Here’s a question for some of you more experienced guys.
I have always been on the same amount of Test cyp and AI. Have been on 200mg a week and 0.25mg AI EOD. This has always kept my sensitive E2 levels around 20-22 pg/mL. I also inject HCG 250 IU 3x a week.
A few months ago, I started noticing some gyno. So I checked my E2 levels and they came back as 37 pg/mL. I immediately increased my AI to 0.25mg ED, and this has brought my E2 levels back down to around 23 pg/mL. And I also added Nolvadex 20mg ED to help resolve the gyno. I will be taking the Nolvadex for about 2 months I suppose. Or until the gyno has completely resolved.
Why do you guys suppose I am all of a sudden needing to double my AI intake to keep my E2 levels in the lower 20’s? I did have a back injury in late January, and I took about 4 months off of lifting any weights at the gym. I’ve noticed very little muscle atrophy, and I have been doing a pretty good job of trying not to gain any body fat. I didn’t measure my body fat % so I don’t have those numbers. But my overall weight has stayed the same.
Could some small amount of muscle atrophy and maybe a tiny bit of body fat gain have caused me to need double the AI intake to keep my E2 levels low? Or could something else be causing extra aromatization? Thanks for any input.
I noticed that HCG had a direct stimulating effect on gyno (there are LH receptors in breast tissue). Once I dropped it, gyno went away. As to why your e2 went up, could be changes in absorption of your injections, assuming you got both those labs at the same time in relation to your shot schedule. I also noticed that I don’t need 20mg Nolva daily to hold back any gyno flare ups, often just 5mg will do the job just fine, FYI
Hey Swoops. What has your experience been like taking 5mg Nolvadex for gyno? I saw other posts where you recommended 20mg daily to other guys back in 2020.
I have been on 20mg daily for the past 11 weeks, but it is killing my libido and I am losing all of my gains. The Nolvadex is working great for gyno. I am thinking about dropping my dose to 5mg like you said, but I’m worried it won’t work as well or as fast, or somehow I will end up having to go back up to 20mg and it will set me back.
To hold gyno back, 5mg a few times a week was enough. But mentally it fucks with me so I always quit. To get rid of existing gyno, 20mg daily for as long as you can stand it, and even then may not be a permanent solution
I had gyno and other high E2 symptoms in the past despite my E2 numbers not being that high. If you have low progesterone this can allow estrogen dominance to occur and you will have high e2 symptoms. Many people on TRT have bottom of the barrel pregnenolone and progesterone numbers. Your issue could be there instead.
And, you report taking 250 IU HCG three times a week. One study showed that that HCG protocol, alone, produces “normal” T levels. With your 200mg a week of T on top of the HCG, your TT and free T may be pretty high… They could easily be seriously supra-physiological. If so, an obvious and simple idea is just to reduce the amounts of T and HCG.
When I was doing 38 mg TC and 300 IU HCG 3x a week I was running 1,300 TT… was not necessary. I backed down to 33 mg TC and 80 IU HCG and still was fine… and the acne outbreaks stopped. Of course, we are not necessarily the same…