Testing testosterone

[anonymous12345]

Hi everyone,

I know some of you are good at this:

When getting a blood sample for testosterone, what values should be sampled for beyond testosterone, when looking at man's health/sexual function? If I recall correctly it's not only that hormone that matters.


Best,

 

[Manure Spherian]

Hi everyone,

I know some of you are good at this:

When getting a blood sample for testosterone, what values should be sampled for beyond testosterone, when looking at man's health/sexual function? If I recall correctly it's not only that hormone that matters.


Best,

Estradiol, LH, FSH.

 

[characternote]

I'm far from expert, but I had my testosterone tested recently (very surprisingly my T is through the roof! I'd always assumed it was low)

It tested for total T, Free T, SHBG, Estrogen, Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH). A few others too

 

[characternote]

what made you assume its surprising?

always assumed my T was very low. Mainly because I have very little body hair and I can't even grow a beard at all and i'm old! lol
I also tend to think people with high T will have a super deep voice and will maybe be 'lean' even when they don't work out loads. (i.e I know guys who don't work out, and they have VERY little fat and you can see their muscles really stand, and I always just assumed them guys have super high T levels)



But yeah, both my free T and total T were on the high side. There was even an 'exlamation mark' on my T levels (which at first I assumed was because it was low) but it was actually because it was 'outside of range', but on the upper side

 

[plumber]

it helps to align the investigation with symptoms. each man has a slightly different tolerance or need. Generally the free t is what you care about for this and it should be enough for you. some men's needs fall outside the medical approved ranges. especially the low side, some men can be in the approved low end but functionally be very low. E2 is the next biggest lever. It is not about absolute values it is about ratio, ratio of free t and free e. LH is the signal that your brain sends to your nuts to make t. If its low, t likely will be low. You care about that because if you want to adjust it makes sense to know what is the issue. If LH is high and you have low t then its not a brain problem. Can be defective nuts or e overload. If e saturates the receptors it can actually block Leydig cell operations,. If that happens need to flush e... not fun. There are a a bunch of details. Most of them can be worked around. If you have symptoms that match, something is not right. keep looking. if your numbers are fine as per what someone tells you but you still have symptoms such as weak erection, early ejac, emotionally sensitive and can be hooked, lack of focus and drive, and many more then keep looking. you can have very high t and all of those symptoms if the harmony is not right. no, i am not expert but have some direct knowledge.

 

[characternote]

Interesting, would you say that you have a stress-free lifestyle or win a lot in life? And how is your diet if you dont mind to answer?

I TRY to have as little stress as possible! I even try to avoid the news lol. I don't wanna read depressing stuff about immigration in my country and murder and all the rest of it. I tend to avoid relationships. I prefer one night stands and very casual relationships. Very happy with my own company. My work isn't stressful, either. I still get stressed but I generally try to arrange my life too avoid it as best I can.

Wouldn't say I 'win' a lot at life, though, tbh.

Diet: I try to eat fairly 'clean' at least from Monday to Friday. (lots of lean protein and vegetables, basically). I let myself go a bit on weekends as i'm usually out drinking in bars and hitting on girls anyway, so eating 'healthy' always seems pointless on them days lol. I also have a VERY sweet tooth, to the point of addiction! I've always had that. But I tend to be able to keep it at bay for at least a chunk of each week

I try to do a bit of cardio 3 nights a week. 30 min jog or whatever. Usually some weights, too, If I can force myself to do it. I find that super tedious

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

I'm far from expert, but I had my testosterone tested recently (very surprisingly my T is through the roof! I'd always assumed it was low)

It tested for total T, Free T, SHBG, Estrogen, Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH). A few others too

Yup these are the critical ones for sure, they provide a much fuller picture.

I'd also add prolactin and E2 to that.

Vitamin D and cholesterol might not hurt either since they're needed to synthesize test, you can probably get that done at a family/general medicine practice through your insurance.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Yup these are the critical ones for sure, they provide a much fuller picture.

I'd also add prolactin and E2 to that.

Vitamin D and cholesterol might not hurt either since they're needed to synthesize test, you can probably get that done at a family/general medicine practice through your insurance.

DHEA-S as well