4 ms·

Have your testosterone levels checked. If they are low get on TRT. Massive quality of life improvement. Higher sex drive, more focus, more energy, etc. "My par

Have your testosterone levels checked. If they are low get on TRT. Massive quality of life improvement. Higher sex drive, more focus, more energy, etc. "My partner is very frustrated by this at times" Respectfully this should be an alarm bell. Sex is an important driver in most relationships and if your partner is upset you should be actively working with your Dr. to root cause the issue.

copperx 4y ago
TRT has its disadvantages, such as (1) you have to take it for the rest of your life, and (2) a higher risk of certain cancers. It sounds a bit scary, to be honest.
- wonderwonder 4y ago
  sure, there are tradeoffs to everything. Your points are valid, but so is the view point of OP potentially losing his partner for the rest of their life if sex is that important to them. TRT can provide many other benefits as well both physical and mental. Increased cancer risk is probably greatly reduced just by eating a proper diet and being physically active which being on TRT may motivate. As for taking it the rest of your life, its not a big deal, you can pin yourself once a week or get a pellet implanted that has to be replaced every 4 months. I just inject myself once a week, takes less than 5 minutes all in. My mental health & focus has vastly improved and i have more energy to actually play with my kids after work. My Dr. also monitors my blood work every 8 weeks and just due to this, my liver function is healthy after having elevated levels due to fatty liver for the last 15 years.
- concinds 4y ago
  The "high-performance" doctors (for athletes/businessmen) I've seen tend to be very pro TRT. If you're low T, TRT will increase your energy, confidence, sex drive, serenity, and quality of life; and it'll also very significantly decrease your risk of heart disease and heart attacks even in old age. Even looking at the pure cost-benefit of TRT (without even considering whether it'll help GP's sex life) it's an easy decision to make. Low testosterone is vastly underdiagnosed. Some tests define 240 ng/dL as normal testosterones levels for a 19 year old man. That's low even for a 70 year old. No man alive will even function at their real cognitive capacity at such low levels (brain fog is a low T symptom). Obviously, in a medical system that defines 240-300ng/dL Test as normal, TRT won't be the mainstream treatment. Its "controversialness" is completely unearned. https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-xpm-2013-09-15-ct-biz-0915-outside-opinion-pro-20130915-story.html https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-xpm-2013-09-15-ct...
  - DoingIsLearning 4y ago
    I am not going to argue on the pros/cons of TRT on life quality but this submission specifically describes lower sperm count in the general population. Theoretically TRT would actually make a patient's sperm count worse.
    - wonderwonder 4y ago
      Sure, but it doesn't even matter if you aren't having sex.
tomjakubowski 4y ago
In particular, get both free testosterone and total testosterone levels checked. Some doctors only order total testosterone. It's possible to be symptomatic because you're low on the free stuff even though your total testosterone concentration is fine.
- wonderwonder 4y ago
  Definitely, good point. My total testosterone was actually above average but free testosterone was very low.
  - all2 4y ago
    DHEA-S? Estradiol?
    - wonderwonder 4y ago
      Sorry. not quite sure what you are asking if I took a DHEA-S test or checked my Estradiol levels? Estrogen levels were high, currently taking 1mg of Anastrozole weekly for that.
      - all2 4y ago
        Also consider Diindolylmethane (DIM) and Calcium D-Glucarate (CDG). Vigorous Steve (what a name) talks about these some on his YouTube channel. Both are used to manage estrogens for those who run steroid stacks. They are likely useful for managing estrogens for normal folks too. Ask your endocrinologist, obviously.
- all2 4y ago
  Get a complete male hormone panel. LH/FSH, SHGB, DHEA-S, Prolactin, Total T, Free T, Estradiol, TSH, fT3, fT4, T4. Adrenals, liver, thyroid issues can all contribute to jacked Test levels. A complete panel will give you a good starting point for root causes.
caeril 4y ago
> If they are low get on TRT This blanket advice is a bit dangerous. Once on a test cruise for longer than a couple months, it's a lifelong commitment. Low testosterone has a LOT of input variables. You need to know your cortisol, your LH, your FSH, your E2 and SHBG, your TSH, and T3/T4 levels as well. Some men can be fixed with stress reduction methods, some can be fixed with interventions that increase gonadotropins, like clomiphene or HCG. Sometimes you need to inhibit aromatization into estradiol. Sometimes you just need to lift heavy weights. Check all your hormones, because your HPTA is not a one-variable function. Then decide on a course of action. Hitting up Big Mike in the locker room for 500mg test cyp because your testosterone is low is a bit premature.
- wonderwonder 4y ago
  "This blanket advice is a bit dangerous." Its a message board friend, I advised him to get his levels checked by a Dr. Doctor is not going to prescribe TRT based on my post. No one mentioned (except you) breaking the law and purchasing steroids from a black market dealer. The word dangerous is a bit of a stretch here.
  - staticman2 4y ago
    Elsewhere on this thread you said you generally agreed with someone who said the medical consensus on healthy TRT levels was wrong and someone should shop around for a doctor with alternative views. If the medical consensus is not wrong your "general agreement" about shopping doctors is probably at least a little risky.
  - caeril 4y ago
    > Doctor is not going to prescribe TRT based on my post Apologies, for some reason I read this through my biohacking lens and hadn't even considered standard medical channels, ha.

copperx 4y ago

TRT has its disadvantages, such as (1) you have to take it for the rest of your life, and (2) a higher risk of certain cancers. It sounds a bit scary, to be honest.

wonderwonder 4y ago
sure, there are tradeoffs to everything. Your points are valid, but so is the view point of OP potentially losing his partner for the rest of their life if sex is that important to them. TRT can provide many other benefits as well both physical and mental. Increased cancer risk is probably greatly reduced just by eating a proper diet and being physically active which being on TRT may motivate. As for taking it the rest of your life, its not a big deal, you can pin yourself once a week or get a pellet implanted that has to be replaced every 4 months. I just inject myself once a week, takes less than 5 minutes all in. My mental health & focus has vastly improved and i have more energy to actually play with my kids after work. My Dr. also monitors my blood work every 8 weeks and just due to this, my liver function is healthy after having elevated levels due to fatty liver for the last 15 years.
concinds 4y ago
The "high-performance" doctors (for athletes/businessmen) I've seen tend to be very pro TRT. If you're low T, TRT will increase your energy, confidence, sex drive, serenity, and quality of life; and it'll also very significantly decrease your risk of heart disease and heart attacks even in old age. Even looking at the pure cost-benefit of TRT (without even considering whether it'll help GP's sex life) it's an easy decision to make. Low testosterone is vastly underdiagnosed. Some tests define 240 ng/dL as normal testosterones levels for a 19 year old man. That's low even for a 70 year old. No man alive will even function at their real cognitive capacity at such low levels (brain fog is a low T symptom). Obviously, in a medical system that defines 240-300ng/dL Test as normal, TRT won't be the mainstream treatment. Its "controversialness" is completely unearned. https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-xpm-2013-09-15-ct-biz-0915-outside-opinion-pro-20130915-story.html https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-xpm-2013-09-15-ct...
- DoingIsLearning 4y ago
  I am not going to argue on the pros/cons of TRT on life quality but this submission specifically describes lower sperm count in the general population. Theoretically TRT would actually make a patient's sperm count worse.
  - wonderwonder 4y ago
    Sure, but it doesn't even matter if you aren't having sex.

tomjakubowski 4y ago

In particular, get both free testosterone and total testosterone levels checked. Some doctors only order total testosterone. It's possible to be symptomatic because you're low on the free stuff even though your total testosterone concentration is fine.

wonderwonder 4y ago
Definitely, good point. My total testosterone was actually above average but free testosterone was very low.
- all2 4y ago
  DHEA-S? Estradiol?
  - wonderwonder 4y ago
    Sorry. not quite sure what you are asking if I took a DHEA-S test or checked my Estradiol levels? Estrogen levels were high, currently taking 1mg of Anastrozole weekly for that.
    - all2 4y ago
      Also consider Diindolylmethane (DIM) and Calcium D-Glucarate (CDG). Vigorous Steve (what a name) talks about these some on his YouTube channel. Both are used to manage estrogens for those who run steroid stacks. They are likely useful for managing estrogens for normal folks too. Ask your endocrinologist, obviously.
all2 4y ago
Get a complete male hormone panel. LH/FSH, SHGB, DHEA-S, Prolactin, Total T, Free T, Estradiol, TSH, fT3, fT4, T4. Adrenals, liver, thyroid issues can all contribute to jacked Test levels. A complete panel will give you a good starting point for root causes.

caeril 4y ago

> If they are low get on TRT This blanket advice is a bit dangerous. Once on a test cruise for longer than a couple months, it's a lifelong commitment. Low testosterone has a LOT of input variables. You need to know your cortisol, your LH, your FSH, your E2 and SHBG, your TSH, and T3/T4 levels as well. Some men can be fixed with stress reduction methods, some can be fixed with interventions that increase gonadotropins, like clomiphene or HCG. Sometimes you need to inhibit aromatization into estradiol. Sometimes you just need to lift heavy weights. Check all your hormones, because your HPTA is not a one-variable function. Then decide on a course of action. Hitting up Big Mike in the locker room for 500mg test cyp because your testosterone is low is a bit premature.

wonderwonder 4y ago
"This blanket advice is a bit dangerous." Its a message board friend, I advised him to get his levels checked by a Dr. Doctor is not going to prescribe TRT based on my post. No one mentioned (except you) breaking the law and purchasing steroids from a black market dealer. The word dangerous is a bit of a stretch here.
- staticman2 4y ago
  Elsewhere on this thread you said you generally agreed with someone who said the medical consensus on healthy TRT levels was wrong and someone should shop around for a doctor with alternative views. If the medical consensus is not wrong your "general agreement" about shopping doctors is probably at least a little risky.
- caeril 4y ago
  > Doctor is not going to prescribe TRT based on my post Apologies, for some reason I read this through my biohacking lens and hadn't even considered standard medical channels, ha.