Hormone Therapy?

[everyminutelive]

Hello:

Last fall I got a hormone test. Testosterone was 370 and estrogen was 20. But since then I have lost weight probably 30 pounds. My questions are:

1) Is 370 within range for testosterone therapy? (My doctor told me it was normal but it seams low to me)
2) Could my testosterone levels increased do to weight loss? If so does anybody know how much testosterone can fluxuate from weight loss?

Thanks, any thoughts or knowledge would be appreciated

[john911]

I have heard that oral tablets for testosterone is the worst for and can cause liver or kidney problems. It causes infertility unless you take HCG talk to your doctor if he is telling you testosterone replacement will help your fertility get another doctor. Good Luck

[aniche]

hello doc,

my doctor has prescribed me testosterone tablets in order to improve my sperm counts and treat my infertility. is it advisable as i have read that exogenous testosterone can casu decreased sperm production.

[aniche]

dear doc
i am a new comer to this discussion. i have been married for five years and do not have any children as yet. my libido has been very low and hence i did a set of tests. my testosterone levels have come as 1.64ngm/ml with prolactin levels of 15. semen analysis results reveal a count of 26 million with motility being 20. i weigh 220 pounds with my ht being 6 feet. do you think i have infertility secondary to low testosterone levels.

[skin_kin]

Actually I am starting seeing some improvement (2 wks on gel), so I do not think that these pains (sooo common to us hypogonal men) are psychosomatic.

It also seems that 12-w injections are the definite solution. Thanks for the info.

[lowT]

All body builders on steroids surely you must be joking, theyr'e just geneticaly gifted!

There was a story in my local paper the other day about a young bloke just about to enter his first body building contest, his 18 and a lot bigger than i ever got when i was lifting weights, its probably just a coincedence that the owner of the gym was busted for selling steroids 2 years ago.

Haven't heard from you for a while are you feeling any better, have you started any T-therapy.

[lowT]

I have experienced vague abdominal pain, side pain and lower back pain, my doctor thinks its all just psychosomatic.
I dont know if he's right or not but it feels pretty real to me.

I hope you continue to improve on your current therapy, if not there are other forms of T therapy such as injections either fortnightly or long term 12 weeks or implants that i have heard in some people are more effective than the gels.

[skin_kin]

Hey guys! Go carefully with the steroids! I had enough of my own problems with tamoxifen...

[john911]

I wonder if HRT has any effect like this. If you take TRT and then get off of it does normal production return? I mean if your levels are low to begin with and you take TRT I heard natural production shuts down. So after you are not able to take it anymore is it much worse? Can you use it as a temporary fix to bring up your levels then get off and maintain them yourself?

[everyminutelive]

LOL, YES lots and lots. They were also talking about how a bodybuilder was on steroids for a long time and when he got off of them the tests couldn't even pick up trace amounts of testosterone in his system, see there kids thats why you don't use steroids off the street. Almost all bodybuilders are using steroids, the average T levels for these muscle freaks are in the 3000 range. But usually, according to this article, when they go off the roids their T levels do not go back to normal and drop below average levels.

[john911]

Was he on steroids? That is crazy I wonder if he would let me borrow about 500 of those.

[everyminutelive]

I just read an article on the web about a bodybuilder with T levels over 21,000 nl crazy.

[john911]

Here they are sad, but true.

Dhea(NL)                          458ng/DL           Ref range142-1410
Testosterone, total (DSL)   346Ng/DL          Ref range  190-1037
Estradiol (DSL)                  32 PG/ML         None given
Cortisol                             14.8 Ug/DL        None given

I am going to retest them in a month, because there were many things I believe that effected the levels. During this time I thought I had cancer. I wasn't sleeping or eating enough. I lost 20 pounds in like 3 weeks. I also took the test at around 12:00 when I re-take it I plan on doing it as early as possible. I have gained back most of the weight, quit smoking cigarettes and weed, been exercising, taking a multivitamin daily, and eating a healthy diet.

[skin_kin]

By the way, did you ever experience vague muscle pain in the abdominal area?

[skin_kin]

I will have the test next Thursday. What counts for me is not the test results but my feeling of well-being (which has been lost during the last six months). I also hope that T-therapy will get us back on track. According to all available scientific literature (I have access to every scientific journal in the world) it should. However, I have not managed to read anywhere how long it takes before one can feel a substantial difference. I am now taking Trostan gel (60 mg/day) but improvement is marginal. My major concern is that my symptoms are not due to low T but some other disorder, e.g. major depression. However, I never had ANY psychological problems in my whole life, while the timing of the symptoms coincides with withdrawing from Nolvadex treatment.

My major symptoms are aches in the belly (fibromyalgia), brain fog (difficulty to focus) and, above all, insomnia (I feel like choking upon falling asleep).

Please keep me posted on your progress too. It is a great help, you know.

[lowT]

How is your treatment going, still improving i hope?
What dose is your treatment?

I think you mentioned in an eralier post that anxiety caused by low testosterone feels more physical than mental, i sometimes worry about things but the majority of my symptoms are physical aches, pains, light headedness, trouble sleeping but my worst symptom is nausea.
I hope your right and maybe some T - therapy can get me back on track.

[lowT]

On june 1st you mentioned you had a hormone test coming up, have you got the results back yet, if so how did you go?

[skin_kin]

Yeah, it is also hard! Especially the anxiety and insomnia part.

[john911]

I have one to I think. I am wondering though if it is fixed does testosterone level increase? I am hoping to naturally raise my testosterone levels then if not successful using treatment.  It looks like I have a long road ahead of me though and I need to loose alot of weight. I already quit smoking cigarettes and weed, changed my diet and started exercising, but I am noticing it is harder than it was before.

[john911]

Oh yeah my bones have been making popping noises alot lately. It doesn't hurt it is just kind of weird.

[john911]

"You said you dont feel well what did you mean by this? "

I mean disinterested in everything, disconnected, irritable, weak, tired, fuzzy headed, aches and pains all over, pain in testicles that rotates and sometimes goes into my legs..............I also have gynecomastia and slight ed, but no serious symptoms i.e. need to go to the hospital. I DON'T FEEL LIKE MYSELF. That is why I say I don't feel well. I can handle the way I feel it just feels like something is not right.  I may have a varicocele above my left testicle. It is not very big and I cannot always feel it, but in the evening and at night it is more prominent especially when I am standing. I also have no lumps in my testicles although I have a slightly and I stress slightly swollen lymph node on my right inner thigh that is tender. I also have a tender spot on my stomach, but no lump. I remember reading on one website one of the symptoms of low t is hypochondria or a feeling of not being well. The three weeks that led up to my hormone test were hell.
I originally thought i was having a heart attack then I thought I might have male breast cancer got an ultrasound and they said it looked suspicious. Got  a second opinnion and the surgeon I saw said they were full of sh*t and were known to do stuff like that to make money off the biopsy and there is a liability issue if it doesn't meet specific criteria for further investigation. Anyway it was a anxiety attack and gynecomastia. During this time I was not eating well and sleeping very little I lost about 20 pounds in less than a month. I plan on retaking my hormone test after seeing a endocrinologist this time more detailed and indepth. I expect the results to be a little better as I have put the weight back on, been eating healthy and sleeping better.

Blah blah blah blah

I just want to fix what ever is wrong with me.

[skin_kin]

The infertility is reversible. I also have the right nut pain and a 1st degree varicose vain. It is not pathological. 2nd and 3rd degree varicoses should be treated, however.  

[lowT]

You mentioned some pain in your testicles, i also have this in my right nut and groin.
I mentioned this to my Dr before i returned an abnormal free test result and he examined me and said there were no lumps and told me not to worry.
I researched a thing called a varicocele which is a varicose vain in your sack, in the article i read it said that they can cause an abnormality in the functioning of your testes and lower testosterone production.

You said you dont feel well what did you mean by this?
I just dont feel like myself, i feel disinterested in everything and a bit fuzzy headed, i also have a lot of nausea.

[john911]

Is the infertility permanent or is it reversible if you stop taking replacement.

[skin_kin]

I am now entering week 2 on Trostan and already feel better. Unfortunately it is true that replacement therapy can cause infertility, so one way around it is to stimulate directly the testicles (I think they use prolactine for this). As for the insurance, I live in Europe so the cost of the treatment is covered.