Originally Posted by
J. Keith Nichols MD
First of all whenever you start testosterone therapy it’s going to take some time for your body to acclimate. So some initial side effects you may be experiencing will usually resolve with time. Most men want to make changes too quickly before they give their body the chance to acclimate. If we were to somehow be able to raise our testosterone levels naturally to an optimal level that would occur over time and our body would acclimate naturally. The problem with testosterone therapy is that we raise our levels quickly and that can call some initial side effects that will resolve with Time And almost every individual. Everything gets blamed on Estradiol. Also, all the hormones work synergistically and I find it best to optimize all the hormones along with testosterone. In addition, a lot of your problems are not testosterone related because you in fact have hypothyroidism based on your most recent lab studies. A lot of men do not feel better when they get on testosterone therapy because the symptoms of testosterone deficiency and thyroid deficiency overlap in many areas. A lot of clinics are throwing testosterone at what is in fact a thyroid problem. That’s why you need to have someone look at all of your hormones and make recommendations based on symptoms and levels of each hormone. If you look at the package insert for human chorionic gonadotropin you will see some of the problems you’re experiencing as a side effect.
With regard to fertility. Yes you can start hCG along with testosterone but a lot of men choose to start testosterone in isolation and when they are ready to father a child they will then add hCG to their testosterone or discontinue their testosterone for a period of time and utilize only hCG and clomid for instance until the pregnancy is obtained. So a man can use hCG or Clomid in place of testosterone to maintain fertility, they can utilize testosterone along with hCG to maintain fertility, or they can use testosterone initially and then when they’re ready to father a child add hCG and or Clomid. So there are options depending on the individuals personal preferences.
If a man wants to have a child in the immediate future then it’s best not to utilize testosterone but instead utilize hCG or Clomid as mono therapy. The problem is most men don’t feel good on hCG or clomid model therapy. Other options would be to utilize hCG along with testosterone which will maintain fertility and once the pregnancy is obtained then they can discontinue the hCG. Other options would be to utilize testosterone in isolation and then once someone is ready for pregnancy they can then add hCG and or Clomid or even HMG if necessary and even consider discontinuing testosterone and told a pregnancy is obtained. So there are various options that one can discuss with their provider and make the best decision for them and their family
What you were reading is a initial rough draft of a review article I am writing on the topic. Blood is usually tested for an increase in hematocrit and platelets to rule out disorders like polycythemia vera before people are allowed to donate. I will provide Mark with the finished article with all the references once it is completed so that he can provide it to starting strength members