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Originally Posted by Bulldog It sounds like SWALE knows what he is doing. Anyhow, I have a couple questions. |
He definitely does! There’s a lot of good information on this side so educate yourself as you are going to be your own best advocate for your treatment.
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Originally Posted by Bulldog 1. Is there any problem with testicular atrophy other than [aesthetics] if you remain on TRT? And if I go off TRT will the [Testicles] start working again on their own or will I need to use HCG now to keep them functioning? |
Yes. Although testicular atrophy is a concern it’s more of a cosmetic concern to most people. I personally wouldn’t want my “dudes” shrunken up to the size of grapes. I already have one atrophied testicle I wouldn’t want them both to be.
One additional potential problem with
TRT is that in some cases it may increase the chance of infertility. If you don’t plan to have children in the future then this isn’t likely to be a concern. However, if you do want children then there are a few things to consider. If you have Primary Hypogonadism then it is probable that you will eventually loose fertility anyhow. In these cases
TRT will usually bring on infertility faster and it may never return as the condition that brought on the Hypogonadism progresses. If you have Secondary Hypogonadism then any infertility that may occur can likely return if you come off of
TRT and/or start using hCG. Fertility can be maintained with the use of hCG while on
TRT.
Finally, hCG also has other physiological effects on the Hypogonadal man. Apparently there are hCG receptors in many body tissues and thus many men on hCG see significant symptom improvements when using low dose hCG than when they were just on
TRT alone. So hCG appears to be useful for some people and not just for testicular function alone.
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Originally Posted by Bulldog 2. Is there any alternative to HCG? I'm not real fond of needles and I'm not sure if I could do the shots myself. But I would really like to keep the natural levels flowing. |
Not that I know of. Also, one thing to consider, the generic hCG formulas don’t appear to be the same as the name brand ones as people on this board have noticed that generic hCG doesn’t work nearly as well as the named brand “real” hCG.
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Originally Posted by Bulldog 3. My Dr. isn't doing my first follow up labs until I've been on TRT for 2 months. And from what I have read hear that seems like it is too long. Should they be done sooner? |
After about two weeks of Gel application you should reach a relatively steady level of T in your blood. However, it could take much longer before you notice symptom improvements. It’s all very individual, some people notice significant improvement within a week while others take months. Perhaps your doctor set two months because he’s looking for symptom improvement and not just T levels. So he’s trying to get a gauge on how you are feeling not just what your T levels are.
Two months may be too long but two weeks might be too short. My doctor is waiting a month for follow-up although he said I can do the blood tests at any time after two weeks and before my appointment with him.
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Originally Posted by Bulldog 4. I'm curious if anyone has a "going off TRT" plan? |
Usually people don’t come off of
TRT unless the cause of the Hypogonadism was caused by a condition that could be corrected in some way. Usually people are on
TRT because they’ve had a failure somewhere in the HPG axis and if they have, it’s unlikely that it will ever change. Very few people that have Hypogonadism will ever be able to be cured. It does happen but not very often from what I understand.
Cheers!
New on TRT 
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