Need Advice-Please review this Blood work

[kram22]

I'm a new member and really in need of help understanding my blood work and how to improve the results. I'm a 44yr old Type 2 diabetic and take Insulin and have a very low Libido. I'm considering TRT but i'm not sure if thats what I need. What do you think? Thanks

Total Testosterone-390.6
Testosterone Free serum-4.80
Testosterone Total serum-485.9
Testosterone Bioavailable-129.0
Albumin-5.0
Estrogen Total serum-201
SHGB- 88
TSH- 3.62
LH- 16.2
FSH serum-34.0
DHEA Sulfate-248
Prolactin serum-10.3
Free T4-.86
T3-.51

Chem Profile 29:
HDL %-45
Chol/HDL ratio-
LDL/HDL ratio-1.16
LDL Cholesterol-109
VLDL, CALC-7
HDL CHOL Direct-94
Trigilycerides-37
Phosphorus-3.0
ALT-24
GGTP-22
Cholesterol-210
AST-34
Alk Phos-58
LD-155
Bilirubin,Tot-0.8
Iron-125
Uric Acid-5.0
BUN/Creat Ratio-7.9
Calcium-9.4
e-GFR-93
BUN-7
CO2-26
Potassium-3.9
Chloride-95
Sodium-135
Glucose-83
A/G ratio-3.1
Globulin-1.6
Albumin-5.0
Total Protein-6.6

 

[Labtec70]

Hi kram

Sorry a reply by us hasn't come sooner, but I've only just seen your post after a day or two mostly away from the PC.

Quite a lot of the profile I'm unable to comment on, but that's basically the analogous stuff anyway. What is pretty certain by me is that you're almost definitely Primary Hypogonadal, but don't worry, if you are it isn't acutely dangerous, but it can pose risk factors for other conditions including diabetes etc. It would almost certainly explain why your libido is low. Let me explain why I think this is the case and what qualifies me to do so.

I am myself hypogonadal following cancer of the testes. I'm on therapy now and have been for many years. I'm an active member of a male hormone group who see and support guys like yourself many times per month.

What test diagnose Hypogonadism (low T)?

The tests required to evaluate testosterone levels are...

Total testosterone: This is akin to the reservoir of testosterone that is available throughout your body.
Free T or bioavailable T: Is the testosterone that is circulating, unbound, and available for use at any one time to do the work of testosterone.
LH (Luteinising Hormone): This hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland and is the chemical messenger that tells your testicles to produce and release testosterone.
FSH: (Follicle Stimulating Hormone): Again secreted by the pituitary but signals the testes to produce and release sperm. It's the fertility hormone.

What your results say...

I won't divulge all the lab ranges and stuff here and it's not necessary, but suffice to say: Your Total Testosterone isn't the best but it is in range and quite a bit.
However, your Free T, the important stuff, is very low and this in itself is usually enough to make you a candidate for HRT. Nevertheless, why is it low?
Well, looking at your LH level we can see it's very high. Your pituitary gland is making lots of LH hormone because your testicles aren't listening to it's (the LH) instruction to produce testosterone. Really, your LH should be around 1-3 and yours is 16.2 and probably the highest I've seen in a while.

We can see that your pituitary gland is making plenty of LH hormone, so we can deduce that your testes are malfunctioning in some way, and aren't able to produce the amount your pituitary and indeed the hypothalamus, deems, or wants you to produce. This is in my view puts you in the Primary Hypogonadism bracket. Are you getting other symptoms at all? E.g:

a. Night sweats.
b. Erectile disfunction.
c. Confused or foggy mind or difficulty concentrating.
d. Lethargy and tired for no reason.
e. Depressed, low mood, no zeal for life.
f. Increased fatty mass and lower muscle mass.
g. Mood swings.

If you've got four or more of the above I'd say you're also symptomatic of low T. There's also a few more things in the first section (hormones) that I think are related too, but I'd like to get someone much more experienced than myself to take a look if you don't mind. I'll take care to only show them the data and nothing else. Can I PM you?

I'll get back to you asap.

Craig

 

[kram22]

Thanks for the response Craig and yes you can send me a PM. I figured I had Primary Hypogonadism but I'm not really sure the best way to improve my condition. I currently trying herbal supplements but haven't seen a big change yet. I'm considering TRT but I'm really not sure if thats the way to go. Any advice you can give me I'd really appreciate. Btw even though I'm diabetic I'm not overweight, I exercise daily and eat pretty healthy.