An otherwise healthy 42-year-old male arrives for a health maintenance visit. During the review of systems, he describes a steady decline in sexual desire and persistent daytime fatigue that has developed over the last eight months. He mentions that spontaneous early morning erections have become rare. He gets at least seven hours of restful sleep each night and denies any recent life stressors, mood changes, or new medication use. Vital signs are normal. Physical examination shows bilateral testicular volumes of 18 mL (normal: 15-25 mL), normal secondary sexual characteristics, and no evidence of gynecomastia. Visual fields are intact. Place the following diagnostic laboratory evaluation steps in the correct sequential order to appropriately work up this patient's suspected condition.
- 1Measurement of initial early morning serum total testosterone
- 2Measurement of a confirmatory repeat early morning serum total testosterone
- 3Measurement of serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
- 4Measurement of serum prolactin and ferritin