Nitrochicken
Active member
Hey guys, a little about myself. I am a 28-year-old 5’8 male, been in and out of the gym most of my life. I would be consistent for a bit and then get discouraged and end up not going to the gym for a while and then repeating the cycle. Back in February, I decided to get disciplined and be consistent. I started at 150 lbs and bulked for 6 and a half months. I went from 150 to 175 lbs and my bench increased 50 lbs and my squat increased 40 lbs. I averaged about 4 lb gain each month. I had to stop bulking and start a cut because it appears most of that weight went right into my abdomen and nowhere else and started to look pregnant. I also haven’t noticed any visible muscle gain during that time.
Throughout my life I have always suspected having lower than normal testosterone levels. Even when I was 16 I got my levels checked and they came back at 250. Periodically I would get them tested throughout my 20s and it never came back over 400, it always fluctuated in the 200s and 300s. It has been a few years since getting tested, so I went ahead and got labs done again this month and it came back at 368. The TRT clinic I went to for the labs said it was low but not low enough to qualify for TRT unless I do a consultation with the nurse or doc and rule out any medical issues that may be causing it. I’ve been in and out of doctors’ offices for this issue and they all give me the same run down - eat healthier, work out more, sleep more, manage stress. I live a pretty active lifestyle, eat pretty healthy, in the gym at least 3x a week, and have a relatively stress-free life. The only thing I can think of that may be a contributing factor is I have what I believe to be short sleep syndrome. I get about 4-5 hours of sleep a night and it doesn’t matter what I do it is impossible to sleep any more than that. However, as long as I don’t get less than 4 hours of sleep, I feel perfectly fine and well rested, so I am unsure if it is an issue or not or a contributing factor to low T. I know my father was on TRT in his 40s.
I don’t have any signs and symptoms of being super affected by the lower testosterone, however, it does affect my sex drive. Sometimes it seems normal and other times I have an issue getting an erection with my gf and can go weeks with no morning wood - it fluctuates. Tomorrow, I have a doctors appoint with my PCP and am going to bring him my lab work and go over everything. I know once you get on TRT it is probably a lifelong thing, but I feel like it is in my future anyways, so I am curious about pursuing it.
Do you guys think this is something worth pursuing, and if so, any tips on what to tell a doc for referrals or possibly getting treatment? I know most docs will just say oh you fall within 200-1100 which is normal, so you don’t need it, or that I’m young and they are hesitant to put me on hormone therapy for fertility reasons. Any advice would be appreciated.
Throughout my life I have always suspected having lower than normal testosterone levels. Even when I was 16 I got my levels checked and they came back at 250. Periodically I would get them tested throughout my 20s and it never came back over 400, it always fluctuated in the 200s and 300s. It has been a few years since getting tested, so I went ahead and got labs done again this month and it came back at 368. The TRT clinic I went to for the labs said it was low but not low enough to qualify for TRT unless I do a consultation with the nurse or doc and rule out any medical issues that may be causing it. I’ve been in and out of doctors’ offices for this issue and they all give me the same run down - eat healthier, work out more, sleep more, manage stress. I live a pretty active lifestyle, eat pretty healthy, in the gym at least 3x a week, and have a relatively stress-free life. The only thing I can think of that may be a contributing factor is I have what I believe to be short sleep syndrome. I get about 4-5 hours of sleep a night and it doesn’t matter what I do it is impossible to sleep any more than that. However, as long as I don’t get less than 4 hours of sleep, I feel perfectly fine and well rested, so I am unsure if it is an issue or not or a contributing factor to low T. I know my father was on TRT in his 40s.
I don’t have any signs and symptoms of being super affected by the lower testosterone, however, it does affect my sex drive. Sometimes it seems normal and other times I have an issue getting an erection with my gf and can go weeks with no morning wood - it fluctuates. Tomorrow, I have a doctors appoint with my PCP and am going to bring him my lab work and go over everything. I know once you get on TRT it is probably a lifelong thing, but I feel like it is in my future anyways, so I am curious about pursuing it.
Do you guys think this is something worth pursuing, and if so, any tips on what to tell a doc for referrals or possibly getting treatment? I know most docs will just say oh you fall within 200-1100 which is normal, so you don’t need it, or that I’m young and they are hesitant to put me on hormone therapy for fertility reasons. Any advice would be appreciated.
