31 with low free T but normal TT and high shbg. any advice?

[flush]

Hi All.

I am feeling pretty fed up, but I am finding it hard to decide if i actually want to proceed down the TRT route (if i even can), or take any sort of medication that is not 'natural' as I want kids in the future.

I am aware my SHBG is high, but nothing i do will lower it, I have tried losing weight last year to 182lbs so its not related to my bodyfat %. I tried a strict weight lifting heavy for past 9 months and made good strength and some hypertrophy but no SHBG change. Also tried nettle, vit d, zinc and magneisum for some or all of this experimentation time. Nothing working. I am hesitant to try boron as i dont know exactly how safe it is long term.

Thank you for your feedback guys

 

[Vince Carter]

Youre right, SHBG is killing your Free T and the only way to drive SHBG lower, is thru TRT.

 

[Vince]

You can read over this information it may help you but if you decide to use DHEA be careful because it will lower your testosterone and increase your estrogen.
Supplement with boron, magnesium and check your D3 levels

http://www.peaktestosterone.com/Free_Testosterone_SHBG.aspx

 

[MarkM]

Welcome to the forum.

Your doctor's philosophy of treating Total T is flawed. 97 to 98% of Total T is bound up and not available to do any work for you. It is solely circulating in the blood stream bound to SHBG of Albumin, more so SHBG. It is the 2% to 3% of Free T, a small fraction of the Total T, in men that does all the heavy lifting.

So while your Total T is not terrible, your Free T is extremely low and that is what your doctor should be treating. You do not have enough Total T to give you enough Free T after SHBG binds to your testosterone. Many times, men with high SHBG like yours need Total T that is at the supra-physiological levels to have Free T at this mid range or higher.

Based off the Free and Bioavailable Testosterone Calculator, http://www.issam.ch/freetesto.htm, your Free T percentage is at 1.3% with your Bioavailable T at 30.4%. Average men have and need their Free T to be between 2% and 3% of their Total T and yours is much lower than that.

The only way you are going to increase your Free T to compensate for the high SHBG is to be on TRT.

Looks like you have the wrong estradiol test. Men need the Estradiol Sensitive, LC/MS/MS assay. I believe you have taken the Roche ECLIA methodolgy test which is designed for women and not accurate for men.

Your thyroid testing was incomplete. Your TSH looks high even though it is in range, but your Free T3 and Free T4 seems okay. Really need to test the Reverse T3, and the two thyroid antibodies for a complete look at the thyroid. It would also benefit you to test the iron and ferritin levels.

I would go back to the doctor and plead your case on the low Free T which is extremely low and almost below range. While only 2 - 3% of Total T, it plays a critical role here.

 

[Dryheat]

Hi All.

I am feeling pretty fed up, but I am finding it hard to decide if i actually want to proceed down the TRT route (if i even can), or take any sort of medication that is not 'natural' as I want kids in the future.

However I have nearly all the symptoms of low T, particular disinterest in sex and lack of motivation, no vascularity, easy to lose muscle. I have had them for over 5 years now, and have become accustomed to them that I cannot remember what it feels like to be "normal" or have a normal sex drive, I read stories on here of guys who have good sex drive from trt and I cannot even imagine it. I get no morning wood either.

I am aware my SHBG is high, but nothing i do will lower it, I have tried losing weight last year to 182lbs so its not related to my bodyfat %. I tried a strict weight lifting heavy for past 9 months and made good strength and some hypertrophy but no SHBG change. Also tried nettle, vit d, zinc and magneisum for some or all of this experimentation time. Nothing working. I am hesitant to try boron as i dont know exactly how safe it is long term.

My readings are as follows - 31 years old and 20% body fat and 215lbs

dhea 9.46 UMOL/L (0.44-13.40)
fsh 2.9 IU/L (1.50-12.40)
lh 5.0 IU/L (1.70-8.60)
tt 25.2 NMOL/L (7.60 - 31.40) / 700 ng dl
ft 0.32 NMOL/L (0.30-1.00) / 9 ng dl
shbg 71 NMOL/L (16-55)
17-beta-ostradol 79.4 PMOLL (0-191.99)
cortisol 382 nmol/l (133-537)
prolactin 167 mIU/L 86 - 324
tsh 2.57 mIU/L (0.27 - 4.2)
free thyroxine 18.0 pmol/l (12.0 - 22.0)
FREE T3 4.5 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8)

From my brief discussion with a private endocrinologist in the uk here he says it isnt wise to treat me with TRT anyway as my TT is good (700ng) and i am young. So i feel a bit lost now.

Can you let me know what other options there are here natural?

Would you do on these numbers?

I had some advice in another forum my free t3 was high and it maybe my thyroid, however i dont want to go on thyroid medication so im not sure if it really is a solution...

Thank you for your feedback guys

I'm not an expert by any means, but my situation is similar to yours. I'm older, at 53, and have no desire to father more children, however I am (or was) extremely active. Had my PCP run a blood panel about 2 years ago and specifically asked to check the test. He said it came back "normal", which due to my ignorance on the subject, I felt closed that chapter. Fast forward to more recently and I started doing more on-line research. I'm now much more in tune with what "normal" really means insofar as most physicians are concerned. Because of this website I got in touch with Defy, had a blood panel taken, and came away with results very similar to yours; overall test at 701, free test at 11.4, F-ing SHBG at 89.2. One difference Dr. Saya mentioned during our consultation was that he felt my IGF-1 was a bit lower than it could/should be at 103. He said raising the IGF-1 thorough peptides (Ipamorelin), could have a simultaneous effect of lowering the SHBG. If you're not familiar with Ipamorelin, it works in a way that doesn't cause your body to shutdown growth hormone production, unlike TRT can do with your bodies test production. Basically, a kinder, gentler way to bring my free test back into line, if it works. If that doesn't work, then yes, I will go on TRT. But my point is this, the couple hundred bucks spent on a consultation with a knowledgeable, open-minded doctor can potentially open the doors to options you didn't know existed. While I was aware that my SHBG was high, I had no idea that upping the IGF-1 was an option.