Why Test Hormones

What about testin cream, absorbed through the skin? And are there side effects to T…any atrophy of testicles, increased cancer risks, etc, or is it a total “go” if you can get it? Most of all, will it help you get a bigger penis?

I didnt read through all of this, so if it was already posted, ignore it. Its been a while so maybe someone can confirm it or tell me to shut the hell up, but if im not mistaken SHBG binds to free test. Thats why they are inversed like that.

Exogenous T will affect the natural levels in a dose dependant manner. I couldn’t comment on the cancer risks as it isn’t something I’ve read too much about. I would imagine that with some types of existing cancers it would not be helpful (just as they attempt to reduce estrogen in breast cancer sufferers), but I wouldn’t expect it to be a cause.

I don’t think more T will help get a bigger penis unless you suffer from a pre-existing condition such as micropenis. I do think that a lack of T (below normal levels) would be a hinderance to growth though, since it could reduce the opportunity for DHT to do its work. Androgen receptor sensitivity tends to calibrate with the hormone levels anyhow, so benefits (if any) would likely be short lived.

I have tried transdermal testosterone for this purpose, but never saw any differences.

DHT is what makes the penis grow. :) However, the receptors get down regulated after puberty so we all dont end up stepping on our cocks.

I’m thinking about getting my hormones tested so I can hopefully figure out what is wrong with me. Anyways, would somebody know what hormones are the most important for a 23 year old male?

I’ve found one test that says its comprehensive for the male hormonal system. It tests; testosterone, estrogen, DHEA, progesterone and cortisol.

I’d probably go for total T, free T, estradiol, and TSH for starters. Then possibly more tests if one or more of those is out of whack.

Blood should be drawn for testosterone tests in the morning. Skip breakfast that day and have your doc check your fasted blood sugar level.

MrTips-

This is like being your own endocrinologist! Have you noticed anything in the last month, or feeling any different since stopping coffee? I noticed recently that they still make Postum, a cereal beverage that is a coffee substitute. I found it at the grocery store, but it’s not in the familiar old package, I think it used to come in a can that was orange and brown or something. Now it comes in a bottle, with a blue and white label on it. We drank it occasionally when I was younger, but it sure isn’t like coffee. :( The postum bottle is sitting here on the table next to me, while I’m drinking coffee and loving every minute of it. :) Oh well… if I was perfect I would probably be living on another planet somewhere, in "the land of perfect" like on those Walgreens TV commercials.

I read through the stuff at zrt labs, very cool. Which tests or combination of tests did you get, in order to gather all the information you got in your first post? Reading through the stuff, The "low energy/fatigue" stuff rings a bell, and the andropause stuff, too. I’m 45… shit just remembered today’s my birthday, now I’m 46. FUCK!

*It echoes through electron’s head like a bad movie*

Four Six.

Forty Six.

A six and a four. Damn zeros, anyway. Fooooorrrdeeeee Siiiiiiiiixxxxx….

ARGH! (Get over it, stupid!)

*sigh*

Well anyway I’m 46 and I’ve noticed the last few years it just seems like I’ve got "less body hair" than I used to… not facial hair or hair on my head, but all the rest of it. The hair on the arms, legs, chest and pubic area just seems like it’s "less" than it used to be, like it’s "thinning out" or something. I’ve wondered if it’s the diet changes I’ve gone through but maybe hormones is it. The andropause description at their website makes LOTS of sense. Perhaps theres a clue here!

I’m like Modesto man I guess, I’ve quit the carbs with a high glycemic index, and it has helped a lot. I drink coffee too, but I don’t experience carb cravings over it. I have always been a little chubby, but the last five or ten years it seemed like I was gaining weight and the rate was increasing. I have never been able to get a handle on it, ever. Neither did my parents. I haven’t really exercised regularly for the same amount of time, but this was just an amplification of the same old thing, not a new trend in and of itself. I was beginning to feel like a steaming locomotive speeding out of control. No brakes, with no way to jump off, and no ability to do anything except sit there and watch in horror as the train crashes into a mountainside, and all the subsequent wreckage.

About two years ago I ordered a book of the net, it just looked so interesting and made sense. It’s called ‘Natural Hormonal Enhancement’ and there were two graphs in two different areas of the book that totally explained to me why losing weight is such a baffling thing to do. The book is still packed away somewhere in a box, but it was basically a combination of two different "cycles" that affect each other, that turned the lightbulb on in my head. If it sounds like something interesting to you, you can get it at Your Daily Fashion, Beauty & Style Guide - Extique. It has similarities to Atkins, but is much better at explaining the "whys" of things than the "question and answer" format of the Atkins book. Once my rational mind understood this, I stopped the white bread and other carbs the next day. Later, I experienced a massive headache and felt crappy for about a day and a half. This was a different kind of headache, unlike the sinus headaches I used to get. Those were always focused in my sinuses, above the eyes behind the forehead. This headache was different, it was like a "whole head" type of thing… not stronger in any particular area of the head or brain, but just "all over." I knew something "different" was happening… so I just "went with it" and slept a lot till it was over. I didn’t change anything else in my life at this time, lifestyle, other parts of the diet or exercise. I drank and did a few other things when I was younger, so I was familiar with addiction. This had all the earmarks of sudden withdrawal symptoms from an addictive drug. Not a big deal like physical withdrawal from alcohol or heroin, but the same thing to a much milder degree. I’m no expert, but I know a "pattern" or a similarity when I see one. :bigwink:

What I noticed from doing this was that the railroad train had stopped. I didn’t lose any weight, but I didn’t gain anymore, either. It seemed to stabilize.

About ten months ago I started doing liver cleanses and I have lost almost thirty pounds since then. My allergies have all but vanished, too, but that’s another story.

I noticed you mention water, too, I better get my filter unit hooked up again! Having grown up in the country, then moving to the city, I just haven’t liked water there. In Los Angeles there were mornings that I could turn on that faucet in the kitchen and I swear it smelled like someone took a quart of clorox and threw it all over the room. You know there must be some awfully horrid shit in it, if they have to chlorinte it that much. When I lived in Vegas, it isn’t much better. I didn’t know how people could stand it. I guess you just get accustomed to whatever you grow up with. I couldn’t stand the city water, it tasted like shit to me, and so coffee was something cheap, that tasted good to me and fit my very tight budget those days. Now in Texas, it seems to smell almost like fungus to me or something, very earthy though and I like that. One thing I DO like is the green drinks, at least I’ve found one that I like. Maybe thats the direction I should start moving into more consistently, but they can get expensive and I do like my coffee! Here’s something I discovered with green drinks: they are a little hard to mix and always seem to clump up a little. One day I put some flax oil in with it, and shook it up. Good stuff! It tastes almost like its a little bit "creamy" or smoother, and it mixes up now like a dream. My theory is the oil emulsifies it and makes it rehydrate better, no more little dry "clumps and bumps" anymore! Now I just dump in the powder, water, then put in a little flax oil on top of it all and shake. It seems to work with big amounts of oil, like a tablespoon, or as little as a few drops of oil in a pint of water. It just does something "nice" to the green drink.