Adrenal Fatigue Link to Low Testosterone?

[dominover]

I have a simple question surrounding fatigue and low testosterone.

I have always thought that if you are suffering from adrenal fatigue, when the initial stages of fatigue set in (the hyper-cortisol stage), excess cortisol robs your body of DHEA (Dehydraepiandrosterone) used to produce testosterone. Thus, a hyper-cortisol state indirectly reduces testosterone.

Having said this, I still see allot of articles on the web suggesting that Low Testosterone can lead to fatigue??

My question is this: Is it both true that low testosterone can lead to fatigue and that fatigue can also lead to low testosterone?

I can explain how fatigue leads to low T but not the other way around. Can anyone help? Thanks

 

[JaimeS]

@dominover --

I have always thought that if you are suffering from adrenal fatigue, when the initial stages of fatigue set in (the hyper-cortisol stage), excess cortisol robs your body of DHEA (Dehydraepiandrosterone) used to produce testosterone. Thus, a hyper-cortisol state indirectly reduces testosterone.

I can at the very least attest that this is not a direct relationship, as my DHEA levels and cortisol levels are normal, while my free testosterone is super-low.

Were you looking at this study?

Experimental data for endocrine-immune markers measured in male GWI subjects showed the greatest alignment with predictions of a naturally occurring alternate steady state presenting with hypercortisolism, low testosterone and a shift towards a Th1 immune response. In female CFS subjects, expression of these markers aligned with an alternate homeostatic state displaying hypocortisolism, high estradiol, and a shift towards an anti-inflammatory Th2 activation. These results support a role for homeostatic drive in perpetuating dysfunctional cortisol levels through persistent interaction with the immune system and HPG axis. Though coarse, these models may nonetheless support the design of robust treatments that might exploit these regulatory regimes.

(Emphasis mine.)

So while low testosterone is associated with hypercortisolism in men, the same is not said for women... at least not in this article anyway.

Is it both true that low testosterone can lead to fatigue and that fatigue can also lead to low testosterone?

Yep. At least indirectly, some of the endogenous compounds that cause fatigue also suppress the HPA axis.

Ref:

Craddock, T. J. A., Fritsch, P., Rice, M. A., del Rosario, R. M., Miller, D. B., Fletcher, M. A., … Broderick, G. (2014). A Role for Homeostatic Drive in the Perpetuation of Complex Chronic Illness: Gulf War Illness and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. PLoS ONE, 9(1), e84839. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0084839

 

[adreno]

Most testosterone is made in the gonads, not the adrenals.

 

[JaimeS]

@adreno - this is true, but the hypothalamus and pituitary are the ones send the signals to the gonads to produce testosterone.

It might be a semantics thing... oddly, in the US we call it adrenal insufficiency even if the dysfunction is at the level of the hypothalamus or the pituitary rather than the adrenals.

-J

 

[adreno]

@adreno - this is true, but the hypothalamus and pituitary are the ones send the signals to the gonads to produce testosterone.

It might be a semantics thing... oddly, in the US we call it adrenal insufficiency even if the dysfunction is at the level of the hypothalamus or the pituitary rather than the adrenals.

-J

But since most testosterone isn't made from converting DHEA, but directly in the gonads, it doesn't matter much if DHEA is low. As stated in the OP.

Both my cortisol and DHEA are low, but my testosterone very high.

 

[Lou]

And it can be the other way, too. My DHEA was very high but testosterone on low side.

 

[Ellkaye]

It can be tested in the blood.
I think it s best to get tested a few times
These things can be indefinite

 

[dominover]

Thanks everyone, I've been away from my computer for some time so haven't had the chance to respond properly. Thanks for all the help.