Getting TRT. What should I expect?

[Vikingman]

btw they said according to a regular DR my levels are borderline and nothing to be concerned with and prob wouldnt even give me HRT! thats how close minded they are-Im glad I found this Dr-funny how the nurse is a yoga teacher I know-hot older woman-she takes some test for rheumatoid arthritis

[Vikingman]

Male Androgen Levels in an Unhealthy Population

Depending on the lab your doctor uses, male testosterone levels typically range between 250ng/dl and 850 ng/dl.

As you may well imagine, these ranges are not set to optimal levels. They are a cross section of men aged 20 to 100; many sick and diseased, from a lifetime of unhealthy habits.

So when your blood work arrives and your doctor refuses treatment due to your "normal" testosterone levels, when it's actually somewhere closer to the bottom of the range, then a gentle reminder of optimal health may be in order.

If you kindly point out you have the T levels of a sick 90 year old, maybe he/she will come around.

Emphasize Low Testosterone Symptoms

If your doctor is stubborn, or doesn't like their patients being active participants in their own healthcare... you may be better off emphasizing your symptoms that are more specific to low testosterone.

Noting a loss of sex drive, development of impotence, or reduced muscle mass and strength should give any knowledgeable doctor a red flag that T levels aren't on par.

Depression, fatigue, and loss of motivation are also commonly caused by low testosterone. Unfortunately many doctors would rather prescribe an antidepressant than bring back to normal a natural substance your body already makes.

[Primemuscle]

Im glad I went to HRT Dr too lol-I have all levels checked including the estrogen -all good-anyway Im surprised that they were that low cause I still have good natural physique strength and decent sex life-Sex has been a little weird as I have kids ages 5 and 4 and we cant just do it-has to be scheduled which in itself isnt fun at times-but I have to say sex hasnt been a priority at times but thats also because of a personal reason-inbox me if interested lol-well Im glad im getting the 400mg-seems like a good dose-my moods are def better too-and injuries are feeling better-I am gonna look good this summer

Did you ever check out the link I posted before? If not, here it is again: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/hypogonadism2/?yguid=38104518

I feel the posts made here cover a lot of the questions that come up when dealing with hypogonadism and TRT. There are also links to other resources in this group.

As for scheduling your sex life, I am not sure I agree with this. However, I am not in your situation and your and your wife's sexual arrangements are personal. I will say that spontaneity can be something of an aphrodisiac. Obviously, little kids can get in the way of spontaneity sometimes.

[Vikingman]

I will check out the link ty-well the spontaneity is Zero! something I have to accept-and my wife works full time and is tired a lot-but sex is still good-I also talk to a few women on line and that turns me on too LOL-I saw somewhere that test levels of a married father are the lowest!  the HUNT isnt there anymore-maybe thats the reason..I have a feeling that I may have had low test for a while as well-slight ED and moods-but I always trained hard so I bet that helped

[Arnold jr]

Think of the free testosterone as the usable testosterone levels. 294 is very low. What did your doctor say about this? Also what did he say regarding the percentage of free test? Perhaps you should also have your E-2 levels checked. You could be converting what little testosterone you have to estrogen.

I am no doctor, but from what I have learned about testosterone levels, at your age your lab results are a concern. Are you even horny at all?

I don't mean to alarm. Frankly it is good that you have discovered this as soon as you did. I suspect my testosterone was very low for most of my adult life. I cannot remember when I have not had issues with ED. For more years than I wish I could remember, I thought my problem with ED was just in my head, only to find out when I am an old man that it was because of hypogonadism.

I agree with you, 294 is definitely a poor total testosterone reading, but it may not be low enough to warrant therapy...at least not in the eyes of many doctors. As I'm sure you know, 300ng/dl is considered the range most doctors will say total test has to fall below in-order to deem therapy necessary, and because 294 is so close I'd be willing to bet there are tons of doctors who would say that's close enough to keep a testosterone prescription out of someones hands. It's a messed up system and it really pisses me off.

[Vikingman]

Yup and a regular Dr wouldnt give it to me and probably bash my therapy -and prescrbie me an antidepressant that would make me fat-and some cortisone for joints

[Vikingman]

The Dr also says that the free test count is more important to look at and mine was in range in a normal count as below 40 is bad-mine was 63-but he says below 90 is low-so basically the total test #s that everyone posts is not an accurate reading as lot of it is attached to globulin etc

[Arnold jr]

The Dr also says that the free test count is more important to look at and mine was in range in a normal count as below 40 is bad-mine was 63-but he says below 90 is low-so basically the total test #s that everyone posts is not an accurate reading as lot of it is attached to globulin etc

That's funny, the doctor I see for my TRT told me free test was meaningless compared to total test. Not that free test is meaningless itself, but that it's not as important as free test. He said if your total test is low that's all that matters. Of course, I see a hormone specialist, a general practice doctor will more than likely have a very different opinion.

[Vikingman]

Ill take both meaurements into consideration and I blame domestication, father hood and estrogen in the environment for my low test levels LOL