Hello from Boston area!

[bit_slinger]

Hey there! I had my T checked, it came in around 520, which is "normal". But if 350 is low, then I think I'm low. Also, my doc did not provide me the free T.

My goal primarily is to use T to help improve myself. I'm not obese, but kinda skinny fat and would love help with this. Every day I get out of bed... it's just a drag. I have 3 kids, I love them, but after they're in bed I have no energy... libido has flat-lined.

I do have three questions.

One, what are some things that you look for in a reliable TRT clinic or doctor's office? What should I look out for or avoid? I've looked at Men's Health Boston, but after hearing Abraham Morgentaler talk about it, he doesn't seem to have the best opinion of it. I'd love to have a "Men's Health" place that does and knows how to do TRT... it seems. How do I find that?

Two, should you take TRT and your nuts shrink or go soft, I've heard that you can take meds to help with that. Has anyone done this? Did the meds help?

Three, are your T supplements or meds (cream, injections, etc.) covered by insurance? If so, which ones? I have insurance and would love to have them pay for it.

If I posted these questions in the wrong part, sorry about that, I'll move them.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

One, what are some things that you look for in a reliable TRT clinic or doctor's office? What should I look out for or avoid? I've looked at Men's Health Boston, but after hearing Abraham Morgentaler talk about it, he doesn't seem to have the best opinion of it. I'd love to have a "Men's Health" place that does and knows how to do TRT... it seems. How do I find that?

Check DefyMedical.com. One of the oldest and most established telemedicine clinics in the country.

Two, should you take TRT and your nuts shrink or go soft, I've heard that you can take meds to help with that. Has anyone done this? Did the meds help?

You may want to read this:

Thread 'HCG plus TRT to Prevent / Reverse Testicular Shrinkage and Decreased Fertility'

Sep 27, 2013

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (From the book Testosterone: A Mans Guide, amazon.com)

Short podcast: hCG: What Every Man Should Know

Good summary :

Why Use hCG With TRT?- A Clinical Review​

Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) (not to be confused with human growth hormone, or HGH) is a glycoprotein hormone that mimics LH (luteinizing hormone), produced in pregnancy by the developing embryo soon after conception, and later by part of the placenta. Its role is to prevent the disintegration of the corpus luteum of the ovary and to maintain the...

• Nelson Vergel
• Replies: 24
• Forum: hCG, Clomid & Others for Fertility, PCT or Low T

• 

Three, are your T supplements or meds (cream, injections, etc.) covered by insurance? If so, which ones? I have insurance and would love to have them pay for it.

It depends on the insurance company. All cover generic T cypionate or enanthate, Androgel, and others. You would have to check the formulary of then one you have.

If you want insurance to cover TRT, don't use telemedicine. Try to find a doctor (Urologists are become leaders in TRT).

 

[bit_slinger]

Hey, thanks for your reply!

I already reached out Men’s Health Boston, but got voicemail. I’ll try to find a urologist locally as well.

 

[Mountain Man]

Hey there! I had my T checked, it came in around 520, which is "normal". But if 350 is low, then I think I'm low. Also, my doc did not provide me the free T.

My goal primarily is to use T to help improve myself. I'm not obese, but kinda skinny fat and would love help with this. Every day I get out of bed... it's just a drag. I have 3 kids, I love them, but after they're in bed I have no energy... libido has flat-lined.

I do have three questions.

One, what are some things that you look for in a reliable TRT clinic or doctor's office? What should I look out for or avoid? I've looked at Men's Health Boston, but after hearing Abraham Morgentaler talk about it, he doesn't seem to have the best opinion of it. I'd love to have a "Men's Health" place that does and knows how to do TRT... it seems. How do I find that?

Two, should you take TRT and your nuts shrink or go soft, I've heard that you can take meds to help with that. Has anyone done this? Did the meds help?

Three, are your T supplements or meds (cream, injections, etc.) covered by insurance? If so, which ones? I have insurance and would love to have them pay for it.

If I posted these questions in the wrong part, sorry about that, I'll move them.

I have been a patient at Men’s Health Boston since 2016. It’s under new ownership, Morgentaler has sold it to one of his staff. I’ve noticed no change in the practice or the protocol since he left. I find them very responsible very easy to contact. If you use the patient portal and now use their clinic in Tewksbury after moving to New Hampshire. There’s been no change in the quality and I recommend them highly.

I also until they recently have been able to get it covered with insurance. I am on Medicare now and they do not take my plan. Got screwed in New Hampshire and in my county I only have one optionwhich Men’s Health Boston does not take. I do plan on paying out-of-pocket, because the blood work and the testosterone I can get with another source rather than their clinic. Their office visits range between $160-$250 depending on what is done.

Where the clinic is under new ownership, they still use the same protocols that Morgentaler had in place. they start you at 100 mg per week and after six weeks you go back and they do another round of blood work. They will keep working with that if it is working for you. Their thought is that if you throw too many things on top of that hundred milligrams, for example, in aromatase inhibitor, hCG, or something of that nature, it becomes harder to dial things in because you’re not sure what is wrong. I completely agree with that and it has worked very well for me. I should also add that I am 71 years old and have been on since I was 62. I’ve looked into the other clinics in the area and I think the biggest change that you’re gonna see at Men’s Health Boston was the emphasis used to be on testosterone replacement only. Under the new ownership, they have all the bells and whistles of Botox shots, body scans, anti-aging type stuff. That’s all fine because the core components that were there originally, emphasis on testosterone and blood work and not pushing the other stuff, is still there. Each of the doctors also is a specialist in something like either urology or cardiology, which also is very good. I had a prostate biopsy done there about eight years ago and it’s good to know that you have good neurological support. They also support ED in men’s sexual dysfunction issues very well too. They prescribe all my ED meds and even without insurance, it’s still bargain because if you use a good RX coupon, you get it cheaply. As far as the insurance goes, my monthly cost for the testosterone seems to vary and I’m not sure why. It’s never been more than $20 and most recently I went in it was only $10. if I use a good RX app it would cost me $27 a month at Walmart pharmacy. Still quite a good deal.

Good luck with your father, if he’s willing to be active, do some resistance training, and watch his diet, he’s gonna love it.

 

[bit_slinger]

I have been a patient at Men’s Health Boston since 2016. It’s under new ownership, Morgentaler has sold it to one of his staff. I’ve noticed no change in the practice or the protocol since he left. I find them very responsible very easy to contact. If you use the patient portal and now use their clinic in Tewksbury after moving to New Hampshire. There’s been no change in the quality and I recommend them highly.

I also until they recently have been able to get it covered with insurance. I am on Medicare now and they do not take my plan. Got screwed in New Hampshire and in my county I only have one optionwhich Men’s Health Boston does not take. I do plan on paying out-of-pocket, because the blood work and the testosterone I can get with another source rather than their clinic. Their office visits range between $160-$250 depending on what is done.

Where the clinic is under new ownership, they still use the same protocols that Morgentaler had in place. they start you at 100 mg per week and after six weeks you go back and they do another round of blood work. They will keep working with that if it is working for you. Their thought is that if you throw too many things on top of that hundred milligrams, for example, in aromatase inhibitor, hCG, or something of that nature, it becomes harder to dial things in because you’re not sure what is wrong. I completely agree with that and it has worked very well for me. I should also add that I am 71 years old and have been on since I was 62. I’ve looked into the other clinics in the area and I think the biggest change that you’re gonna see at Men’s Health Boston was the emphasis used to be on testosterone replacement only. Under the new ownership, they have all the bells and whistles of Botox shots, body scans, anti-aging type stuff. That’s all fine because the core components that were there originally, emphasis on testosterone and blood work and not pushing the other stuff, is still there. Each of the doctors also is a specialist in something like either urology or cardiology, which also is very good. I had a prostate biopsy done there about eight years ago and it’s good to know that you have good neurological support. They also support ED in men’s sexual dysfunction issues very well too. They prescribe all my ED meds and even without insurance, it’s still bargain because if you use a good RX coupon, you get it cheaply. As far as the insurance goes, my monthly cost for the testosterone seems to vary and I’m not sure why. It’s never been more than $20 and most recently I went in it was only $10. if I use a good RX app it would cost me $27 a month at Walmart pharmacy. Still quite a good deal.

Good luck with your father, if he’s willing to be active, do some resistance training, and watch his diet, he’s gonna love it.

Thanks for the reply. I’m new to this, so I don’t want to try something online at this time. So having some guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[madman]

Hey there! I had my T checked, it came in around 520, which is "normal". But if 350 is low, then I think I'm low. Also, my doc did not provide me the free T.

My goal primarily is to use T to help improve myself. I'm not obese, but kinda skinny fat and would love help with this. Every day I get out of bed... it's just a drag. I have 3 kids, I love them, but after they're in bed I have no energy... libido has flat-lined.

I do have three questions.

One, what are some things that you look for in a reliable TRT clinic or doctor's office? What should I look out for or avoid? I've looked at Men's Health Boston, but after hearing Abraham Morgentaler talk about it, he doesn't seem to have the best opinion of it. I'd love to have a "Men's Health" place that does and knows how to do TRT... it seems. How do I find that?

Two, should you take TRT and your nuts shrink or go soft, I've heard that you can take meds to help with that. Has anyone done this? Did the meds help?

Three, are your T supplements or meds (cream, injections, etc.) covered by insurance? If so, which ones? I have insurance and would love to have them pay for it.

If I posted these questions in the wrong part, sorry about that, I'll move them.

Hey there! I had my T checked, it came in around 520, which is "normal". But if 350 is low, then I think I'm low. Also, my doc did not provide me the free T.

No it does not work this way.

TT means nothing when looking at the bigger picture here.

You need to know where your free testosterone truly sits!




My goal primarily is to use T to help improve myself. I'm not obese, but kinda skinny fat and would love help with this. Every day I get out of bed... it's just a drag. I have 3 kids, I love them, but after they're in bed I have no energy... libido has flat-lined.

Although having a healthy FT is critical for a mans overall health/well-being keep in mind many other factors can have a negative impact on energy and libido especially any dysfunction thyroid/adrenals.

You need a thorough set of labs before even considering jumping on T!

Blood work should be done for TT, FT, estradiol, SHBG, DHT, prolactin, Vit D DHEA-S, LH/FSH, PSA, full thyroid panel (TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3, antibodies), salivary cortisol (Four Specimens), lipids, CMP, CBC, and CRP.

I know it may seem overwhelming but blood work is critical in order to see if you truly have low or low/normal free testosterone.

Where your TT sits means nothing without knowing where the most important fraction sits which would be the free testosterone.

FT is what truly matters as it is the unbound fraction of T responsible for the positive effects.

The only way you would have a sub-par/low FT with a descent TT 520 ng/dL is if you have high SHBG.

When testing TT, FT, BAT you need to have your blood work done in the early am in a fasted state otherwise your results would be skewed.

The only way to know where your FT truly sits is to have it tested using the most accurate assay which is the gold standard Equilibrium Dialysisi especially in cases of altered SHBG.

This is the one I recommend through Labcorp.

500726: Testosterone, Free, Mass Spectrometry/Equilibrium Dialysis (Endocrine Sciences)

Labcorp test details for Testosterone, Free, Mass Spectrometry/Equilibrium Dialysis (Endocrine Sciences)

www.labcorp.com

Or use Quests ED assay!

Testosterone, Free (Equilibrium Dialysis) and Total, MS | Discounted Labs

Get an affordable and accurate testosterone test results with our Total Testosterone, M and Free (Equilibrium Dialysis) test. Visit DiscountedLabs.com for more information.

www.discountedlabs.com

Otherwise you would need to use/rely on the next best testing method which would be the go to linear law-of mass action Vermeulen (cFTV) which will give a good approximation.

You can easily calculate your FT using the online calculator which is available to the general public for free.

Free & Bioavailable Testosterone calculator

In order to calculate your FT you need to plug in your TT, SHBG and Albumin.

Again any dysfunction thyroid/adrenals can easily mimic low-T symptoms let alone have a negative effect on energy, libido and erectile function.

We are shooting in the dark here without knowing where your FT truly sits let alone other critical blood markers.