hayfarmer

The doctor who says 250 is mid range for T levels is way out of line. Maybe for a 100 year old man that would be mid range. I will post a list of possible issues living for long periods on low T can cause. But first I want to address the low LH and FSH question.

Low LH and FSH does in fact mean your pituitary (in the brain) is not sending these hormones to tell your testicles to make Testosterone and sperm. This can be caused by a number of things. One is a pituitary adenoma (a very small usually benign tumor). Other reasons can vary from being hypothyroid, empty sella syndrome (another pituitary disorder), hemochromatosis (a genetic disorder causing the body to abosrb too much iron from food loading it into various organs including the pituitary), vitamin D deficiency, excess estrogen and/or estradiol in your blood, unkown causes (the majority of cases), other causes I'm forgetting. It is very possible depending on how long you have had this condition that HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) will get your testicles working again and you T level back up to where it should be. This is an injectible drug which is identical (virutally) to LH and can be self injected with a very fine insulin syringe. If that does not work you can combine it with T replacement of some type or take replacement by itself. But be sure to check for all the causes above to rule them out. Some of them require addtional steps, like hemochromatosis for example.

Here are the long term issues with not treating low testosterone:

For each person, it is important to weigh the risks and benefits of treatment. However, the risks of continuing deficient testosterone levels are clear. They include:
1. Heart attacks.
2. Strokes.
3. Prostate cancer, possibly other cancers (from unbalanced estrogens actions).
4. Chronic fatigue and difficulty coping with stress (accompanying adrenal fatigue/insufficiency that secondarily occurs with low testosterone levels)
5. Excessive anxiety, stress, irritability, anger outbursts (the irritable male syndrome)
6. Severe depression.
7. Impaired memory and attention, difficulty learning new material (some to the extent of a dementia-like syndrome).
8. Impaired fertility - if low FSH/LH levels or FSH/LH resistance are the cause of low testosterone levels.
9. Lack of libido, erectile dysfunction - often bandaged with Viagra, but with undiagnosed testosterone deficiency as a direct cause.
10. Obesity - which is difficult to treat with diet alone - which can lead to arthritic conditions.
11. Diabetes
12. Loss of muscle mass.
13. Osteoporosis
14. Impaired immune system.
15. Reduced reaction time, quickness of reaction, mental quickness (from reduced dopamine levels, insulin-resistance associated with testosterone deficiency - among other associated changes)