alright, scheduled to start TRT in a week or so. wanted some input based on my lab numbers. my LH is pretty low but apparently according to the doctor not low enough to warrant an MRI, but I was a little skeptical. Here they are:
LH is released in pulses and has a short half life. The lab numbers are random shot at a changing level. So one cannot make any conclusions. FSH has a longer half life and its levels are more indicative of your gonadotrophin production.
Testing both FT and bio-T does not make much sense. Both tell the same story.
Your E2 is quite low, sort of odd. TRT should change that.
After starting TRT, there would not be any reason to test LH or FSH again.
When TRT shuts down your testes, I expect that DHEA levels will drop with lower pregnenolone levels. You may need to supplement with DHEA.
Test cyp. HCG and clomid. i’m not sure of the dosing as of yet. I was told that they would wait and see if I had estrogen build up before prescribing me an AI. I’m guessing me E is low because the T is low. Not much to aromatize maybe? For the first time my libido is in the tank so i chalk tht up to the low E. Even with low T I had a solid sex drive.
Makes sense. Do not wait too long. If you get good results cut short, E is up. Your doc may not understand the value in modulating E values and may have the mental defect of “its normal”.
I was mistaken when describing my TRT protocol. I’m still unsure of the dosing as I haven’t been to the doctor yet to discuss those specifics, however I did find out that I will be using enanthate rather than cypionate. Cypionate seems to be the general prescription I read about on this forum, however the only difference I can find is that enanthate has a longer half life. I’m supposed to be injecting HCG and the enanthate twice a week, again not sure of the dosing. Is cypionate preferred over enanthate? I was told that enanth. has less issues regarding water retention (not sure how much truth there is to that claim).
T cyp is common in the USA and Canada, T eth more common elsewhere. Both are essentially interchangeable. With frequent injections, half life is not a significant factor.
You can inject with insulin needles, but your doc will not understand and may think that it is impossible. You do not need fat long needles.
So having been prescribed T HCG CLOMID AI, I have done some research on clomid as I am not entirely familiar with it like the other medications. My concern is the safety for long term use of clomid, and also to bring into question whether the use of clomid is even warranted. Essentially my doctor is saying that a combination of the HCG and Clomid is optimal for maintaining fertility, that the Clomid will ensure that I produce my own LH while on HRT. Is it optimal to have this and HCG, or is HCG enough alone? Also, can clomid be used long term safely and if anyone knows, what doses?
[quote]Tylerdrms wrote:
So having been prescribed T HCG CLOMID AI, I have done some research on clomid as I am not entirely familiar with it like the other medications. My concern is the safety for long term use of clomid, and also to bring into question whether the use of clomid is even warranted. Essentially my doctor is saying that a combination of the HCG and Clomid is optimal for maintaining fertility, that the Clomid will ensure that I produce my own LH while on HRT. Is it optimal to have this and HCG, or is HCG enough alone? Also, can clomid be used long term safely and if anyone knows, what doses?[/quote]
You will not need clomid, I can not think of anyway clomid will aid fertility when you are using exogenous testosterone.
If you wish to have children your Dr may want to prescribe HMG
The only advantage to using a SERM in this context is to increase FSH which can help with sperm count IF that is even an issue. Clomid has severe estrogen mental side effects for some; nolvadex would be better. You need to be using Arimidex/anastrozole to manage E2 levls.
hCG alone is all that you need to maintain the testes, but not optimal for fertility.
Estrogen mental side effects meaning more or less estrogenic? The doctor is willing to prescribe anostrozole, he said that he wanted to see what the E2 did so that he could dose properly. I’m certain that it will rise, it needs to, just hopefully not too much by the time of my retest (5 weeks from now). What is the difference between Clomid and Anostrozole?
Also, does it matter how deep the injections are? I was told that with the enanthate that it would be ok to inject into fat and that it would still be absorbed. I’ve also heard that you should inject intramuscularly to ensure absorption. Is one better than the other?