Low Testosterone

phileasfogg89

**Not strictly asking for medical advice**


I've suspected I have had low testosterone for a few years now. I am aged 22, I exercise often, I should be in the prime of my life - but instead I have no interest in sex, have various sexual problems, fail to put on any muscle, have excess fat, bad anxiety etc.

I have checked my levels and they are only on the threshold of normal. Within the Irish reference ranges I am normal, but these ranges do not take age in to account. On the NHS' reference rages I qualify for testosterone replacement therapy.

Does anyone know any endos / urologists in the Dublin area open to testosterone replacement therapy? I have heard of doctors who are willing to administer therapy, who are open to the idea - but I have only come across conservatives.


Any help would be appreciated.

siochain

Your GP will have all the details.

Do you really want to be on TRT for life?

Blacktie.

siochain wrote: »

Your GP will have all the details.

Do you really want to be on TRT for life?

If it improves his life what's the issue? It would be along the same lines as somebody being on medication for life.

siochain

There are many things to consider due to the shutdown of his natural production, look them up. OP should have a number of full blood panels over a period of time to make a proper assessment on what's going on. OP is reporting several issues and TRT isn't a Majic bullet.

It's obvious a few doctors have been consulted and refused to prescribe TRT and it leaves me wondering why the GP's haven't referred to an endo already.

Blacktie.

siochain wrote: »

It's obvious a few doctors have been consulted and refused to prescribe TRT and it leaves me wondering why the GP's haven't referred to an endo already.

How is it obvious!?

Squat Rack Curler

Hows your dietary fat intake bro

phileasfogg89

Yeah, I've been doing my research for about a year so I'm not about jump in to anything crazy without checking it out. I know your system shuts down - but I would actually sacrifice that / work around that rather than living with all the bad stuff if I can help it.


Fat intake is normal - don't think it's anything to do with my diet. I've gone through gym phases of paying particular attention to my diet and I still remained the same size and put on zero muscle.

Blacktie.

phileasfogg89 wrote: »

Fat intake is normal - don't think it's anything to do with my diet. I've gone through gym phases of paying particular attention to my diet and I still remained the same size and put on zero muscle.

What's normal to you? Fat intake is pretty critical for hormone regulation and normal is a pretty broad spectrum!

meijin

phileasfogg89 wrote: »

Fat intake is normal - don't think it's anything to do with my diet.

Just post your diet. Testosterone is made from cholesterol, so what you eat is important.

Also read http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/01/15/how-testosterone-is-made/ & http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/01/18/how-to-increase-testosterone-naturally/

Palinpropism

Who checked your test levels? Did you get your thyroid function done also? Hows your sleep?

Squat Rack Curler

What were the test results?

phileasfogg89

Cheers for replies guys really helpful stuff

1. When I said my fat intake was normal I was being vague - because I don't think its related to diet. Going to boarding school with loads of gym buffs, the fitness bug has caught me at various stages of my life. I have gone through many diet phases but my symptoms have persisted.

Anyway, typically in a day I would eat:

morning: porridge / weetabix

afternoon: pasta w/ chicken, red peppers, sauce

dinner: brown rice, steak, sauce, vegetables etc

snack on nuts, biscuits, whatever's around. I snack often, but there's never junk in the house.

2. Sleep is not out of the ordinary, but I've never been a good sleeper - I toss and turn regularly and never sleep
on one side for a full night. Worth mentioning that I have a sub-type of ADHD called Sluggish Cognitive Tempo. Unfortunately, it's not officially a disorder yet but there is a large community of people on ADD Forums who share the same symptoms. A racing mind is part of the disorder and I put this down to my tossing and turning. (symptoms are similar to low testosterone - and some of the people on the forum have had success with TRT)



3. I have the full blood test results stored away, don't have access to them right now. Off the top of my head I've had total T measured twice. The first time it clocked in about 12 n/mol and the second time at 10.29 n/mol so it's between those two I reckon. (@Palinpropism done my GP and then endo in blackrock)

4. I had a test done when I was fourteen and my thyroid was in grand then. Didn't get T3/T4 measured this time around but I will next time...

- My plan is to get a full blood test and get my testosterone measured again, along with cortisol, all estrogens, T3/4 and other stuff. It could easily be that my estrogen is high pushing T down. Or cortisol is too high


My ultimate fear is that my levels will stay low enough to have the symptoms of low T, but will be too high to warrant any sort of treatment. It's worth mentioning that I'm not yearning for immediate TRT, that I am open to any other means. As I have heard TRT should really be the final option...

meijin

phileasfogg89 wrote: »

Anyway, typically in a day I would eat:
morning: porridge / weetabix
afternoon: pasta w/ chicken, red peppers, sauce
dinner: brown rice, steak, sauce, vegetables etc
snack on nuts, biscuits, whatever's around. I snack often, but there's never junk in the house.

Hardly any fat there, except nuts...?

Get a blood test done, follow ALL recommendations from the link I posted, and after few months get another blood test.

Squat Rack Curler

Your test is low now, but looking at your diet there is little fat.. Up your fat intake to 1g/kg

Have you been dieting lately? If so eat at maintenance again.

Wait a month or two and get tested again.

Palinpropism

Your diet sounds fine, I don't know why everyone is focusing on it.

Your results are for total test and not free test so you can't interpret that really.

Sleep would be the first thing i would try and fix if I were worried about my test outside of a genetic issue. Lack of deep wave sleep due to any number of causes is probably most common cause of mildly abnormal test outside of genetic stuff I think. Google good sleep hygiene.

Oestrogen may be problem if you had a large excess of body fat? But you sound like you eat well and take interest in fitness

You mentioned seeing an endo, really they are the only ones best placed to get to the bottom of any problems to be honest cause it is pretty medical oriented questions your asking and you don't want to be led astray by non med folk. So my advice would be to see a specialist! Hope you get to the bottom of it bro, g'luck!