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Theoretical risks versus favorable observational studies. The jury is still out. Credit to Wiki for the references: In prospective cohort studies, higher LA intake, assessed by dietary surveys or biomarkers, was associated with a modestly lower risk of mortality from all causes, CVD, and...

Peptide Sciences has a good reputation and claims domestic production. Nootropic Source has good prices.

LH is like a box of chocolates.

For comparison, if you buy from "research" peptide vendors online, that much ipamorelin runs about $400-$700. If this clinic is selling GMP ipamorelin from a legitimate compounding pharmacy then the stock has to be limited due to the FDA's crackdown.

The extra day before measuring is undoubtedly a factor, but can't explain that much of a difference. Other possible contributors: Lab error, falling SHBG, product mis-dosing, change in the rate of absorption — to name a few. I'd put changes in metabolism pretty low on the list, and the usual...

I premix testosterone enanthate and testosterone propionate, and inject a fixed amount daily. The doses were arrived at over time, with the aim of having good subjective results and numbers that are mid-range for healthy young men. I did start TRT with cypionate alone. I was having some...

The problem is they did not measure SHBG or free testosterone. When there are variations in SHBG, which is particularly true of the obese, then total testosterone becomes a less valid measure of testosterone sufficiency. Free testosterone should be used instead. People of the same weight can...

I thought you might cite this one. Nope, try again. Higher weight correlates with lower SHBG, which drives down total testosterone. You need a study that shows the underlying metabolism is enhanced, or at least one that looks at free testosterone. Testosterone = 1 particular molecule...

Please cite some research showing a significant positive correlation between body mass and testosterone metabolism. If you can't then we'll leave this idea in the myth column. As I said previously, when you account for areas-under-the-curves and differing SHBG levels then the differences are...

The basics: I take 2.4 mg of testosterone propionate and 3.2 mg of testosterone enanthate each morning. I also use gonadorelin and enclomiphine to maintain pituitary and testicular function. I inject 0.6 mg of progesterone at night. With once-a-week dosing that trough level of 500 ng/dL can...

We've been discussing this old myth for several years now. Changes in SHBG do not affect free testosterone once steady state is achieved. The production rate or dose rate of testosterone directly and proportionally drive free testosterone. Total testosterone is a dependent variable, basically a...

I think that is a perfectly reasonable protocol if blood work looks ok. As you note, there are individual variations. At that dose I would have excessive free testosterone and would experience some side effects. However, others who metabolize testosterone faster would only see upper-normal-range...

My bet is there are confounding factors, such as low SHBG, which means that you can have robust free testosterone even with total testosterone in the 400s ng/dL. But if we take the statements at face value, then why do these men think they need more testosterone than virtually any man could make...

A multitude of studies yield the testosterone production figures for healthy young men, as well as serum levels for healthy populations. Obese individuals are excluded from these populations. It's true that there is a skewing of averages in the overall population over time due to factors such as...

Yes. Using a default albumin of 4.3 g/dL, your Vermeulen FT is 15.2 ng/dL, which is mid-range for healthy young guys.

This is misleading at best. Is it fair to assume that these individuals are injecting once a week at most and are measuring trough serum levels? Your statement then neglects that peak testosterone is usually going to be 2-3 times the trough level. In such cases a trough total testosterone of 300...

They're saying that the RIA method they tested gives numbers that are a factor of seven smaller than the results from equilibrium dialysis. So arguably RIA is measuring some parameter that correlates well with actual free testosterone, but you have to multiply by seven to get the correct...

Yes, it turns out the skin acts as a slow-release reservoir for testosterone, leading to a relatively long half-life compared to nasal gel.

RIA for SHBG and total testosterone is fine. These tests are accurate enough in most cases. I should amend my response above to say that properly done RIA can be accurate, as demonstrated here, but you may not be able to evaluate whether yours was done right. Thus I would still consider...

And you accuse me of fearmongering? Since when is enclomiphene a toxin at normal doses? The better argument is that there is a lack of long-term evaluation, although this doesn't imply anything either way about safety. @hempdog — Increasing the enclomiphene dose is indeed reasonable. In the...

I would not trust those immunoassay methods at all; they are notoriously inaccurate, to the point of being meaningless. Instead, measure total testosterone, SHBG and albumin. Then use the Vermeulen calculator. The range for normal young men is something like 8-23 ng/dL. I believe there is a...

Even 100 mg TC/week is providing more testosterone than the vast majority of guys would ever make naturally. Average natural production for healthy young guys is equivalent to 60-70 mg TC/week. This means 200 mg/week is excessive and beyond the scope of TRT. Such high dosing has come about...

In quitting clomiphene you can either ride it out or use enclomiphene alone for a few months. You could use Defy Medical for a period to obtain enclomiphene, though it won't be cheap. Alternatively, if you're not deterred by the "research chemical" label then you probably can source enclomiphene...

Let's ask an expert to comment: @madman, what — affordable — options are there for oral testosterone and nasal gel in Canada?

Straw man argument. I challenge you to find anywhere I said hypogonadism should not be treated. Given the lack of objective data — and the fact that your study pertains to a single institution — I'm free to insinuate that disruption of other hormones figures in the lack of satisfaction with...

Not sure what the problem is. All you need is a prescription for Andriol or Natesto and you're there. Or is this a DIY situation? Sure, 63% is a majority, but 37% dissatisfied is quite significant — and highlighting this is hardly fearmongering. Clearly false. Kisspeptin? GnRH? LH? FSH? These...

I don't know about affordability, but as far as I can tell Natesto is available in Canada. There's also nothing magical about the Maximus components. If you can source oral testosterone and enclomiphene then you can probably reproduce their results.

It's reasonable to assume that negative TRT experiences are overrepresented in the forums. Nonetheless, published research shows pretty high churn rates with most forms of TRT, which suggests that a lot of men are dissatisfied. A contributing factor may be that TRT can disrupt 20+ other...

If the doses are reasonable, i.e. 10-30 mcg, then I'd encourage you to continue the experiment to see if you perceive any benefits. This protocol is unlikely to generate downstream hormones, such as LH and FSH. Nonetheless, I think it's possible that restoring even a little GnRH signaling is...

This effect is discussed in this research. ... the semimechanistic models indicated that the production rate of testosterone increases in [the] presence of rhCG, but the increase does not asymptote to a maximum level but instead decreases at higher concentrations of rhCG ... ... Last, the...

I like ipamorelin, though I've got to admit that a single daily dose of 300 mcg isn't moving IGF-1 very much for me. Ibutamoren is another option if you want to be more aggressive.