Will Low Testosterone Impede My Progress on Starting Strength?

[Json991]

Backstory: I have had type 1 diabetes since birth. I just started lifting weights 4 months ago and have just been toying around with weights and doing cardio and made some good progress so far.

I am 5 ft 9 160 lbs I'd say about 15% bodyfat and have recently been tested for low testosterone by my endocrinologist since I suffer from low libido and low energy. My results came back at 116 ng/dl for total testosterone which is below the range of 250-1100 ng/dl. I am 22 years old so this is a concern. My endo wants to schedule an appointment to discuss treatment options in a month. She thinks it is due to my history of diabetes as diabetics are prone to low testosterone levels.

I would like to be put on testosterone replacement and if I do, I would like to know how much impact that will help me with starting strength. I am pretty weak, but I have made some good progress so far in the gym just doing a typical 3 day split routine in the 8-15 rep range.

I can bench 115 for 10 reps, I can squat 135 for 12 reps and I have never deadlifted before. I can do 8 pullups, my back is my strongest bodypart by far and I've noticed the most muscular gains in it too. As I said I am 160 lbs morning weight.

So I really want to do Starting Strength, but want to know if I should start it after I get testosterone treatment or should I start it now with my low testosterone? I would like to make the best results possible on the program.

[Mark Rippetoe]

116 would be a concern if you were your mother. Go ahead and start the program, and try to obtain some information that would explain why your endocrinologist wants to wait an entire month to correct a situation that could be addressed within the next hour at a TRT clinic.

[Giri Kotte]

116 would be a concern if you were your mother. Go ahead and start the program, and try to obtain some information that would explain why your endocrinologist wants to wait an entire month to correct a situation that could be addressed within the next hour at a TRT clinic.

Mark, given he's 22, wouldn't TRT affect fertility down the line when he's older, gets married etc.?

[jwagner]

Backstory: I have had type 1 diabetes since birth.
...
My endo wants to schedule an appointment to discuss treatment options in a month. She thinks it is due to my history of diabetes as diabetics are prone to low testosterone levels.

I never understand this line of reason. "It's probably this thing you've had since birth. Let's wait a month and see if it clears up."

[Mark Rippetoe]

Mark, given he's 22, wouldn't TRT affect fertility down the line when he's older, gets married etc.?

It might, I don't know the literature. Typically, hormonal manipulation that results in lower sperm counts is quite reversible. It would make for better male birth control if it wasn't. But I'm with you, giri -- let's just leave him depressed, weak, listless, tired, and uninterested in getting laid at the age of 22, and just hope he meets a nice girl to have his kids later.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I never understand this line of reason. "It's probably this thing you've had since birth. Let's wait a month and see if it clears up."

Why charge for one office visit when you can charge for two?

[tbennett]

It might, I don't know the literature. Typically, hormonal manipulation that results in lower sperm counts is quite reversible. It would make for better male birth control if it wasn't. But I'm with you, giri -- let's just leave him depressed, weak, listless, tired, and uninterested in getting laid at the age of 22, and just hope he meets a nice girl to have his kids later.

Anecdotally, it happened to me. Had two kids, then got put on TRT (with levels pretty similar to OP, but at age 40 or so). Tried for kid #3 right after, no success for about a year. Had heard about the potential for TRT to affect fertility, so I saw a fertility doc just so we didn't wind up wasting a lot of time. Lo and behold, my sperm count was zero. The doc was very irritated by the issue, he noted he had many, many folks he's seen who had the exact same complaint (TRT interfering with making rugrats) and had never been remotely told by the prescribing doc that it was a possibility. I stopped the TRT, and ~3-4 months later sperm count was low but non-zero, and ~3-4 months after that things were back to normal. Fast forward 3 years, had two sons in that time.

In fact, per Rip's comment, I asked the endo why TRT wasn't supremely popular for any and all men - increased libido and energy and muscle, plus it functioned as birth control? Wouldn't millions sign on for that? He chuckled and noted that his reading of the literature was that it was only 70-some-odd percent of guys who experienced any fertility issues, and thus a birth control method with ~a 30% failure rate wouldn't be very popular, to say the least....

That said, I have had reasonable novice runs of DTP both on TRT and off, and the differences were minimal (both cases, got up to mid-300's on squat in my 40's at 6'0 and ~200 pounds before getting sidetracked by various crap and two new babies) - OP, get under the bar pronto.

[George Christiansen]

depressed, weak, listless, tired, and uninterested in getting laid at the age of 22

Because who doesn't want more of that in the gene pool?

[Will Morris]

It might, I don't know the literature. Typically, hormonal manipulation that results in lower sperm counts is quite reversible. It would make for better male birth control if it wasn't. But I'm with you, giri -- let's just leave him depressed, weak, listless, tired, and uninterested in getting laid at the age of 22, and just hope he meets a nice girl to have his kids later.

Typical TRT dosages shouldn't effect fertility. If homeboy here bumps his dosage up from 200mg every 7-10 days up to 500mg 2-3x per week, he may end up with fertility issues. At 116, his levels are almost as low as mine which is impressive. I'm surprised he is able to get out of bed in the mornings.

[Giri Kotte]

It might, I don't know the literature. Typically, hormonal manipulation that results in lower sperm counts is quite reversible. It would make for better male birth control if it wasn't. But I'm with you, giri -- let's just leave him depressed, weak, listless, tired, and uninterested in getting laid at the age of 22, and just hope he meets a nice girl to have his kids later.

I agree with your point, Mark. I was playing the devil's advocate.