Just a little background I am currently 45 yo, 5’9", 160lbs, about 12% body fat. I began working on my diet (cutting out sugars, cutting out alcohol except a drink maybe one or twice a month, adding more protein, healthy fats, moderate carbs), improving my sleep to try and get 8 hrs per night, and got back into exercise (fully body weight training 3x per week, cardio 3x per week, 1 rest day) 8 months ago.
I feel a lot better and have made some decent gains. I was 155lbs and around 20% bodyfat prior to starting. Over the past 5-6 years erection quality and libido have steadily declined. I do have most of the symptoms of low T (at least lower than in my 20s which is to be expected). This has improved somewhat with my new regimen and outlook on life. Libido has definitely picked up but erection quality is still not back to my 20s and 30s, but I do get morning wood maybe 2-3 times per week now when prior I could go months without an erection during the night. I am able to build some muscle and strength but nowhere near what I was able to do from 20-25 when I was at 205lb and could recover seemingly within hours.
I really want to feel my best going into the second half of my life, and really want to feel that arousal and level of energy in the bedroom with my wife who is just getting sexier to me every day but my guy just is not as rock hard and less sensitive than I would like.
So I have decided to get my blood panel done (will be going in this Mon or Tues) and I am hopeful TRT can restore a lot of what I am looking for. I should be getting my consultation in around 7-10 days. I have chosen to go with an online clinic who from what I can tell from their info online may just be going to offer a cookie cutter combo of Test, AnastrazoleI, and HCG.
I was hoping to get some advice from others who have a lot more experience than me on the following things (of course assuming my panel comes back not showing any other health issues):
Dosage - this clinic seems to have a history of starting guys out on 200mg per week from some reviews I have read. From my admittedly sparse knowledge and research I was thinking 120mg - 150mg per week injected EOD would be a good place to start and see how I go after 8 weeks. Am I on the right track with this?
I would prefer to go with no AI to start (and hopefully will not need to introduce it). My thinking is I should see how I react to my test dosage and schedule before introducing another variable.
HCG - This is the one I really feel unsure about and need some impartial help on (I am guessing the clinic would love to sell it to me every month). I am not too concerned about ball shrinkage (I do feel like my boys have dwindled already in their older age and it has not bothered me at all). My ejaculation volume is lower and thicker and I would be interested in raising this. I have noticed my guy is not as sensitive and I do take longer to finish these days, would HCG help this or potentially make it worse? Does HCG help with overall libido, erection quality, and feelings of well being? Any advice on starting HCG when starting my TRT?
That is it for now but I am sure I will have plenty of more questions as I continue this journey. I would love to post my bloodwork and continued updates to help other guys who may be in a similar situation and have a lot of the same questions.
Most guys are fine with once weekly dosing. Hard to say without knowing initial labs, but 120-150 is a reasonable starting dose.
Good decision.
While some report feeling better with hCG added to testosterone, the two reasons for using hCG are fertility, actively trying to conceive, or addressing testicular atrophy.
Mostly HCG creates issues and most guys report feeling better after ceasing it. In rare cases if guys have an aromatase deficiency (low e2) even on high TRT doses, it can be a lifesaver.
Getting HCG is only possible through retail pharmacies ($$$) as it is no longer possible to get through compounding pharmacies which a lot of these online clinics use.
AI’s are mostly bad news and not good for long term health. Few men actually need AI’s and most of the time can make changes to protocols negating the need for them.
I’ve had my E2 between 28<->93 pg/mL and don’t feel any different so long as it’s not super low. I would say if you have symptoms on TRT and your E2 is above range, look elsewhere for the cause of your symptoms.
Forgot to mention my wife and I are not planning on having any more kids so infertility would actually be a welcome benefit for us. Might not come into play but losing my hair is also not an issue - been a Jason Statham look alike for the past 15 years and tbh would never go back to having hair.
Thanks for those responses. I will post my bloodwork when it comes back hopefully sometime this coming week. If therapy is suitable I will go with just testosterone at an appropriate dosage and frequency and see how I feel after my body stabilizes.
Dissect your cookie cutter protocol and do what works for those who are see this as life, and not some hassle.
Start with Doctors orders, and inject 200mg/wk. Do this for 12 weeks and test again.
Do not take an AI or HCG
1st blood test, post your results.
At this point your Doc will lower your T dose to 160mg. Follow those orders
Do not take an AI or HCG
2nd Blood test at wk 24, post your results
3rd blood test at week 36, post your results.
Do not take an AI or HCG
4th blood test at week 48, post your results.
Your Doc will adjust your dosage accordingly, follow those orders.
Week 52, introduce HCG and cycle it for 12wks, come off for 12 wks, and continue this for as long as you’re able to. This is not about fertility. Its about making your balls work again. At some point you will decide what is best… you are the guinea pig/you are the teacher.
I got my blood drawn on Monday and just had a consultation with the clinic physician. I don’t have all of the blood work numbers as they will be mailing me the full report. My test was 208 and my estradiol was 20. The physician stated I would benefit from trt and with that number with my limited knowledge I would agree. She said all of the other numbers for liver, kidney, cholesterol, prostate, blood count etc were really good.
The physician recommended I start at 200mg of test c per week split into two injections. However she was insistent I use an AI even though I voiced multiple times I would prefer to start with only one compound at first and then see how my system reacts. She stated if I did not want an AI then she would only supply me 100mg test c per week. The AI is in pill form. So we left off with me ordering the 200mg per week with a 10 week supply as well as the AI pills. She said I will test again at 8 weeks and we will go from there.
So I had 3 questions:
I really don’t want to take the AI. Should I just not use them or is that going to be blatant on my 8 week test result? Which leads to questions 2…
If I don’t take the AI can I just transfer my initial results to another clinic who is more flexible on that without having a break in my supply of test c?
I brought up using 2.5mg cialis on a daily basis (she suggested 5mg daily). I ordered 2 months supply at 5mg per day. Is it a good idea to start this when starting trt or should I just wait and see what happens for the first 8 weeks soley with test c? If it is ok would 2.5mg or 5mg be best to start?
Thanks for any experienced opinions. I would have felt more comfortable if this doctor would have respected my feelings about not using an AI so now I am second guessing if it is healthier to use it (she stated without an AI my estrogen would increase potentially leading to health issues for my heart etc).
This statement is unproven and the data shows to opposite is true, these people trying to get you to buy the package deal they want to sell you.
This clinic is a T-mill.
There are no studies showing higher estrogen causes health problems, low levels of estrogen are shown to cause health problems and these people want your estrogen lower.