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I'm starting doctor-prescribed long-term TRT: Test 250 mg/week (225 mg Test Cyp + 25 mg Test Prop). My recent natural T levels were 227 ng/dL (range = 348-1197). But I also want to leverage this for body recomposition efforts as well. (I have done T injections prior to this.)
I want to take an Aromatase Inhibitor (AI) to minimize the amount of T aromatized to E2. This will maximize the amount of T in my system. Plus, keeping E2 low (but not too low) will keep water bloat down, decrease chance of gyno, etc.
I also want to take HCG in order to keep my natural T production in my testes going. Even though, according to my blood test results, my testes do not produce a lot of T, given that my prescription is ONLY for 250mg T per week, I wanted to keep my natural production up in order to augment the amount of injected T in my system.
My question is this: Is the HCG redundant given that I will take an AI? AIs keep E2 levels low. It is my understanding that the hypothalamus only “knows” how much T is in your system by detecting E2. (E2 and T rise and fall together ordinarily.) So if E2 is kept low/normal while T is injected, the hypothalamus will NOT try to reduce natural T production in the testes (which it would normally do by decreasing GnRH production which would cause the pituitary to reduce LH production which would cause the testes to reduce T production).
So if an AI keeps E2 low, is HCG (a stand-in for LH) needed at all if I want to keep my testes producing T during TRT? Won’t natural LH levels (and therefore testicular T production) be maintained as long as E2 is kept low/normal by using an AI?
I want to take an Aromatase Inhibitor (AI) to minimize the amount of T aromatized to E2. This will maximize the amount of T in my system. Plus, keeping E2 low (but not too low) will keep water bloat down, decrease chance of gyno, etc.
I also want to take HCG in order to keep my natural T production in my testes going. Even though, according to my blood test results, my testes do not produce a lot of T, given that my prescription is ONLY for 250mg T per week, I wanted to keep my natural production up in order to augment the amount of injected T in my system.
My question is this: Is the HCG redundant given that I will take an AI? AIs keep E2 levels low. It is my understanding that the hypothalamus only “knows” how much T is in your system by detecting E2. (E2 and T rise and fall together ordinarily.) So if E2 is kept low/normal while T is injected, the hypothalamus will NOT try to reduce natural T production in the testes (which it would normally do by decreasing GnRH production which would cause the pituitary to reduce LH production which would cause the testes to reduce T production).
So if an AI keeps E2 low, is HCG (a stand-in for LH) needed at all if I want to keep my testes producing T during TRT? Won’t natural LH levels (and therefore testicular T production) be maintained as long as E2 is kept low/normal by using an AI?
