With those bloods do you think clomid would benefit me in raising my free test more? I do have high shbg so I don’t know if clomid would help. I did just get a TRT protocol to start TRT st my choice but now I’m second guessing as I do not want to really in injecting myself the rest of my life. I tried clomid and took 1 12.5 mg pill and felt bad but I think I should give it more of a chance.Total testosterone-657 (264-916)
Free Testosterone (direct)-23.4 (9.3-26.5)
LH-5.8 (1.7-8.6)
FSH-3.6 (1.5-12.4)
Estradiol sensative-17.2 (8.0-35.0)
SHBG-53.5 (16-55.9)
It looks like I'm neither primary or secondary and I just have high SHBG. In my next consult I am going to ask to go on TRT. My total testosterone is good but with my SHBG being so high it is really lowering my free testosterone even though my free is at the top of range. Is direct free testosterone a reliable test? I have all the symptoms of low t but with those numbers would you consider TRT?
You say that my testosterone is too high to start TRT and then you say you had similar pre TRT testosterone levels and shbg levels as me and you’re on TRT?What Vince is saying is that your E2 might be too LOW, not high. Lowering it would only make you feel worse. He’s saying that boosting it UP might make you feel better, which I agree with.
Your testosterone, total and free, are both too high for a doctor to put you on TRT. When I first looked at your numbers, they were so good that I honest to god thought that those were your lab results while on TRT. I should of known that you weren’t tho due to your LH and FSH not being zero’d out. Both are at healthy levels though, especially LH, which is the one that is responsible for testosterone production. So you definitely don’t need TRT. But Vince took the words right out of my mouth, the first thing I thought of when you had normal testosterone levels but lowish E2 was DHEA. I would definitely get your DHEA-S levels checked. when guys go on DHEA, they usually always report that it spikes their E2, which would be a good thing for you. And also, DHEA has been known to help with almost all the symptoms that you reported.
I get what you’re saying but if free E is low that means free T is also low and bound up.Nitric oxide stuff like Citrulline or Arginine? Circulation problems?
You're E could be LOW, for YOU the individual. With your SHBG, remember SHBG binds to E just like it does with T, you could have very little Free Estrogen. I sometimes have this thought that E should be in a range of close proximity to your SHBG number. Might be why DHEA you say has helped as it can aromatase easily under certain circumstances.
You say that my testosterone is too high to start TRT and then you say you had similar pre TRT testosterone levels and shbg levels as me and you’re on TRT?
I tried clomid one time and felt horrible but I heard it would lower my free test even more possibly because it increases SHBG which would not be good for me. Did you try clomid before you went on TRT?So my total testosterone and SHBG were about identical to yours before I started TRT. But my free t was at the bottom of the barrel due to the high SHBG. Your free test is perfect. But honestly that might be an error. I think you said on a previous test that your free t was very low, which would make more sense considering how high your SHBG is. So I would definitely get your free t retested. If it comes back low, and you still have all these symptoms, then you could possibly be a candidate for some form of replacement. Possibly Clomid or HCG to start. I went through both before I ended up needing TRT.
but now I’m second guessing
I really don’t care Vince Carter. All I said was I’m second guessing TRT because of the fear of having to inject myself all the time.You do this to a debilitating level to the detriment of all those that take the time to try and help.
I tried clomid one time and felt horrible but I heard it would lower my free test even more possibly because it increases SHBG which would not be good for me. Did you try clomid before you went on TRT?