TRT + HCG for Fertility?

[Diablo666]

Hi,

I am about to switch from clomid to TRT + HCG for fertility, and I wanted to understand why that is supposed to be effective for fertility if HCG provides LH which is good for the testes to keep producing testosterone, but the pituitary will stop producing LH and FSH.. so should I be looking to add HMG or any FSH replacement as well?

 

[CoastWatcher]

Hi,

I am about to switch from clomid to TRT + HCG for fertility, and I wanted to understand why that is supposed to be effective for fertility if HCG provides LH which is good for the testes to keep producing testosterone, but the pituitary will stop producing LH and FSH.. so should I be looking to add HMG or any FSH replacement as well?

There are multiple threads on this subject in the HCG folder. Here is an excellent overview.
https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...e-Testicular-Shrinkage-and-Preserve-Fertility

 

[Vince]

HCG mimics LH. It has been shown to make Leydig cells produce testosterone.
HCG's effect as a LH mimicker plus its ability to increase IT seem to be the reasons why men were able to preserve fertility (normal sperm) when using testosterone replacement plus 500 IU HCG every other day in Dr Lipshultz' study. The main surprising result of that study is that normal sperm quality can be preserved by this combo even in the absence of FSH, a gonadotropin thought to be essential in sperm production.

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...e-Fertility-Libido-and-Testicular-Size-Part-3

 

[HealthMan]

For some people HCG alone is enough to keep spermatogenisis at a adequate level for conception. However for some people it might not be enough. In my case HCG alone at a dosage of 500IU 3x a week gave me a total sperm count of 3 million per ml (normal is above 15-20million per ml). But my case is actually quite normal. If you look at different forums in the internet a lot of people on TRT + HCG are subfertile (i.e. Sperm count < 15-20 million per ml). But conception at these levels is very well possible if other parameters like fwd progression and motility are normal. So a lot of people on TRT + HCG will have no problems getting their partner pregnant but they might never know they are subfertile if they never have a sperm analysis done.
One thing to remember is that HCG has a very very weak FSH like activity. This is probably why when people keep increasing HCG dosage beyond the dosage that normalizes intratesticular testosterone levels they usually see an increase in sperm count. However, in my opinion, this is not the ideal approach. You will be using crazy amounts of HCG to have, most of the time, just a marginal improvement in sperm count compared to using just the enough dosage to keep intertratesticular testosterone levels normal.
The ideal approach here if money is not an issue is to add FSH to your protocol. Both intratesticular testosterone levels and FSH activity is necessary for optimal spermatogenisis. FSH will stimulated sertori cells and provide the ideal environment for spermatogenisis to take place.
I have started FSH a couple of weeks ago (added to my TRT + HCG protocol) and i am actually feeling better (sex drive, erections and energy levels are all up). Not sure if this is just coincidence or placebo effect but that has been my experience.
If i were you i would get a baseline sperm analysis done before switching to TRT + HCG. After you switch get another sperm analysis done in a few months. And if necessary add FSH.
Best of luck