Low Testosterone - Overtrained?

Maybe add some very short and fast speeds and low rep strength training with full recoveries? Those boost testosterone.

What were the lab values and what time of the day was the blood drawn?

interestingly, you are openly admitting to a doping violation. not that i care.

yes, testosterone decreases with endurance training, and it's a good way to tell if you are doing enough volume; i.e., if your testosterone isn't below 300, you can handle more volume!

by "slight improvement", what value do you mean EXACTLY? like, you went from 75 up to 250?

Lift some weights. I don't know your individual situation but for most people lifting heavy will increase testosterone. I'm talking large compound lifts like bench, squat and deadlift. At the least, do some pushups and some hill sprints.

Its not a violation if it is being used to treat hypogonadism, as long as you document it with the NCAA first, my coach looked into this.

I have been lifting weights about three times a week since sophomore year of high school. Strides and sprints are also included in our training.

I am also one of the thicker ones on my team, so I don't think weight should be much of an issue.

I was originally at 25 ng/dl. After three weeks, I went up to 95 ng/dl, and after 10.5 weeks, I am at 173 ng/dl. The normal range is 300-1100 ng/dl.

Do distance runners normally run this low?

mr wrote:

What were the lab values and what time of the day was the blood drawn?

It is important to be consistent Re: time of day. AM is best.

What are your LH, FSH and TSH numbers for each reading?

What is your Clomid dosage?

Did you have a normal sex drive until recently?

Have you incurred any head injuries preceding your concerns about testosterone?

Have you noticed any testicular atrophy, esp on the left side?

I should also add that my suggestion would be that you do not run at this time.

I went in for each test at 10:00 am. I think the LH value of my first test was under 1 mIU/ml with Total T at 25 ng/dl. The second time (after 3 weeks), LH was at 2.7 with Total T at 95 ng/dl. Last week (10.5 weeks), LH was at 3.2 and Total T at 173 ng/dl.

I am on 50mg of chlomifene citrate, 2 days a week.

I have never really had much sex drive, but had pretty much none a couple of months ago.

I have had no head injuries. However, after my first blood test, I had a pituitary MRI. The doctor found what he thinks to be a micradenoma on the gland. He doesn't think that this is the cause of my problem though, due to the lesion's size and location.

I haven't noticed any atrohpy, although I do not really know what "normal" is supposed to be.

thats 50mg, 3 days a week

It's funny I thought for a second that it was me writing this post. I had/have almost the exact same problem (although my T levels are "within the range"). So here is my take on it from what I have done and seen doctors about. First off if your T level isn't tested first thing in the morning before anything literally nothing can be done before the test it is going to be depressed. Moreover I thought my issue was solely the T but after going to the doc it seems as though it can depression related because a primary symptom of depression is poor sleep. In turn, poor sleep or not enough restorative sleep causes a decrease in T levels. And it's funny you mention that it got worse in the winter because that was similar to myself which the doctor said could be a result of a type of depression called seasonal effective disorder. Depression has many of the symptoms you list and does not have to include suicidal thoughts. The next thing about the T levels is that mine were at the bottom of the range and I still felt like crap and couldn't get a hard on if I tried (my father had a higher T level than I). So I looked up what the doctors keep saying is "in the range" and my count may be in the range but its in the bottom 5% for the early 20s age group. And consistent with an average 90 year old. So my thought is that it is concerning despite if it is "in the range" and yours was not even in the range. So that was just my rant because as you probably feel the same way as I do, this has gone on long enough and nothing really helps. I have just started seeing an endocrinologist and I got a sleep study done and depression seems to be taking the cake so far.

To answer your question though likely overtraining had something to do with it to get the ball rolling but not completely. I have been taking time off now before I begin XC training and I feel a little better. I haven't checked my levels but my T has likely come up a bit although my sleep has not significantly improved. That's all I have to say. Hopefully it helps.

drxc23 wrote:

I went in for each test at 10:00 am. I think the LH value of my first test was under 1 mIU/ml with Total T at 25 ng/dl. The second time (after 3 weeks), LH was at 2.7 with Total T at 95 ng/dl. Last week (10.5 weeks), LH was at 3.2 and Total T at 173 ng/dl.

I am on 50mg of chlomifene citrate, 2 days a week.

I have never really had much sex drive, but had pretty much none a couple of months ago.

I have had no head injuries. However, after my first blood test, I had a pituitary MRI. The doctor found what he thinks to be a micradenoma on the gland. He doesn't think that this is the cause of my problem though, due to the lesion's size and location.

I haven't noticed any atrohpy, although I do not really know what "normal" is supposed to be.

As you describe never having much in the way of libido, you may have secondary hypogonadism. It might be useful to try some hCG for a few weeks and retest...hCG mimics LH, which is still low in your case relative to your testosterone levels; you would essentially be using a high dose of artificial LH to see if your testicles respond to stimulation; if they don't, you may have "mixed" hypogonadism...

If you choose not to do this I'd continue not running, taking Clomid, eating and sleeping enough, and retesting over the next few months, if Clomid is not causing you depression or other issues...

One expert in the field, who does remote consultations, is:

[quote]The exact same thing.. wrote:

It's funny I thought for a second that it was me writing this post. I had/have almost the exact same problem (although my T levels are "within the range") [quote]

Wow, that's exactly what's been going on with me too. Sorry to hear about your situation. I can relate to the depression aspect as well but I think I've been able to handle that by getting back to basics and not stressing out about little things like workouts and mileage. My issues started in the winter with some slower races. I thought maybe it was just overtraining until I had some unreasonably poor races in Feb/Mar which led me to see a doctor.

The doctors I've seen try to get me out the door with the "technically in the normal range" BS (my number was 286). You can't be a competitive athlete with the T level of an eldery man. Needless to say, I haven't been happy with the doctors. They haven't been able to relate to me being a serious athlete at all and the fact that I can tell the difference between being tired and an actual medical issue. I've felt a little bit better by decreasing the miles, getting more sleep, and eating a more balanced diet. I get another blood test this week (5 weeks after the first test) so I'll see if anything has really changed. Still, it's very frustrating because I was on fire in the fall before all of this low T stuff hit me.

I'd appreciate if you guys could give updates of your progress or anything that's helped you on this thread. Any insight from people who've experienced this before would be greatly appreciated too.

Hi,

Low testosterone can be due to several reasons. May be due to overtrained, you have less testosterone level. But there is nothing to worry as you can get several ways to boost it. One of my friend have faced the same situation. Later on he got proper treatment and now he has no problem. Testosterone is very much important for body and it should be enough so that your body can perform well.

See more on:

http://increasetestosteronelevel.weebly.com