Blood Work?

[Big Tav]

Hi Carl,

How are you? I am going to go and get some blood work done soon as I am just about to turn 35 and want to make sure everything is "optimal" and if it isn't I want to fix it asap. I feel like I have low test so want to get a base line first.

What is it that I need to check exactly that any GP will understand? (Any GP will be new to me as I have only just moved to the UK)

Testosterone
Free Testosterone
HDL
LDL

Anything else I need to check?

Cheers.

 

[nicknack83]

Hi Carl,

How are you? I am going to go and get some blood work done soon as I am just about to turn 35 and want to make sure everything is "optimal" and if it isn't I want to fix it asap. I feel like I have low test so want to get a base line first.

What is it that I need to check exactly that any GP will understand? (Any GP will be new to me as I have only just moved to the UK)

Testosterone
Free Testosterone
HDL
LDL

Anything else I need to check?

Cheers.

Hey buddy -
I am not Carl, but here is one I run every year to see what's going on. It gives you a pretty clear snapshot of everything that's going on and if you need to investigate further. Hopefully your insurance will cover them!

Chemistry Panel (Metabolic panel with lipids)
Complete Blood Count (CBC)
Free Testosterone
Total Testosterone
DHEA - Sulfate
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)
Estradiol
Homocysteine
C-reactive protein (High sensitivity)
TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone)
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)

 

[ProfDrAndro]

check out the stuff from LEF's "Male Hormone Modulating Profile, Item Catalog Number: LC329735" (use google, I don't want to be f**** by a moderator, again for providing the link) htat is pretty comprehensive - also make sure you get free test measured and not just calculated, if available, you want estradiol sensitive (not the test for females) and you can forget about TSH, ft3 and ft4 is what you really want to know.

 

[Norcal Mike]

The above covers your hormone testing. Regarding the HDL/LDL part, I suggest getting the "VAP cholesterol" test because it'll break down your LDL bad cholesterol into Pattern A (large fluffy) and Pattern B (small dense).

This is important because only a high LDL number with pattern B is a sign of danger, as the small dense particles banging around in your blood stream damages the vessels = systemic inflammation. If you eat lots of healthy fats you may have high LDL with large fluffy pattern A, and be just fine. If you eat lots of processed carbs you may have the same LDL number with small dense pattern B and be on the path to heart disease.

Even if you're not worried about these things yet in your life, it'll be good to establish a baseline now, to compare with later.

 

[triceptor]

I would add to these good suggestions a complete thyroid panel including total and free T3 and T4, Reverse T3 and TPO thyroid antibody.. and add to the male hormone panel the often overlooked Sex Hormone Binding Globulin IMHO

 

[purebred]

Subbed for future reference. I intend on going in for some routine bloodwork soon.

 

[Big Tav]

Sounds like a lot of things to test for! Would a regular gp do these on a normal consult in the UK or would I have to pay a lot for this?

 

[Richielo]

Bump..... Big Tav has a good point. How much would something like this cost? My last doc visit, I asked for bloodwork to test T levels and my doc advised that insurance companies look sceptically at these test. Any services provide bloodwork without going to your GP?