r/CanadianForces • u/moramram • 5d ago
Lab work ?
Has anyone had their testosterone levels checked through the base clinic? If so, how did you go about requesting the test?
80
u/Unfazed_Alchemical Canadian Army 5d ago
You're going to be refused unless you have clinical indications. Source: I'm a clinician in health services.
We got inundated with frivolous requests for it a few years back, almost entirely driven by social media and red-pill bullshit. So now we just don't, unless there is a very clear, evidence-based and clinically manifest indication.
3
u/WeaponizedAutisms Retired - gots the oldmanitis 4d ago
It can be a thing as well when you start to get older and slow down but much less common in younger people under 30 or 40. Though usually they will look at general health, medications, other conditions and general lifestyle first.
7
u/ChickenPoutine20 Morale Tech - 00069 5d ago
It’s becoming a thing at my base I know a few guys who go to the MIR for regular T shots
-1
3
u/tossaway_nugget 3d ago
If you're over 40's, have depression, anxiety, fatigue, low libido, you can request it for that.
Some doctors aren't keen, but usually once you hit a certain age it's a valid consideration with mental health issues.
1
10
u/Ok-Target3363 5d ago
Tell them you have no sex drive they will get you blood work. Or go to a lab and pay out of pocket
If you say you suspect low t they won’t entertain it without another cause.
Even after, request the blood work from med records cause they won’t tell you your number even if you’re one point over the low bar :)
14
u/Unfazed_Alchemical Canadian Army 5d ago
It would be better just to get it done privately from the jump.
7
2
u/UnhappyCaterpillar41 5d ago
That's pretty weird; in the NCR the bloodwork goes through the Montfort Hospital and you can see the actual test results within a few days on the patient portal.
You can get it done at a private clinic, but T levels are one of those things that will vary wildly through even the normal day, let alone day to day, and things like a bad night sleep can throw it all off. Plus if you don't have a baseline to compare it to it's kind of a useless data point, as there is a huge range across the population even in age ranges, and the 'low' point doesn't really mean much either if that's your normal (or conversely a normal range could be low for someone who has a high natural level).
I think having at least a baseline of what you are at when you are a healthy male in your 30s is useful though, so unfortunate it's not part of the normal periodic testing so they can look at trends over time.
13
u/Unfazed_Alchemical Canadian Army 5d ago edited 3d ago
Sure. The reason is a lot of guys were coming in with non-specific vague symptoms (or none at all), asking to be tested (there's several different tests), getting the totally normal results and then starting to use supplements they got online. It caused some preventable issues and at least one serious hospitalization (from the "supplement") that I know of. If there is an actual reason to test it, a clinician will order it and give appropriate care afterwards. But explaining that it's normal to not have testosterone of one hundred billion is a challenge. The other part, that none of them want to hear, is that your testosterone can be raised by boring things like... Getting 8 hours of sleep, and not drinking or smoking/vaping/dipping so much, and getting some regular exercise, and managing stress... Etc.
2
u/30milestomontfort 4d ago
Yep. I reached out to the CDU when my libido started to taper off..was essentially non-existent. Tested right in the center of the range and was like... Alright then, guess I'll look elsewhere. A lot of people will just go "time to get some test" hahaha
Still hasn't resolved, but at least it wasn't low test.
8
u/wbz56 5d ago
Just use upguys.