Yesterday I had an appointment with a senior endocrinologist. He is a worldwide known american professor, made his m.d at the US back in the seventies, and also took part in trials for big pharmaceutical companies (like novartis).
I told him the whole story and gave him my blood tests results. I’d like to mention that I took another prolactin test and waited 4.5 hours after waking up - result is within normal range - 209 mlU/L (54-380). That leaves me, besides low vit-D, with “only” low free T (for now) and some not really great T (I guess).
Although he said he would never recommend to anyone, under any circumstances, to take propecia, he doesn’t really believe that fin is that destructive after quitting. He said he knows about the FDA warning, and read material about PFS, but he thinks that things “just don’t work this way”. Anyway, he doesn’t deny completely that there are some possible effects, but as for my situation, he thinks the same as Mew, that since the symptoms occurred relatively a long time after quitting could point that the problem could be found elsewhere.
He says that for now, nothing indicates a clear hormonal issue. LH, TSH, prolactin, Estradiol… all seem pretty good. Even my low free T hew says, is not necessarily low; we don’t know what was my pre fin condition (YOUR OPINIONS ON MY LOW FREE T, PLEASE). He also wants this to be double checked. And in any case, my low weight he says, can also “fool” free T results, since SHBG will always seems to be higher in slim men by mistake or something (didn’t completely understood, something about low fat… blah).
Again, same as Mew mentioned, the main thing that might point at some non fin related problem is my high FSH. He thinks that it has something to do with my 4th degree of Varicocele or some other problem with my testicles. Personally, I don’t really believe it’s true, since low T and varicocele are linked but had never proven. Anyway, he asked me to pay a visit to urologist and to take a fertility test. If the result won’t be ok, then to his opinion, resolving this matter might affect positively on any possible T problem.
And of course, that’s not enough. He also wants extra bloodwork, including DHT, SHBG and lots of other endo crap.
If the problem is not testicular nor will be found in other blood results, he says he might (“maybe maybe maybe”) consider short period of T injections OR Clomid to see if I respond well to extra T. Neither of us wants to go there.
Please, please respond.