2511 What's your bodyfat percentage, if you have a rough idea?

If that was 10-15%, you'd be pretty damn muscular at 212, and that'd be weird to have T that low... but you'd already be muscular, so I'm not sure what you'd hope for there.

If you're >20%, the T is low because you're heavyset and older. Lose weight first then check again?

 

[scott2511]

@msallyjm Again, not looking for the muscle gains (although anything more is a silver lining) but all the other benefits compared to hypogonadism.

 

[grado]

@scott2511 You know whats annoying is whenever I see T levels on reddit it's always in ng/dL but here in Australia it's measured in nmol/L.

If I have my conversions correct then mine is 21.9 nmol/L = 631.6 ng/dL. And yours is 223 ng/dL = 7.8 nmol/L.

With the normal range as shown on my bloodwork being 9.9 to 27.8 nmol/L = 285 to 800 ng/dL.

Curious to know if anyone can confirm if that sounds about right?

Even though I show some symptoms of low T, the Dr said everything was fine. And looking at the above it does appear to be that way. My SHGB was really high though, and I take Boron to keep that in check, which seems to have an affect on free testosterone as well.

 

[worshipnico1]

@scott2511 Mine was low and I opted for clomid instead of trt. Got my levels back to normal with no side effects.

 

[leo_fender]

@scott2511 You don’t need to jack your levels to 1200 (I know many that do). Just get your range into the normal or slightly above normal. Ffs - to feel good… to have a sex drive… to recover at the rate of peers that have no issues … to sleep better… less joint aches…I don’t understand why it’s a question. If you were getting juice from Mexico and cycled and all that … that’s one thing… but I see it as being a diabetic … there is a medical problem that can easily be resolved so you feel good again. A good Dr will get you there slow and low. Good luck!

 

[scott2511]

@leo_fender Will work with endocrinologist to have the return to normal levels. Would love to have the benefits without all the side effects I've been reading about when it's not adjusted correctly. Will also consider the methods so that levels are more consistent throughout the week rather than peaks and lows.

 

[cmclinton]

@scott2511 Excluding your height from the post makes me suspicious.

 

[scott2511]

@cmclinton Edited. Still suspicious? 5'10" and 36" waist.

 

[cmclinton]

@scott2511 Your BMI is technically considered obese with these stats. Unless you are some freak olympic athlete or something, your body fat percentage is probably too high. And your symptoms seem like it is consistent with people with obesity. It's the simplest explanation IMO.

Taking TRT at this point will simply mask the symptoms of obesity. You are a grown man who can do whatever the hell you want obviously. But you'd be lying to yourself if "Low-T" is the root cause of all your issues. TRT is popular these days but outside of actual hypogonadism which is the clinical term for someone who is unable to produce testosterone correctly, it is simply a "quick fix" that doesn't address the actual issue of weight management.

Take a good hard look at your nutrition as something to change. If you say you are exercising regularly and are still obese, then something just isn't adding up.

 

[scott2511]

@cmclinton Then something isn't adding up. I also track my meal plan for each meal and use a digital scale, so I'm not guesstimating. Macros are 245g Carbs, 185g Protein, 82g fat. I try to subtract calories from the carbs so typically eating less

Will try cutting even further. Perhaps move to more than 500 cal deficit and see the results after more time? Thanks!

 

[cmclinton]

@scott2511 Your diet is probably the culprit.

 

[jakeesonjon45]

@cmclinton BMI is a pointless metric when applied to a single individual. I have been BMI “obese” with body fat of 12-13%.

 

[cmclinton]

@jakeesonjon45 No it is not pointless. It’s a valuable metric for majority of the population. Just because it doesn’t apply to your situation, doesnt mean it wont apply to a lot of people. And this particular individual’s situation is exactly why it isn’t pointless. He’s experiencing symptoms related to obesity and is obese based on BMI. Occam’s razor. He can take all the TRT he wants but he’d simply be masking the negative side effects of obesity.

 

[farmgal30]

@scott2511 Don’t worry about going on TRT. It won’t give you the same results as steroids so you’ll still be natural

 

[scott2511]

UPDATE 4/16: Second fasting test was also very low. One more fasting test to go in a couple weeks. Doctor did find that when my spouse and I were trying to have kids over 20 years ago, that my T levels were very low at that time as well. Likely impacted my fertility. No problem though as we adopted wonderful kids!

If the last fasting is low, specialist will be provided to help me with a strategy.