I just got my results back after my first two months on TRT, and things are not perfect, which doesn't exactly surprise me based on the way I've been feeling.
Background: 39 year old male, fit/athletic, no other health issues prior to starting TRT (aside from those associated with low T - I had most of those issues).
Pre-TRT:
TOTAL T: 333 ng/dl (250-1100)
FREE T: 51.3 pg/dl (35-155)
FSH: 3.3 mIU/ml (1.7-8.6)
LH: 2.8 mIU/ml (1.5-12.4)
Those were all of the tests done before starting TRT, including several more total T tests, all of which came back on the low end of normal. I was prescribed 200mg/g (20%) compounded cream, and I have been applying 1/2g daily. No HCG, no AI.
Post-TRT:
TOTAL T: 795 ng/dl (264-916)
FREE T (DIRECT): 25.2 pg/ml (8.7-25.1) High
ESTRADIOL, SENSITIVE: 38.4 pg/ml (8-35) High
HEMOGLOBIN: 17.3 g/dl (13-17.7)
HEMATOCRIT: 50.5 % (37.5-51) (not flagged as high but close)
SHBG: 26.9 nmol/L (16.5-55.9)
TOTAL CHOLESTEROL: 203 mg/dl (100-199) High
HDL: 56 mg/dl (>39)
LDL: 122 mg/dl (0-99) High
PSA: 0.9 ng/ml (0-4)
LH: 0.1 mIU/ml (1.7-8.6) Low
DHEA: 337.3 ug/dl (102.6-416.3)
TSH: 2.080 uIU/ml (0.45-4.5)
Happy to provide more numbers for the various other tests that were run, but those are the highlights. My concerns are with hematocrit, estradiol, and cholesterol.
Experience:
I started out feeling amazing for the first few weeks. I have since heard this referred to on this board and elsewhere as the "honeymoon phase", and that sounds right to me. The next several weeks I would say that I felt moderately better than before TRT, but not as good as first few weeks. The last several weeks through present, I feel ok but hard saying if any better than pre-TRT. I noticed some fogginess, occasional low moods, mild discomfort around nipples that weren't there in the first few weeks - all of which I guessed even before seeing this may have been due to high E2.
My thoughts: as T levels increased, E2 increased and effectively offset any of the benefits I might have been feeling.
What thoughts or advice to you guys have on where to go from here? I'm in the process of switching to a more knowledgable TRT doc, but until then, I'd really appreciate any thoughts you guys might have.
Background: 39 year old male, fit/athletic, no other health issues prior to starting TRT (aside from those associated with low T - I had most of those issues).
Pre-TRT:
TOTAL T: 333 ng/dl (250-1100)
FREE T: 51.3 pg/dl (35-155)
FSH: 3.3 mIU/ml (1.7-8.6)
LH: 2.8 mIU/ml (1.5-12.4)
Those were all of the tests done before starting TRT, including several more total T tests, all of which came back on the low end of normal. I was prescribed 200mg/g (20%) compounded cream, and I have been applying 1/2g daily. No HCG, no AI.
Post-TRT:
TOTAL T: 795 ng/dl (264-916)
FREE T (DIRECT): 25.2 pg/ml (8.7-25.1) High
ESTRADIOL, SENSITIVE: 38.4 pg/ml (8-35) High
HEMOGLOBIN: 17.3 g/dl (13-17.7)
HEMATOCRIT: 50.5 % (37.5-51) (not flagged as high but close)
SHBG: 26.9 nmol/L (16.5-55.9)
TOTAL CHOLESTEROL: 203 mg/dl (100-199) High
HDL: 56 mg/dl (>39)
LDL: 122 mg/dl (0-99) High
PSA: 0.9 ng/ml (0-4)
LH: 0.1 mIU/ml (1.7-8.6) Low
DHEA: 337.3 ug/dl (102.6-416.3)
TSH: 2.080 uIU/ml (0.45-4.5)
Happy to provide more numbers for the various other tests that were run, but those are the highlights. My concerns are with hematocrit, estradiol, and cholesterol.
Experience:
I started out feeling amazing for the first few weeks. I have since heard this referred to on this board and elsewhere as the "honeymoon phase", and that sounds right to me. The next several weeks I would say that I felt moderately better than before TRT, but not as good as first few weeks. The last several weeks through present, I feel ok but hard saying if any better than pre-TRT. I noticed some fogginess, occasional low moods, mild discomfort around nipples that weren't there in the first few weeks - all of which I guessed even before seeing this may have been due to high E2.
My thoughts: as T levels increased, E2 increased and effectively offset any of the benefits I might have been feeling.
What thoughts or advice to you guys have on where to go from here? I'm in the process of switching to a more knowledgable TRT doc, but until then, I'd really appreciate any thoughts you guys might have.
