Effect of adding DHT gel to hCG monotherapy

Forty2 · Mar 9, 2025

If one were to add DHT gel to hCG monotherapy, would it likely reduce testosterone and estradiol to any significant degree?

Cataceous · Mar 9, 2025

That's highly dependent on the doses involved. DHT can inhibit aromatase, so at high enough levels there could be a noticeable effect on estradiol, but still nothing like a dedicated aromatase inhibitor. The dose of hCG also matters. At lower doses the HPTA may not be fully suppressed, implying some of the testosterone production is stimulated by LH. In this case high enough doses of DHT could have a suppressive effect, which in turn would reduce LH, leaving only the hCG to stimulate testosterone production. This could in theory cause a measurable decrease in testosterone and estradiol. My best guess is that with typical hCG monotherapy and physiological DHT dosing there would not be dramatic effects on testosterone and estradiol. Nonetheless, given hCG's notoriety for increasing estradiol and DHT's opposition to estrogen in general, there is some likelihood of positive subjective effects.

Forty2 · Mar 9, 2025

Cataceous said:
That's highly dependent on the doses involved. DHT can inhibit aromatase, so at high enough levels there could be a noticeable effect on estradiol, but still nothing like a dedicated aromatase inhibitor. The dose of hCG also matters. At lower doses the HPTA may not be fully suppressed, implying some of the testosterone production is stimulated by LH. In this case high enough doses of DHT could have a suppressive effect, which in turn would reduce LH, leaving only the hCG to stimulate testosterone production. This could in theory cause a measurable decrease in testosterone and estradiol. My best guess is that with typical hCG monotherapy and physiological DHT dosing there would not be dramatic effects on testosterone and estradiol. Nonetheless, given hCG's notoriety for increasing estradiol and DHT's opposition to estrogen in general, there is some likelihood of positive subjective effects.

Thanks very much, Cat. Excellent reply!
Do you know approximately what dose of hCG would stimulate testosterone but not suppress LH to significant degree?
I only have blood work from using 500 in eod, which did suppress LH a lot.
I wonder if a dose as low 150iu eod would work?

Cataceous · Mar 9, 2025

Forty2 said:
...
Do you know approximately what dose of hCG would stimulate testosterone but not suppress LH to significant degree?
I only have blood work from using 500 in eod, which did suppress LH a lot.
I wonder if a dose as low 150iu eod would work?

Your one measurement is already more useful than any guesswork I might provide, especially if we assume a fair amount of individual variability. To me it says that lowering the dose to 150 IU hCG EOD has a decent chance of reducing suppression to the point where LH is at least low-normal.