Everything is perfect except low libido

Started test 6 weeks ago. I feel great. Good sleep, good training, feeling good and so on.

Was at 140 mg test and 500 iu hcg every week (EOD shots). I started to feel some pain in the chest and did a fast blood test to only check test and estradiol. Came back at 48nmol/l and 0.17 nmol/l (Do I have low T/E ratio?). Changed my dose to 87.5mg a week.

So I have seen glimpses of libido. In the start I was horny. When I changed my dose I took a pause of 5 days, and when I started again I got good libido.

I have no problems with erections. My erections are hard and full. I need to look at the porn that turns me the most on to be able to orgasm. I dont get very aroused, but when I orgasm its really intense.

What do you guys think? Should I just stay on this protocol for some time if things are in range?

I will be taking bloods next monday (first blood test I am showing to my doctor).

fm7live said:

So I have seen glimpses of libido. In the start I was horny. When I changed my dose I took a pause of 5 days, and when I started again I got good libido.

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You biology either doesn't like steady hormone levels, needing a fast peak and fast decline or the hCG is causing your libido problems which is very common.

HCG, basically stimulates the LH receptors in a way that isn't natural, or pulsatile, instead LH receptors are nearly constantly stimulated. Things can tend to downregulate when overstimulated as it's a protective mechanism.

You'll see this in men who are on Test only, when overdosed. You'll even hear bodybuilders report diminished libido while on cycle.

I had similar problems on injections, erections and libido would appear for only a few days after making a change, then never again. I switched to Jatenzo, oral testosterone, creating rapid large hormonal peaks (within 2 hours -> 1000 ng/dL, 6 hours 592 ng/dL, 9 hours 408 ng/dL, 12 hours 298 ng/dL) and rapid declines in hormones. This resolved my issues.

This rapid peak and decline in hormones gives my body a break so to speak, rather than constantly elevated hormones overstimulating me and also dragging my ferritin levels down.

Here you'll see the PK profiles on oral testosterone, Jatenzo, Kyzatrex and Orlando. Oral testosterone will produce less side effects than injections, especially with regards to erythrocytosis.

Muscle building potential will likely be reduced on oral testosterone as it's been documented that topical T-cream has a disadvantage to injections with regards to lean muscle mass in the lower extremities.

You could make the argument -> less anabolic effects, less side effects, less benefit. I believe won't matter in all but the genetically blessed individuals.



Injections creates peaks much more gradually and prolonged.

I dont have access to oral T. What would you suggest that I did? Could it be better with less frequent injections? I see a lot of guys saying that using weekly injections help on libido.

But I have no problem with erections. If I get horny I get really hard. Always rock morning wood. Also orgasms are really good

fm7live said:

Could it be better with less frequent injections? I see a lot of guys saying that using weekly injections help on libido.

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You could just lower your dosage and continue EOD injections. I would make smaller moves if you want to change the frequency of shots, EOD -> twice weekly. If that fails you know you should start dailies.

Some men respond better to bigger fluctuations, others not so much.

Libido can be very finicky with these hormonal treatments.

fm7live said:

If I get horny I get really hard. Always rock morning wood.

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Men often times confuse libido with arousal, the latter is a physical response to an erection, when the nerves in the penis are stimulated, libido is in the brain, sexual thoughts and fantasies.

I believe you're talking about arousal, not libido. You mention this occurs when your erections are really hard -> blood flow.

Ok. Thanks. How many weeks should is it best to stay on one change? What do you think about my estrogen ratio btw? I am currently at 25-30% bodyfat. Just started the process of losing weight.

fm7live said:

How many weeks should is it best to stay on one change?

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6-8 weeks. Losing weight can only help matters. This will change your testosterone to estrogen ratios and improves things across the board.

I would need normal ranges for free testosterone to determine ratios to estrogen. Correct me if I'm wrong, estrogen is typically in pmol/L and testosterone nmol/L.

fm7live said:

Started test 6 weeks ago. I feel great. Good sleep, good training, feeling good and so on.

Was at 140 mg test and 500 iu hcg every week (EOD shots). I started to feel some pain in the chest and did a fast blood test to only check test and estradiol. Came back at 48nmol/l and 0.17 nmol/l (Do I have low T/E ratio?). Changed my dose to 87.5mg a week.

So I have seen glimpses of libido. In the start I was horny. When I changed my dose I took a pause of 5 days, and when I started again I got good libido.

I have no problems with erections. My erections are hard and full. I need to look at the porn that turns me the most on to be able to orgasm. I dont get very aroused, but when I orgasm its really intense.

What do you guys think? Should I just stay on this protocol for some time if things are in range?

I will be taking bloods next monday (first blood test I am showing to my doctor).

Click to expand...

Big mistake getting caught up on that honeymoon period whether first starting T or tweaking a protocol (increasing dose of T) where it is common for one to experience a strong increase in libido/erections.

Unfortunately for many this is short-lived as the body will eventually adapt to its new set-point and for many libido tends to wane more into what would be considered normal/healthy.

Again having a healthy FT is only one piece of the puzzle as libido let alone ED are multifactorial.

Do not get caught up on that more T is better mentality especially when it comes to libido/erectile function!

Everyone wasting their lives on these so called men's health forums are brainwashed by that more T is better mentality.

You know that I need to be hitting a trough TT >1000 ng/dL with a sky-high trough FT to boot!

LMFAO!

Getting quality sleep, minimizing stress (physical/mental), following a healthy diet, exercising/staying active, improving overall vascular health will have a far bigger impact than jacking up your trough FT!

Also need to keep in mind the first 6 weeks means nothing when looking at the bigger picture!

Would not even considered tweaking a protocol 6 weeks in unless trough FT level was too low (highly unlikely) or trough FT level was too high and one was experiencing sides.

Unfortunately many men are overmedicated on T from the get-go!

As you can see on 140 mg T split into EOD injections with hCG thrown in to boot you were hitting an absurdly high TT 48 nmol/L (1384 ng/dL).

You did not even test the most important blood marker free testosterone!

Even then although TT is important to know FT is what truly matters as it is the active unbound fraction of T responsible for the positive effects.

Have no clue where your SHBG sits but with a whopping TT of almost 1400 ng/dL your FT would have been anywhere from absurdly high--->high.

Have no clue if you even tested at the true trough which would be 48 hrs post-injection when following an EOD injection frequency.





Pay close attention here!

Also remember when first starting TTh or tweaking a protocol (increasing/decreasing T dose) hormones will be in FLUX during the weeks leading up until blood levels have stabilized (4-6 weeks TE/TC) and it is common to experience ups/downs during the transition as the body is trying to adjust.

Even then once blood levels have stabilized it will still take the body time (a few more months) to adapt to its new set-point and this is the CRITICAL time period when one needs to gauge how they truly feel overall regarding relief/improvement of low-T symptoms and overall well-being!

The first 6 weeks means nothing when looking at the bigger picture here.

Every protocol needs to be given a fighting chance (12 weeks) before claiming whether it was truly a success or failure!

If you jump the gun too soon which many of the misinformed do then you will be left chasing your tail endlessly caught up on that never-ending merry go round!

Again patience is key.

Have realistic expectations especially when it comes to libido and erectile function!

Thank you. Yeah. The bloods were taken at a through. I was only adjusting since I felt the chest pain and if the T was to high, which most likely would result in bad sides, it was better to just change it and there and then rather than waiting for months. I will just hold my protocol for a time and then look at it afterwards.

What do you think about my dosing scheduele?

Sunday and today I have started to see glimpses of libido. I can feel it tinkle in my penis and balls, while I simountaneosly get a bit aroused looking at women. Is this a good sign? I think my levels have been stable mayne 2-3 weeks.

fm7live said:

Started test 6 weeks ago. I feel great. Good sleep, good training, feeling good and so on.

Was at 140 mg test and 500 iu hcg every week (EOD shots). I started to feel some pain in the chest and did a fast blood test to only check test and estradiol. Came back at 48nmol/l and 0.17 nmol/l (Do I have low T/E ratio?). Changed my dose to 87.5mg a week.

So I have seen glimpses of libido. In the start I was horny. When I changed my dose I took a pause of 5 days, and when I started again I got good libido.

I have no problems with erections. My erections are hard and full. I need to look at the porn that turns me the most on to be able to orgasm. I dont get very aroused, but when I orgasm its really intense.

What do you guys think? Should I just stay on this protocol for some time if things are in range?

I will be taking bloods next monday (first blood test I am showing to my doctor).

Click to expand...

Drop the porn and get yourself a beautiful woman with a healthy sex drive.

@madman @Systemlord

fm7live said:

I can feel it tinkle in my penis and balls, while I simountaneosly get a bit aroused looking at women. Is this a good sign?

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You can draw no conclusions when your hormone levels are in flux and your body’s ability to regulate the hormones once they are stable. The true test will be beyond 6 week mark.

If you do lose the newfound sexual benefits after the 6 week mark, that doesn’t mean that these won’t return once you improve your health further down the road.

Your diet and whether or not you go to the gym and lift weights will determine how much you benefit from TRT, because TRT works better when you’re lifting weights which increases many other hormones, including growth hormone.

Also, stop worrying about it, because this can psychologically trick yourself into believing in you can’t get an erection and therefore you can’t. Fifty three percent of the participants that took Cialis in the clinical trials, the ones that got placebo got improvements in erections because they thought they couldn’t get an erection and therefore it became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Currently lifting weights and dieting down. Its much easier now. Have been lifting my whole light. I weight 104 kg and bench 120kg for reps, squat 150kg for reps etc. I feel that it´s easier for my body to burn the fat of my body. Much more stable blood sugar levels.

I will just let it be. I feel improvements every day. This medicine is just freaking amazing.

Again. Thanks for the reply. I have this halfway OCD, so I could easily have ended up changing protocol again