Welcome to the forum. A lot to unpack here but here are some thoughts.
- I agree with Vince that going with a clinic like Defy that specializes in hormones is the way to go as far as clinicians are concerned
- If I had it to do over again I would certainly start with something like clomid or enclomiphene
- The biggest risk of TRT, by far, from what I have seen in over 10 years observing this space, is decreased erectile function that does not resolve, even if you stop TRT. Gyno, while a problem for some, is at least resolvable by surgery, however the erection issues are an ongoing problem for those that develop that issue, so if your erections are good, I personally would not risk it, at least not to start with, given that there are other options for strength/Athletics.
- Regarding strength, you didn't say anything about your lifting approach or diet. IMO, 7 days per week is way too much and could lead to systemic over-training, especially if you are going to failure on any of your sets, which would make it even worse. That alone, independent of hormones could fully explain your decline, as could diet if you are not keeping your body in a state of abundance.
- Further, as you age (I'm 63 and have been lifting for 45 years) you are going to need to put much more effort into stretching, agility, explosiveness, sprinting, gymnastics-type work, conditioning and injury rehab, so you want an excess of recovery ability and nutrients to be able to handle all of that.
- For athletics, once you have diet and (sustainable) training in place, if I had it to do over again, I would start with something in the growth hormone family (likely MGF1-29/Ipamorelin secretagogues) and possibly an intermittent low-dose anabolic like oxandrolone (which Defy can prescribe) several times per week. That should be much lower risk (and much simpler to dial in) than full-blown TRT for both erections and gyno.
- There are other things that could be contributing to the symptoms you're experiencing such as thyroid issues or an unresolved low-level infection, so a work-up from a good holistic doc who can check such things without being constrined by maintream thinking may make sense. I don't follow the thyroid space closely, but as far as I know, it is low-risk to experiment with a low dose of supplementation which a good clinic should be able to help you with.
- Nutrient deficiencies could also explain your symptoms. I recommend people start with the book The Perfect Health Diet, by Paul Jaminet for a baseline of nutrient recommendations, but lifelong learning is in your future on all these topics if you want to stay healthy. Ok, I hope that helps.
