Fact or Fiction - Seminal Fluid Is Reduced on TRT and You Must Go on HCG?

Fact or Fiction:

Seminal fluid will be reduced when on TRT?
It highly recommended that you use HCG in combination with TRT in order to avoid testicle shrinkage?
Penis sensitivity is reduced when on TRT?

I appreciate anyone's insight.

Thank You!

Welcome to Excelmale. HCG is certainly a valuable part of any TRT protocol. It can, and does, maintain testicular function and size as well as serve to backfill critical hormonal avenues that would otherwise be suppressed by exogenous testosterone's presence. There are multiple posts on HCG, sticky posts, available here on EM for you to learn more on the topic. Are you on a TRT protocol at the present time?

Thanks for the welcome CoastWatcher. No, I am not on TRT. I am 46 and starting to research the topic. There is so much conflicting information out there it can be overwhelming. Have physical scheduled next week and trying to get the doc to order Free T and Total T for my blood work. Last year when doc did blood work he only requested Total T which was 354ng/dl. The sense I get from reading forums and watching videos is as you correct low T you bring on a world of other issues such as increase in red blood cells, testicle size reduction, increase in estradol, etc. It makes me wonder if the benefits outweigh all the complications.

They're not complications, per se, I would stress that many men find ancillary problems on their HRT journey. Thyroid, being one, brain chemistry and neurotransmitters another, Pituitary, adrenals, you can go on and on. HRT is far more complex than Testosterone. One thing I say to my nurse practitioner who while curious, actually doesn't really approve, which isn't up to her, but I've said straight faced..."I'll take Test before I take the chemicals and poisons that come from your Rx pad".

You'll have to figure out WHY you want to go down this road. Symptoms really bothering you? Or are you looking at a number on a test that says your Low T? What do you want out of this, what are you trying to "fix"? Ask yourself these questions.

Vince Carter raises excellent points - let me add another. The relationship you have with your doctor is absolutely critical. I would guess that the vast majority of us here at Excelmale have been bitterly disappointed by the medical profession. We, in good faith, approached our primary care doctor, or an endocrinologist, perhaps a urologist, and received...a miserable treatment protocol (if we were treated at all). In short, very few doctors know how to evaluate and treat the hypogonadal man.

Your doctor ordered only total testosterone; that ought to be a warning light flashing in your mind.

The WHYs I am considering going down this road is really for overall health and well being. I believe in eating healthy, working out, and taking appropriate supplements. I've read articles in particular on sites like Life Extension that explain how important it is to maintain youthful testosterone levels for overall health, which makes sense. So I would say its more about some of the many health benefits.

Am I feeling or seeing the signs of low T today, perhaps. I do notice even though I am working out consistently and eating healthy but it is harder to get rid of the belly fat and my weight is not moving lower. I find myself easily stressed and anxious about stupid crap sometimes and on occassion, rarely, will nap which I have never done in the past. Is this related to Low T or related to just LIFE, not really sure.

I do worry about starting testosterone and shutting down my natural production and experiencing things like high red blood cells and some of the other issues I asked about in my original post above. Speaking of that, any insight as to whether its true that seminal fluid is reduced along with penis sensitivity?

Yes CoastWatcher, I realize my primary is not the right person to consult on this matter. If I go down the path of TRT I plan on reaching out to a doctor or clinic that specialize in this area. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of trust for doctors in these areas. I tend to feel it is just a money making machine for many of them and not truly about the patients well being. Not saying all.

Reduction in seminal fluid and a loss of sensitivity in the penis can be an issue for men on TRT. Not for all men, but certainly for some. Having said that, TRT was a life-changer in my own case and I have traveled a smooth, reasonably trouble-free highway once I connected with a doctor who understood this process and saw me as a partner, not simply a patient.

You wrote that you would like your doctor to test free and total testosterone. You certainly know that there are many more tests that need to be run prior to making a decision on hormone replacement. Are you deferring discussion of those until you know where your testosterone values are sitting?

CoastWatcher said:

Reduction in seminal fluid and a loss of sensitivity in the penis can be an issue for men on TRT. Not for all men, but certainly for some. Having said that, TRT was a life-changer in my own case and I have traveled a smooth, reasonably trouble-free highway once I connected with a doctor who understood this process and saw me as a partner, not simply a patient.

You wrote that you would like your doctor to test free and total testosterone. You certainly know that there are many more tests that need to be run prior to making a decision on hormone replacement. Are you deferring discussion of those until you know where your testosterone values are sitting?

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Yes. I wanted to at least get those values first. Try to get as much covered under my insurance policy that I can. My current doctor will not order a hormone panel up front. So hoping when I arrive at my physical with blood work that includes TRT I can then open discussion to running other blood work. Once I get all my blood work then will approach a doctor/clinic that specializes in TRT.

Nelson has a post on "Suggested Lab Tests and Questions Before and After Initiation of Testosterone Replacement" you should check it out. https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...-After-Initiation-of-Testosterone-Replacement

Vince said:

Nelson has a post on "Suggested Lab Tests and Questions Before and After Initiation of Testosterone Replacement" you should check it out. https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...-After-Initiation-of-Testosterone-Replacement

Click to expand...

I clicked on link and it says there is an error with link.

Penile sensitivity didn't go down but then again I didn't have much to start. Fluid does go down for most and also testicular size BUT Hcg helps most with all those issues, I would not do trt myself without it. I tried it without and when my system shuts down testes size and libido go away so it's a must for me.

On a managed protocol (not just taking testosterone) other levels like blood work and estrogen are managed.

Your body doesn stop producing after a few weeks to months but Hcg stimulates the testes so that is much less of an issue.

If your doctor is difficult ordering labs I wouldn't get my hopes up in getting a well managed trt from him.
You need full labs to see if another problem is causing your issues, to see if another solution may be better and so forth. You only get one chance at getting a good pre trt snapshot.