Hypogonadism + Hyperthyroidism + Undescended Testical + Snoring (19 years old)

[Max Wynn]

Hello Rip,

This may be a long post, but I am getting very concerned about my blood work, hormone levels, and sleep.

To start my story, let me explain my symptoms. I am generally fatigued all of the time. I feel like I have no energy or motivation to get things done, especially in the morning. I sleep around 12 hours per night. Any less than that and I feel significantly worse. During the night, I keep my room at 60 degrees to combat my night sweats. Still, I wake up most nights soaked in sweat. My libido is very low, but it is still there. Still significantly less than my girlfriends'. The best way I can explain how I feel is that I feel like an old man, at 19 years old.

So, I went to my GP during my annual checkup and I told her these things. I mentioned all of my symptoms and she said she wanted to test my thyroid hormones. I said "Could it be my testosterone levels?" and she said no and shrugged it off (we'll get back to that later). A few days later, I got my first labs done. Here are the levels:


Level Reference Range
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies 5 <9 (IU/ml)
Thyroglobulin Antibody <0.9 <4 (IU/ml)
TSH 0.5 0.45-5.33 (uIU/ml)
Free T3 4.2 2.5-3.9 (pg/mL) ***Out of range***
Free T4 0.9 0.5-1.2 (ng/dL)

As you can see, my Free T3 levels were out of the range, and some of the other ones are borderline. Seeing this, my GP sent me to an endocrinologist. It was an online appointment, and she ordered me labs before I came to the appointment.
Here are the results from the labs from the endocrinologist:

Level Range
Free T4 0.9 0.5-1.2 ng/dL
TSH 0.88 0.45-5.33 uIU/mL

Those were the only labs that the endocrinologist did. I am left confused as to why she didn't remeasure my Free T3, even when it was clearly out of the range. She told me that my hormones were fine and to live with my symptoms. That was the end of it for about 6 months until now.

Recently, I got curious and decided to measure my testosterone levels. I ordered the single lab from Wittmer Rejuvenation Clinic, as those are the guys you recommend. Here are my results. I remind you, this is for a 19-year-old male.


Level Range
Albumin 4.9 4.3 - 5.2 (g/dL)
Testosterone, Total, LC/MS 301.1 264.0 - 916.0 (ng/dL)
Sex Horm Binding Glob, Serum 29.1 16.5-55.9 (nmol/L)
Testosterone, Free, Calc 59.4 47.7-173.9 (pg/mL)

This came back recently within the week. So now, I’m very worried. A 300 level for Total Testosterone at 19 years old is very concerning. I must now mention one very crucial piece of information:

*** I was born with an undescended testicle at birth. They managed to pull it down into a normal anatomical position, but the doctors always said that there was a chance that it may not produce testosterone normally.***

The last part of my post deals with my sleep. I have never been able to breathe out of my nose, especially in the spring with seasonal allergies. I’ve tried saline nasal rinses, antihistamines, nose sprays (The Flonase kind, not the oxymetazoline kind), and allergy shots (which I’m currently on). I elected to get surgery on my nose (Turbinoplasty and Septoplasty) to fix my enlarged turbinates and deviated septum. The result of the surgery was bad. I think it is currently worse than it was. Anyways, that is not the point of this post. I just realized I snore at night (I never used to, until I put on 40lbs of bodyweight from the NLP). I don’t know if that causes some sleep apnea of some kind.

I am 5’10”, 203lbs, and here are my lifts:

Squat: 330x5
Deadlift: 385x5
Press: 145x5
Bench: 185x5
Power Clean: 185x3

I wouldn’t call myself fat, but I’ve gained some.

Anyways, after reading my post, here are my questions:

1. What clinic should I go to? A urologist, another endocrinologist, or Wittmer’s Rejuvenation Clinic?
2. Can poor sleep affect hormone levels?
3. Should I get another turbinoplasty and septoplasty?

One more thing, I took the COVID-19 vaccine 3 years ago. After finding out how horrible it is, that is a big regret of mine. I hope it's not the cause of all this.

Thank you for reading this post and answering my questions. Thank you for all of your work!

[Mark Rippetoe]

That's quite a medical history.

[Max Wynn]

That's quite a medical history.

Any advice?

[Mark Rippetoe]

I'd better stay out of this one.

[Maybach]

Your endo didn't repeat the T3 because high T3 indicated hyper thyroidism, not hypothyroidism, and you weren't indicating any symptoms of high T3.

Wittmer will discuss the blood work with you. Rip recommends them because they will do a good job of that. Talk to them.

[HailMary]

The night sweats are a symptom worth investigating. And a sleep study.

[David A. Rowe]

I'll off you some advice, Max. As someone who had issues different from yours but with testosterone deficiency in my late 20s.

Be your own advocate for your health. Run it to ground. Get as many "opinions" as it takes to find healthcare that takes you seriously. Consider options carefully after learning about it yourself. Never stop.

You cannot change what has happened to you, whether it was your choice or not. You can wake up everyday and charge the hill. Even at a slow trudge.

Your totals look good so far with what you're dealing with. Keep it up and grind it out. Switch up to slower gains or intermediate early to match your body's capacity to recover.

[Max Wynn]

Wittmer will discuss the blood work with you. Rip recommends them because they will do a good job of that. Talk to them.

Do you think WRC will be able to treat me given that I’m such a unique case and very young?

[Maybach]

Do you think WRC will be able to treat me given that I’m such a unique case and very young?

If anyone can, they can. They will at the very least be able to interpret your results with you and discuss possible next steps. They are also uniquely suited to answer the question "will you be able to treat me given I am such a unique case and very young?" Which is why my original advice was to talk to them. You have paid for the consult. Utilize it.

[Martin Shenfield]

Thanks OP for this post. It has led to my doctor agreeing to do a full test including testosterone screen. I have symptoms and medical history like yours that puts me at a risk I didn't know about until I read this. In Australia, getting a doctor to agree to even look at test levels is a miracle. No guarantee they'll do anything but at least I'll have the knowledge.