Looking to conceive with the wife, so I’ve come off T injections at the direction of my doc, and gone to HCG 1500iu EOD for fertility. I was also taking clomid but i had absolutely abysmal sides with it so I was told to stop.
I’m worried because my latest labs show my Total T dropping from 985 ng/dL to 290 and free T from 253 pg/ML to 62. My e2 (extra sensitive) is at 19.
I feel like garbage in terms of fatigue and mood + feeling a little soft (despite getting leaner). Going to get a semen analysis next week, but any suggestions to bring up my T in the meantime?
My doc advised against it, as I had been on TRT for the last 3 years or so w/ no HCG. I feel like I’ve seen so many conflicting viewpoints that I figured I’d go with plan A and adjust if necessary. Maybe the noob in me didn’t expect the levels to dip that significantly.
None that you’d want to hear. Testosterone injections will beat hCG when it comes to increasing testosterone. I’ve seen some guys who opted for hCG monotherapy instead of testosterone. It usually does not get testosterone levels to 600. I tell them, but they want to try it anyway. Always end up on TRT.
As you are looking to conceive, and you are on a good dose, surprised your test isn’t higher, I’d say hang in there until it happens. Conception usually occurs within six months, and that is with guys taking testosterone concurrently.
It seems your doctor made the assumption you were infertile on TRT. All that may have been needed is TRT, together with hCG and FSH.
hCG therapy can help preserve spermatogenesis in men undergoing TRT by maintaining intratesticular testosterone levels. It was has been shown that follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) alone cannot initiate or maintain spermatogenesis in hypogonadal men leading to the discovery of the importance of intratesticular testosterone in spermatogenesis. In healthy eugonadal men selected to undergo TRT it was shown that their intratesticular testosterone levels dropped by 94%. However, in those who received 250 IU SC every other day along with TRT their intratesticular testosterone levels only dropped 7%. Additionally, in men who received TRT and 500 IU of hCG every other day an increase in intratesticular testosterone by 26% was observed. This proved that co-administering low dose hCG could maintain intratesticular testosterone in those undergoing TRT.It was later shown that not only is intratesticular testosterone increased with co-administration hCG but spermatogenesis is preserved as well at one year follow up. These studies proved that by concomitant hCG administration with TRT spermatogenesis and thus potentially fertility could be preserved.
The HCG will suppress the LH and FSH, but may improve fertility. If hCG isn’t enough to get you fertile, FSH is the next step. To clarify, hCG doesn’t increase LH and FSH.
The ideal fertility protocol is TRT, together with hCG and FSH.
Oh, man. Disturbing. Of course your FSH and LH are suppressed. You had been on TRT for three years. Waste of time with that.
What would be nice to know is what were those levels before you started TRT. If FSH and LH were high yet testosterone low it could mean your testicles are not capable of functioning. If so, hCG will be of minimal, if any, help, which could explain why your levels with hCG are poor now. The semen analysis should help here.
HCG mono therapy Can take up to 10,000 IU per week to work! I took 9000 IU per week when I did HCG mono therapy before going to 3000 IU per week with 100 mg of T (I had two kids from this and soon going to try for a third).
This is not a suggestion but people use T with HCG.
If you have a doctor, what does he say about all this?
Not exactly sure, all questions I’m going to ask Monday when we review my labs. I’m new to the game when it comes to fertility on TRT. I was humming along real nicely with just T injections and feeling great…these labs just put numbers to why I was kinda feeling like garbage (while simultaneously trying to regain fertile status).
