Bloods back...E2 down....but....

[BigBamBoo]

Well....got my labs back. These reflect the following changes:

Change T injections from every 3.5 days at 120mg total, to M-W-F at 150mg total. Yes...went up on doctors recommendations.
Dropped the hCG I really believe this was driving my E2 up. And I last 10+ lbs stopping it.
Dropped the DHEA

So as you can see, my total T is a bit high, but free T is right at top of "in range".

When I was taking 25mg of DHEA, my DHEA was around 575. As you can see it has dropped back down to what it was for me prior to TRT at around 275.
I stopped taking it as I...and the Doc...thought it might be adding to my high E2 issues. And I really did not "feel" anything from taking it.

Now, my glucose has always ran high. I have labs from 15+ years ago and it is about the same. Dr said he was not worried about it.

I do see my HDL has dropped...I am not happy about that. It has always been 60+ for the last 15 years.

Again, the Dr says he does not see a glaring issue at this time.

So...what does this all mean for me? Well...I am at a crossroads about it. I honestly do not fee "great" on TRT. Yes, I feel ok/good. And my moods have become more linear I think.

But...and this is the BIG one...TRT has actually decreased my sexual function. I have never had ED issues, etc. And my erections are still rock hard. Morning wood...middle of the night wood, etc.
Prior to TRT I would have "porn star" type ejaculations...LOTS of volume and force. Easy 3-4 foot loads. And for me that is a big part of the sexual experience for me. The whole visual part of it.
And yes...I tried hCG...small doses...big doses...daily doses, etc. It never helped with increasing my volume or anything else but raise my E and bloat me up.

Now...I am lucky to produce a tablespoon of cum and it only shoots out about 6-8".

And since starting TRT, penis sensitivity is down and it takes me a LOOONNGGG time to get off. As well as just not having that whole "sex excites me" feeling. It is like I can take it or leave it now.

So I am actually thinking about stopping TRT at this point. I have a consult with the Doc next week and will properly ask for a exit plan at that time.

I will post what I decide.






upload pics

 

[Vince Carter]

So your E is lower mionus the HCG and DHEA but the problem persists? Note how how your Free T is, likewise you have presumably a very high amount of Free E as well and that won't be shown in the Sensitive test.

 

[BigBamBoo]

No, I am not feeling any high E issues now.

It would be interesting to see my free E....wouldn’t it follow that with my high SHBG that my free E would be low as well?

 

[fifty]

Even if free e is high, what do you do about that?

 

[Vince Carter]

No, I am not feeling any high E issues now.

It would be interesting to see my free E....wouldn’t it follow that with my high SHBG that my free E would be low as well?

It would follow, yes, but your Free T is so high you could bet Free E is up there, too.

 

[Vince Carter]

Even if free e is high, what do you do about that?

Fr this guy an AI, if needed but he says hes not having high E symptoms. Basic advice I'd give is reduce Cyp such that Free T isn't over the lab range to try and reduce E. Use an AI after that it remains elevated accompanied by negative symptoms

 

[fifty]

His free T isn’t over range is it? Plus they told him to up his weekly dose. (Not trying to be argumentative)

Penis sensitivity went down for me when my E was over range.

I wonder what prolactin is at.

Either way, the semen amount thing...idk how there is no solution for that common issue. Would fsh help?

 

[BigBamBoo]

Yeah...I can’t take an AI. I took just three .125mg doses over a week and a half and it damn near killed me...full blown panic attack, heart palpitations, trouble breathing, etc.

I have not touched it since and will not ever again.

The whole idea of switching to the M-W-F protocol was to lower my E...which it did....from 70+ down to what it is now.

I will decide what I am going to do after my consult with the Defy doc next week.

 

[Nashtide]

I don’t really understand the concern over the volume of semen. I love not dropping huge loads. My orgasms are more intense and longer lasting than before TRT and with the smaller loads we don’t have to change the sheets and every time!

 

[BigBamBoo]

Well...I like to watch my load splash all over my wife’s face and body...she likes it too.

And with the decreased volume. My, orgasms are not as intense and are much shorter than they use to be.

So once again...we have proven everyone is different when it comes to TRT.

 

[Nashtide]

Also proves that all women are different. Prior to TRT my wife wasn’t able to swallow and now she loves it. That’s a win-win for sure. I hope you get this all straightened out.

 

[BigBamBoo]

Me too. I have been thinking on it and discussing it with my wife. I might stop. That is going to be the focus of the consult for me.

I can always start again at a later date.

 

[Nashtide]

Have you seen any positive results from TRT? If so, what are they?

 

[madman]

Well....got my labs back. These reflect the following changes:

Change T injections from every 3.5 days at 120mg total, to M-W-F at 150mg total. Yes...went up on doctors recommendations.
Dropped the hCG I really believe this was driving my E2 up. And I last 10+ lbs stopping it.
Dropped the DHEA

So as you can see, my total T is a bit high, but free T is right at top of "in range".

When I was taking 25mg of DHEA, my DHEA was around 575. As you can see it has dropped back down to what it was for me prior to TRT at around 275.
I stopped taking it as I...and the Doc...thought it might be adding to my high E2 issues. And I really did not "feel" anything from taking it.

Now, my glucose has always ran high. I have labs from 15+ years ago and it is about the same. Dr said he was not worried about it.

I do see my HDL has dropped...I am not happy about that. It has always been 60+ for the last 15 years.

Again, the Dr says he does not see a glaring issue at this time.

So...what does this all mean for me? Well...I am at a crossroads about it. I honestly do not fee "great" on TRT. Yes, I feel ok/good. And my moods have become more linear I think.

But...and this is the BIG one...TRT has actually decreased my sexual function. I have never had ED issues, etc. And my erections are still rock hard. Morning wood...middle of the night wood, etc.
Prior to TRT I would have "porn star" type ejaculations...LOTS of volume and force. Easy 3-4 foot loads. And for me that is a big part of the sexual experience for me. The whole visual part of it.
And yes...I tried hCG...small doses...big doses...daily doses, etc. It never helped with increasing my volume or anything else but raise my E and bloat me up.

Now...I am lucky to produce a tablespoon of cum and it only shoots out about 6-8".

And since starting TRT, penis sensitivity is down and it takes me a LOOONNGGG time to get off. As well as just not having that whole "sex excites me" feeling. It is like I can take it or leave it now.

So I am actually thinking about stopping TRT at this point. I have a consult with the Doc next week and will properly ask for a exit plan at that time.

I will post what I decide.






upload pics

Regardless of your TT even though your FT is at the top end of the reference range your FT is still sub-optimal due to your high SHBG as when using the calculated FT method (Vermulen) if we take your TT 1137 ng/dL and your SHBG 66.6 nmol/L your FT is only 1.56% and your BT is only 36.5 %.

Most men need their FT 2-3% of TT to experience benefits!

 

[madman]

Well....got my labs back. These reflect the following changes:

Change T injections from every 3.5 days at 120mg total, to M-W-F at 150mg total. Yes...went up on doctors recommendations.
Dropped the hCG I really believe this was driving my E2 up. And I last 10+ lbs stopping it.
Dropped the DHEA

So as you can see, my total T is a bit high, but free T is right at top of "in range".

When I was taking 25mg of DHEA, my DHEA was around 575. As you can see it has dropped back down to what it was for me prior to TRT at around 275.
I stopped taking it as I...and the Doc...thought it might be adding to my high E2 issues. And I really did not "feel" anything from taking it.

Now, my glucose has always ran high. I have labs from 15+ years ago and it is about the same. Dr said he was not worried about it.

I do see my HDL has dropped...I am not happy about that. It has always been 60+ for the last 15 years.

Again, the Dr says he does not see a glaring issue at this time.

So...what does this all mean for me? Well...I am at a crossroads about it. I honestly do not fee "great" on TRT. Yes, I feel ok/good. And my moods have become more linear I think.

But...and this is the BIG one...TRT has actually decreased my sexual function. I have never had ED issues, etc. And my erections are still rock hard. Morning wood...middle of the night wood, etc.
Prior to TRT I would have "porn star" type ejaculations...LOTS of volume and force. Easy 3-4 foot loads. And for me that is a big part of the sexual experience for me. The whole visual part of it.
And yes...I tried hCG...small doses...big doses...daily doses, etc. It never helped with increasing my volume or anything else but raise my E and bloat me up.

Now...I am lucky to produce a tablespoon of cum and it only shoots out about 6-8".

And since starting TRT, penis sensitivity is down and it takes me a LOOONNGGG time to get off. As well as just not having that whole "sex excites me" feeling. It is like I can take it or leave it now.

So I am actually thinking about stopping TRT at this point. I have a consult with the Doc next week and will properly ask for a exit plan at that time.

I will post what I decide.






upload pics

You had the Free Testosterone (Direct assay done).....it tends to overestimate and I would use calculated method any day over direct or if anything equilibrium dialysis which is the gold standard when it comes to FT.


500726: Testosterone, Free, Mass Spectrometry... | LabCorp

or

070038: Testosterone, Free, Equilibrium Ultrafiltration... | LabCorp

 

[BigBamBoo]

Have you seen any positive results from TRT? If so, what are they?

Not really. The only thing that has improved is my mood seems more linear.

Other than that, it has made my sexual experience decline. Kinda the opposite of what is touted as one of the benefits of TRT.

 

[BigBamBoo]

You had the Free Testosterone (Direct assay done).....it tends to overestimate and I would use calculated method any day over direct or if anything equilibrium dialysis which is the gold standard when it comes to FT.


500726: Testosterone, Free, Mass Spectrometry... | LabCorp

or

070038: Testosterone, Free, Equilibrium Ultrafiltration... | LabCorp

I used the tests that Defy ordered.

 

[fifty]

How do you get your T ratio to 2-3% when your shbg is high?

 

[madman]

https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/review-looks-implications-free-testosterone-measurements/



The number of testosterone prescriptions is growing, so a paper recently published in Endocrine Reviews seeks to offer some best practices for the application of free testosterone measurements in patients with androgen disorders.

The paper, by Ravi Jasuja, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, et al, points out that as the number of prescriptions written for testosterone has increased over the past 10 years, the medical community has refocused its attention on the critical need to accurately measure free testosterone in men with androgen disorders, as well as careful monitoring of these patients and rational dosing. Their review documents the evolution “of our understanding of the binding and bioavailability of testosterone to circulating binding proteins,” attempts to offer a critical appraisal of the prevailing models of testosterone binding to these circulating proteins, discusses recent advances, and provides a contemporary perspective on the free hormone hypothesis and its clinical implications.

The Endocrine Society guidelines suggest measuring free testosterone in men whose total testosterone concentrations are in the lower end of the normal range and in men with conditions that make total testosterone measurements less reliable. “If the free hormone hypothesis is correct,” the authors of this review write, “free testosterone should serve as the benchmark for biochemical confirmation of hypogonadism. Accurate determination of free testosterone values is therefore central to an accurate diagnosis of hypogonadism.”

The authors write that direct analogue assays are inaccurate and should not be used. They also write that while equilibrium dialysis is the reference method for measuring free testosterone, this method isn’t readily available, and because of the lack of standardization across laboratories, this method makes it difficult for endocrinologists to accurately measure free testosterone levels.

“Total testosterone, which can be measured with high accuracy using LC-MS/MS assays in CDC-certified laboratories, and free testosterone are highly correlated,” the authors write,” and it is only in individuals with altered binding-protein concentrations that the associations begin to diverge.” Therefore, they continue, they recommend following current Endocrine Society guidelines: measure total testosterone, and if the man has suspected alterations in sex hormone-binding globulin, then measure free testosterone with equilibrium dialysis.

“Efforts are underway to standardize the procedures for free testosterone measurement and to generate harmonized reference ranges,” the authors conclude. “Until that time, clinicians should be aware that inaccuracies in free testosterone measurements and calculations and poorly defined reference ranges can increase the risk of misclassification in the diagnosis of androgen disorders."

 

[BigBamBoo]

How do you get your T ratio to 2-3% when your shbg is high?

When I was doing every 3.5 day injections my FT was higher. Around 27 if I recall.
But my E2 was 70+.

But...I now fully believe that was due to the hCG.