As you age, your chances of having low testosterone levels become more likely. While your total testosterone level may remain “normal” the amount of your bioavailable testosterone declines due to an increase in SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) with age so despite “normal” total levels you get symptoms.
Even worse estrogen levels tend to increase with age or the ratio of estrogen to testosterone increases, which are both are bad news. Estrogen levels in excess can cause a venous leak in the penis preventing erections and increase prostate cancer risk. Low estrogen on the other hand can cause problems with erections possibly and can cause bone loss (osteoporosis).
It is estimated that about 5% of us men with low testosterone receive treatment. This is a disturbing figure considering the benefits I have seen with patients receiving testosterone therapy, which include:
- weight loss (especially central obesity)
- increased energy
- increased sex drive
- better erections (men only)
- improved performance at work
- feeling and looking younger
- less night time urination (men only)
- improved sleep
- better mood (happier)
- less pain (testosterone is a natural pain reliever)
Of course, we never just do testosterone replacement alone because we want to treat the whole person but a shot of testosterone can be life changing for some men. The decline in your testosterone was likely so insidious that some of your problems may not even be evident until we get you treated. Some of the treatments commonly used include:
- prescription grade dhea, progesterone, hcg, melatonin, and oxytocin
- herbs and nutrients that support healthy hormone metabolism
- diet and exercise that promote better hormone ratios and reduce risks of prostate cancer and other diseases like diabetes
For those of you who want to increase our growth hormone levels (hgh) there are several ways to do this and many of the above mentioned treatments, including testosterone replacement, will help increase growth hormone levels naturally.
We also monitor treatment witth lab tests and physical exams to improve results and decrease risks. Some doctors may only monitor your testosterone levels. The problem with this is that estrogen levels may increase or may already be elevated before treatment but when we keep an eye on estrogen with lab tests it can easily be reduced.
The other problem we always want to address is keeping your testosterone levels fairly stable. Basically, we want to copy nature. When we get your testosterone levels optimal you can expect to have daily morning erections (men only). The two main approaches we use most often for men are cream or injections. With testosterone cream we can use a daily dose applied to the skin or mucosal surface so your daily levels stay pretty consistent. For injections, we usually do this once weekly along with a couple doses of hcg injections later in the week to help keep your levels from dropping off. If we need to do treatments to prevent conversion of testosterone to estrogen we have natural and prescription approaches.
Call now to schedule your first visit for only $99 including labs – (425) 455-1700.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
please tell me about what the average costs are for raising testosterone levels are . and what is the 99 dollars for besides labs…..
Hi Mark,
The average cost for testosterone therapy ranges from $20-40 per week depending on your treatment program. The biggest cost of the program is the lab testing because we do very extensive labs to ensure results and safety (ie checking estrogen levels) and this cost is included in the $20-$40 per week. Most guys want we is called the trifecta testosterone program and this is very popular in places like Florida and California where they do a lot of anti-aging therapy. The trifecta is a combination of testosterone injections or cream, HCG to maintain your natural testosterone production levels, and anastrazole to reduce your estrogen levels as needed. Please give us a call for more details at 425-455-1700. We can provide you with a super-bill that you can use for insurance reimbursement.
What do you do if you live in another state? Are there labs like yours in San Francisco?
Hi Micah,
We will be opening a clinic in San Francisco in the next year but currently we are having patients come to our clinic in Bellevue (Seattle area) for their initial visit and then after that we can mail you your meds and help you get lab testing done in your area for follow up labs. Please call us at 425-455-1700 and we can explain in more detail how this works.
Dr. Barry
I was just put on TRT using Axiron. My test levels are 242. I am 45 yrs. old and in very good health. My doctor doesn’t know alot about TRT. When I brought up my concern about transfering the trandermal to my wife and asked to be put on shots, he said no way and I don’t need an estrogen blocker at a TRT dose. Looking at other options to continue my TRT. I have cigna insurance as a primary and group health as a secondary. What would you advise???
I imagine you could get some insurance coverage but its hard to predict how much. Please give us a call at (425) 455-1700 to go over your options. We can give you a superbill to submit to your insurance for reimbursement and we also have zero interest financing options available.
I am on Medicare primary and Blue Cross Federal Health Program secondary.
Would any of the visits, treatments, perscriptions, etc likely be covered by these coverages?
Hi Rick,
We are not a Medicare provider and therefore cannot accept Medicare. Our focus is on your treatment and getting you results and we have seen that insurance billing can take away from the focus on the patient’s needs and divert focus to what the insurance company needs or wants. However, we do give you a superbill with medical codes that you can submit to Blue Cross for reimbursement. Typically, they will reimburse you for some portion of the cost of the care and it will vary between insurance companies. I hope this makes sense to you. In order to provide the highest quality of care to our patients we are unable to accept insurance. We would have to hire several new billing people and this would take away from our focus on providing optimal care. There are many clinics in Southern California and Florida who operate this way. It is called “pay for results”. This is the opposite of how most clinics work under the “pay for service” model which may or may NOT lead to the results you are looking for in your treatment.
Please give us a call to discuss further at (425) 455-1700.
Be Well,
Dr. Barry Wheeler
Hello I live in MO and have been going through TRT for years with not much luck. Last year I was on 1% androgel once per day at the annual check up (aug 2012) I had 130′s free testosterone. Switched to androgel 1.62% two pumps. New levels were 260ish. The doc said he was happy and I didn’t question it. I now have a lot of testicular pain. Asked about HCG at last check up this year (june 2013) and testing my estrogen levels and he said even if they were high there isn’t much we can so! He’s an endocrinologist. Since I’m in Mo I don’t know what to do? Any help?
Hi Daniel,
There are a few things that are likely occurring but require a doctor’s supervision. The following should be discussed with a doctor who understands testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).
One is that you are absorbing the Androgel® poorly. To improve this I generally use a stronger topical cream (20%) and have the patient rotate the locations where they are applying it. If you apply to the same spot every time it will usually build up in the skin and stop absorbing.
Generally, I like to see my patients total testosterone level over 800 ng/dL. The typical range is about 350-1200ng/dL for total testosterone levels. The problem with some gels is that they asorb too fast and convert too much to DHT which can cause other problems such as acne and hair loss. Creams absorb more slowly typically.
The other aspect is checking estradiol levels. I am confused why your endocrinologist won’t do this for you but am not surprised. Doctors who understand TRT well have been using different approaches to reduce estrogen production for many years. If you look up the side effects of testosterone therapy you will see that many of them are related to too much estrogen, such as breast enlargement and prostate problems. Read more: Testosterone Therapy Side Effects
The other side effect you are concerned about its related to testicular health. Your testicular pain maty be due to something other than the testosterone, such as an infection, so be sure to follow up with your doctor to rule this out. I have had some success reducing testicular pain with HCG but of the several thousand patients I’ve treated I have only had 1 or 2 patients with this problem.
We use HCG to maintain testicular function while patients are on TRT. I think when he says there isn’t much he can do he is referring to the unfortunate insurance situation that may be limiting your care. Insurance frowns upon HCG and treatments to reduce estrogen because these are off-label and considered unnecessary and lacking research, despite the research and hundreds of doctors using this approach in the anti-aging community.
I do know of one doctor in Montana who attends this same conferences that I do but not Missouri.
Robert Lemley, ND
Address: 2411 W Main St #1a, Bozeman, Mt 59718
Phone:(406) 585-0205
Be Well,
Dr. Barry