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Hormone replacement therapy, thoughts?

N

NJA82

New member
Hi guys,

Long time reader on the forums, dont post much but i lurk around here quite a bit.

Long story short, have felt fairly average the last couple of years, and it has gotten a lot worse in the last 6 months with a complete drop in sex drive and enthusiasm for most things, considering my lifestyle ( military ) and general habits this just wasnt me and i thought it was time to go get things investigated.

Went and had full bloods done and got the results back yesterday and my test level was sitting on around 12 on a scale of 10-35 used by the pathology lab that did the bloods. Other results on the tests support this as being a low test problem and either a problem in the pituitary gland in the brain or a problem in the testicles. More tests are going to be done in the future to rule out any problems in these areas but the doctor and I have discussed HRT and possible treatment to bring me back to base line and get life back to normal again. I havent got the full report from my bloods to post up because being in the military i simply cannot share any of this and they wouldnt give me a copy to take with me out of the room.

My questions are for the guys out there on this treatment, I take this very seriously as i realise this is a life time ordeal and something i have to incorporate indefinitely.

How did you guys react to the initial treatment? as in what positive and negative changes did you notice in the short term?

Has the treatment gotten your levels back to where they should be and kept them there for the long term?

What types of treatment are you guys being given? ive been suggested patches or implants, the doctor hasnt suggested injections at this stage although from the research ive done 100-200mg a week of test ethanate injected seems to be one of the better solutions to avoid a peak and a taper off towards the end of the half life which seems to happen when it is only administered every other week at a higher dose.

And most importantly how has it effected your training in the gym? and your sex life?

I appreciate any feedback i can get from the more experienced people out there on this matter, please dont bother posting if your going to tell me im trying to make up excuses or some shit, ive read through a few of the other topics on the forum on this matter and the responses from people were pretty standard in regards to just slinging shit at the OP, i can assure you this is a matter i am struggling with and i am not looking for some kind of "extra assistance" in the weights room. Quality of life far outweighs this.
 
Thats cool mate, i have been as well, hence this late reply.

To be completely honest i didnt see that on the lab results that he showed me. I will ask him next time i see him.

What do those levels concern and what should they be in normal range?

Im still fairly uneducated with most of this, ive done some research online but not enough to really be familiar with everything i need to know. Im sure in time i am going to become very familiar with all of it though it seems...
 
Number 1 rule is not to trust your doctor, even if he is an endo. Always get a print out of your blood work, and take notes at the appointment.

Basically LH is a signal that gets sent from the pituitary to you nuts making them produce more or less testosterone.
If your test is highish, LH drops. If your test is low, LH should be high.

In my case test was low, even when LH was very high this means there is an issue with my nuts, I have been diagnosed with primary hypogpnadism. Yay.

I have been on hrt for a number of years now, and its honestly saved my life.
I was constantly depressed for no reason, had no drive or energy, and my relationship was suffering.

I started out with gels which is not only a massive pain in the balls, but wasn't very effective. Test levels went from 50 to 0 in under 24 hours.

I then moved to primoteston, injectable test e.
the doctor gives me 250mg every 8 days and it holds me at about 25nmol.

My e2 sits at around. 70-75 using zinc daily, so I don't need to use an AI.

The only things I have to keep an eye on are my cholesterol, which is perfect.

I also use HCG at the moment as the wife and I are trying to get pregnant.

Depending what your issue is, HCG could be a treatment worth looking at, I know a few people that have successfully come off Hrt by mega dosing HCG.
 
Yep.
Range for e2 is 50-150 and I'm bang on, so no need.

I was told zinc had slight AI or AE properties.... Though I didn't look to far into it, I just started taking it.
 
I should add, that will vary from person to person.
At that dose, my body can control the estrogen, or more accurately I don't get a very large conversion from test - e2.

I know a guy on hrt, even smaller dose and has to run .5mg adex ED to keep his e2 in check.

Low dose does NOT mean you don't need an AI. It needs to be monitored.
 
Thanks a lot for that information Scott, I will discuss this with him next time i see him and see what comes of it.

My biggest dilemma is being in defence i cant really choose a second opinion, especially where i am posted at this time. I simply have to trust them but that said my opinion still has some weight as duty of care means they have to do the right thing by what i want.

Im actually hoping my case is something similar to yours, at the moment the medical staff are trying to eliminate any possible chance of tumors in the front of my brain putting pressure on the pituitary gland or tumors/cancer in my nuts, its a bit scary at the moment until the tests all get done to rule it out. They wont look into any treatment until they rule those out first.

With the HCG i have read on other forums about cases where blokes have gone off test completely and on HCG purely for sperm count and have struggled a fair bit without the test. I guess this is a case by case situation like you said everyone is different. First things first i just would like to have a diagnosis of some kind to put my mind at rest.
 
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How was your training stamina and strength before you went on HRT? Were your lifts still at an advanced level before you went on the HRT?
 
I was on hrt before I took my lifting seriously, sports performance was the last thing on my mind.
Hrt was to make me (more) normal.

If your wanting hrt to increase your lifts, your making a serious mistake.
 
The cancers/tumors are rare, and a worst case scenario.
I was exactly where you are, all I can say is don't stress.

You can't change anything, it will be what it will be.
 
Good advice mate cheers. And no sports/athletic performance isnt a concern for me, its just part of life and i would continue to do it no matter what issues my body was facing, overall well being and feeling good is the priority. Getting over feeling flat and having no sex drive, at 30 years old this just shouldnt be.
 
I think many sports do, or should, allow for people with low levels of testosterone to take supplementation.

To digress, sticky what was your test level before you got treatment?
 
A number of tests came back between 7-12 at 18-20yo.

I looked at joining PA at the start, but the hoops and tape involved were a mind fuck.

I wonder what PL in aus would look like if I were allowed to back then.

Even if People were allowed, people within PA would always have a dig at people on hrt. Not worth the problems.
 
That is low; i think my last test (maybe four years ago) was about 19 (not sure though).

I dont view HRT as cheating. Once a consistent blood amount is achieved, I would have thought a negative test would be for in excess of such levels.

However, i am no expert.
 
Yes, i know. urine tests mostly with T/E ratio, and then further investigation if ratio 4-1 or higher.

I was suggesting that if someone had a TRT exemption, they should also be subject to blood tests to monitor testosterone levels (within certain range).

It sounds complex.

There is also much controversy at moment in UFC over TRT exemptions. Maybe it would be easy to manipulate.

In any case, if people have health problems due to low testosterone, then quality of life needs should prevail.
 
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This is something i am concerned about being in defence, the adf drug and prohibited substances policy deems testosterone as a banned compound, they are looking into it now to see if on medical grounds this is worthy of a waiver. Could be a complicated road ahead for me with all of this.

As with most sporting federations they dont test for the level in the blood they test for the compound. Which is just outright stupidity IMO but not much that can be done about it.
 
I dont really consider steroids cheating at all
Loads of people at mygym are on and also weak and look like dogshit
 
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