Help a guy out

[Young_Padawan]

Background info
Got bloodwork done in preparation for my first cycle (was planning a basic test cycle/blast & cruise). Everything came back surprisingly healthy (Iron, B12, Vit D, HbA1c, Thyroid, Lipids, Liver/Kidneys are all solid), but my Total Testosterone came back at 9 nmol/L (~260 ng/dL) and Free T is sitting right at the bottom of the reference range (173 pmol/L). I've had low energy and low libido for a while, but always assumed it was just fatigue from work/training. The baseline panel didn't include LH or FSH, so I don't have brain-signaling markers yet.

Pre-cycle stats

Height: 181 cm (~5'11")
Age: 20
Current weight: 77.5 kg (~171 lbs)
Target pre-cycle weight: ~70 kg (~154 lbs)
Lifting experience: 2 years proper hypertrophy style training, 1 and a bit years following diet and calories.
Goal: Put on size while staying aesthetic and healthy
Question/problem:
At 20 years old, with healthy lifestyle factors, diet, and recovery, my baseline testosterone is sitting below the clinical reference range. I am currently arranging an endocrinologist referral to get full signaling markers (LH/FSH, Prolactin, Cortisol) to rule out secondary hypogonadism or pituitary issues.
While I sort that out, I have a few questions about my plan:

1. ⁠Is it a massive mistake to jump on a cycle/blast & cruise right now without figuring out why my natural levels are low first? Should I wait out the 1–2 months for the specialist consult before touching gear?
2. ⁠I am currently cutting and want to get down to around 70kg before starting a proper bulk. Would it make sense to start on a low dose (e.g., 250mg/week) right now to finish the cut, see how my body reacts to the compound, and then step up to a ~400mg gain phase once lean? Or is using 250mg just to finish a cut a waste of gear/suppression?
3. ⁠For those with experience: did you resolve low baseline levels medically before touching gear, or did you just jump straight on TRT/cycling?

 

[Mr-cable]

We're you cutting when you got your bloods done? Chronic dieting/ calorie restriction will lower your T. If you were maybe bump cals up to maint or just above for a month or 2 and then retest. Make sure you're getting a good mix of healthy fats in your diet aswell.

 

[Young_Padawan]

We're you cutting when you got your bloods done? Chronic dieting/ calorie restriction will lower your T. If you were maybe bump cals up to maint or just above for a month or 2 and then retest. Make sure you're getting a good mix of healthy fats in your diet aswell.

I got my bloods done before I started the cut, or maybe the fist week into it

 

[HarleyGuy]

Background info
Got bloodwork done in preparation for my first cycle (was planning a basic test cycle/blast & cruise). Everything came back surprisingly healthy (Iron, B12, Vit D, HbA1c, Thyroid, Lipids, Liver/Kidneys are all solid), but my Total Testosterone came back at 9 nmol/L (~260 ng/dL) and Free T is sitting right at the bottom of the reference range (173 pmol/L). I've had low energy and low libido for a while, but always assumed it was just fatigue from work/training. The baseline panel didn't include LH or FSH, so I don't have brain-signaling markers yet.

Pre-cycle stats

Height: 181 cm (~5'11")
Age: 20
Current weight: 77.5 kg (~171 lbs)
Target pre-cycle weight: ~70 kg (~154 lbs)
Lifting experience: 2 years proper hypertrophy style training, 1 and a bit years following diet and calories.
Goal: Put on size while staying aesthetic and healthy
Question/problem:
At 20 years old, with healthy lifestyle factors, diet, and recovery, my baseline testosterone is sitting below the clinical reference range. I am currently arranging an endocrinologist referral to get full signaling markers (LH/FSH, Prolactin, Cortisol) to rule out secondary hypogonadism or pituitary issues.
While I sort that out, I have a few questions about my plan:

1. ⁠Is it a massive mistake to jump on a cycle/blast & cruise right now without figuring out why my natural levels are low first? Should I wait out the 1–2 months for the specialist consult before touching gear?
2. ⁠I am currently cutting and want to get down to around 70kg before starting a proper bulk. Would it make sense to start on a low dose (e.g., 250mg/week) right now to finish the cut, see how my body reacts to the compound, and then step up to a ~400mg gain phase once lean? Or is using 250mg just to finish a cut a waste of gear/suppression?
3. ⁠For those with experience: did you resolve low baseline levels medically before touching gear, or did you just jump straight on TRT/cycling?

I'd get bloods done again to confirm hypogonadism and if that is the case we can discuss TRT. I wouldn't necessarily cycle until you have the hypo figured out for yourself first while you're still natty.

You should start a log of this journey and document it for yourself bro. EF will help you out the whole way.

 

[Young_Padawan]

You should start a log of this journey and document it for yourself bro.

How do I do that?

 

[AriaBrooks]

Background info
Got bloodwork done in preparation for my first cycle (was planning a basic test cycle/blast & cruise). Everything came back surprisingly healthy (Iron, B12, Vit D, HbA1c, Thyroid, Lipids, Liver/Kidneys are all solid), but my Total Testosterone came back at 9 nmol/L (~260 ng/dL) and Free T is sitting right at the bottom of the reference range (173 pmol/L). I've had low energy and low libido for a while, but always assumed it was just fatigue from work/training. The baseline panel didn't include LH or FSH, so I don't have brain-signaling markers yet.

Pre-cycle stats

Height: 181 cm (~5'11")
Age: 20
Current weight: 77.5 kg (~171 lbs)
Target pre-cycle weight: ~70 kg (~154 lbs)
Lifting experience: 2 years proper hypertrophy style training, 1 and a bit years following diet and calories.
Goal: Put on size while staying aesthetic and healthy
Question/problem:
At 20 years old, with healthy lifestyle factors, diet, and recovery, my baseline testosterone is sitting below the clinical reference range. I am currently arranging an endocrinologist referral to get full signaling markers (LH/FSH, Prolactin, Cortisol) to rule out secondary hypogonadism or pituitary issues.
While I sort that out, I have a few questions about my plan:

1. ⁠Is it a massive mistake to jump on a cycle/blast & cruise right now without figuring out why my natural levels are low first? Should I wait out the 1–2 months for the specialist consult before touching gear?
2. ⁠I am currently cutting and want to get down to around 70kg before starting a proper bulk. Would it make sense to start on a low dose (e.g., 250mg/week) right now to finish the cut, see how my body reacts to the compound, and then step up to a ~400mg gain phase once lean? Or is using 250mg just to finish a cut a waste of gear/suppression?
3. ⁠For those with experience: did you resolve low baseline levels medically before touching gear, or did you just jump straight on TRT/cycling?

I'd definitely slow things down until you've had the endocrinology work-up completed. At 20, with total testosterone already low before any cycle, it makes sense to understand the cause rather than masking it. Once you start exogenous testosterone, it becomes much harder to know what your natural baseline really was. As for the log, just create a new thread in the log section and update it regularly with your bloodwork, body weight, training, diet, sleep, symptoms and any changes you make. Even if you stay natural for now, having everything documented will make it much easier to spot patterns and get useful feedback from experienced members.

 

[Grumpy1]

First of all if your intention is to see an endocrinologist then the answer to your question is definitely no if you were to start playing with testosterone this would obviously play with your levels and destroy any chance of getting anything through an endocrinologist
If you are not going that route then id agree with getting bloods again to confirm levels and then depending on your situation if you are thinking of having kids in the near future would then make a informed decision if trt or cycling is right for you
Starting a log and logging your journey would be beneficial for yourself and others in a similar situation

 

[AriaBrooks]

I'd definitely slow things down until you've had the endocrinology work-up completed. At 20, with total testosterone already low before any cycle, it makes sense to understand the cause rather than masking it. Once you start exogenous testosterone, it becomes much harder to know what your natural baseline really was. As for the log, just create a new thread in the log section and update it regularly with your bloodwork, body weight, training, diet, sleep, symptoms and any changes you make. Even if you stay natural for now, having everything documented will make it much easier to spot patterns and get useful feedback from experienced members.

Got bloodwork done in preparation for my first cycle (was planning a basic test cycle/blast & cruise). Everything came back surprisingly healthy (Iron, B12, Vit D, HbA1c, Thyroid, Lipids, Liver/Kidneys are all solid), but my Total Testosterone came back at 9 nmol/L (~260 ng/dL) and Free T is sitting right at the bottom of the reference range (173 pmol/L). I've had low energy and low libido for a while, but always assumed it was just fatigue from work/training. The baseline panel didn't include LH or FSH, so I don't have brain-signaling markers yet.

Pre-cycle stats

Height: 181 cm (~5'11")
Age: 20
Current weight: 77.5 kg (~171 lbs)
Target pre-cycle weight: ~70 kg (~154 lbs)
Lifting experience: 2 years proper hypertrophy style training, 1 and a bit years following diet and calories.
Goal: Put on size while staying aesthetic and healthy
Question/problem:
At 20 years old, with healthy lifestyle factors, diet, and recovery, my baseline testosterone is sitting below the clinical reference range. I am currently arranging an endocrinologist referral to get full signaling markers (LH/FSH, Prolactin, Cortisol) to rule out secondary hypogonadism or pituitary issues.
While I sort that out, I have a few questions about my plan:

1. ⁠Is it a massive mistake to jump on a cycle/blast & cruise right now without figuring out why my natural levels are low first? Should I wait out the 1–2 months for the specialist consult before touching gear? Välj ett casino utan BankID och https://casinonutanbankid.com/ spela tryggt med enkel åtkomst.
2. ⁠I am currently cutting and want to get down to around 70kg before starting a proper bulk. Would it make sense to start on a low dose (e.g., 250mg/week) right now to finish the cut, see how my body reacts to the compound, and then step up to a ~400mg gain phase once lean? Or is using 250mg just to finish a cut a waste of gear/suppression?
3. ⁠For those with experience: did you resolve low baseline levels medically before touching gear, or did you just jump straight on TRT/cycling?


First of all if your intention is to see an endocrinologist then the answer to your question is definitely no if you were to start playing with testosterone this would obviously play with your levels and destroy any chance of getting anything through an endocrinologist
If you are not going that route then id agree with getting bloods again to confirm levels and then depending on your situation if you are thinking of having kids in the near future would then make a informed decision if trt or cycling is right for you
Starting a log and logging your journey would be beneficial for yourself and others in a similar situation

I also think it's worth remembering that a single testosterone result doesn't always tell the whole story. Hormone levels can vary depending on sleep, stress, illness, training load and even the time the blood sample was taken. If your endocrinologist recommends repeating the test alongside LH, FSH, prolactin and SHBG, you'll have a much clearer picture before making any long-term decisions. Waiting another month or two might feel frustrating, but compared with potentially committing yourself to lifelong TRT or masking an underlying issue, it's a very short delay. Getting a proper diagnosis first will leave you with far more options in the long run.

 

[HarleyGuy]

How do I do that?

Send you a DM on the how-to

 

[Nasser1997o2]

Hey man.

Im not going to tell you what to do, but something to I want you to consider before you do anything to your body is if you think you are mentally, physically and financially ready for what this might mean for you.

This is realistically a lifetime commitment. Messing with your hormones is a serious thing. This isn’t something you can easily walk in and out off.

Are you potentially ready to have to drop 10k on a gyno surgery?

I’m not trying to plug my log, but it’s something I wish someone told me to do before i started using peds.

it’s your body at the end of the day, but you only have the one.

Stay safe brother and godbless.

Post in thread 'Gyno Surgery Recovery Log - Sponsored by @Prymal'

Today at 8:46 AM

I just remembered something my Surgeon said to me when i spoke to him today and i did my best to write it all down so i could post it here, incase some of you boys might be looking into the surgery. @Fillo Calves

"In my opinion the instances of purely Anabolic Steriod Induced gyno is very rare. Most cases of such are just the additional growth of pubertal gyno that was never spotted during puberty as very few boys going through puberty will be muscular enough or low body fat enough to notice its growth. Most general practitioners are also not knowledgable enough about such a...

• Fillo Calves

 

[Young_Padawan]

Hey man.

Im not going to tell you what to do, but something to I want you to consider before you do anything to your body is if you think you are mentally, physically and financially ready for what this might mean for you.

This is realistically a lifetime commitment. Messing with your hormones is a serious thing. This isn’t something you can easily walk in and out off.

Are you potentially ready to have to drop 10k on a gyno surgery?

I’m not trying to plug my log, but it’s something I wish someone told me to do before i started using peds.

it’s your body at the end of the day, but you only have the one.

Stay safe brother and godbless.

Post in thread 'Gyno Surgery Recovery Log - Sponsored by @Prymal'

Today at 8:46 AM

I just remembered something my Surgeon said to me when i spoke to him today and i did my best to write it all down so i could post it here, incase some of you boys might be looking into the surgery. @Fillo Calves

"In my opinion the instances of purely Anabolic Steriod Induced gyno is very rare. Most cases of such are just the additional growth of pubertal gyno that was never spotted during puberty as very few boys going through puberty will be muscular enough or low body fat enough to notice its growth. Most general practitioners are also not knowledgable enough about such a...

• Fillo Calves

Yeah that is something on my mind aswell, I do have gyno from puberty and already had it in my mind that I’d get the surgery one day, so it’s not that big of a concern for me, however still don’t want it getting much worse, just for appearance in the time being.

I just checked out your log, looking good bro.

Is that 10k aus for the surgery?

 

[Nasser1997o2]

Yeah that is something on my mind aswell, I do have gyno from puberty and already had it in my mind that I’d get the surgery one day, so it’s not that big of a concern for me, however still don’t want it getting much worse, just for appearance in the time being.

I just checked out your log, looking good bro.

Is that 10k aus for the surgery?

Yes, i would have 10-15k on hand ready to go, and be prepared mentally to not train for 3 months or more. So make sure you have your mental health in check, if the gym is very important to you (which i assume it might be).

As a young kid, you should be making every effort to save money and set yourself up for your future.

Who do you want to be.

1. Broke roid head who has to be a gym re-seller to afford his gear with a clappout out BMW, living in a shit single room apartment. One financial crisis away from selling meth?

2. Successful man with a good job, happy family, good health and the financial freedom to deal with any emergency financial/health or otherwise like its a mild annoyance?

I understand you are probably dealing with the difficulties of being a young man in a world that appears to be very hostile to your mere existance.

I promise you brother, big muscles aren't going to fix that.

Its all going to be ok brother, godbless.