Free vs Total Testosterone: What Most Men (and Doctors) Get Wrong

madman · 2025-10-13T20:12:46-0500

Free testosterone vs total testosterone — which one actually matters? In this video, Dr. Justin Houman, board-certified urologist and men’s health specialist, explains the key difference between total testosterone and free testosterone, how sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) affects your results, and why your symptoms matter more than your lab numbers.

Learn why you can “look normal” on paper but still have low testosterone symptoms, and what tests you really need to ask for to get an accurate diagnosis.

Timestamps / Chapters:

00:00 – Have You Checked Your Testosterone Levels?
00:20 – Total vs Free Testosterone Explained
01:30 – Why “Normal” Testosterone Can Be Misleading
02:00 – The Role of Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)
02:40 – Free Testosterone and Low T Symptoms
03:30 – When to Test: Timing and Frequency
04:10 – Treating the Patient, Not the Number
05:00 – Shared Decision Making in Low T Treatment
05:30 – TRT and Fertility: What Every Man Should Know
06:20 – Final Thoughts: Total vs Free Testosterone

Thread 'Watch This BEFORE Starting TRT – The Fertility Risk Doctors Warn About'

Yesterday at 8:30 PM

TRT can change your hormones — but it may also shut down your sperm. In this video, Dr. Justin Houman (MD, board-certified urologist & men’s health specialist) explains how testosterone replacement therapy affects fertility, sperm count, and testicular function, how long recovery can take, and what alternatives such as Clomiphene, Enclomiphene and HCG can do to preserve natural testosterone production.

If you’re considering TRT for low-T, watch this first to understand the hidden fertility risks and how to stay safe.

Chapters:...

madman · 2025-10-13T20:23:56-0500

Thread 'Low Testosterone in Men: Q&A with Dr. Justin Houman in Los Angeles'

Sep 11, 2024

In this episode of For the Good of Man, we dive into a comprehensive Q&A session all about Low Testosterone (Low-T) in men. Featuring expert insights from renowned urologist Dr. Justin Houman, we address key questions submitted by listeners and explore the causes, symptoms, and treatments of Low-T.

Whether you're curious about the signs of testosterone deficiency or the latest treatment options, this episode covers it all from A to Z. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of this vital men's health issue. Don't forget to submit your...

madman · 2025-10-13T20:25:09-0500

Thread 'Dr. Shalender Bhasin: Optimizing the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypogonadism 2025'

Oct 7, 2025

Nelson's house u heard it here first!

Dr. Shalender Bhasin!

* over the past 4 decades he has become a global leader in the biology of androgens, sarcopenia and aging related functional decline, his research has shaped clinical guidelines, its informed public health policy particularly around testosterone therapy, anabolic interventions and then the development of function promoting therapies

25:40-34:36
Methods for Assessing Free Testosterone (FT) Levels

Implications of the Inter-monomeric Allostery and...

madman · 2025-10-13T20:25:33-0500

Thread 'Free T vs Total T - Cutoffs and Symptoms - Where Are the Data?'

Yesterday at 12:09 PM

25th Annual Fall Scientific Meeting of SMSNA!

Grapevine, Texas.

1:14:05-1:29:40

Recommendatios for Dealing with Free T

Concept of Total Hormonal Load

Keep in mind all those men with normal TT and high SHBG!

Reasonable, Evidence-based Recommendation for Managing T

madman · 2025-10-13T20:33:14-0500

Thread 'Fertility maintenance or restoration in men before, during, and after TRT or AAS'

Sep 25, 2022

Fertility Preservation in Hypogonadal Men (2018)
Robert J. Carrasquillo and Ranjith Ramasamy

Introduction

Testicular failure is defined as the impairment or loss of both the endocrine functions of the testis (production of testosterone, or T) and exocrine function (production of spermatozoa). Testicular failure can result from the pathology of the testis itself or disorder at any point in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Primary testicular failure is characterized by normal/low T in the presence of the elevated follicle-stimulating hormone...