Atrophy of the testicles is a side effect of TRT, if estrogen is not too high, my testicles hang just fine. I already have issues with estrogen, so the last thing I want is more while on HCG.
you beat me to it. I am on day ten and i was about to (reluctantly) ask the forum if this is something that will occur when you begin and (hopefully) subside when levels plateau.
prior to TRT i would smell bad after a workout like most humans do lol … any HIIT or spin or long run i would have to wash my workout clothes but nothing crazy repulsive. regular heavy weight lifting not so much … i usually have to really sweat to stink
HOWEVER … over the last week i have noticed that i reek without working out. I am taking about that horrible homeless person smell. And its hit or miss. A few days have been bad. A few have been meh.
does anyone have an answer to this? is this indication of E or T spike?
40 mg Cyp 3 x week was on 250 IU HCG 3 x a week but i am dropping that to 100 moving forward. Just fyi
Hey man thanks for asking. Well my bloodwork revealed low E2. I don’t have a definitive answer and I’m only speculating here BUT I believe this occurs to ME when my E2 is too low and/or DHT is too high.
The reason I think this is because I can also correlate these symptoms (immediate urges to piss frequently and crazy “homeless” body odor) with the couple times I’ve tried proviron.
Now this time around I had not added or messed with proviron but did switch my protocol to daily injections.
I think possibly that drove E2 down and DHT up due to a couple factors. One the test C I was injecting 2x a week wasn’t fully cleared when I made the switch to daily Test P. And second going to daily injections took my e2 too low.
Again just guessing on the info I have and my past occurrences.
For now I have dropped everything but Test P daily and will pull blood again in a few weeks. I’m tempted to add HCG back in because I feel I’m still low on E2 but I’m trying to stay patient and reduce “moving parts” to finally try to identify and optimize any variables.
That’s all I got to report for now. I can also say I’ve been slowly improving but then have days where I feel like the symptoms reappear.
Are you taking an AI that maybe drove your E2 too low?
As far as the bloating, I’m also just speculating, but I think it was a combination of my T level being too high for me AND an electrolyte imbalance due to extreme loss of sweat on a regular basis without replacing electrolytes.
And I have to say, dropping the AI is very scary to me because I had gynecomastia as a teenager and until my early 30s. Well I guess you could say I still do but I had it surgically removed/improved but the puffy nipples and some glad remains. But not enough to affect body image like it once did.
So you dropped Test C and are now switching to Test P? Whats the thinking there? You prefer the half life of test P?
What were your levels before TRT?
My T E and DHT were all lower than the ranges listed in the labs. Test was 122 & E was 3.2 (cant recall DHT) so i was assuming they all would rise signifcantly when i started TRT
I dropped the HCG for a couple reasons. 1 to simplify and identify results/symptoms/bloodwork changes and 2 because I also dropped the AI and wanted to reduce any variables that could affect gynecomastia, which as I mentioned in a previous post was a big issue for me in the past.
Makes sense. Like i said I am on day 10 and initally i chose HCG (no AI was needed yet as I am lean and my E levels were very low) but the HCG was recommended to ne by my PA because i want to maintain fertility and a few guys i reached out to told me HCG was the way to go (better base test levels, feeling better, fertility) but in the last week as I do more reeasrch on hormones, HCG , all of it … i am seeing a flip side to this. Plus duing week one i had crazy moodiness and some think the HCG could casue this. So i dropped it to 100 / injection (for 300 / week total) but i did consider what you are doing an thought eliminating it all together might be a good idea to cut down on variables.
Honestly I made the change simply because I wasn’t feeling optimal on the protocol I was on. Now I do realize that I could have and probably should have stayed with the Test C 2/week and dropped the AI and HCG.
I was flat out flailing around to find a solution and to feel better. Which I now see in hindsight, this mindset has been working against me. Chasing my tail as they say!
I have felt briefly in “the zone” on trt level doses and know how amazing I felt.I want that back but not short term like it always was with all my inconsistencies and lack of understanding how each variable affects me.
I do miss the HCG and would like to add it back. But I’m staying the course until I verify my E2 isn’t unreasonable high or is in fact low without it.
Pre trt my levels were shit! That was years ago and if I remember right they were at the very bottom of the range and then below range when retested a year later.
Doctor said “you’re fine, it’s part of getting older”.
I said, to myself, Fuck that, I’ll handle this myself. And don’t think I’ve been back to a doctor since.
At the time I complained of sexual issues and not recovering from moderate workouts in an adequate amount of time. For example my legs were staying sore for weeks from an easy jog.
I tried lifestyle changes then retested on my own. Still low. So here I am! Finally truly educating myself and wondering how I managed so well when I had zero idea what I was doing.
I agree that HCG has many benefits and I’d prefer to be currently using it.
I too am also very lean, visible abs, and bust my ass at work and with exercise.
I’m hoping to add it back in at a low dose after I get my next bloodwork.
I’m hoping to never take an AI again. For me the times I did feel amazing in every way and a beast sexually, I’ve pulled bloodwork work and would see moderately high E2 and panic and either up my AI dose or jump back on it the few times I tried going without.
Again remember I have been through the mental pain of having gynecomastia so I think that’s made me very on guard when E2 came back elevated even though I was feeling great.
-Adjusting AI dosage and/or adding it in because of bloodwork with no regard to lack of symptoms.
-Adjusting Test dose in an attempt to achieve decent or absent libido.
-Adjusting HCG dosage when my balls weren’t hanging the way they should have. But now I know other factors are involved there like E2 and maybe I was just throwing gasoline on a fire in some of those cases considering I believe E2 does affect how your balls hang…
Those are the big three knee jerk and ignorant adjustments that certainly worked against me.