Testosterone and metabolism

[CellularIconoclast]

Most of my life I have experienced a lot of fatigue, low body temp, and low pulse, and was never able to have any effect on this, even when doing a strict peaty diet, and getting my TSH down to 0.0 with thyroid.

However, the fatigue in the last year (in my late 30s) has gotten so bad that I could barely do anything, and have been terrified of losing my career, and of doing a bad job as a father. I've also had brain fog, ED, depression, insomnia, and a host of other issues, and was napping for hours per day. I went into my general care practitioner, and they did a ton of labwork, and my total testosterone came in in the low 200 ng/dL range. The doctor didn't even say anything about that, and when I raised the issue he said it was still technically within range, so he couldn't treat it through my insurance.

I paid out of pocket for a private TRT clinic, and was prescribed a relatively low dose of both testosterone and hCG to self inject 3x week.

Within days, all of my symptoms completely turned around and I feel motivated, energetic, and have almost limitless energy. I started building a boat and training for a strength competition in my new spare time, while catching up at work, and being a better dad.

Most interestingly, all of the signs are there that my metabolism is now "fixed." My resting heart rate went up 5-10bpm, my body temp increased more than a degree into the 98-99F range where it never has been before, and I feel warm at all times without a coat. I now have to sleep without blankets because I am so warm.

So my question and thoughts are, what is the connection between metabolism and testosterone (and/or hCG)? Any ideas?

Here are some lab test values from before starting TRT, when I was experiencing fatigue:
Total testosterone 224 ng/dL
Free testosterone 10.7 pg/mL
DHEA-Sulfate 424.0 ug/dL
LH 5.1 mIU/mL
Estradiol 10.9 pg/mL

 

[youngsinatra]

Looks a bit like primary hypogonadism, aka testicular failure.

Have you checked your iron markers? I know one of the causes of primary hypogonadism is hemochromatosis.

 

[CellularIconoclast]

Thanks. All of my iron markers are in the lower end of normal ranges.

Ferritin 132 ng/mL
Iron 65 ug/dL
Iron binding capacity, unsaturated 230 ug/dL
Total iron binding capacity 295 ug/dL
Transferrin: 22% saturation

 

[CellularIconoclast]

One theory I had is that this is actually a natural biological response to my life circumstances: I am a single dad of a child with autism, so I spend a really large amount of time and effort parenting. Lots of studies show that expecting fathers and new fathers have testosterone naturally drop by about half if they are involved in parenting at typical levels, and the amount correlates with degree of parental involvement. However, my parenting engagement and effort is extremely high.

It is hard to understand how being fatigued and tired would be an adaptive response to high parenting demands, but from following Peat I have come to see all hormones as energy budgeting. Testosterone in particular redistributes energy towards reproductive pursuit- higher sex drive, higher desire for social status, more muscle mass and aggression, etc. A mild reduction would help most men invest more effort in being a dad, and less in.... becoming a dad.

That doesn't quite add up because I am a much better dad with more testosterone... I have the energy to play, go on adventures, cook good meals, etc. Before I would have to put on a TV show and take a nap.

 

[EustaceBagge]

One theory I had is that this is actually a natural biological response to my life circumstances: I am a single dad of a child with autism, so I spend a really large amount of time and effort parenting. Lots of studies show that expecting fathers and new fathers have testosterone naturally drop by about half if they are involved in parenting at typical levels, and the amount correlates with degree of parental involvement. However, my parenting engagement and effort is extremely high.

It is hard to understand how being fatigued and tired would be an adaptive response to high parenting demands, but from following Peat I have come to see all hormones as energy budgeting. Testosterone in particular redistributes energy towards reproductive pursuit- higher sex drive, higher desire for social status, more muscle mass and aggression, etc. A mild reduction would help most men invest more effort in being a dad, and less in.... becoming a dad.

That doesn't quite add up because I am a much better dad with more testosterone... I have the energy to play, go on adventures, cook good meals, etc. Before I would have to put on a TV show and take a nap.

Maybe the reason it drops so dramatically is simply stress, and not an adaptive response. Mainstream science, I think, assumes that testosterone drops so you are less likely to move on or "be agressive", but in my opinion testosterone with ample dht and estrogen on the lower side actually makes you very calm yet firm so I see no evolutionary need to reduce testosterone upon childbirth. I would say that as the baby is more vulnerable it would actually make sense to be strong.

So it really could be stress, or I'm just looking at the situation from a bad angle.

 

[CellularIconoclast]

Maybe the reason it drops so dramatically is simply stress, and not an adaptive response. Mainstream science, I think, assumes that testosterone drops so you are less likely to move on or "be agressive", but in my opinion testosterone with ample dht and estrogen on the lower side actually makes you very calm yet firm so I see no evolutionary need to reduce testosterone upon childbirth. I would say that as the baby is more vulnerable it would actually make sense to be strong.

So it really could be stress, or I'm just looking at the situation from a bad angle.

Don't undersell yourself, that is a brilliantly different perspective on this.... thank you. I think researchers could have missed this explanation, because people don't even realize how stressful being a new parent in our society is where people are mostly isolated with no help and unable to sleep for weeks on end... it is not really a normalized fact or culturally acceptable to discuss.

 

[CellularIconoclast]

@EustaceBagge Perhaps you have also indirectly answered my question in the first post. If my metabolism was suppressed from stress/high cortisol, perhaps the addition of more testosterone counteracted that effect, and restored normal metabolic function. The two compete directly for binding, and block each others action.

Regular life stress that previously felt insurmountable or overwhelming now feel pretty minor, to the point that I can't even fully remember or comprehend the mindset in which they seemed so overwhelming. I feel motivated to resolve them, and they don't seem like a big deal.

 

[PopSocket]

I don't want to sound like an ***hole but from the other thread - you injected yourself with a metabolic poison so no doubt you are having energy issues.

Testosterone is extremely protective and flips the stress balance by counteracting cortisol and catabolism. More conversion to DHT is also speeding up metabolism and counteracting Serotonin.

Now if you are pinning, I am pretty confident the injections contain an oil carrier that is PUFA based. If you want to stay on T for longer period of time, switch to topical testosterone base otherwise the good period when you feel good will end in about 12 to 36 months and problems will arise due to intramuscular pufa and liver overburden by the esters. Esters are no bueno.

Hcg is also no good as it is very estrogenic, when on topical there is no need for it. 2 weeks off the topical and your balls will be online again. Super quick bounce to "normal" function. With the esters if you stay too long on it you will have extremely hard and long recovery if you decide or forced to stop.

 

[EustaceBagge]

I don't want to sound like an ***hole but from the other thread - you injected yourself with a metabolic poison so no doubt you are having energy issues.

Testosterone is extremely protective and flips the stress balance by counteracting cortisol and catabolism. More conversion to DHT is also speeding up metabolism and counteracting Serotonin.

Now if you are pinning, I am pretty confident the injections contain an oil carrier that is PUFA based. If you want to stay on T for longer period of time, switch to topical testosterone base otherwise the good period when you feel good will end in about 12 to 36 months and problems will arise due to intramuscular pufa and liver overburden by the esters. Esters are no bueno.

Hcg is also no good as it is very estrogenic, when on topical there is no need for it. 2 weeks off the topical and your balls will be online again. Super quick bounce to "normal" function. With the esters if you stay too long on it you will have extremely hard and long recovery if you decide or forced to stop.

Its 1mg of pufa per week at most, not a lot. It can be mitigated with vitamin e I think. But I still think that OP's TRT regimen should be transitory.

Don't undersell yourself, that is a brilliantly different perspective on this.... thank you. I think researchers could have missed this explanation, because people don't even realize how stressful being a new parent in our society is where people are mostly isolated with no help and unable to sleep for weeks on end... it is not really a normalized fact or culturally acceptable to discuss.

Very difficult stuff man, wish you the best.

 

[feedandseed]

I would think testosterone is probably pro metabolic on its own, though less so than something like progesterone or DHT

BUT I recall reading that HCG itself stimulates the thyroid as if it were TSH, in the same way it mimics LH & FSH. I don’t have the study on hand but I’m sure you could find it.

 

[PopSocket]

Its 1mg of pufa per week at most, not a lot. It can be mitigated with vitamin e I think. But I still think that OP's TRT regimen should be transitory.


Very difficult stuff man, wish you the best.

You don't eat it but injecting it directly into the muscle. Big difference than eating some seed oil. Not just 1mg for sure. Usually they put cotton seed oil.

 

[EustaceBagge]

You don't eat it but injecting it directly into the muscle. Big difference than eating some seed oil. Not just 1mg for sure. Usually they put cotton seed oil.

Yeah I don't know how much worse pufa directly into bloodstream is compared to pufa ingested with food. Poison.

 

[Peatress]

Looks a bit like primary hypogonadism, aka testicular failure.

Have you checked your iron markers? I know one of the causes of primary hypogonadism is hemochromatosis.

What could possibly cause testicular failure in a relatively young male?

 

[youngsinatra]

What could possibly cause testicular failure in a relatively young male?

Autoimmune disease, hemochromatosis, Klinefelter syndrome, orchitis (testicular viral inflammation), injury to testicles.

 

[CellularIconoclast]

My dose is only 0.25mg 3x/week subcutaneous, so that is about 1/40th the triglyceride normally circulating in blood, or about 1/40th the PUFA I would get from eating a can of oysters, or about 1/3rd what I would get from eating a single egg. There is really no way to make it without pufa, because other natural oils are too viscous at room temp. I really doubt that is a problem, but it would be cool if they someday reformulate it with a low viscosity non-PUFA oil like the Zero Acre Farms oils.

I am not going to use gel because I don't want to worry about it affecting my girlfriend or son from skin contact.

I would think testosterone is probably pro metabolic on its own, though less so than something like progesterone or DHT

BUT I recall reading that HCG itself stimulates the thyroid as if it were TSH, in the same way it mimics LH & FSH. I don’t have the study on hand but I’m sure you could find it.

Now this is fascinating... I looked up those studies and it is a powerful effect, some pregnant women even get hyperthyroid from it. In that case, it seems like a better theory for my increase in metabolism.

 

[CellularIconoclast]

I don't want to sound like an ***hole but from the other thread - you injected yourself with a metabolic poison so no doubt you are having energy issues.

I doubt it was caused by mind control chips injected by lizard aliens because it started about 6 years ago, and was completely treated with testosterone.

 

[CellularIconoclast]

Very difficult stuff man, wish you the best.

Thanks. Despite being difficult, I really value the experience of being a parent. It is a transition of the same magnitude as going from being an adolescent to an adult... it opens up a whole new range of human experiences that I never even knew existed before.

 

[Peatful]

Cortisol blocks testosterone

 

[Peatress]

I doubt it was caused by mind control chips injected by lizard aliens because it started about 6 years ago, and was completely treated with testosterone.

You are mocking him but he has a point. You said they got worse in the last year,

“However, the fatigue in the last year (in my late 30s) has gotten so bad that I could barely do anything, and have been terrified of losing my career, and of doing a bad job as a father. I've also had brain fog, ED, depression, insomnia, and a host of other issues, and was napping for hours per day. I went into my general care practitioner, and they did a ton of labwork, and my total testosterone came in in the low 200 ng/dL range. The doctor didn't even say anything about that, and when I raised the issue he said it was still technically within range, so he couldn't treat it through my insurance.”

Would it be so unreasonable to consider the possibility that those Covid shots may have caused some of your issues or at least exacerbate them?

 

[PopSocket]

I doubt it was caused by mind control chips injected by lizard aliens because it started about 6 years ago, and was completely treated with testosterone.

Still injections are not the way to go long term even if it is not the shapeshifting lizards. There are much better ways health wise and much less expensive than going to a TRT clinic and buying pufa + esterified T. Speaking from personal experience. Also when done right there is a good chance your natural levels actually go higher than pre TRT once you stop if the reason for the low T is addressed. With standard protocol that would be close to impossible. just my 2c