I use 100iu EOD. My nuts are fuller, and its obvious to me. Nutsack is more relaxed. It makes me feel good mentally and look forward to it.
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Iāve been spinning my wheels for 7 years. As low as 40mg e3d t only, as high as 100mg twice a week t only. Currently 70mg cyp and 250-500iu HCG twice a week. Last labs on this protocol are 1250 test 67 e2 34 shbg 99 dht.
What happens with HCG at 100 or 150 twice a week? How about a 1/8 or 1/4 anastrozole? Iām not advocating for or against an AI, just curious what it did or didnāt do.
I only feel the benefits of the HCG for the day of injection if I go that low. When I add .125mg arimidex, I feel shitty and lose all penis sensitivity and then it recovers as my estrogen rises
I just got my first labs back after 5 weeks on trt once week and HCG 3x per week. Looks to be dialed right in.
100mg Delatsryl
.4ml 10000iu preg
The bulk of the ejaculate (~60%) comes from the seminal vesicles which is responsive to LH. The drop in volume in guys not using HCG is most likely do to the seminal vesicles losing the LH signal from feedback on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis due to higher T and E2.
Iām a proponent of layering in HCG after you optimize your T dose and protocol. I use it mostly for aesthetic purposes, but I also notice a drop in volume at times Iāve taken an HCG vacation. So, keeping the volume up is another reason I use it. I donāt feel much of anything regarding libido (positive or negative) from HCG.
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I swear my volume has gone up even without HCG. Not sure how but Iām not complaining. Should get crazy when Iām back on HCG 
I think I remember reading (need to verify) that the seminal vesicles also have an abundance of androgen receptors, which may explain what youāve observed. So, perhaps you are right, the combination may do more than one alone.
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For how long? I would expect it may take a few months to normalize again. Just based on how long most hormone changes take to level out. I dont use HCG. If I drop my dose to 100mg a week my volume comes back after a couple of weeks. If my dose is 2 x 100mg a week I will lose volume for about 6 weeks and then it will slowly ramp back up. I kind of assumed it was due to water retention but have nothing scientific to back that up.
I took HCG for two years at multiple dosing protocols trying to find a place where it was beneficial. The water weight retention, soft erections, and no mood or libido improvement made my decision to stop an easier one. There is this theory that your body will adjust to the higher E2 over time just hang in thereā¦after two years mine wouldnāt adjust with the added E2 HCG creates. I have been off 8 weeks and have found no change in ejaculate volume, I have lost 10lbs of water weight, atrophy is minimalā¦good call for me. I am 53 so no more kids in the futureā¦Feel better without it. It is one of things you should try for yourself after getting your T dose dialed inā¦if you like it Greatā¦use itā¦if it doesnāt help drop it.
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Iāve had similar experiences and mostly agree with you, but I donāt believe the sides are e2 related based on years of lab work.
Years back, I found some studies to suggest that in some men, hCG increases aldosterone. I seem to be one as well. An increase in this can cause side effects similar to high e2:
"A frequent cause of high blood pressure and water retention is when levels of certain hormones in the body are unbalanced or functioning poorly. The hormones that are frequently at fault are secreted by the kidneys and the pituitary or adrenal glands. They are called aldosterone, ACTH, and renin
What is aldosterone?
Aldosterone (ALD) is one of a group of connected hormones. They form the renināangiotensināaldosterone system (1); this system is activated when there is a decrease in blood flow to your kidneys following a drop in blood volume or blood pressure such as during heavy bleeding, or sodium levels fall below healthy levels (1).
Aldosterone is a mineralocorticoid, which means that it adjusts the mineral levels in our cells, particularly sodium and potassium (2). It regulates both fluid levels and blood pressure in the body. Stress is a factor that can increase the release of aldosterone and cause sodium levels to rise. Regardless why, an increase in aldosterone results in edema (water retention) and high blood pressure."
Iām glad youāre feeling better, but in my opinion 8 weeks off hcg isnāt long enough to determine long term ejaculate volume changes. Iāve experimented with trt and hcg for years. The decrease in ejaculate volume for me took much longer than 8 weeks and the decrease was quite subtle at first.
Time will tell for sure. Letās say my ejaculate volume does decrease, I would gladly exchange that for the great erections and no water weight retention dropping HCG has given me so far. I believe these individual types of decisions should be determined after proper trial/labs/evaluation. I used HCG for two years while evaluating. I Was on T alone for almost a year before adding HCG. I will evaluate this change with similar patience.
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Have you tried lower doses of HCG daily or eod? Amounts totaling a apex 400iu/wk? I was like you and there was a window that I felt great on HCG but it always turned on me. I kept tinkering with it and found that I donāt respond well to anything over 100iu in a single shot. Iāve experimented with 50-100iu in daily to eod with success.
Iāve always had low volume. Maybe because I ejaculate everyday.
If I ever you get a good load.
Since trt my orgasms feel so much intense but then when you look at the volume it certainly does not match the intense feeling.
Also we are all different. Some guys shoot load some drip same with volume.
There only time I had a good shooting volume was when I experimented with clomid prior to trt.
When I started trt I sometimes got clumps really white really little. But know since an steady that rarely happens. Wife doesnāt care for the loadā¦ Wish she didā¦
It feels like HCG questions are coming up more frequently. @johann77 posted a nice LH graph that showed that like T, LH is both pulsatile and always present(never becomes undetectable). The whole @dbossa crew over at TRT Optimization seem to have a slight negative bias towards it. Itās certainly not needed. But neither is TRT needed. And there are obvious benefits to HCG beyond nut size. It would be nice to get a sticky going with the most up to date thoughts/research/forum consensus on HCG.
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This drug is fda approved. You can get a ton of information. Pdr is a good resource
Iāve been trying to avoid daily Injections of anything since I find it burdensome, tried it for 2 weeks which isnāt long enough to judge the protocol, but is long enough to realize Iāll use it as an absolute last resort lol. My shbg is mid 30s.