Do Labs Taken During Honeymoon Periods Tell You Your Sweet Spot For Levels or Anything Useful?

[ResearchIt]

I don't have labs from when I was 25 or 30 or even 39 when things were awesome. Wish I did since perhaps it would help me know what to target now.

Has anyone done labs during honeymoon periods when everything is great?

Do honeymoon lab numbers tell you anything special or give you a glimse of your numbers in the past?

Or is there some other "X factor" responsible during the honeymoon period that just doesn't show up on labs?

 

[Systemlord]

Do honeymoon lab numbers tell you anything special or give you a glimse of your numbers in the past?

No.

Or is there some other "X factor" responsible during the honeymoon period that just doesn't show up on labs?

Gene CAG repeat lengths.

Recommendations on the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of hypogonadism in men - PMC

Hypogonadism or Testosterone Deficiency (TD) in adult men as defined by low levels of serum testosterone accompanied by characteristic symptoms and/or signs as detailed further on can be found in long-recognized clinical entities such as Klinefelter ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Meanwhile the number of CAG (cytosine–adenine–guanine triplet) repeats in androgen receptor differs in men and influences the androgen receptor activity [61–64] (Figure 1). Hence testosterone sensitivity may vary in different individuals.

Has anyone done labs during honeymoon periods when everything is great?

The honeymoon period on TRT has to do with being in a low-T state which the body increases the number of T receptors, in the same way the body creates more transferrin when iron is low.

So when you begin TRT, there are a huge number of T receptors in the body. You start TRT and the honeymoon period begins, but after a while the body starts to normalize and T receptor count goes down to a normal level since there is more T in the body.

I would even argue that perhaps some men's body might actually reduce T receptors by too much due to constantly elevated hormone levels.

Wish I did since perhaps it would help me know what to target now.

I target the entire normal range for treatment, 289->980 ng/dL as my levels are always changing due to the very short half-life.

I believe static hormones aren't for everyone and is why some men struggle on TRT.

 

[Anonymon]

No.


Gene CAG repeat lengths.

Recommendations on the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of hypogonadism in men - PMC

Hypogonadism or Testosterone Deficiency (TD) in adult men as defined by low levels of serum testosterone accompanied by characteristic symptoms and/or signs as detailed further on can be found in long-recognized clinical entities such as Klinefelter ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The honeymoon period on TRT has to do with being in a low-T state which the body increases the number of T receptors, in the same way the body creates more transferrin when iron is low.

So when you begin TRT, there are a huge number of T receptors in the body. You start TRT and the honeymoon period begins, but after a while the body starts to normalize and T receptor count goes down to a normal level since there is more T in the body.

I would even argue that perhaps some men's body might actually reduce T receptors by too much due to constantly elevated hormone levels.


I target the entire normal range for treatment, 289->980 ng/dL as my levels are always changing due to the very short half-life.

I believe static hormones aren't for everyone and is why some men struggle on TRT.

I don’t know about the T receptor thing. A huge influx of test compared to baseline is going to case a lot of other things to happen though, then the body tries normalizing more and you figure it out from there. I know what you’re saying would be true of test’s affect on dopamine levels, which is partly why if you’re trying to lower your dose like I am now to test some things out, you can go through a period where you’re more depressed but it will typically normalize as long as you’re not under dosing with the new dose. Test also causes some people’s thyroid to go up to keep up with it, and if your thyroid’s already having trouble keeping up that can also be an issue.

Pretty much any of the major hormones like test or thyroid or cortisol or growth hormone all impact one another. A lot of the honeymoon period’s probably tied more to the rest of your body’s resources not having down regulated yet.

Not that you can’t have better periods than the honeymoon period. If I’m on the right T3 and T4 and test, I actually feel better than I had in the honeymoon period, or potentially ever, sans losing penile sensation, which is a big downside.

I think TRT’s actually best suited for people that don’t need it. Which isn’t to say plenty of people don’t do wonderfully on it. But the people that do the best are usually ones where everything’s working fine anyway and their body just upregulates everything. People with holes in their bucket health wise usually have things drain out faster and potentially develop bigger holes.

 

[Vince]

My first TRT protocol at age 60 was 70 mg of testosterone cyp and 500 IU of HCG twice a week. I injected both on the same day, Sunday morning and Wednesday morning. My levels were perfect and I felt great. I did get the testosterone flu for 2 weeks and was crazy horny but I felt great overall.

I got labs 12 weeks after starting and now every 6 months.

The only thing I didn't like was donated blood every 8 weeks. Thankfully my HCT stabilize after 2 years and I no longer have to donate.

 

[ResearchIt]

Gene CAG repeat lengths.

Thanks for the feedback. Does anyone know of a clinic, lab, university, etc where individuals can get this test done?

 

[ResearchIt]

The honeymoon period on TRT has to do with being in a low-T state

That make sense, I guess it's like drinking caffeine. Strong effect initially and then it settles down with a more moderate effect.

 

[ResearchIt]

Not that you can’t have better periods than the honeymoon period. If I’m on the right T3 and T4 and test, I actually feel better than I had in the honeymoon period, or potentially ever, sans losing penile sensation, which is a big downside.

I think TRT’s actually best suited for people that don’t need it. Which isn’t to say plenty of people don’t do wonderfully on it. But the people that do the best are usually ones where everything’s working fine anyway and their body just upregulates everything. People with holes in their bucket health wise usually have things drain out faster and potentially develop bigger holes.

Thanks for your feedback as well. I am new to all of this and have not tried TRT yet. I am planning to trial a few other things first (enclomiphene and then Natesto). If I do have a honeymoon period when taking those, I wanted to see if I should get some labs done during that period. It sounds like doing that probably isn't very useful as the honeymoon period is more my body's reaction to something new versus me finding the suite spot for my hormone levels.

 

[Anonymon]

Thanks for your feedback as well. I am new to all of this and have not tried TRT yet. I am planning to trial a few other things first (enclomiphene and then Natesto). If I do have a honeymoon period when taking those, I wanted to see if I should get some labs done during that period. It sounds like doing that probably isn't very useful as the honeymoon period is more my body's reaction to something new versus me finding the suite spot for my hormone levels.

That sounds about right.

 

[Cyclingislife]

My best advice is keep a simple daily journal of your dose of all meds & most importantly how you feel ever single day, I even track sex drive. Also, put your lab results in there. Over time you’ll see patterns develop as you hit your sweet spot. I think testing when you feel good is very useful data. You just don’t want to fall into the trap of testing whenever you feel bad. You have to give any changes in protocol at least 6-8 weeks to stabilize. Tracking how you feel is paramount to all else. You can tweak your protocol over time based on your own data instead of running labs all the time.. I learned this approach by doing an online consult with a seasoned trt doc, 20 years experience in the field. You’ll find this data to be essential. And, be patient. I think it took me a year to dial in. My protocol now is 24mg EOD cyp & 200IU HCG m,w,f. I have lower shbg 17, I feel best with free T around 225-250 (range 50-200), total t 950 (range 300-1100), my E2 stays around 20 (Range 0-40) I have taken 1/4 mg Anastrozole once per week but going to try to taper that off. Hope this helps!