29 y/o male with low testosterone

[rdfree]

Hi, I'm a 29 y/o male.  I recently had blood work done for an unrelated matter (kidney stone pain) and my blood work revealed that I had low testosterone levels ( I will put my blood work in the post).  Over the last few years I've noticed I've gained increased belly fat, lost alot of muscle mass and have a decreased sex drive.  This is something I'm hoping I can overcome as I'm a newly wed and married to a very beautiful woman.  

I've also noticed that I have issues with mood swings and I'm just not what I used to be in alot of areas.  I'm seeing a Endocrine specialist and had an MRI done.  I will know the results Monday as I know a common symptom is a tumor in the pitutary gland.

What type of treatment can help me overcome this if its not the tumor and if it is what can I expect from that.  I'm just really worried about this issue and want to get it corrected and done the proper way.  I have great insurance so the financial burden shouldnt be an issue.

While typing this message I only have my testosterone level which is 184.  They said in September my T3 and T4 levels among others were low however as of 12/10 they are back to normal with no treatment or medication.  Also, I often have headaches and fatigue

[Barb135]

Reference ranges vary lab to lab, so they have to come from your own report, in for us to see where your levels fall within the ranges.

[rdfree]

No tumor thank God.  Appears just low testosterone and I am going to start using Testim Ge (insurance wont cover Androgel).  My test results are below:

TSH- 1.81; FT4- 1.2; FSH- 8.6; LH- 5.2; CORTISOL- 10.1; PROLACTIN- 11.1; ACTH- 27.13; TESTOSTERONE- 221; F. TESTOSTERONE- 8.6; IGF-1- 220; SHBG- 15.6. Pt. MRI on brain normal

[Barb135]

What are the exact results of your T3 and T4 and were those Free T3 and Free T4 or were they Total T3 and Total T4?  Testing for the Totals is obsolete and of limited value, but many doctors still test them, instead of the Frees.

Often if you have a pituitary issue, other pituitary hormones will be off, as well.  Have you been tested for TSH, FSH, LH, ACTH, etc?

Typically, provided that nothing else is wrong, low testosterone would be treated with replacement hormones. These can be in the form of a gel, injection, pellets or patches.

The following link will provide some good basic information.

http://www.urologyhealth.org/urology/index.cfm?article=132

To find out more, google "low testosterone".  

If you'll please post your actual thyroid hormone test results and reference ranges, we can tell you whether or not you have a thyroid issue, as well.  Often, even when results are "normal", symptoms can be present.