Hi guys,
I’m a 24 y/o male from Canada. I exercise 6xx/week (3 lifting, 3 sports) and have been doing this for over 8 years. I’m 6’0 and 200lbs (prob about 20% BF).
My problems all started about 7 years ago. I developed an eating disorder while trying to “cut” and lose some body fat. I had body image dysmorphia and frequently fasted for >20 hour periods in order to justify binge eating. I was eating not nearly enough dietary fat and ate certain points in my journey carbs as well. I went from about 220 pounds to 175 pounds in about 6 months. I got quite lean but at the cost of my health and my hormonal balance. I wasn’t mature enough to recognize it at the time but I had clear symptoms of low thyroid and low testosterone in addition to my mental health problems. I have since fixed my mental health problems (no medications) and no longer have body image issues. I exercise for health now, not for the way that i look.
Unfortunately my improved mental strategy towards a healthy lifestyle did not improve my symptoms of low thyroid and low testosterone. I visited a doctor to have blood tests done and to my surprise my TSH was >5. The doctor mentioned my testosterone was “low normal” and that I would be fine if I just fixed the thyroid. I was prescribed synthroid and have over the last 3 years worked my way up to 100mcg/day. It works great. I no longer feel cold all the time and have more energy. TSH is about 1.
In the last year I have increasingly felt my symptoms of low T worsen. I feel like I have no drive, no motivation, I feel “emotionless”. Erections are possible but I have almost no desire to have sex. I have feel that I can never get those last few reps to really plush myself in the gym. I have lost muscle and all my lifts have dropped (slowly). I have increasingly larger “love handles” despite my weight being stable at 200lbs. I sleep at least 8 hours every night but feel groggy and foggy brained all the time. I eat more vegetables than I ever have, drink less than I ever have (2-3 per week), sleep more and control stress better but still I feel awful. I finally decided no more and chose to go annoy doctor after doctor until someone would give me a blood req. Here are my results:
Ferritin: 80ug/L (range: 20-250)
Sodium: 137mmol/L (range: 135-146)
Potassium: 4.3 (range: 3.5-5.1)
Chloride: 98 (range: 100-110)
Carbon Dioxide: 24 (range: 22-31)
Anion Gap: 15 (range: 8-16)
Leukocytes 5.27 (range: 4-11)
Erythrocytes 5.03 (range: 4.6-6.2)
Hemoglobin: 150 (range: 135-180):
Hematocrit: 0.433L/L (range: 0.405-0.546) LOW NORMAL
Platelets: 200 (range: 150-400)
DHEA-S: 9.44umol/L (range: 4.34-13.4)
SHBG: 34.1nmol/L (range:13-71)
Cholesterol: 5.39mmol/L (range: 3.2-4.6) HIGH
Triglycerides: 0.52mmol/L (range: 0.6-2.3) LOW
HDL: 1.87mmol/L (range: 0.9-1.6) HIGH
LDL (calculated): 3.28mmol/L (range: 1.7-3) HIGH
Cholesterol/HDL: 2.9mmol/L (average risk) = <3.5)
PSA: 0.47ug/L (range: 0-4)
FSH: 7.7IU/L (range: 1.4-18.1)
LH: 7.8IU/L (range: 1.5-9.3) HIGH NORMAL
IGF-1: 254ug/L (range: 105-298)
TSH: 1.2 (range: 0.27-4.2)
Glucose: 5.6mmol/L (range: 3.6-10)
Labcorp values
Estradiol sensitive: 11.0pg/mL (range: 8-35) LOW NORMAL
Testosterone serum: 557ng/dL (range: 264-916)
Free testosterone: 15.9pg/mL (range: 93-26.5)
Canadian lab test values
Testosterone: 9.51nmol/L (range: 5.8-28) LOW NORMAL
Free Androgen Index: 29.4 (range: 35-92.6) LOW
Estradiol: 41pmol/L (range: 28-156)
Testosterone: 16 (range: 5.8-28)
Free Androgen Index: 41.6 (range: 35-92.6) LOW NORMAL
Discussion:
- Hematocrit is borderline low, due (in part) to low T?
- lipids are not as concerning as they look IMO. High HDL and low TG (depending on who you talk to ) is a good thing. LDL calculated also tends to overestimate LDL in pits w/ low TG (reference)
- LH high (ish)
- estradiol sensitive is low (makes sense as i feel emotionless) and estradiol normal assay tends to overestimate
- serum and FT numbers from labcorp are higher (in comparison to reference ranges) than the ones from the lab in Canada are. Free androgen index is often not sensitive enough to accurately capture highs and lows near end of normal range (reference)
Plans:
- I have an appt w/ A doctor in Canada next week to discuss TRT (he was recommended as a good doc for “mens health”). Small chance he knows how to do TRT effectively but I can always hope.
- if he ends up not panning out. I have a consult booked w/ Defy for the week after and will proceed w/ treatment plan from them.
Any questions/advice would be greatly appreciated. I’m here to learn and would be happy to learn from (and hopefully at some point contribute to) this great community.
Thanks
EDIT: couldn’t post references b/c post count too low
I’m a 24 y/o male from Canada. I exercise 6xx/week (3 lifting, 3 sports) and have been doing this for over 8 years. I’m 6’0 and 200lbs (prob about 20% BF).
My problems all started about 7 years ago. I developed an eating disorder while trying to “cut” and lose some body fat. I had body image dysmorphia and frequently fasted for >20 hour periods in order to justify binge eating. I was eating not nearly enough dietary fat and ate certain points in my journey carbs as well. I went from about 220 pounds to 175 pounds in about 6 months. I got quite lean but at the cost of my health and my hormonal balance. I wasn’t mature enough to recognize it at the time but I had clear symptoms of low thyroid and low testosterone in addition to my mental health problems. I have since fixed my mental health problems (no medications) and no longer have body image issues. I exercise for health now, not for the way that i look.
Unfortunately my improved mental strategy towards a healthy lifestyle did not improve my symptoms of low thyroid and low testosterone. I visited a doctor to have blood tests done and to my surprise my TSH was >5. The doctor mentioned my testosterone was “low normal” and that I would be fine if I just fixed the thyroid. I was prescribed synthroid and have over the last 3 years worked my way up to 100mcg/day. It works great. I no longer feel cold all the time and have more energy. TSH is about 1.
In the last year I have increasingly felt my symptoms of low T worsen. I feel like I have no drive, no motivation, I feel “emotionless”. Erections are possible but I have almost no desire to have sex. I have feel that I can never get those last few reps to really plush myself in the gym. I have lost muscle and all my lifts have dropped (slowly). I have increasingly larger “love handles” despite my weight being stable at 200lbs. I sleep at least 8 hours every night but feel groggy and foggy brained all the time. I eat more vegetables than I ever have, drink less than I ever have (2-3 per week), sleep more and control stress better but still I feel awful. I finally decided no more and chose to go annoy doctor after doctor until someone would give me a blood req. Here are my results:
Ferritin: 80ug/L (range: 20-250)
Sodium: 137mmol/L (range: 135-146)
Potassium: 4.3 (range: 3.5-5.1)
Chloride: 98 (range: 100-110)
Carbon Dioxide: 24 (range: 22-31)
Anion Gap: 15 (range: 8-16)
Leukocytes 5.27 (range: 4-11)
Erythrocytes 5.03 (range: 4.6-6.2)
Hemoglobin: 150 (range: 135-180):
Hematocrit: 0.433L/L (range: 0.405-0.546) LOW NORMAL
Platelets: 200 (range: 150-400)
DHEA-S: 9.44umol/L (range: 4.34-13.4)
SHBG: 34.1nmol/L (range:13-71)
Cholesterol: 5.39mmol/L (range: 3.2-4.6) HIGH
Triglycerides: 0.52mmol/L (range: 0.6-2.3) LOW
HDL: 1.87mmol/L (range: 0.9-1.6) HIGH
LDL (calculated): 3.28mmol/L (range: 1.7-3) HIGH
Cholesterol/HDL: 2.9mmol/L (average risk) = <3.5)
PSA: 0.47ug/L (range: 0-4)
FSH: 7.7IU/L (range: 1.4-18.1)
LH: 7.8IU/L (range: 1.5-9.3) HIGH NORMAL
IGF-1: 254ug/L (range: 105-298)
TSH: 1.2 (range: 0.27-4.2)
Glucose: 5.6mmol/L (range: 3.6-10)
Labcorp values
Estradiol sensitive: 11.0pg/mL (range: 8-35) LOW NORMAL
Testosterone serum: 557ng/dL (range: 264-916)
Free testosterone: 15.9pg/mL (range: 93-26.5)
Canadian lab test values
Testosterone: 9.51nmol/L (range: 5.8-28) LOW NORMAL
Free Androgen Index: 29.4 (range: 35-92.6) LOW
Estradiol: 41pmol/L (range: 28-156)
Testosterone: 16 (range: 5.8-28)
Free Androgen Index: 41.6 (range: 35-92.6) LOW NORMAL
Discussion:
- Hematocrit is borderline low, due (in part) to low T?
- lipids are not as concerning as they look IMO. High HDL and low TG (depending on who you talk to ) is a good thing. LDL calculated also tends to overestimate LDL in pits w/ low TG (reference)
- LH high (ish)
- estradiol sensitive is low (makes sense as i feel emotionless) and estradiol normal assay tends to overestimate
- serum and FT numbers from labcorp are higher (in comparison to reference ranges) than the ones from the lab in Canada are. Free androgen index is often not sensitive enough to accurately capture highs and lows near end of normal range (reference)
Plans:
- I have an appt w/ A doctor in Canada next week to discuss TRT (he was recommended as a good doc for “mens health”). Small chance he knows how to do TRT effectively but I can always hope.
- if he ends up not panning out. I have a consult booked w/ Defy for the week after and will proceed w/ treatment plan from them.
Any questions/advice would be greatly appreciated. I’m here to learn and would be happy to learn from (and hopefully at some point contribute to) this great community.
Thanks
EDIT: couldn’t post references b/c post count too low
