Endogenous Testosterone Returning to Baseline After 1 Cycle

[anon99]

I was considering one 8 week cycle of Test-E but instead I kept doing more research. I'm glad I did because what I found was disturbing.

I've read over and over again, stories about people destroying their natural hormonal production.

In other words, exogenous testosterone administration causes testicular atrophy. Your leydig cells, a tiny fraction of the cells that make up your testicles, never quite return to normal.

Despite reading all this, I still remain curious... I find that the stories I read all did PCT only AFTER their AAS cycle. In other words, they didn't run HCG while on steroids. Since HCG (ie LH analog) stimulates the testicles, theoretically the testes won't atrophy. Also, many that post about symptomatic low-normal/low test levels
either did one cycle without any PCT or have done several heavy cycles with HCG only after their cycle.

One lingering question I have is:

Has anyone DOCUMENTED... with PRE and POST labs... a successful return of their natural Test level to pre-AAS levels? ie Did you do blood work before steroids, take HCG at the same time as your steroids, then run PCT, and do blood work where your testosterone was the same as before steroid use.

Thanks!!

[TestAce]

Everyone is different in how they react to exogenous testosterone. Some people return to baseline 2 weeks after PCT, and some never go back to normal. I'm in my mid 20s, and I gladly take the risk, I just love being on that much. It's a chance we all take, and you have to make the decision for yourself if it is worth or not.

[MuscleInk]

I was considering one 8 week cycle of Test-E but instead I kept doing more research. I'm glad I did because what I found was disturbing.

I've read over and over again, stories about people destroying their natural hormonal production.

In other words, exogenous testosterone administration causes testicular atrophy. Your leydig cells, a tiny fraction of the cells that make up your testicles, never quite return to normal.

Despite reading all this, I still remain curious... I find that the stories I read all did PCT only AFTER their AAS cycle. In other words, they didn't run HCG while on steroids. Since HCG (ie LH analog) stimulates the testicles, theoretically the testes won't atrophy. Also, many that post about symptomatic low-normal/low test levels
either did one cycle without any PCT or have done several heavy cycles with HCG only after their cycle.

One lingering question I have is:

Has anyone DOCUMENTED... with PRE and POST labs... a successful return of their natural Test level to pre-AAS levels? ie Did you do blood work before steroids, take HCG at the same time as your steroids, then run PCT, and do blood work where your testosterone was the same as before steroid use.

Thanks!!

I respect the question and admire your willingness to do as much research as possible, but the simple fact with hormone manipulation is that there are no guarantees. Hormones play many functional roles in the human body and the androgenic group of hormones are no exception. Any variances in the natural levels of circulating hormones will have desirable and undesirable effects.

Two guys could run the exact same cycles and PCT and have very different results, side effects, and rates of recovery. Running a proper cycle (with HCG) and PCT improves the chance of a better recovery, but there is no certainty.

Now, I'm not trying to put the fear of god in people, but when someone is deciding to cycle anabolics, they really must accept the possibility that recovery may be suboptimal. Many guys say they accept the risks, but I believe many assume it won't happen to them.