Free Testosterone, Percent Low

Hello,

I received my blood test results back.
I am age 60, 5'7", 158 lbs, non smoker, non drinker, active and eat healthy, but some of my blood test results are very low.

Free Testosterone, Percent is 1.52 (Range 1.60-2.90 %). I could not find anything about that.
Everything else is within range:

Also, my vitamin D level is low too:


I am not sure if this is related to the Free Testosterone. Could also not find anything about the relation.

I am currently not on TRT or any medication.

MAD King said:

I am age 60, 5'7", 158 lbs, non smoker, non drinker, active and eat healthy, but some of my blood test results are very low.

Click to expand...

My results are low as well, I feel fine! Low vitamin D can lower testosterone across the board.

I would supplement 5000-10,000 IU D3. Vitamin D depletes magnesium and vitamin K is needed to direct calcium into bones or calcium ends up in places it shouldn't be. 100 mcg vitamin K for every 2000 IU D3.

The current guidelines for vitamin D are outdated! 600 IU was solely meant to prevent rickets and 2000 IU was never meant to be a therapeutic dose. Most doctors are by the book idiots and never question anything, they just follow guidelines.

The Testosterone Puzzle​

Let's face it, diagnosing low testosterone (or male hypogonadism, if we're being fancy) has always been a bit of a head-scratcher. Doctors have traditionally relied on measuring total testosterone levels in the blood, but here's the kicker: not all testosterone is created equal.

The Three Musketeers of Testosterone:

1. Free Testosterone: The maverick, ready for action
2. Albumin-bound Testosterone: The sidekick, also pretty active
3. SHBG-bound Testosterone: The lazy one, just hanging around

Only the first two really matter when it comes to how testosterone affects your body. But even then, something was missing from the picture.
[IMG alt="CAG Repeat.jpg"]https://www.excelmale.com/attachments/cag-repeat-jpg.48277/[/IMG]

Enter the CAG Repeat: The Hidden Player​

Here's where things get interesting. Researchers have discovered that it's not just about how much testosterone you have, but how well your body responds to it. The androgen receptor (AR), which is in charge of controlling this response, can vary greatly between men in terms of sensitivity. The secret? It's all in your genes, specifically the number of CAG repeats in the AR gene. Think of it like a volume knob for testosterone:

• Fewer CAG repeats = AR turned up to 11, super sensitive to testosterone
• More CAG repeats = AR with the volume down, less responsive to testosterone

The Study: Putting It All Together​

The clever folks at Sheffield and Barnsley decided to combine testosterone measurements with this CAG repeat information. They looked at 40 men, some with symptoms of low testosterone and some without.

The Big Discovery:
When they factored in the CAG repeat length, their ability to accurately diagnose low testosterone skyrocketed. The best performer? A ratio they called FT*, which combines free testosterone levels with CAG repeat information.

What This Means for You​

1. More Accurate Diagnosis: If you're experiencing symptoms of low testosterone but your levels come back "normal," this new approach might finally explain why.
2. Personalized Treatment: Understanding your AR sensitivity could lead to more tailored treatment plans. One-size-fits-all might become a thing of the past.
3. Hope for the Borderline Cases: Men who fall into that frustrating gray area of "maybe low testosterone" might finally get some clarity.

Thanks. Seems that I have to add some Vit D supplements. Not sure how much.

MAD King said:

Thanks. Seems that I have to add some Vit D supplements. Not sure how much.

Click to expand...

I updated my post above. ^^^

Systemlord said:

I updated my post above. ^^^

Click to expand...

Thank you.

Percent free testosterone is not a useful parameter. Ignore it. In your case all it's reflecting is your above-average SHBG. Higher SHBG drives up total testosterone, while the important parameter, free testosterone, is relatively independent.

While it's reasonable to supplement with modest amounts of vitamins D and K2, your D lab result is not as alarming as it appears. There was an arbitrary change in the reference range that suddenly made vast numbers appear deficient. The lower end used to be around 20 ng/mL, and research shows that serious negative associations occur when levels are under 15 ng/mL.

Cataceous said:

Higher SHBG drives up total testosterone, while the important parameter, free testosterone, is relatively independent.

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Here’s a perfect example.

Total Testosterone LC/MS: 1,238 H (250-1100) high
Free Testosterone Equilibrium Dialysis: 195.6 H (35-155) high
LH: 5.4 (1.5-9.3)
FSH: 5.3 (1.6-8)
SHBG: 65 H (10-50) high

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Systemlord said:

Here’s a perfect example.

20 year-old full hormone panel. Thoughts?

Hi all, I am 20 y/o and had all of my hormones checked recently. My endocrinologist basically said my labs are confusing af. I just thought I’d post them here to see what you guys think. Many things are out of wack but it’s weird because some are high and others are low. Let me know if you...

www.excelmale.com

Click to expand...

Is he using some steroids?

MAD King said:

Hello,

I received my blood test results back.
I am age 60, 5'7", 158 lbs, non smoker, non drinker, active and eat healthy, but some of my blood test results are very low.

Free Testosterone, Percent is 1.52 (Range 1.60-2.90 %). I could not find anything about that.
Everything else is within range:

Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)	57.0 19.3-76.4 nmol/L
Testosterone Total	660.00 264.00-916.00 ng/dL
Testosterone Bioavailable	235 131-682 ng/dL
Free Testosterone (calculation)	100 47-244 pg/mL

Also, my vitamin D level is low too:

Vitamin D 25-Hydroxy

19.2 L 30.0-100.0 ng/mL

I am not sure if this is related to the Free Testosterone. Could also not find anything about the relation.


I am currently not on TRT or any medication.

Click to expand...

Did you post your estrogen levels?

MAD King said:

Is he using some steroids?

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No, his LH and FSH were normal, his LH and FSH would typically be suppressed if he was using steroids. He was overdosing on thyroid medicine but that doesn't change the fact about his TT and FT being high together with high SHBG.

Vince said:

Did you post your estrogen levels?

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MAD King said:

Estriol, Serum

<0.20 (ng/mL)

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So what you say is, it's under <0.20 (ng/mL)?