Do testicles always shrink on hrt?

[IMT staff]

what is a 2kIU shot, i take 250IU now, so your talking 8 times that? When why would you do that?

If someone were shut down for a while, if someone were trying to increase fertility, if someone were doing a restart. The reason Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) is made in 5kIU dosages is because thats what most doctors were prescribing for fertility, and that is where almost all of the research comes from.

HCG was never intended to be dosed low in conjunction with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), I am not saying its wrong to use it that way, I am just saying there are more reasons to take a large shot than a small one.

Honestly I highly doubt 250IU at a time is doing much if anything for you, especially in conjunction with exogenous testosterone.

600IU a week will usually get someone up to 600ng/dl, on mono-therapy, so in conjunction I doubt it even breaks the negative feedback loop. At least it seems that way, because you are not noticing any of the positive symptoms, if you were taking enough then you would probably see more of an increase.

One could also make the argument that it should not increase testicle size either, since the leydig cells only make up 10% of the testes, but that is not what is seen clinically. Things like this only come from experience, that is why it is highly valuable to make sure your testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is being overseen by someone that has a lot of experience with TRT.

 

[300winmag]

so if you were to do a 2k IU shot how could you maintain that over time, or is it something where you do it once or twice and thats it.

I notice differences on what I am doing, and right now 250 every other is a 1000IU a week or there abouts. Even at that dose I notice high E at times, I can not imagine doing 8 times that at once.

Would this kind of shot be considered a restart.

 

[IMT staff]

It really depends on the individual. Each person will react differently to different dosages. I don't see a need to take those kind of dosages permanently, but during a restart, or if someone was off of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) for a while a dose or 3 like that may re sensitize the leydig cells quicker. I am not suggesting these types of dosages, I am just saying that if you haven't tried a stronger dose, then you may not realize your low dose isn't doing anything. It is also very important to take Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) E3 to E4 days, not EOD. The EOD dosing could contribute to more estrogen production.

Here is a study where they did 1500IU 3x a week for 23 months.

D'Agata R, Vicari E, Aliffi A, Maugeri G, Mongiol A, Gulizia S. Testicular Responsiveness to Chronic Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Administration in Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1982;55(1):76-80.

Steroidogenic responsiveness to long term hCG administration (1500 U three times a week for 23 months) was characterized in 8 males with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH). During hCG treatment, testosterone (T), which was in the prepuberal range under basal conditions, rose considerably to the upper end of the normal range and remained at that level during the 23 months of observation. A 2.5-fold increase was observed in serum levels of 17{beta}-estradiol (E2) an increment less than seen with T. The increment in 17{alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone was also lower than that in T throughout the study; thus, the 17{alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone to T ratio, despite continuous hCG administration, remained low. Serum androstenedione was slightly increased during hCG therapy. No significant changes were observed in serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone. These data indicate that continuous long term hCG administration stimulated T levels in HH, with a relatively small change in E2. The kinetics of the T and E2 responses to 2000 U hCG, evaluated after 23 months of therapy, indicated that the testicular response was markedly reduced. No increment in T levels was observed at 24 h; the maximal response occurred at 48 h. This pattern of T response supports the idea that partial testicular desensitization occurs in HH patients receiving chronic treatment with hCG.

androstenedione levels were elevated as well, this is why some men get more libido on Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) rather than on testosterone alone.