LOW testosterone - 25 years old

[Pariah]

Alright, so I am 25, and I just got my blood work back and my test is at 301 on a scale of 250-1000, Free test was 29, which is about 15 points lower than the minimum for that test. I am definitely an ectomorph (though at one point in my life I was 100 lbs overweight because of anti-depressants and a poor diet, and I was sedentary). Anyways, now i have been training for three years, and have gained about 25 lbs of muscle, and I look very athletic, I fill out a large tshirt. I am 5'9 and 175 lbs. My question is: How on earth do I even have muscle mass with test/free test that low? I gain weight VERY slowly, maybe 7 or 8 lbs of muscle a year, no matter how much I eat, and I eat a LOT of food, macros are in check. Does anyone have any ideas? I am taking a natty test booster just to see if it will bring that number up any, since it's so low. Oh, and libido is great, I wake up ready to go, almost every day... so I almost think that I am just being paranoid about the number. Think I should just go to the doc to see if they can get it up to 500-700 ish?

 

[Ad Fortitudo]

Alright, so I am 25, and I just got my blood work back and my test is at 301 on a scale of 250-1000

What time of day was the blood drawn? Hormones follow a natural daily rhythm, so blood draws in the afternoon can be significantly lower than the morning (best time to draw is 6-8 AM).

Free test was 29

What are the units? Reference range?

 

[Pariah]

Honestly, it was drawn in the late afternoon and I am a clinic manager so work is always stressful. I work for a clinic and we were kinda goofing around and everyone was betting on their hormone numbers, haha. I feel like mine are probably decent considering my insane libido and athletic shape. My test says 35.0-155.0 pg/mL is normal, mine came back at 29.9. DHEA-S was 431 out of 110-510 mcg/dL, PSA was good, TSH and everything with my lipid and metabolic panel were fine, too. I guess I should have my nurse re-do my test in the AM so I can get an accurate reading. I was initially doing the blood work as a joke but I told myself that if it came back okay that I would run some test-e (I have done my research). How much do tests vary based on the time of the day?

 

[Ad Fortitudo]

Honestly, it was drawn in the late afternoon and I am a clinic manager so work is always stressful. I work for a clinic and we were kinda goofing around and everyone was betting on their hormone numbers, haha. I feel like mine are probably decent considering my insane libido and athletic shape. My test says 35.0-155.0 pg/mL is normal, mine came back at 29.9. DHEA-S was 431 out of 110-510 mcg/dL, PSA was good, TSH and everything with my lipid and metabolic panel were fine, too. I guess I should have my nurse re-do my test in the AM so I can get an accurate reading. I was initially doing the blood work as a joke but I told myself that if it came back okay that I would run some test-e (I have done my research). How much do tests vary based on the time of the day?

At least a 20-25% difference between 8 AM and 4 PM. [1]

I'm pretty sure that your level of stress that day would also have an effect (cortisol, i.e. stress, is inversely related to T).

If it were me, I'd go back in a few weeks and get re tested in the morning on a day where you're not going to be tired, stressed, overworked, etc.

If you have the cash, it might be good to also get a sensitive estradiol, LH, FSH, and vitamin D test.

Really, your DHEA-s levels are high for a young guy and you feel good. If you feel good, and everything else checks out, then you can decide what to do after you have that updated data. It's not that you shouldn't be looking to raise your T levels if they're low-ish, but the lab data you have won't give you the best idea of what to do.

In the meantime, I wouldn't be worrying about it.


[1]Diver, M. J., Imtiaz, K. E., Ahmad, A. M., Vora, J. P., & Fraser, W. D. (2003). Diurnal rhythms of serum total, free and bioavailable testosterone and of SHBG in middle-aged men compared with those in young men. Clinical Endocrinology, 58(6), 710–717.

 

[Pariah]

Thanks for your input, man. I will re-do my labs in the early morning in a couple of weeks to see what's up. I did Estradiol the last time and it was in the low-ish ranges for that test, too. Same with a few other female hormones. Vitamin D was in range, too. (I take 2,000 IU every morning). I'll let you know what the new labs say when I get them done and we'll take it from there. Thanks again for investing time into this thread.

PS: Next time I'll add SHBG, LH, and FSH.

 

[CaptnCaveman]

Alright, so I am 25, and I just got my blood work back and my test is at 301 on a scale of 250-1000, Free test was 29, which is about 15 points lower than the minimum for that test. I am definitely an ectomorph (though at one point in my life I was 100 lbs overweight because of anti-depressants and a poor diet, and I was sedentary). Anyways, now i have been training for three years, and have gained about 25 lbs of muscle, and I look very athletic, I fill out a large tshirt. I am 5'9 and 175 lbs. My question is: How on earth do I even have muscle mass with test/free test that low? I gain weight VERY slowly, maybe 7 or 8 lbs of muscle a year, no matter how much I eat, and I eat a LOT of food, macros are in check. Does anyone have any ideas? I am taking a natty test booster just to see if it will bring that number up any, since it's so low. Oh, and libido is great, I wake up ready to go, almost every day... so I almost think that I am just being paranoid about the number. Think I should just go to the doc to see if they can get it up to 500-700 ish?

Hormones are very tempermental and can be confusing. I'm experiencing a similiar issue, and have been posting about it in another thread on the forum. So many factors can contribute to low T levels that without very thorough testing it's very tough to decide what is causing it. Some things I've read that can effect hormone levels are lack of sleep. Enviromental factors, such as smoking, exposure to toxins, certain prescription drugs, and xenoestrogens such as those found in plastics, and perfumes. Lack of nutrition is a big one too. As is stress. I've also read that eating disorders can cause hormone problems. So can obesity. So can injuries to the testicles, or problems with your pituitary glad and hypothalamus.

If you're not experiencing any negative effects associated with low T, then I wouldn't sweat it too much. However, it doesn't hurt to have some blood work drawn and work with your doctor to find out the underlying cause of it to be sure it isn't something serious, or going to cause you more problems in the future. Good luck to you in getting this sorted out.

 

[The Matrix]

Hormones are very tempermental and can be confusing. I'm experiencing a similiar issue, and have been posting about it in another thread on the forum. So many factors can contribute to low T levels that without very thorough testing it's very tough to decide what is causing it. Some things I've read that can effect hormone levels are lack of sleep. Enviromental factors, such as smoking, exposure to toxins, certain prescription drugs, and xenoestrogens such as those found in plastics, and perfumes. Lack of nutrition is a big one too. As is stress. I've also read that eating disorders can cause hormone problems. So can obesity. So can injuries to the testicles, or problems with your pituitary glad and hypothalamus.

If you're not experiencing any negative effects associated with low T, then I wouldn't sweat it too much. However, it doesn't hurt to have some blood work drawn and work with your doctor to find out the underlying cause of it to be sure it isn't something serious, or going to cause you more problems in the future. Good luck to you in getting this sorted out.

Hormones can be expressions of a deeper issue. You need to be properly evaluate for environmental, emotional, lifestyle, genetic, biological, structural and neurological imbalances. I have yet to have a case where there has not been an explanation which has not been found with in these parameters. The problem is Dr specialize in one area, forgetting the rest of the equation. The result is short term satification, but lacking long term gratification..Why I prefer to apply an integrative approach when working with Dr's. Combing the best of both worlds get the best therapeutic out come for their patient. Most of the cases I deal with are lyme, bartonella, and CFS, FM, which hormones are just a small part of the equation.