I recently had my bloods done and the results were;

Haematocrit (HCT) - 0.563 L/L
Haemoglobin (HGB) - 176 g/L
Red Blood Cell Count (RBC) - 6.21

I tried to donate blood but it’s always a challenge to find a vain and even when they did, it just wouldn’t flow. The nurse actually showed me that the blood had quickly clotted (it was handing out the needle when she took it out).

I’m assuming this isn’t a great sign but does anyone have any tips to get it flowing? I tried a couple of pints of water prior.

Thanks.

Also does Growth Hormone cause PSA to skyrocket? I3 months ago my test was 400 and they upped my dose from 120 to 160 a week. I started a growth cycle 3 months ago. What do you think?

I’m a 26 year old guy who’s struggled with low testosterone since I was at least 18. When I was 20 I got on 1000 IU a week HCG mono therapy as a “natural” alternative to TRT to aid my testosterone levels. Which were around the high 200s at the time. HCG was like a miracle for about 3 months. I felt fantastic and the “High T” sensation was very distinct. It brought me to the low 800s and it radically altered my eyebrows, body hair, confidence, energy levels, increased MPB and eventually raised my estrogen. Long story short on my 3rd month the dosage from my provider changed and I never felt the same. Not even close. It was like a light switch. I tried experimenting with estrogen blockers, higher dose, lower dose but I continued to feel awful. I got off shortly after and didn’t try anything again until this year.

About 4 months ago I went back to the same provider and got on the exact protocol I tried 6 years ago. Once again almost immediately I was left with a “low T” anxiety ridden feeling. I pushed it for 2 weeks and eventually couldn’t take it anymore. Although my estrogen stayed within normal levels the entire 2 weeks. Fast forward to two weeks ago and I’m with a new provider and they’ve prescribed me a full on TRT protocol. I inquired on why I had such an abrupt change in reaction to HCG but they had absolutely no idea.
My current protocol is
HCG 250IU Twice a week
Testosterone cypionate 140mg a week split into two doses

I opted to stay on HCG solely to preserve testicular function in the case that this doesn’t work. I’m currently over 2 weeks in and so far I feel the worst that I ever have in my life. I even stopped HCG after the first week and continued with only Test. But I’m here with Unbelievable brain fog, anxiousness , insomnia and just a general low confidence soft spoken feeling. I’m really struggling and my current Dr is set on my giving the protocol 8 weeks before bloodwork or changing anything.

My question to anyone reading this is could there be any reason why I’m seemingly rejecting HCG? What mechanism or system could be contributing to this? I assumed that jumping on TRT would essentially bypass this issue. Obviously I’m only two weeks in but I’m not sure how much longer I can tolerate feeling this way. The only other variable I can add is that I’ve had low cortisol issues in the past. Any help or thoughts on why I’m seemingly so non responsive would be greatly appreciated.

And I am not overweight and I generally eat very clean. I don’t drink or do any kind of recreational drugs.

Hey guys just putting a feeler out there. Anyone doing Cypionate Injections every 4th day? I know it's not super common. I switched from E3.5 days to E4D and things have been a lot better. The trough feels like I'm not accumulating as much estrogen. Even been able to tolerate some HCG finally with E4D. Anyone else have this experience?

I’m 40 and have repeatedly tested with normal testosterone—usually around 17 nmol/L reference (8-30), free testosterone 378pmol/lL reference (150-700), shbg 29—but have lifelong signs and symptoms of low testosterone: low libido, very limited body hair, late and incomplete secondary development, and a much younger-looking appearance. Normal chromosomes, below normal testicle size. Lh-6, fsh-16,

Has anyone experienced this despite normal blood testosterone? Could reduced androgen sensitivity explain it, its like my cells can't use the testosterone. Would a reproductive urologist/andrologist be the right specialist to investigate it? Went to an endocrinologist and he dismissed my chronic symptoms and said im fine because my blood t levels are normal.

these are my biomarkers from last month, i’m about to start test C was thinking of doing 300 test/week with novaldex, finasteride, and clomid for pct. Main concerns is avoiding gyno, balding, and infertility. my knowledge is limited and i’d love to hear some insight from people. thanks in advance! just looking to improve my physique, im 27 years old right now.

i am in my 50’s injecting testostorone cypionate prescribed to me 100mg weekly, intra muscular(thigh) for about six month. Testosterone has doubled to about 500-600. Hematocirt was up to 53 down to 51 now. The last two times i injected, the next day i felt funny much of the day. One day my bp dropped, second number down to 46 came back up an hour later. Since that first day time i have tried to hydrate a lot more but again this week felt a bit out of it the day after, feel like i can feel blow flow at times in my body and a bit loopy. Curious if others experience this, last time it went away after a day or two. Thanks

So for context , my last 2 labs are 37 and 22 on e2, 78 and 64 nmol for SHBG, 860 and 950 ng for total T and 10 to 10 ng for free T. Have didficulty losing fat and building muscle but main issue is mental. Would TRT be of any help for me on these levels? I visited a doc and he gave me 6500 IE weekly hcg to "shock" the testes to get them to produce more T in hopes of upping free T, he said he did it for fertility preservation and so that it doesnt have permanent effects, he also gave an AI to manage the estorgen spike on it, still havent used his therapy. Wouldnt just injecting Testosterone on trt doses while doing hcg better and more predictable for both goals? Fertility is a big if but quality of life is more important at this point. Anyone in similar ranges had a good experience? Is e2 really that important and how is it ideal? In case of TRT should I do my docs arimidex? Thanks guys

Just got my 7 week Trt bloods, wondering if my free test is too high ? Or does anything else stand out. Currently taking 132mg a week

20 M in shape

Started noticing lack of morning wood, now I never get it, no random erections basically completely dead, maybe a lack of libido but could just be to it not working correctly

Hormones pretty much normal did that test a few months ago, waiting for my first urologist appointment end of December

So I’m on 180-190mg a week of Test E, can someone shed some light on the ratio for test to e2? Just with the conversion from pmlo/l to pg/ml? I don’t have any symptoms of high e2, 42m & 80kg

Has anyone seen a decline in testosterone after drinking hibiscus tea regularly?

My LH and testosterone dropped, and this is one of the culprits I suspect.

Research is mixed. Some mouse studies showed a decline in testo and LH, but they used high-dose extracts, not tea.

I’ll probably try pausing it for a while, but I’m curious to hear other n=1 stories.

Thanks!

Studies:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5099906/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667031325000806

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348235607_Effects_of_Hibiscus_Sabdariffa_Aqueous_Extract_on_permatogenesis_and_Sperm_Parameters_of_Mice

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0065128111001164

What if a 20 year old kid who has natural T of 600, took TRT and now they are sitting in 1200s and their life is better and they get better gains in the gym.

Why is that so bad? okay it shuts down the natural production, so what? they are taking TRT so they don't need the natural production anymore.

What is it that bothers some people so much here? why would you feel bad if someone is on TRT even if they don't "need" it?

People are so pissed that the clinics are prescribing TRT to younger folks who don't need it...
Why can't we just accept the free will of others, they are above 18, so it's their choice! 🤢🤢🤢🤢

Edited!!

Here are the very quick background details:
38 y/o male. Low T symptoms for years. Have consistently had low/mid total T, low free T, and high SHBG. Decided to go on Test E and started at 200mg per week. I felt some definite benefits (libido, strength, etc.) also started battling anxiety out of nowhere and fluctuating mood. I tinkered with my dosage, injection frequency, and even some arimidex. Now I'm down to about 105mg per week (injecting eod). I know it's super hard to determine where exactly I was at in dosage and for how long before I had my bloodwork redone. I was trying to wait but got pretty desperate. Factoring in everything the bloodwork probably reflects somewhere in the 120mg-140mg range.

Here are what the labs showed:
SHBG (10-60): 68
Total Test (299-1000): 1379
Free Test (40-240): 116.6
Estradiol sensitive (0-29): 20
Hematocrit: 49.4%

My free test is still toward the low end (thanks SHBG) but my total test is fairly high. If you were me trying to maximize performance while keeping mental health and physical health in check, what would you recommend dosage wise? I'm thinking of leveling off where I am a few more weeks then maybe trying to bump up to 150mg before I check levels again.

As title says, I'm thinking about going to a TRT clinic and start injecting at 23. My doc thinks I have secondary hypogonadism, even if my LH was already in range - thoughts?

Blood test result (taken twice):

Total T: 7.32 nmol (210ng)
E2: 92 pmol
FSH: 5.4 mUI/mL
LH: 6.2 mUI/mL
SHBG: 16.6 nmol

Im currently on reta.

Going to take motsc and CJC-1295.

Was thinking about taking test c to keep muscle. My levels are 700

Going back to the clinic in 2 weeks to see what the next step is. This is after a year of being absolutely dialed with the gym and eating. 5’9 165 lbs

Hello,

I've been injecting IM but the lumps and pain last for over a week, sometimes I can still feel the lump/knot after two weeks. I just switched to Subq and it's doing the same thing.

IM: anywhere I've injected

SubQ: only tried my stomach so far.

I will say, they seem to get worse as my vial gets lower Self healing, 200 vial, 0.5 twice a week but I'll start micro dosing SubQ if this pain and swelling improves.

I've followed all injection, storage, prep instructions.

Any help/insight is greatly appreciated

Where did you start you script for hCG from or is it ugl?

Is it covered under insurance for you (if not ugl)?

What have you noticed being on hCG either independently or along side TRT is applicable?

Has fertility come back after going away on TRT from hCG?

Any other advice for someone seeking to start hCG after 2 years of therapeutic TRT?

Thank you guys!

I started using testosterone gel about six months ago, and I feel my erections have diminished as I barely get hard any longer even with using Viagra. I've heard some people say that testosterone makes erectile dysfunction worse.

Is it worth it to do test only cycles if your not cruising after? Read a post of someone saying they did 3 aggressive cycles no cruise and kept 7lb of muscle which is not worth it imo. Is it even worth it to do test cycles if your not following with a reduced amount of test and cruising on it. I don’t want to do cycles if I’m only keeping a few lbs. say for example a 400-500mg blast and then a 100mg cruise.

I did 14 mg testosterone cypionate daily for 6 weeks and felt great sexually. High libido, excellent erections, and could stay hard after ejaculation and go again. Total T was around 500 ng/dL, so we increased my dose.

I switched to 36 mg EOD, and within 10 days developed nipple sensitivity and pain. Ironically, my libido and erections were still great while my nipples hurt.

My doctor offered switching back to daily injections or taking an AI. I wanted to avoid an AI, so I switched to 18 mg daily.

About 10 days later, the nipple pain disappeared, but so did my libido and erection quality. Sex became difficult, and I recently struggled to get and keep erection.

Both 36 mg EOD and 18 mg daily average 126 mg/week, compared with my original 98 mg/week. Would you ride out 18 mg daily longer?
I’m trying to avoid an AI and find a dose that maintains good libido and erections without side effects. I haven’t confirmed that my estradiol is elevated. Recent labs still looked good.

Anyone experienced something similar?

200mg weekly pen. Genuinely want to know if getting this is safe or if I should stick to my much more costly local pharmacy. This is not an ad will not be sharing the suppliers details so don’t ask.

Any thoughts as to why free test is substantially high, and what effects does this pose to myself, mood, muscles and other androgen receptors in the body on a day to day basis. On 250mg - 300mg test per week.

Comparing his early WWE photos with his later movie roles, his build looks very different. For anyone who follows his training, what has he said about how he got there: his workout programming, diet, recovery, and whether he has discussed any performance-enhancing drugs himself? There was a huge transformation!