HCG -- How Long To Feel/See Results?

[JPB]

The hCG will not stimulate the pituitary it will shut it down further (temporarily) however, it will (as an LH substitute) hopefully stimulate your testicles to produce more T. I suspect your doctor wants to see if your testicles are responsive to the hCG, to help determine to what degree part of your problem is primary hypogonadism. The typical way to stimulate the pituitary to release more gonadotropins is with clomid therapy. I do agree with Nelson regarding checking prolactin, too.

 

[Shepard Growlski]

The hCG will not stimulate the pituitary it will shut it down further (temporarily) however, it will (as an LH substitute) hopefully stimulate your testicles to produce more T. I suspect your doctor wants to see if your testicles are responsive to the hCG, to help determine to what degree part of your problem is primary hypogonadism. The typical way to stimulate the pituitary to release more gonadotropins is with clomid therapy. I do agree with Nelson regarding checking prolactin, too.

Doctor is against clomid, I've pushed him on it before. Said he prefers HCG because of eye infections/problems with clomid. I read online that those fears are overblown. Plus from what I've read, clomid doesn't mimic LH...only stimulates it...so it appears to be better for you than HCG.

Everyone: thank you so much for all of the extremely helpful replies. I will certainly heed to your advice and really appreciate it.

 

[Vitamin_C]

I'd consult with an Endo only for an MRI to rule out tumors . For androgen therapy I would not .

 

[DaveK22]

You need a better dr. ASAP.
You are too young to have numbers that low and not have the root cause investigated.

Agree 1000%. Any chance OP used isotretinoin (aka Accutane)?

 

[Vince Carter]

I'd consult with an Endo only for an MRI to rule out tumors . For androgen therapy I would not .

Agreed 100%

 

[Shepard Growlski]

Agree 1000%. Any chance OP used isotretinoin (aka Accutane)?

No, I never used that.

Do you all think that prolactin is still worth checking out even though I've already gotten an MRI on the head done?

 

[Vince Carter]

PRl is worth looking at, it's been an area of focus for me lately. If you do get the test, abstain from any sex activity/orgasm for 24hrs prior. We can advise from there.

 

[Shepard Growlski]

PRl is worth looking at, it's been an area of focus for me lately. If you do get the test, abstain from any sex activity/orgasm for 24hrs prior. We can advise from there.

Okay, I'll try to get one of these doctors to give me a lab slip for it. Thanks!

 

[CoastWatcher]

Okay, I'll try to get one of these doctors to give me a lab slip for it. Thanks!

Ontain the results yourself through Discountedlabs.com. Self-testing puts the patient in control.

 

[Shepard Growlski]

Didn't realize that my prolactin level was actually checked a few months ago. It's at 12.2 (reference range: 4.0 - 15.2). Does that change any of your opinions?

Summary:

T-level: 19 ng/dl (was 47 ng/dl a couple of months ago WITHOUT fasting, taken in PM instead of AM)
Free Testosterone: 1.0
LH: 1.8 (was 2.9 a couple of months ago WITHOUT fasting, taken in PM instead of AM)
FSH: 2.2 (was 3.0 a couple of months ago WITHOUT fasting, taken in PM instead of AM)
TSH: 3.810
Free T4: 1.43
Prolactin: 12.2

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

Remember: I just came on here to ask how long the HCG would take to kick in, wasn't even thinking that y'all would pick up on other issues.

Thanks again all, sorry for being a bother

You're not being a bother. People are mentioning all these other issues to you, because they are important.

Your doctor blowing off your TSH level without further investigation into your thyroid, represents a failure on his part to provide you with a world class standard of medical care. Like many others have mentioned here, you need a full thyroid panel, to include: TSH, Free T3, Free T4, reverse T3, and TPO antibodies to get the full story. The fact that your doctor explained away your high TSH, saying it was in range/ok means that he's either lazy or incompetent...two traits that I look to avoid when choosing someone to manage my medical well being.

Bottom line is, are you satisfied with the standard of medical care you've received so far from your chorus line of doctors, which included 2 Endos and a Urologist? Are you frustrated bouncing around from doctor to doctor trying to find the answer to your medical issues? May I suggest that you stop torturing yourself, and go see a doctor that understands androgen replacement, that is respected not only here at Excelmale, but all over the country. Stop chasing your tail and wasting your time...call Defy Medical, and get the standard of medical care that you deserve.