Help with results: Testosterone, LH and FSH low

[findinglife]

Hi guys,

About a few weeks ago I had my testosterone, LH and FSH tested. The results are as follows:

Testosterone:
8 nmol/L (Range: 9-27 nmol/L)

LH:
1.7 iu/L (Range: 1.14 - 8.75 iu/L)

FSH:
0.6 iu/L (Range: 0.95 - 12 iu/L)

Now looking at this clearly my testosterone is low as is my FSH. My LH appears to be normal but I heard below 1.8 could be considered not normal. As a result of these tests I am being refered to an endrocologist.

I don't know at all how to interpret the results and am wondering what they could mean.

Despite my low testosterone since the age of 12 I've had chronic body odor and excessive sweating as well as fatigue. I heard low testosterone should mean less body odor but my body odor is insane it can fill up rooms.

Due to some other medical problems I have I was guessing my problem is hormonal however can't be 100% sure but they've referred me to an endrocologist anyway.

Could someone tell me what could cause these results and what I should make of them???

 

[deleder2k]

Did you do free testosterone? SHBG? Prolactin??

 

[findinglife]

Did you do free testosterone? SHBG? Prolactin??

No I just did testosterone, FSH and LH. Also I forgot to mention my age I'm only 25 so I'm not sure my testosterone should be this low.

I'm guessing when I get referred to an endrocologist they'll do more tests including the ones above. I'm especially hoping they can do an MRI/CT of my pituary gland.

 

[drob31]

Hypopituitarism is certainly possible. Were you ever on HRT at all?

It's also possible to have lower total testosterone, but if your SHBG is low, you would still have normal total testosterone.

 

[A.B.]

These results could mean some form hypopituitarism. What you should do is see an endocrinologist, which you're already planning to do.

It is the luteinizing hormone (LH) that tells the testicles to produce more testosterone.

 

[Marco]

Interesting. I've had similar results.

Due to increasing and worsening symptoms (including profuse sweating/heat intolerance) I was referred to an endocrinologist (a professor no less) and my Total T levels were all in the lower quartile for the all age range (aged late 30's; early 40's) and for a number of months tested below the reference range (tested by my GP, not revealed to me and dismissed as irrelevant by the endo). Both LH and FSH were at the lower end of the range (as I understand it one or other might be raised to compensate for low T). Oestradiol levels were within range but high enough to be flagged with an exclamation on my GP notes). Free T was never tested.

Fair enough, T levels vary by individuals but in my mid 20's total T tested at 25 nmol/L which was shortly after ME onset. A decline from 25 to less than 9 nmol/L in just over 1O years is a lot more than you would expect (estimated at 1% per year after age 30) and even in excess of what you expect in the very elderly.

None of this was considered clinically significant or relevant to my symptoms.

Good luck with finding something useful - I gave up.

 

[A.B.]

Interesting. I've had similar results.

I've also had similar results. LH and FSH were even lower, testosterone wasn't low but not ideal either. No pituitary disease has been identified.

I guess this is just the mildly hypoactive HPA axis often found in CFS patients.

 

[halcyon]

I would get prolactin measured as well. It's commonly elevated in ME patients and it has detrimental effects on LH/FSH production, which leads to diminished testosterone production.