Low Libido, ED, Age 65.....Help

[Ronniemu]

I am a 65 year old male bodybuilder looking for information. ED started 8 years ago. Viagra and others medicines seem to help when first used 8 years ago, now its not doing the job. I have seen several urologist since my ED started. I'm not sure what lab test where ordered and don't have the results. It seem as if the urologist was writing scripts for Viagra, etc, and was not interested in finding any reasons for my problems. Recently, My Libido has fallen greatly, so I decided to change urologist. He performed a complete physical and included a urine test and blood test. My doctor told me that my free testosterone is low and that he will retest me in 3 months. He did not explain how low my testosterone was or what would be done if my SHBG remains high or if it returned to normal. The only other out of range test was my Total Protein, it was 6.2 with a reference range of (6-4 to 8.9). Here are the results of my blood test:


Testosterone 468 Range 129-767
SHBG 68.7 Range 10-57
Estradiol 26 Range <=56



Any information that you can supply, would be greatly appreciated. Also, is my SHBG high enough to cause my problems?

 

[qwerty42]

In a word - yes. SHBG that high means you are going to need a hell of a lot of testosterone to feel good.

Ideally you could find out why your SHBG is so high. I'll let Matrix chime in with suggestions as I'm not fully sure myself.

 

[Mr.TT]

First you need a copy of your complete lab tests...IE; LH, FT, DHT, DHEAs, FSH, ETC.

I would order my own from PRIVATEMDLABS.COM ( Hormone Panel with F&T Testosterone & SHBG ).
( and have the blood drawn first thing in the morning. you can reserve an appointment time online)

Read the sticky above ... LifeExtension: Male Hormone Modulation Therapy

I'm playing with lowering my SHBG right now, and in 4 weeks I will post my labs.(and hopefully success)

 

[The Matrix]

First you need a copy of your complete lab tests...IE; LH, FT, DHT, DHEAs, FSH, ETC.
I would order my own from PRIVATEMDLABS.COM ( Hormone Panel with F&T Testosterone & SHBG ).

Read the sticky above ... LifeExtension: Male Hormone Modulation Therapy

I'm playing with lowering my SHBG right now, and in 4 weeks I will post my labs.(and hopefully success)

To.lower shbg need to.lower.inflammatory responses in the body which are mostly responsible for.Hpta dysfunction as well as hormonal down stream effect

 

[hitest]

Finally someone that is actually aging posting on this board instead of the usual 20-something with ED.

As for your SHBG, it might be this as this fits with your low free T and your total T is not bad. On the other hand your SHBG is not that high - mine has been higher albeit with normal free T. If you find some way to dial down SHBG then your E2 might increase which could negate the benefit. The hard part is manipulating any of these. Since you are actually older many factors can be declining and I haven't seen any easy answers yet. Do you have any other health issues?

 

[The Matrix]

Finally someone that is actually aging posting on this board instead of the usual 20-something with ED.

As for your SHBG, it might be this as this fits with your low free T and your total T is not bad. On the other hand your SHBG is not that high - mine has been higher albeit with normal free T. If you find some way to dial down SHBG then your E2 might increase which could negate the benefit. The hard part is manipulating any of these. Since you are actually older many factors can be declining and I haven't seen any easy answers yet. Do you have any other health issues?

As mentioned before SHBG is an indicator of some other imbalance in the body namely liver or GI tract where there is inflammation.
It could also be from any meds you may be taking as this can impact SHBG and liver function.

 

[Ronniemu]

Finally someone that is actually aging posting on this board instead of the usual 20-something with ED.

As for your SHBG, it might be this as this fits with your low free T and your total T is not bad. On the other hand your SHBG is not that high - mine has been higher albeit with normal free T. If you find some way to dial down SHBG then your E2 might increase which could negate the benefit. The hard part is manipulating any of these. Since you are actually older many factors can be declining and I haven't seen any easy answers yet. Do you have any other health issues?

I am completely ignorant when it comes to this type of health issues. Example... I have never heard of SHBG until my lab test came back and it was high. When other guys on this forum mention their SHBG test results, it appears as mine is off the charts. The only results shown on my lab report was Albumin, Total T and my SHBG. I used calculators from other websites to calculate my free T. The value I got was 5.92 NG/DL which I believe as a percentage is 1.26 % Can you give me an idea as to how low this reading is,would it effect my Libido? At the age of 66, I work out at the gym 3-4 times a week, I am muscular for my age and very active, as I also play tennis 3 to 4 times per week. I am very healthy, my main issue being lost of libido and ED. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about 10 years ago, but at that time, 2 doctors got together and told me it was a long stretch to say I have the disease. Recently, I seeing a different GI doctor, he stated. there is no damage to my villi and he would not have classified me as celiac. He mentioned, I may have a intolerance to lactose and recommended me to stay away form milk and milk products for a few weeks. Instead of giving up milk I took an over the counter pill for lactose intolerance. 2 days after taken this medicine, all my GI symptoms went away. I was a bodybuilder as a teenager until I was 50 years old. I always took in plenty of protein during that time. I started returning to bodybuilding at the age of 58. I started to take a protein drink, but only once a day. I was surprised to see my lab test showing my protein level at 6.2 G/DL and the reference range of 6.4-8.9 G/DL. I am wondering if my hard workouts and lack of sufficient protein and lack of sleep is causing my problems. I only get about 6 hours of sleep per night. You mentioned E2....What is it? Thanks for the time you extended to help me out. Ronnie

 

[Ronniemu]

More Questions and Thanks for you previous help!

If my lab test was done correctly, what are the chances of my high (SHBG), significantly improving with a followup test 3 months later?
If my follow up test shows no improvement, should I have the urologist treat me or should I go to a endocrinologist?
How do they treat my condition of high SHBG, if they gave me more T, would the additional T be absorbed by my high SHBG?

Thanks for everyone input, it is well appreciated.

Ronnie

 

[Ronniemu]

As mentioned before SHBG is an indicator of some other imbalance in the body namely liver or GI tract where there is inflammation.
It could also be from any meds you may be taking as this can impact SHBG and liver function.

First, I like to thank you for the info you provided. One month ago, I had an endo and everything was okay. I have a Colonoscopy scheduled six weeks from today. The only meds I take is cozaar for borderline high blood pressure. However, I do take Motrin frequently as I play tennis frequently and use the Motrin for pain. I visit my family physician every 3 months which include a blood test. All of the standard blood test come back normal.

Regards, Ronnie

 

[hitest]

Yeh 5.92ng/dL is low. You should get the actual lab result though to confirm rather than just trusting the calculator. Your gut history is potentially relevant. You may not notice any symptoms now but there still could be some residual issues affecting SHBG and free T. You do not look like a candidate for T replacement and it would probably do more harm than good. The Motrin could be causing gut issues and it is known to increase gut permeability. High blood pressure is an indicator of a less than optimal lifestyle. What is your diet like? Do you have any food intolerances besides lactose? A first step might be a revision of your diet. I don't think your typical urologist or endo will help with that unless you can find one that has a more holistic practice.