Will HCG work after 10 years of TRT?

[Michael D]

I think my title pretty much says it all. I've been on TRT for about 10 years for secondary hypogonadism. I don't take any other hormones or substances, just T (50 mg injected 2X week). My testicles are miniscule, as would be expected. Is it too late to add HCG to my regimen?

 

[Systemlord]

There’s no reason to assume hCG wont work, even after 10-20 years.

 

[Vince]

I agree with Systemlord, HCG will still work. Inject 250 IU to 500 IU twice a week. Your testicles will become full again.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

It worked in most men that brought hCG into their TRT years after starting. But older guys and those who had been on TRT the longest did not do as well as the others.

HCG plus TRT to Prevent / Reverse Testicular Shrinkage and Decreased Fertility

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (From the book Testosterone: A Mans Guide, amazon.com) Short podcast: hCG: What Every Man Should Know Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) (not to be confused with human growth hormone, or HGH) is a glycoprotein hormone that mimics LH (luteinizing hormone), produced...

www.excelmale.com

 

[audiocide]

Please tell me if this is off-topic, but I am very interested in your opinions about getting desensitized to hCG with long-term use, in conjunction with Testosterone.

 

[Michael D]

It worked in most men that brought hCG into their TRT years after starting. But older guys and those who had been on TRT the longest did not do as well as the others.

HCG plus TRT to Prevent / Reverse Testicular Shrinkage and Decreased Fertility

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (From the book Testosterone: A Mans Guide, amazon.com) Short podcast: hCG: What Every Man Should Know Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) (not to be confused with human growth hormone, or HGH) is a glycoprotein hormone that mimics LH (luteinizing hormone), produced...

www.excelmale.com

Thanks for the reply, Nelson. I'm 59, so I don't know if I fall into your "older guys" category. As you age, you never really consider yourself to be old! But I have been on TRT for a decade. I ordered some HCG from Reliable and I'll give it a try. I'm assuming you can't draw the HCG into the same needle as T because one is water based and the other oil based?

 

[bruin]

Thanks for the reply, Nelson. I'm 59, so I don't know if I fall into your "older guys" category. As you age, you never really consider yourself to be old! But I have been on TRT for a decade. I ordered some HCG from Reliable and I'll give it a try. I'm assuming you can't draw the HCG into the same needle as T because one is water based and the other oil based?

there is another forum which address your question, I do not mix, no specific reason, but there are alot of guys that do.

 

[AnthonyMTB]

I never had any issues mixing them. Although HCG Gave me fantastic libido, I just couldn't handle some unpleasant sides. It was 3 years in, before I added HCG and my testicles filled out immediately. I'm now 49.

 

[Michael D]

I never had any issues mixing them. Although HCG Gave me fantastic libido, I just couldn't handle some unpleasant sides. It was 3 years in, before I added HCG and my testicles filled out immediately. I'm now 49.

If you don't mind, can you share with me the side effects that caused you to stop the HCG? I don't know what to expect...and probably need to do some more homework before I give myself the first shot. How long did it take for the side effects to manifest and how long did you tough it out, hoping they would ease, before you gave up?

 

[Midwestdan]

If you don't mind, can you share with me the side effects that caused you to stop the HCG? I don't know what to expect...and probably need to do some more homework before I give myself the first shot. How long did it take for the side effects to manifest and how long did you tough it out, hoping they would ease, before you gave up?

Michael, I am no expert here but in the balancing act that is TRT- HCG can be awesome and also can bring sides that others have called out. Specifically- and correct me if I am wrong but in my experience, the HCG sides are bloating, inflammation and heart palpitations/ racing. Depends on dosage and sensitivity. This can freak you out if you have high red blood cell count because it can bump your blood pressure up due to the water retention. The combination of knowing your red count is 52-54, feeling bloated and a higher blood pressure AND then waking up at night with a racing heart- well that can be a little scary. Using less or cycle hcg may be helpful depending on your exact situation and how each of these compounds works on you. Reducing the shrinkage has psychological benefits and may be helpful to do sometimes. I am no expert and only have my specific experience. I try to keep in mind that the things that get you kicked off trt is usually High red count, high blood pressure or both. Again my experience only- others here are much more knowledgeable. I try to keep in mind that if your reds are high you can donate but it may reduce your ferritin- but it works. If your blood pressure is high you likely need to use a prescription which brings other sides or make serious dietary changes like what Stan Efferding suggests- low carb high protein. After several years it feels best to stick to the minimum dose to get to a reasonable level with as few sides as possible. Its better to be 750 and in balance than 1250 and fighting high reds, hi BP, racing heart and hair falling out. Maybe trt is best in combination with simple hi protein clean diet. Cheers and good luck

 

[JmarkH]

if you have high red blood cell count because it can bump your blood pressure up due to the water retention. The combination of knowing your red count is 52-54, feeling bloated and a higher blood pressure AND then waking up at night with a racing heart- well that can be a little scar

I get none of this from HCG. Lots of people get none of that. You can only go by what sides you personally get.

 

[Michael D]

Thanks for the input everyone. I'll just start with a low dose and see how it goes. I do have watch my RBC, and I am on meds for high BP, so I appreciate the warnings and I know what to watch. I've been fine without HCG, so I won't be disappointed if it doesn't work for me.

 

[Simbarn]

The other point to consider here, depending on whether your initial diagnosis was primary or secondary hypo, is that you may need to lower your T dosage, once your testes resume testosterone production. hCG can produce a reasonable amount for some men and this may push your T levels too high giving you the side effects of too much testosterone, which you may mistake for side effects of hCG.

In regard to your testes being atrophied for 10 years: There is a very interesting study which I will attach, that suggests (in the animal model at least) that the testes go into a state of hibernation when suppressed and that this state of hibernation may actually slow down the effect of ageing in the testicle itself. So not only may the testes still respond after being shut down for a long period, they may actually, take up where they left off so to speak; in your case, from 10 years ago!

 

[Vince]

Please tell me if this is off-topic, but I am very interested in your opinions about getting desensitized to hCG with long-term use, in conjunction with Testosterone.

I've been injecting 500 IU of HCG twice a week now for over 8 years. It still works for me and I'm not desensitized to HCG.

 

[Michael D]

That is an interesting study, but my interpretation of the results is that (assuming the results would be the same in humans) you pick up where you left off. My body was producing very little T by the time I started TRT...so picking up where I left off is not a very good place to be.

 

[Simbarn]

That is an interesting study, but my interpretation of the results is that (assuming the results would be the same in humans) you pick up where you left off. My body was producing very little T by the time I started TRT...so picking up where I left off is not a very good place to be.

This would depend on why your body was only producing a small amount. The fault appears not to be with your testes. It may be due to insufficient stimulation from the pituitary, as I see you were diagnosed with secondary hypo.
This may mean your testicles could respond quite strongly to hCG.

 

[AnthonyMTB]

If you don't mind, can you share with me the side effects that caused you to stop the HCG? I don't know what to expect...and probably need to do some more homework before I give myself the first shot. How long did it take for the side effects to manifest and how long did you tough it out, hoping they would ease, before you gave up?

I gave HCG A try for about 6 month. The unwanted sides I personally suffered with were bouts off anxiety, spots or acne which was also accompanied by an uncomfortable itchy rash on the top of my head. I was advised by a trt specialist with the Mojo clinic in the UK, to stop the HCG as the only reason I was taking it, was due to the fact that I liked the sexual benefits some but not all experience.
My personal opinion is definitely give it a try. It's a game changer if your lucky enough to reep the benefits without the slightly annoying but not extreme sides.

 

[Simbarn]

I gave HCG A try for about 6 month. The unwanted sides I personally suffered with were bouts off anxiety, spots or acne which was also accompanied by an uncomfortable itchy rash on the top of my head. I was advised by a trt specialist with the Mojo clinic in the UK, to stop the HCG as the only reason I was taking it, was due to the fact that I liked the sexual benefits some but not all experience.
My personal opinion is definitely give it a try. It's a game changer if your lucky enough to reep the benefits without the slightly annoying but not extreme sides.

Anthony, did you try Ovidrel instead of urinary derived hCG (Pregnyl)? Ovidrel is the recombinant version without the impurities found in urinary hCG.

 

[AnthonyMTB]

Anthony, did you try Ovidrel instead of urinary derived hCG (Pregnyl)? Ovidrel is the recombinant version without the impurities found in urinary hCG.

I haven't. This is something that I could discuss with my clinic at my next review. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Simbarn]

I haven't. This is something that I could discuss with my clinic at my next review. Thanks for the suggestion.

Ok, definitely worth considering as I get none of the estrogenic side effects from Ovidrel as I noticed at times with urinary hCG. Plus it does not degrade like urinary hCG does too. It is a much more stable compound in liquid form.