Hi, I’m 30 years old. From around the age of 22, I used steroids and TRT intermittently. These were never high bodybuilding doses, only doses meant to maintain sports performance. For the past year, my wife and I have been trying to conceive, and after 7 months of unsuccessful attempts, I went for a semen analysis—and the result terrified me: azoospermia. Zero sperm.
I immediately started comprehensive testing—genetically everything is fine, no mutations, karyotype is normal. I should add that this was about 10 months after my last testosterone use. After taking testosterone, I did a short post-cycle recovery with HCG, but it was underground HCG and lasted about a month, and I didn’t store it in the fridge.
After receiving the azoospermia result, I did hormone tests: FSH was 5.99 mIU/mL (normal 1.27–19.26), LH was 3.83 mIU/mL (normal 1.24–8.62), total testosterone was 329.65 ng/dL (normal 175–781), and free testosterone was 9.55 pg/mL (normal 7–22.70). Inhibin B was 171 pg/mL. Ultrasound showed everything is okay except that my testes are reduced in size to 9 and 11 mL, which the doctor said is fairly common after TRT.
After consultations, the doctor stated that my pituitary had “unblocked,” but my testes had not yet responded. For this reason, he prescribed HCG 500 IU every other day and Clomid 50 mg, 1 tablet every other day. During the treatment, I noticed increased libido, better orgasms, and improved erections, which I previously had issues with.
After 3 months, I repeated hormone tests: FSH increased to 8.83 mIU/mL, LH to 8.29 mIU/mL, total testosterone to 543 ng/dL, and free testosterone to 34.7 pg/mL (normal 12.3–46.6).
Yesterday, I received a semen analysis result after about 3.5 months of HCG and Clomid therapy—and there were still no sperm.
Has anyone else dealt with this? What should I do—wait longer, or maybe add HMG? I’ve heard that HCG + HMG therapy is more effective, but I’m not sure if that only applies to men with low FSH and LH. I would greatly appreciate any advice, because I’m very afraid that steroids and TRT may have permanently damaged my fertility.
I immediately started comprehensive testing—genetically everything is fine, no mutations, karyotype is normal. I should add that this was about 10 months after my last testosterone use. After taking testosterone, I did a short post-cycle recovery with HCG, but it was underground HCG and lasted about a month, and I didn’t store it in the fridge.
After receiving the azoospermia result, I did hormone tests: FSH was 5.99 mIU/mL (normal 1.27–19.26), LH was 3.83 mIU/mL (normal 1.24–8.62), total testosterone was 329.65 ng/dL (normal 175–781), and free testosterone was 9.55 pg/mL (normal 7–22.70). Inhibin B was 171 pg/mL. Ultrasound showed everything is okay except that my testes are reduced in size to 9 and 11 mL, which the doctor said is fairly common after TRT.
After consultations, the doctor stated that my pituitary had “unblocked,” but my testes had not yet responded. For this reason, he prescribed HCG 500 IU every other day and Clomid 50 mg, 1 tablet every other day. During the treatment, I noticed increased libido, better orgasms, and improved erections, which I previously had issues with.
After 3 months, I repeated hormone tests: FSH increased to 8.83 mIU/mL, LH to 8.29 mIU/mL, total testosterone to 543 ng/dL, and free testosterone to 34.7 pg/mL (normal 12.3–46.6).
Yesterday, I received a semen analysis result after about 3.5 months of HCG and Clomid therapy—and there were still no sperm.
Has anyone else dealt with this? What should I do—wait longer, or maybe add HMG? I’ve heard that HCG + HMG therapy is more effective, but I’m not sure if that only applies to men with low FSH and LH. I would greatly appreciate any advice, because I’m very afraid that steroids and TRT may have permanently damaged my fertility.
