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Hypogonadism in male child?

Athene

ihateticks.me
Messages
1,143
Location
Italy
I was not sure where to post this but I guess hormones are relevant!

BACKGROUND
My son was diagnosed with CFS by KDM aged 4. He has had Lyme disease and bartonella since birth and has plenty of symptoms of both - which of course overlap with CFS. He is now 9. He has adrenal fatigue, morning cortisol very low.

THE PROBLEM
He has genitals which are small for his age and don't seem to be growing at all. I am worried that this could be caused by the infections he has, or hormone imbalance. I don't know what to ask my doctor to test, or how to go about tackling this.
Any advice at all would be much appreciated.
 

drob31

Senior Member
Messages
1,487
I had delayed puberty myself, but was never diagnosed with Lyme disease. I would assume that if Lyme could affect other hormone levels it could affect LH and FSH as well. I know that LH and FSH are required for testosterone and sperm production and both come from the pituitary. If it's not working properly, I could certainly see problems there.
 

Athene

ihateticks.me
Messages
1,143
Location
Italy
Do you think 9 years old is too early for me to worry about this? Or should I ask the doctor to test those hormone levels? She usually agrees to check things if I ask her, but she's not exactly proactive in trying to figure out tricky problems.
 

drob31

Senior Member
Messages
1,487
I honestly can't say at that age as I do not know about the specifics of growth rates. I think you should definetly get it checked out if you are concerned. For me, it was not an issue until I was 15 years old and did not hit puberty. I had an MRI done of the brain, hormone bloodwork, etc. They gave me a single testosterone injection at age 16, which in my opinion is counter intuitive as exogenous testosterone will suppress LH and FSH production, although the levels come back once it's out of your system. In any case I hit puberty at age 17. Some people are late... but perhaps there is a reason for it. I do know some medical conditions or diseases can cause late puberty. Supposedly pyroluria can cause late puberty.

The thing about doctors is that you may have to doctor shop. Keep trying out different docs until you find the right one. Unfortunately the right one for me makes me pay out of pocket instead of using insurance.
 

Athene

ihateticks.me
Messages
1,143
Location
Italy
I'm not asking for advice on medical management of a child, though, Jonathan. Do you think I am about to go to the pharmacy and buy some testosterone and syringes? Come off it.
I wish you'd read my message properly, the one where I asked for ideas on what to DISCUSS WITH my child's doctor.
If "Ask your doctor" had actually worked out satisfactorily for any of us, this forum would not exist.
 

knackers323

Senior Member
Messages
1,625
Do not wait. Go looking for a good, helpfull dr who knows what they are talking about.

Easier said then done I know.

Is the treatment for your sons infections working?
 

jeff_w

Senior Member
Messages
558
Seek out a pediatric endocrinologist or a pituitary specialist.

A child's growth and development is primarily governed by the pituitary gland, specifically its involvement with growth hormone as well as its stimulation of the testicles/ovaries.

An endocrinologist will know to test for all of those hormones. A pituitary specialist would pick up on any subtle problems.

Good luck with this. The earlier you fix this, the better.