Join Our Community!
Share
What does it mean to have low levels of thyroid hormone in the body? We outline how doctors define hypothyroidism here....
What medical conditions cause hypothyroidism? And what puts you at risk of developing these conditions? More hypothyroid basics here....
When are symptoms of hypothyroidism serious? When should you seek medical help. Click here to learn when doctors recommend you come in for a visit....
Avatar
Q: pituitary injury?
asked by: Lucide on July 12th, 2008
New User
I'm 25 now, but this has been something that has concerned me since I was about 13.

At 13, I noticed that I had very little body hair (none developing on my face) and wasn't gaining as much muscle mass as my friends. I saw a doctor about it, and he checked a couple physical things (including my testicles) and said I seemed fine.

In the last 12 years, I still haven’t seen an extreme amount of male secondary sex developments. I still have almost no facial hair (a small amount grows on my chin, but is quite sparse), I have almost no arm hair, little muscle mass, no chest hair, low muscle mass, and lots of body fat in the area of my butt and thighs.

I would assume that this was related to a variance in genetics if I didn't have two brothers and a father who were all very hairy, well muscled, and generally more masculine looking.

I was still very concerned that something was wrong with me hormonally, so I saw a Physician's Assistant a week ago. He drew some blood to see my testosterone levels, but only at my insistence (he seemed like he doubted anything was wrong).

I got the results a few days ago over the phone from one of the nurses. Like the PA, she seemed dismissive of my concerns, citing that my test level was 602, which she said was a normal range.

I talked to a physician at my job the other day in the mall, and, after getting into a discussion about my concern, he was surprised that my testosterone levels were so low. I looked it up later and confirmed that a 25 year old male should have higher levels. He asked me if I had any childhood head trauma, and I mentioned that I had fallen off a second story terrace when I was three and landed on a car, which of course was a severe head injury.

He said it was probably a pituitary injury and I should see a endocrinologist.

Is that possibly the reason that I look so androgynous?
Did you find this post useful?
|
Replies(2)
Avatar
Lucide
replied on July 17th, 2008
New User
Anyone have any input? I could really use it.
Did you find this post useful?
|
Avatar
Honeycomb
replied on September 3rd, 2008
Experienced User
Have you seen that endocrinologist yet? Do you have any other symptoms of hormone loss or hormone excess?

A pituitary injury or cyst is a possibility, but I would think you would have other symptoms of hormonal changes other than gonadotropin loss, if this were the problem. An endo would know.
Did you find this post useful?
|
Quick Reply
Search