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Couple out of the box ideas: You could try finding a way to increase progesterone and see if it improves your symptoms. I don’t think it will do much to lower E2 blood levels but it may help with negative symptoms. Progesterone cream may work; I’ve been taking 30mg pregnenolone (which can...

For me, I’ve noticed dramatically different effects of HCG from bottle to bottle. I can’t explain why and I’ve only been on TRT for a little over half a year so I don’t have enough personal data to say more.

I would measure total testosterone, SHBG, CBC (for albumin). Then calculate your true bioavailable using e.g. https://tru-t.org (several posts on this - search Tru-T in this forum). If your doctor is giving push back on an adjustment, you could try ordering this test, which is a more accurate...

I believe what you're looking for is the "steroid weight." Basically, the molecule has an ester attached to it, and that ester weights something. Your body's enzymes remove the ester from the molecule, creating testosterone. So in theory, only the testosterone part of the molecule is what...

(I've deleted my comment as discussion has gotten off topic)

I'd love it if you guys who have Afib that started /after/ TRT would check out my comment here: Heart Palpitations on TRT? The cause?

Anyone interested in learning more should check out this video by Dr. Thomas O'Connor on fertility on testosterone (& steroids): It's a wealth of knowledge and first-hand experience!

Could you post bloodwork for better feedback? When you say your E2 starts ramping up with HCG, what do you experience? How long does it happen for? I know some men experience symptoms that go away with time. If you feel good without HCG and bad when you add it then it probably makes sense to...

I’m curious, do you have blood work to back the low E2 on 0.01mg of anastrozole?

I'm glad you're feeling good! Would love to know the progesterone number if you have it, too.

I'm curious: what was your pre-TRT E2 and SHBG?

Another biased and negative article about male HRT in the NYT: Is Low Testosterone Hurting Your Libido? Or Are You Just Aging? Zero positives listed, zero interviews or quotes from men who’s lives were improved, and a whole section on a guy who got a stroke. You’d think testosterone was...

I would love it if you measured your now-off-TRT progesterone! I’ll be responding in more detail later, but I think it could have been related to many of the symptoms you experienced on TRT. If it’s higher off TRT then we have even more clues. Obviously this doesn’t matter for you right now...

I know that the serum DHT test may not be indicative of actual DHT activity the body. DHT binds very strongly to SHBG. So I think DHT, when produced by a cell, is used locally almost immediately or bound to SHBG. I’ve read studies that used proxies for 5-alpha reductase activity (measuring...

Thanks for sharing! Do you know when those were taken? I’d like to compare them to your levels in that awesome table you posted! Also, I take it you never measured progesterone off of TRT?

I think Vince may be right, though I’m sure it depends on insurance policy, etc. You could also try fighting the insurance company, but you’d want the doctor on board with you I’m sure. (I, for one, believe these policies may be illegal under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which...

Very interesting, thanks so much for following up here. You say “progesterone levels have always been well below range despite being on HCG, so it's not unreasonable to assume cortisol is also low.” Could you post your progesterone results? I’d be very interested to see them.

Are you able to get more blood work? What protocol are you on right now? Have you had blood work done while on that protocol? Can you post it if so? What were the problems you were having when using the testosterone 50mg every 3.5 days?

I don’t have advice for your specific situation with the doctor, but hopefully others here can provide guidance on convincing skeptical physicians. I do believe you would benefit from well-done TRT. Your total testosterone level was normal but your free testosterone, which is all that really...

Yup, at least as far as I can tell. I've been logging AM and PM. My body weight hasn't changed much but I no longer have (very mild) edema in my lower ankles. My abs also look sharper, but it was the very mild peripheral edema that was the most obvious sign for me. I think there may be...

You might find this thread useful. It might be best for guys to comment over there as there's more responses: The Thread for Dialed-In Dudes

If I'm reading your results correctly then your testosterone and E2 are very, very low. Whatever you're doing right now doesn't look like it's working. You are doing 250IU of HCG EOD? That does not seem to be enough to create testosterone and estrogen for you.

Thanks Nelson! I hope to learn and share more here soon. I was able to lessen my water retention previously by ensuring my potassium was 2-3x my sodium, but it felt limiting. Here's a table of what I think various progesterone : e2 levels are for men and women: I never measured my...

Hey everyone, I wanted to give a little update here. As far as I can tell, increasing my progesterone seems to have eliminated my water retention[1]. I've been logging my water retention status in the AM and PM daily for the past several months. Here's my findings so far: When I experimented...

Wow, that's really quite something. I wish I could say this story was unbelievable. I hope this sort of thing changes with time.

I haven't done all the research yet, but I think it's unlikely that progesterone in the normal male range would cause breast growth; in fact, it may help stop estrogen from causing gyno! Progesterone itself isn't responsible for the majority of breast growth - estrogen is. Girls going through...

I'm on a similar dosage (300 IU HCG EOD) and I have noticed my testicles have shrunk compared to a month ago when I was on the exact same protocol, but a different bottle of HCG. I also notice a subjective difference between now and when I was using my previous bottle of HCG. I'm using Empower...

To answer the question on antilipolytic effects: I take 1g of Slo-Niacin daily and I got ridiculously shredded during my last cut (we're talking bodybuilder stage lean). I've noticed no effect on fat loss.

That's an interesting point I hadn't considered! Trenbolone, which is the most notorious of anabolic steroids for insane libido, apparently binds to the progesterone receptor very strongly. I also notice lots of varicose veins on men who've used anabolic steroids heavily, which I suspect may...

I'm sorry you're having these problems. I too had extreme anxiety, insomnia and sort of weird joint pain. I was sure I had low E2 and went and got tested..turns out my E2 (LC/MS/MS) was perfectly normal. HCG in high doses gave me immediate relief from these symptoms but was unreliable. I...

If you haven't solved your irritability / anxiety issues you may want to test your progesterone level. Progesterone can alleviate anxiety and irritability. When a woman is going through "PMS," her progesterone levels are dropping and estrogen is beginning to dominate. A similar effect is...