My Battle with Low Libido and Low T - Lab Results Inside

[rimseb]

Hey everyone, I’m a 32 year old male that has been suffering from low libido and low T for the last 5 years.

I’ve done endless blood tests and seen many doctors but all of them brushed it off saying it’s mental, stress etc etc.

Im not going to post all the lab tests since there are way too many, but my Total T , Free T have always been on the low side ( varying from 300 to 380 ng/dl , range 300-1080 ).

Also my TSH has always been on the very low end, 0.35 iUI/mL - 0.49 iUI / ml , range 0.35 - 4.94 ).

My main symptom has been low sex drive followed in a smaller extend by fatigue , dry skin, brittle nails.
I have to add Im fairly active and fit. I workout 5 times a week , 1.76m at 76kg and my strength overall is pretty good.

Fast forward to Dec 2018, I repeat my lab tests and this time both my Total T and Free T are under the norm. My TSH is again at a lowish level at 0.49. Also a bone densitometry showed I have osteopenia ( at the very initial phases ).

Finally my doctor decides to start me on Clomid 50mg EOD. After the end of the first month, he asked me to do 50mg every three days for the second month and 50 mg every 4 days the third month.

To make things easier, I have put in a table my lab tests before , during and after the treatment.

While my Total T and Free T shot up, so did the estradiol.

As for my symptoms, nothing really changed. I feel I am progressing faster at the gym but the libido is exactly the same as before treatment.

Finally, yesterday I went to (yet) another doctor and he thinks clomid is good for fertility but not for libido. He asked me to stop clomid entirely for 2 weeks and then start TRT injecting Nebido 1000mg every 3 months.

I am really at a loss here since this has been going on for way too long and I can’t find a doctor to solve my problem.

Thoughts are greatly appreciated!

 

[Vince Carter]

50mg EOD is too much Clomid, 25 or 12.5mg is more appropriate because as you found out at that dose will really crank up Estradiol which is a libido killer etc etc

 

[fifty]

Dr crisler had me on high dose clomid, nolva, and arimidex once. I felt pretty good. Probably because my e2 was kept down.

 

[Vince]

It would be interesting to see your complete thyroid panel, along with the ranges. Free T4, free T3, reverse T3, and both antibodies. You know the reason why your TSH is so low?

 

[rimseb]

It would be interesting to see your complete thyroid panel, along with the ranges. Free T4, free T3, reverse T3, and both antibodies. You know the reason why your TSH is so low?

Ok I think I have these results:

FT3 : 3.94 ( Range 2.62 - 5.69 pmol/L)
FT4 : 15.6 ( Range 9.09 - 19.04 )

Also both antibodies came out negative:

Ac. Anti - Tg : 10 ( Range 0-115 )
Ac.Anti TPO : 0.01 ( Range < 5.6 )

My TSH has been low only on the reading of this year. Before it would go as high as 1 or 1.1 . Both endocrinologists I've asked said it's perfectly normal.

 

[rimseb]

Dr crisler had me on high dose clomid, nolva, and arimidex once. I felt pretty good. Probably because my e2 was kept down.

Did it have any effect on the libido?

 

[fifty]

I don’t remember. Probably a little. That wasn’t my concern at the time.

 

[Vince]

Ok I think I have these results:

FT3 : 3.94 ( Range 2.62 - 5.69 pmol/L)
FT4 : 15.6 ( Range 9.09 - 19.04 )

Also both antibodies came out negative:

Ac. Anti - Tg : 10 ( Range 0-115 )
Ac.Anti TPO : 0.01 ( Range < 5.6 )

My TSH has been low only on the reading of this year. Before it would go as high as 1 or 1.1 . Both endocrinologists I've asked said it's perfectly normal.

If you ever had a reverse T3 lab.

With that low of TSH, you would think your free T3 would be at a higher range.

 

[TLR]

I was on Clomid 25 mg EOD as part of a restart protocol......talk about a cock killer.....I could have sex about once every 7-10 days, otherwise I couldn't have cared less if Elizabeth Hurley herself came and sat on my face. And I probably would've cried and got mad at her with my elevated E2. Clomid has its place, but I can't imagine a Doctor reaching for it as a solution for low libido.

 

[fifty]

In my case I was on 3mg anastrozole per week when I was on 25mg daily clomid. I think my e2 was near 0 at that point. I didn’t know of “crashing” e2 horror internet stories so I was fine. Still competed in sports at a good level and performed well at my job.

 

[rimseb]

I was on Clomid 25 mg EOD as part of a restart protocol......talk about a cock killer.....I could have sex about once every 7-10 days, otherwise I couldn't have cared less if Elizabeth Hurley herself came and sat on my face. And I probably would've cried and got mad at her with my elevated E2. Clomid has its place, but I can't imagine a Doctor reaching for it as a solution for low libido.

So how did you get things on track on the libido level, dropped clomid and started TRT?

 

[rimseb]

In my case I was on 3mg anastrozole per week when I was on 25mg daily clomid. I think my e2 was near 0 at that point. I didn’t know of “crashing” e2 horror internet stories so I was fine. Still competed in sports at a good level and performed well at my job.

Did you notice any effects on libido?

 

[rimseb]

If you ever had a reverse T3 lab.

With that low of TSH, you would think your free T3 would be at a higher range.

Actually no, going to add it to the next test next week.

 

[rimseb]

Ok, a quick update.

The last doctor told me to stop Clomid for about 20 days and then do a first shot of Nebid 1000mg.

So here's how my numbers look like 20 days after stopping clomid:

Total T: 6.5 ng/mL
Free T: 27.81 pg/mL
Estradiol: 44 pg/mL
LH: 5.10 mIU/mL
FSH: 2.80 mIU / mL
SHBG: 63 nMol/L
DHT: 116.52 pg/ml ( range 250-990)

So apart from DHT being very under the norm, the rest looks pretty OK.

Anyone has any idea how come Clomid raised Total T / Free T / E2 and SHBG but not DHT at all?

 

[fifty]

Can’t you just be happy with those numbers and just stop aka no neibdo?

 

[Vince Carter]

Ok, a quick update.

The last doctor told me to stop Clomid for about 20 days and then do a first shot of Nebid 1000mg.

So here's how my numbers look like 20 days after stopping clomid:

Total T: 650 ng/mL
Free T: 27.81 pg/mL
Estradiol: 44 pg/mL
LH: 5.10 mIU/mL
FSH: 2.80 mIU / mL
SHBG: 63 nMol/L
DHT: 116.52 pg/ml ( range 250-990)

So apart from DHT being very under the norm, the rest looks pretty OK.

Anyone has any idea how come Clomid raised Total T / Free T / E2 and SHBG but not DHT at all?

There's possibly some dysfunction of the 5AR enzyme

 

[rimseb]

Can’t you just be happy with those numbers and just stop aka no neibdo?

I don't really care much about the numbers. I went into this journey because my libido is pretty much non-existent for a man my age. The rise in T after clomid didn't affect my libido at all, that's why Im looking at other options.

 

[rimseb]

There's possibly some dysfunction of the 5AR enzyme

Any experience on what can be done to improve the situation?

 

[fifty]

I would try test prop daily injections or test cream to the nuts to raise dht. I wouldn’t take neibdo if you paid me.

 

[Vince Carter]

I agree with Fifty above here...leave it things alone for a bit you're doing too much in too short of a time and thats just not how this is done, the body needs time to adjust and reach a stable point and you're ignoring that.