[DavidZ]

Originally Posted by marianco

One of the things I am trying to do is to understand the mechanisms of action (including biochemical pathways) that are occurring with hormonal treatment which then allows me to predict what will happen in a person with treatment.

HCG only treatment is quite a different animal from testosterone replacement therapy with transdermal or intramuscular routes.

From what I know so far (subject to correction):
1. HCG is an analog to FSH, LH, and Thyroid hormone.



5. It increases thyroid activity

That's the first I've heard of HCG affecting thyroid hormone/activity.

I'd be interested in some more information on this topic.

Originally Posted by marianco

2. It increases Cytochrome P450scc, the enzyme that turns cholesterol into pregnenolone, to start the cascade of steroid hormone production in the testes. This allows the testes to make numerous hormones besides testosterone - many of which we have inadequate knowledge as to the importance or function - yet they may be very important.
3. It increases testosterone production.
4. It increases sperm production - maintaining fertility - unlike pure testosterone replacement.
6. It allows the testes to make progesterone (which increases dopamine, serotonine, norepinephrine activity and blocks glutamate activity in the brain - giving it a mood stabilizing, anxiolytic, antidepressant effect. Progesterone also promotes nurturing behavior as opposed to aggression.)
7. Aesthetically, it keeps your testicles large.
8. Active testicles may have more sensation - thus sex may be more enjoyable - particularly oral.

I do not know yet if Cytochrome P450scc in other tissues such as the adrenals and skin are also stimulated by HCG. If so, this is another wide area of difference between testosterone-only replacement and HCG treatment.

Thus HCG is a more complete solution to hormone replacement therapy than testosterone alone. This may account for its many other advantages over testosterone treatment. And this means there is much that we do not know that are important considerations.

It's always amazed me how the vast majority of doctors ignor these other bodily actvities when they dismiss HCG as a TRT option.

Originally Posted by marianco

The downsides of pure HCG treatment:
1. The risk of testicular cancer from overstimulating the testes

Please recheck your research on this. I researched this issue a while back concluded that this is a misconception. Here's why.

When a doctor suspects testicular cancer (TC) he does a blood test for HCG. Elevated HCG is an indication that TC is present. However, there is no research that indicates HCG causes TC. But it is understandable that some people might mistakenly think that it does because of the first sentence in this paragraph.

Originally Posted by marianco

2. Possibly permanent primary hypogonadism - shutting down the testes because they become HCG-resistant when high doses are used.

Unlikely as long as your careful and knowledgable.

Originally Posted by marianco

3. Frequent injections. Risk of infection if not careful.

Unlikely with subq injections.

Originally Posted by marianco

4. Higher cost (a 10% testosterone cream can cost you as little as $15 for 30 grams).

With HCG at $45 a vial for 2 months, can you get much cheaper than that?

With my insurance, I pay $20 for 3 vials which lasts me six months. At $3.33 a month, I doubt anyone is paying less than that for standard TRT.

Originally Posted by marianco

5. Difficulty explaining what you are carrying on to examiners on airline flights - i.e. needles.

Been on at least 30 flights with needles in my carry-on. They've never once stopped to take a look at them.

Although they stop me every time to look at my small round-tipped scissors (although I understand that's about to end ).

Originally Posted by marianco

6. Self-injection is not as natural an action as spreading a cream on your skin.

I both inject (HCG) and apply cream (DHT) daily. I actually find the cream about as inconvenient as injecting. The inconvenience with cream is that it limits your activity for about 2 hours or more after you apply it.

Originally Posted by marianco

The tan look you have DaveZ makes me wonder about the relationship between Testosterone, Estrogens, HCG, FSH, LH, Thyroid hormone, Cortisol, ACTH (which leads to increased cortisol and aldosterone and other adrenal hormone production), and melanocyte-stimulating hormone (which causes darkening of skin), and the other steriod hormones made from HCG stimulation of the testes.

ACTH and Melanocyte-stimulating hormone are both products of cleaving the ACTH-prohormone. Some internal malignancies cause the brain to make excess ACTH, which then causes excess corticol production, leading to ectopic Cushing's Syndrome (characterized by generalized hyperpigmentation, muscle wasting, hypokalemia, edema, and hypertension). Increasing ACTH also happens to increase melanocyte-stimulating hormone since it is made simultaneously with ACTH. This leads to to the darkened skin seen in the syndrome.

This stuff is over my head, so I won't comment on it.