Testosterone levels

[Vahevahe]

Hello everyone my name is Victor,
I have been trying to find out why i have been feeling sick for the last few years to no avail. I recently went to the UCLA medical center and they did some tests and here are the results.

Total testo$terone is at 266ng/dl Range 348-1197 Low
free testo$terone is at 268ng/dl Range 250-1100 Low
Calcium Corrected is at 1.31mmol/L Range 1.09-1.29 High
Vitamin D hydroxy is at 21ng/ml Range is 30-89 Low

Due to the high calcium in the blood the doctor suspected Parathyroid Adenoma (tumor) on the Parathyroid gland. The Mri showed no tumor. She has ordered a 24 hour urine analysis. I was also prescribed 50,000 IU of vitamin D once a week. The doctor did not say anything about the testo$terone being low which concerns me. She has ordered another blood test but the blood test does not include the testo$terone being checked. I don't know what to make of these results.



BTW, I'm a 23 year old male.

[SD421]

I would definitely question the testosterone levels . That's way low for your age. Hopefully a place like UCLA med will have someone that can help you, if your current doc can't/won't.

[sparverius]

Sounds like your doc is looking for a cause of the low T instead of just putting you on TRT and sending you on your way. That's good.

[Phased]

Any history to go with this, past cycles of steroid use when younger, no pct, family history of low T?

[MuscleInk]

Any history to go with this, past cycles of steroid use when younger, no pct, family history of low T?

^^^ this and was a CBC and CMP ordered?

[Vettester]

Victor, glad you joined! Looking forward to helping you find some answers here. If you could, please tell us your stats (we only know that you're 23yo and male). A little background leading up to this would be helpful, and any medications, medical conditions, family history, etc. Plus, if any AAS usage, please put it on the table now so that we can factor it with our responses.

First, let's talk about what is right here ... Well, the Vitamin D script is about right. 50,000iu should be a prescription of Drisdol, which Kelkel and myself are quite familiar with. You might only need to stay on it for a few months, then you can go to an OTC D-3 supplement; possibly 5,000iu/day.

OK, now that the good is out of the way ... Let's talk labs ... Are these the only panels you have from your medical evaluation? The low testosterone is obviously an indicator that there is a problem. Now, for the life of me, I don't know what prompted your doctor to request an MRI of the parathyroid region? If secondary hypogonadism, a doctor would usually look towards the pituitary for answers. Not to say that hypothyroidism and/or autoimmune diseases don't sometimes link to low T, as many cases will sometimes have a correlation. However, I don't see any thyroid labs, and I don't see anything else that could help your doctor assess anything.

First, the key is to find out what the other assays say. LH/FSH will help to determine if you have a primary (testicular) or secondary condition, which noted before is a condition with the pituitary being suppressed. Other pituitary labs would also help indicate its condition, such as TSH, ACTH, prolactin, & the LH/FSH labs mentioned above. On the thyroid, I'm just surprised not to see anything ... Personally, I think the elevation in calcium was a little overreacted with the doctor, but that's JMO.

Please refer to Kelkel's sticky with finding a TRT physician. If not for the sake of possibly finding a new doctor, then for getting a list of all the labs that we really to work from.

I'll let others chime in and see what else gets asked, or revealed on your end.

[Vahevahe]

Nope no steroid use , no pct, no family history of low t but i did have a problem with my testicles retracting in my body for about 3 or 4 months when i was a kid. Also, my next appointment at UCLA is mid November , would it interfere with my UCLA doctors treatment if i started TRT?

[steroid.com 1]

Exactly what Vetter said; at 23 the most likely cause is pathology/injury and not age related.

Did you get a complete Thyroid lab including TSH, T4, T3, FT4, FT3, RT3 and Thyroid Antibodies?

If not, you may want to get these as Hypothyroidism has many of the same symptoms as Hypogonadism (low test) and in fact will cause androgen deficiency in and of itself.

Any testicular injuries, checked for testicular varicoceles (this one is common for guys your age)...the list goes on.

You need to be diagnosed as the wise one said above and find the right Doctor.

[Vahevahe]

Here are all my lab results from UCLA Medical Center. The second page contains Testosterone Labs and the third Thyroid and Vitamin D labs.

Well i have been trying to find out why i have been feeling so bad for many years. No AAS use. The medication i take is for acne (doxycycline) and acid re-flux (Pantorpazole). Family history of stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure.

[Vettester]

Not sure why you held out on this information with us. Could have saved me some typing if I saw this first!!

Not seeing the LH, but FSH is a little bit on the low side. Usually, LH & FSH will be relatively close and work in a synergistic manner, but not always. Although, if I had to bet, I'd also say that your LH is probably also low, which could explain the total serum being on the low side as well. I'd get the LH assay so you know what it is.

If confirmed low, then that IMO would prompt for the pituitary MRI.

[Phased]

Looks like we are both in timeout for not posting info sooner..someone give us a timeout hat

[Vahevahe]

Sorry about that i should have posted the labs earlier.Thank you so much Vettester you have helped me alot. I will pass this information on to my doctor.Also, if my urologist offers TRT on Thursday should i start or is it best to wait till mid November for my next UCLA appointment?

[Vettester]

I'd try to get the lab done right now, because once you're on TRT, the LH/FSH values will go in the tank regardless of the diagnosis. Cover it up front first, talk to your doctor and see if she agrees. Suppressed HPTA function would warrant an MRI exam, especially at a very young age. Approach your doctor with your facts and some diplomacy, and the response just might be positive and productive ...

[Vahevahe]

Thank you and god bless you.

[steroid.com 1]

I don't see much out of the ordinary on these labs.

I would think Vette's point warrants more looking into relative to FSH and LH.

Have you had your testicles examined by a Physician who knows how to look for testicular varicoceles?

If not, this is one I'd want to rule out now and not later...it could be a probable cause.

[Vahevahe]

I'm going to the urologist on thursday and will ask him about this, thankyou gdevine. I will post updates after my appointment tomorrow.

[Vahevahe]

Just got back from my Urologist and i have mixed news; he ordered FSH, LH and Testosterone labs. He said that my Testosterone labs were low but they weren't low enough to start TRT and that he had seen people with testosterone around 100. He also said that i have hair on my arms and that since i had shaved 2 days ago and had a bit of stubble that testosterone wasn't the cause because i wouldnt be growing facial hair that fast if i was testosterone deficient. . He referred me over to a family doctor which would be able to give a second opinion which i will be seeing tomorrow. He also checked for testicular varicoceles and said that i didn't have it.

[Vahevahe]

I just got the lab results FSH is 5.1, LH is 4.00, and Testosterone total is 224.00

[steroid.com 1]

I just got the lab results FSH is 5.1, LH is 4.00, and Testosterone total is 224.00

Please add lab range for each.

Did you get Estradiol tested?

[Vahevahe]

FSH 5.1 Range 1.27-19.26
LH 4 Range 1.24-8.62
Testosterone ,Total 224 Range 175-781

These are the only labs the urologist did. I showed the doctor the lack of hair on my chest and the gynecomastia on the left side of my chest and he referred me over to a endo that is in his office which i will see the 23rd of this month.

[HRTstudent]

Id ask to see someone who specifically treats a lot of people with low testosterone . The average endo knows very little about TRT, but they will almsot certainly test you for genetic causes of low testosterone . If that's the case then you can take it from there, but its the exception not the rule when it comes to low T.

[jwws9999]

Id ask to see someone who specifically treats a lot of people with low testosterone. The average endo knows very little about TRT, but they will almsot certainly test you for genetic causes of low testosterone. If that's the case then you can take it from there, but its the exception not the rule when it comes to low T.

that's very good advice, I'd also recommend the OP do as much research as possible, and ask this board as many questions as possible. We're here for ya buddy

[Vahevahe]

Honestly i have been feeling so rundown for so long i just want a scrip for right now. I searched some anti aging dr. offices and found a couple around the LA area which i will visit when i feel a bit better so i can get better treatment. I do have a question about my lab results, how does the LH and FSH results look? Would these labs be enough to warrant a pituitary mri? The reason why i am asking is because i don't want to start TRT when a removal of a possible pituitary tumor which would have the same result as TRT in raising my testosterone without the body's dependence on a outside source of testosterone.

First Lab
FSH 3.1 Range 1.6-9
Total Test 266 Range 348-1197

Second Lab
FSH 5.1 Range 1.6-9
LH 4 Range 1.24-8.62
Total Test 224 Range 348-1197

Also thanks for all the support its means alot to me.

[MRNJ1992]

I as well, run down. My T level was 117. Strongly doubt a tumor. How old are you? Theres alot of good people here with very good advice. Just ask...

[Vahevahe]

I turned 24 at the start of this month.

[optionsdude]

Okay I did not see any test for phosphorous or parathyroid hormone (PTH). I have been recently diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism (HPTH)HPTH really stands for hypoparathyroidism but I'll use HPTH just because I don't want to spell it all out. How long has your calcium been in the 10's? I noticed your ionized calcium was high too. There's a great site www.parathyroid.com that will answer any questions you could possibly have about HPTH. HOw was the 24hr urine capture? You mentioned an MRI did they do a sestamibi scan yet or an ultrasound? UCLA is the best place for HPTH on the west coast. I'm going through UCSF right now and depending on what the turnaround time will be for surgery I might go to the Norman clinic in florida for my surgery. Hands down the best parathyroid clinic in the world. You shouldn't raise your vit D level,if you do have HPTH your body lowers the vit D level as a defense mechanism to counteract the high calcium. CHeck out the page on this at the site mentioned above. The first endo I went to wanted to do this in hopes it would make my calcium even higher to confirm a HPTH diagnosis. I fired that idiot. Raising your calcium higher is dangerous high calcium can and eventually will cause serious health problems. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me. Best of luck at UCLA.

[Vahevahe]

PTH is 41 pg/ml Range is 11-51
Phosphorous is 1.8mg/dl Range is 2.2-4.7
This is the first time my calcium has been checked so i am not sure how long it has been this high. I'm waiting to submit the 24 hour urine capture on the 10th and i had a Parathyroid mri but it showed no tumor. Regarding the type of mri im pretty sure it was a regular ultrasound. I'm waiting on a prolactin lab for a possible pituitary tumor but the doctors office is taking their time in responding to my request. I waited for their call today and nothing. I'm going to call back tomorrow and hopefully get the results faxed to me. Also i have my full labs about 7 responses down from the top.

God bless

[optionsdude]

Wow that's kind of strange that your PTH level is low with your calcium high and phosphorous low. My calcium has been 10.4-11.1 for almost 7 years and low phosphorous for the last 3. If it wasn't for the old not so cute PA in the dr's office who caught it I would probably still be wondering why I have felt like crap off and on for the last year and a half. My PTH was 131,80 points above the high end of the range so they are pretty positive I have a parathyroid tumor. I'm going in for a sestamibi (radioactive) scan and ultrasound next week. This all started with a strange pain in my lower back,abdomen,and bladder area,and then a kidney stone,ouch. Then my tendonitis got worse and I had both tennis elbow and golfers elbow and shooting pain from the tip of my thumb to the tip of my forefinger. The PA went through my chart and saw the previous labs and immediately though it was hyperparathyroidism,HPT not HPTH as I stated in my earlier post. I hope they find out whats wrong with you. Did they mention raising your phosphorous level? Good luck and you will be in good hands at UCLA.