• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

how do hormones cause fatigue??? (low testosterone)

Messages
27
Hi guys,

So I'm in a bit of a pickle today about 3 months ago I had my testosterone, fsh and lh tested and all of them came back low. The doctor referred me to an endo but the appointment is in 4 months. I had long suspected my oestradial levels may be high also so had it tested privately not wanting to wait any longer for help with my problems and it came back normal. This has left me puzzled since I have alot of symptoms of high estrogen but fair enough.

Anyway so onwards with my questions....

How do low hormones (specifically low testosterone) cause fatigue??? what is the mechanism???

I'm so if the above question is a bit vague but I hope you understand I'm asking how can low testosterone eventually lead to chronic fatigue or just long-term fatigue which is what I have.

My second question:

How can I overcome fatigue caused by low testosterone without going on TRT??? Which supplements can I take???


The reason I ask is because I'm not sure my doctor will give me TRT and I'm almost 100% certain now (after doing some private and NHS blood tests) that my fatigue is due to low testosterone.

thanks for replies and sorry for the long-winded post.
 

digital dog

Senior Member
Messages
646
You can get testosterone from Lawley. It is bioidentical.
DHEA and LDN increase testosterone apparently.
Be very careful though and start low with all.
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,086
Location
australia (brisbane)
Dhea supposedly increases testosterone in men but more often than not it increases estrogen , so its a take it and retest . some guys use an estrogen blocker while on dhea may help increase your T levels

The other treatment used instead of testosterone replacement is clomid which increases the signals from the brain to the testicles to increase testosterone production . Generally low doses are used eg 12.5mg every second day. Higher doses can have a depressive effect on guys , so more isnt better.

If clomid doesnt work than testosterone replacement is the only option.
 

Battery Muncher

Senior Member
Messages
620
To be honest, I've always been sceptical of this idea. I tend to think fatigue and lowered testosterone are the result of some underlying problem, rather than the cause.

There are many people with low testosterone who do not seem to suffer fatigue as we do (e.g. people with Klinefelter's syndrome).

But I am far from an expert on this matter. I hope you find what you are looking for and achieve a full recovery.
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
I have high DHEA and low estrogen and testosterone. Trying to figure out how to up both in spite to early menopause onset. I think that the missing ingredient to T in my case is vitamin K2, which causes me unbearable inflammation when I try to supplement. About estrogen I don't know and am retrying Cimicifuga today, at a very low dose since it seems to make me hypothyroid.
 

Eeyore

Senior Member
Messages
595
How low is low?

Did you have more than one test for it? You need to see if it is replicated as hormones can vary a lot.

It can cause fatigue - and probably if it is low, and is causing fatigue, then the best solution would be testosterone replacement. However, if it is low, I think you should find out why. You may have an inborn error of metabolism where some enzyme in the pathway is not functioning. An endo should be able to figure this out.

If you're just borderline low or low-normal, it may not be anything.
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
Are you asking me or the OP? :redface:
Did you have more than one test for it? You need to see if it is replicated as hormones can vary a lot.
Yes, consistently low
It can cause fatigue
And FM, and it is causing both
I think you should find out why
That is what I am trying to do
You may have an inborn error of metabolism where some enzyme in the pathway is not functioning
It could be, so far I thought it was caused by early menopause onset
An endo should be able to figure this out.
I saw 4-5 endos and they all say sexual hormones must be treated by the GYN. I saw 4-5 Gyns who don't have a clue, and I have been put on progesterone which only worsened the situation.
If you're just borderline low or low-normal, it may not be anything.
Oh, it IS something, because when I can raise my testosterone muscle pain, weakness, fatigue, endurance, general disposition improve, except for inflammation that increases (uric acid/oxalate related joint pain, bone pain) and then it gets worse than before.
 

ChrisD

Senior Member
Messages
472
Location
East Sussex
I am 26 and have CFS/Fibro, but when I was around 12/13 I had a three month long chronic migraine that was excruciating and unrelenting. I had all kinds of tests, MRI's etc but in the end the doctor found that I had low testosterone and needed a supplemental medication - the migraine cleared. This was around Puberty time so I am not sure if it would have meddled with my development but it has always been clear by body features that I have low Testosterone or High Oestrogen. The doctors (NHS) say my bloods are normal now for Testosterone but perhaps there would be a more precise method of testing?? also does anyone know of any genetic SNPs associated with low T?