My initial bloodwork results - I welcome comments/observations!

Member Stories Lab Tests
#1

My story, in brief: Took Propecia for 2-3 months 10 years ago. Have lost my libido and normal erectile function since then (no spontaneous, morning, and weak stimulated erections). No other sides (mental, shrinkage, etc.).

ESTRADIOL 29 pg/ml 10-50 pg/ml (estrogen)

FSH 3.5 mIU/ml < 10 mIU/ml

LH 3.1 mIU/ml < 10 mIU/ml

TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL 827 ng/dl 270-1070 ng/dl

TSH 1.35 uIU/ml 0.32-4.05 uIU/ml (thyroid)

ESR 1 mm/hr 0-15 mm/hr

Urine culture was negative… there was no infection

I’m highly annoyed at my doctor for not testing more- I gave him the typical laundry list that I compiled with help from this board. But I’d like thoughts on my Estradiol, FSH, and LH in particular. Do they seem normal? Also, my Testosterone seem seems pretty high- does this say anything to anyone?

#2

These look okay. What age are you?

LH is slightly low as is FSH (better than most people’s on here though!). Would be good to see your SHBG and free testosterone levels to be honest. Also Prolactin.

Beyond that get your cortisol, progesterone and ACTH levels checked.

#3

Thanks Colin- that’s helpful in terms of prioritizing the next round of b/w with my doc. (I’m still SO annoyed b/c I gave him the list of what I wanted, and he told me he could do “most” of them, and these are the only ones they actually tested- annoying.).

Anyway, my age is 36 (37 next month).

#4

Yeah, be prepared for some resistance in this whole thing. I think that exact thing happened just about all of us.

Also, your TSH (thyroid) is a good measurement. Still could be useful to get Free T3, T4 and reversal T3 and T4 tested, also, though.

#5

Nyer,

Your missing a lot of stuff, so it’s really had to formulate any type of opinion.

I would add Free Testersone, Free Testorone %, Vit D, Total T3, Free T3, Total T4, Free T4, SHBG, Prolactin, Albumin, AM Cortisol.

As a rule of thumb, so that you know. Total T is binded to proteins in your body. So the more important thing to look at as far as testosterone is concerned is to look at is Free Testosterone. There are number of different ways to calculate it, but you can’t diminish a low Free T #.

For your next test, be sure to Get your bloodwork done between 8-8:30, this is important as male hormones peak at this point. I have had doctors try to send me to have testosterone checked at noon time. Some doctors just don’t care.

Where did you get your labwork done? I would use Quest Diagnostics for your next test, if you used a questionable lab. That certainly not all equal. Quest has ton of locations and is considered one of the best. They take a little longer to get your results, but accuracy is most important. I have seen dramitically different results from one lab to the next.

#6

I would disagree that your LH and FSH are low, most young men have LH and FSH in the bottom half of the scale because their testicles are operating efficiently, as shown by your good T levels. Your body is only going to produce enough LH to produce the level of testosterone it needs.

#7

I’m just curious, but when did you draw the connection between your medical problems and finasteride? Did you originally quit the drug after ~3 months since the side effects were clearly a consequence of your finasteride use or did you put the pieces together much later?

#8

Nyer, your readings look good to me. Wish you had taken SHBG so that free T could be calculated from the ISSM calculator. Also, an 8 AM serum cortisol value would be useful.

Assuming you don’t work the night shift, what time was your blood draw?

#9

All, my blood was drawn at around 9:30/10ish (am).

Frustrated - I initially had ED while on Propecia and stopped it. I didn’t really have a crash per se, but things got better and then gradually (prob over the next year) faded. However, it was years and years later (literally 9 years later) after I’d suffered with mild ED for so long, that I connected it back to the Propecia, and that was because I stumbled upon this site. I’d always suspected the link of course, but was pretty much in denial about it all for a very long time. (I can still get erections, but they mostly suck and they are not spontaneous. But I can still have sex. Main thing that is missing for me is libido, which I rationalized for a long time was due to stress, aging, marriage sex life getting stale, etc.).

#10

When you say you have no libido, do you mean you don’t get turned on by porn etc?

#11

Luckfax, I don’t really get much out of porn. A little bit, but not like before. I don’t have much interest in my wife, sexually. I don’t really feel like masturbating (but do it anyway from time to time just to feel “normal”, and once I get started, I can still orgasm which is relaxing and feels good). If I had to describe it, I would say that I feel mentally turned on here and there, but there is no connection down below, and no physical response whatsoever. But even the amount I feel mentally turned on is severely diminished.

If you’re going down the track of wondering whether I am really a Propecia case or just someone with ED, believe me I have wondered the same (and still do). My lack of anything but sexual sides is one reason (although there are others), and also the LONG time it took for me to clue in to the connection seems suspect. I feel like the rest of you had this huge crash and just knew something was devastatingly wrong immediately. That’s not exactly how it went down for me. I knew I had something seriously wrong initially when taking the drug, but weaned off, felt better, and then so gradually got worse that I truly didn’t tie the two together until years down the line. But in retrospect, I have never regained my true libido or erectile function since taking the drug, except for the initial recovery and then random sporadic days here and there where everything comes back (but disappears immediately after a day or two). I do think they are deeply connected, although I continue to question it (and frankly would be so grateful if I just had regular old mental ED like all of the docs say I do).

#12

nyer,

I wasn’t going down the line of thinking it was mental ED, or another cause. Having been thrust into this position and done a lot of reading it’s clear that men do not often get ED without good reason until well into middle age or beyond. The only other explanation would be if you were clinically depressed for ten years, but even then you would still get morning wood. Wish I’d done my research while on the drug.

I had a desire for porn on fin if not always sex, even this diminished on my final run but was still there. Scary and bewildering to see it disappear more or less overnight.

#13

you are a testosterone making machine. on top the labs he recommended, also reverse t3 and cortisol saliva. check my story/bloodwork for links on reverse t3 and why it could be important.

#14

I am having trouble getting my doctor to agree to my additional tests, which just means I need to find a new one. I’ll be doing that shortly enough, but my one roadblock is that I work really long hours (leave the house at 6:30am and back at 8pm), and in an environment where it’s pretty conspicious if you’re gone a lot. So that is why I am triple annoyed that my stupid doc didn’t do the bloodwork I asked for- UGH! In any event, I also live in a city where it takes a long time to get new appointments with folks, so it’ll be a little while before I can post too many updated levels.

However, I found a website that will test certain hormones (for a ridiculous fee). I’m particularly interested in their cortisol/adrenal panel, as it feels pretty easy to do a saliva test without a lab/phlebotomist, etc. Do you think I should be leery of such things though? I remember my wife got a scrip for some labwork online once, but it was years ago (but did work, incidentally). But that was different- this website just sent her a scrip (for a fee) and she took it to a Quest or Labcorp or something like that. This is one where I do the test at home and send it in, and they send results. Waste of money? Worth it? (it’s at nutritionallyyours dot net, just fyi).

#15

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com has some good places to get labs without a doc, i cant comment on others though because i am not sure.