Low T without symptoms.

[KyleXD1993 (imported)]

I am planing on starting castration via injections, so I decided to get my testosterone levels tested so I know my baseline. Well I got the results back and It shows that I have low T already. My T level is 337 ng/dL and considering I'm 21 years old, that's well below the normal range.

The funny thing is, I don't fell like I have any symptoms of low T. I have a very high sex drive, get erections spontaneously, ejaculate normally without issue, and have lots of body hair (yuck).

What could this mean? Do you think that even after I'm castrated there won't be a big change in my sexual function or body hair?

[Riven (imported)]

As a I understand it, free testosterone in your bloodstream fluctuates throughout the 24 hour day and from day to day so the only way to get an accurate measurement is to be tested several times then average the results. I would urge you to try chemical castration first as the side effects of castration are probably much worse that you hope they'll be. I found that hot flushes were far, far more uncomfortable than I imagined and kept me awake at night which became distressing. After a week of castration I was feeling weak, lethargic, and depression was creeping up on me. Don't do anything permanent until you're sure you want this, because the reality is very different from the fantasy.

[nvrgag44 (imported)]

Riven is absolutely correct. I experienced the same symptoms while getting regular injections of Lupron as part of prostate cancer treatment. Testosterone is said to feed prostate cancer and Lupron lowers T levels. I don't know how low they got but I was miserable for the year and a half I was on that poison. Once I realized why I was feeling so crappy I refused to take any more and everything slowly came back to normal. I get my T levels checked whenever I get any blood work done and for the last few years it has run as low as 130 but usually runs in the mid 200s. The recent highest reading was about 280. My urologist told me T levels will usually be higher when the blood draw is taken in the AM so I always get there as soon as they're open. The radiation caused all sorts of after effects because it cooked other things besides the cancer. My levels are no doubt low for a guy in his 20s but I'm 70 and feel pretty good, all things considered.

There are also good changes that occurred since the cancer treatment. I don't know if they're due to the radiation, low T or simply ageing. I never had a lot of body hair but now I have very little and my previously volatile temper is now just a bad memory. There was a time when my libido preoccupied my brain and was a definite distraction. Now it sits on the back burner and I turn up the flame when I want to.

My PSA has been below 1 since the treatment but if the cancer returned I wouldn’t hesitate to be castrated if it would help. I’d hope to be able to control the effects with TRT. Give no T a try chemically before seeking anything permanent. I seem to be OK with low T but was miserable on Lupron.

[raymar2020 (imported)]

Kyle,

While I always had testicular issues that had me on HRT since I was 12, up until I actually had the trsticles removed, I steadily carried a T level in the range you have mentioned. It does flucuate more in those who produce it naturally. and of course with HRT it spikes after dosing, and fades as time passes. Some delivery methods are more effective than others depending on the individual. As an example, for me Androgel is not effective as i am prone to perspire with the slightest physical activity, and so my clothes get the does not me. Shots spread out 2 weeks leave me starting into hot flashes by the time the 12th day has passed.

While I certainly do not judge, or question the decisions of others, I would say that you have not expressed why you seek castration. You have not said you feel MTF , so becoming a eunuch at such a young age is a bit unusual. If this is due to pressure from someone else, then by all means DO NOT DO IT!!! Explaining your motivations here, would help those of us who have been there give you the best advice.

A chemical trial is a very good idea, if you desire is to kill off libido, and sexual function. If it is about dysphoria, then counseling would be a very good idea. There are therapists who will not judge you, and act as a sounding board for your feelings.

If your plan is to use HRT after castration, be aware that it does NOT totally work like the natural stuff. In some ways it is better, in others worse.

Most of all do your research, talk to those who have gone down that road, for whatever reason, and make sure any decision you make is well though out, and is yours alone. Once you get castrated , there is no fixing it.

Raymr

[_g (imported)]

I am planing on starting castration via injections, so I decided to get my testosterone levels tested so I know my baseline. Well I got the results back and It shows that I have low T already. My T level is 337 ng/dL and considering I'm 21 years old, that's well below the normal range.

The funny thing is, I don't fell like I have any symptoms of low T. I have a very high sex drive, get erections spontaneously, ejaculate normally without issue, and have lots of body hair (yuck).

What could this mean? Do you think that even after I'm castrated there won't be a big change in my sexual function or body hair?

This one of those thinks were "your mileage may very"

If you have no estrogen and a ton of testosterone or no testosterone and a ton of estrogen you will have no sex drive. Most eunuchs which do not take any HRT have no sex drive, most will lose body hair and also have some feminization, and the feminization depends on the amount of estrogen your body makes or ingest.

[Wolf-Pup (imported)]

Shots spread out 2 weeks leave me starting into hot flashes by the time the 12th day has passed.

Raymr

Doing shots every 2 weeks is sort of old school. Currently its more common to do it once a week (at half the amount of the 2 week dose). That should keep the hot flashes at bay too.