What are my blood results telling me?

[conkertheking]

This is upsetting me a good bit. I've long suspected that I have hormonal issues (persistent gyno after puberty, low motivation, mood swings, hard-gainer when it comes to lifting, regular strength plateaus, lack of "alpha" or confident feelings, etc), and over the last year I've had three sets of bloods taken. One was without medication or supplementation, the second was with Erase Pro, the third last week was with Raloxifene.

I'm 25 years old, 26 in July.

Blood work from April 2014, when I wasn't taking anything other than ZMA:

Testosterone: 13.5 nmol/L, range 8.6-29
Estradiol: 112 pmol/L, range 28-156
LH: 3.3 U/L, range 2-9
FSH: 1.9 U/L, range 2-12
Prolactin 214 mU/L, range 86-324

Blood work from July 2014, in the middle of my eighth and final week of Original Erase Pro:

Testosterone: 16.1 nmol/L, range 8.6-29
Estradiol: 424 pmol/L, range 28-156
LH: 4.8 U/L, range 2-9
FSH: 2.2 U/L, range 2-12
Prolactin 349 mU/L, range 86-324
Prolactin minus macroprolactin: 276 mU/L, range 63-245

Blood work from February 2015, after 2 and a half months of 60mg Raloxifene ED:

Testosterone: 12.6 nmol/L, range 8.6-29
Estradiol: 104 pmol/L, range 28-156
LH: 3.5 U/L, range 2-9
FSH: 2.2 U/L, range 2-12
Prolactin 174 mU/L, range 86-324
TSH: 1.92 mIU/L, range 0.27-4.2 (not sure if this was tested on the previous tests, will have a look at hard copies and edit post if it was)
SHBG: 30.4 nmoI/L range 16.5 - 55.9


Across all three blood tests, the trend is having normal testosterone but at the low end of the spectrum which isn't ideal, higher end of normal estradiol (with estradiol increasing 300% while on EP!) and high end of normal prolactin (again with a massive increase while on EP). Apart from these, and this is where I get worried, LH and FSH were more or less the same across all three tests, normal but in the extreme low end of normal, with FSH falling .1 below normal on one of the tests.

Now what's spooking me here is that after 12 weeks of raloxifene, from everything I've read, one expects to see LH, FSH, testosterone, and estrogen increased to a noticeable degree. In my case there was barely any change and some decreases. Does this point to an issue with GnRH? Am I potentially looking at secondary hypogonadism here? The fact that something which is supposed to stimulate hormone production failed to make any significant changes is leading me to question whether perhaps my issue here is that my body just isn't able to make as much LH and FSH as it needs to, or isn't detecting that it should be making more of the aforementioned.

Bearing all this in mind, where do I go from here? I'm currently taking Formeron (topical formestane) 75mg every day, began that last week so as to avoid an estrogen rebound once the raloxifene course is over, but the way I see it even if formeron does significantly raise my T:E ratio, that's not going to do much good when not enough test is being produced in the first place. And because my ranges are all "normal", my doc doesn't seem to want to know. The idea of normal range not necessarily being optimal doesn't seem to bother him, so maybe it shouldn't bother me, but I can feel the effects of this in terms of having absolutely no motivation or drive, and dammit I want to be more driven

Any advice? What are these results telling me, what specifically is likely to be the problem and what is likely to be possible in terms of dealing with it? Are there further tests I should ask for?

 

[Skooter]

I understand your labs, but they are confusing, not what I'd expect to see..

You leaving any factors out?

 

[conkertheking]

I understand your labs, but they are confusing, not what I'd expect to see..

You leaving any factors out?

What kind of factors? The July 2014 ones might have been influenced by the fact that I'd been partying a good bit in the preceding weeks, so probably a bit sleep deprived and a bit of drinking That still doesn't explain either of the other two tests though. I'm a little overweight at the moment but nothing too serious, just about to begin a cut after a long bulk.
Anything else you can think of?

 

[Skooter]

I'm not even gunna try and play doctor bro...
If your Doc won't help or dig into your issues further, then get a new doctor..

But maybe you should lay off all supps for a bit and let your body go back to where it needs to be naturally..

 

[conkertheking]

Skooter well the first set of bloods was normal in that I was on nothing at all, whatsoever. So that's my baseline, was a fasting blood test.

I mean do you even agree that there's a problem or are those levels ok? As I say, they are "normal" as per the ranges, I'm just a bit uncomfortable with how fringe they are. A tiny drop / raise of some of them would be all that it would take to push them out of range.

 

[Yolked]

Skooter well the first set of bloods was normal in that I was on nothing at all, whatsoever. So that's my baseline, was a fasting blood test.

I mean do you even agree that there's a problem or are those levels ok? As I say, they are "normal" as per the ranges, I'm just a bit uncomfortable with how fringe they are. A tiny drop / raise of some of them would be all that it would take to push them out of range.

Try some topical or sublingual DHEA with that Form...

 

[conkertheking]

Try some topical or sublingual DHEA with that Form...

Will give it a shot. To be honest, now that I've seen the bloods I know I have a wide variety of options to improve them, what I'm really curious about is what they actually mean. Clearly I'm not seriously ill as they do all fall within the "normal" range, even though those ranges are useless to a large extent - so what I'm wondering is what possible factors there are which could be causing them. Deficiency in some nutrients? Secondary hypogonadism ie not producing enough GNrH?

Anyone have any idea looking at those what the issue might be?

I'm obviously going to talk to my endo as well, but unfortunately in Ireland it can take months to get appointments with consultants (our health system is a bureaucratic nightmare) so I'm just trying to get a head start while waiting.

 

[v4lu3s]

One test doesn't mean much imo. I personally would get at least 3 several months apart, and look at all three. Make sure they are all around the same time of day.

 

[conkertheking]

One test doesn't mean much imo. I personally would get at least 3 several months apart, and look at all three. Make sure they are all around the same time of day.

Have a look at my OP, those are three tests all around the same time of day and all showing broadly the same thing in terms of test, LH and FSH. Only big difference being that while on OG Erase Pro my E2 and prolactin rocketed - so leaving the questions that raises about the supplement aside, my baselines are still weird for a guy my age.

As far as I know LH and FSH tend to be paired, as in what affects the production of one usually affects the production of both. So it makes sense that both are low at the same time, but I want to figure out what's causing them to be low.

If I'm reading this correctly, it likely means my bollocks is fine, right? As in my balls aren't necessarily unable to produce a decent amount of test, they're just not being told to by the other hormones so they don't bother?

 

[v4lu3s]

two of those tests are not worth using in regards to health imo since you are taking stuff that alters hormones. I did a total of 5 tests over one, year with 4 being with no supplements purported to alter hormones, and one after 5 weeks of clomid. I also made sure i was getting plenty of sleep and nto drinking a lot. When I finally sat down with an endo and handed him the 4 tests without supplements, and a 5th one done at his office I got my prescription for testosterone that day.