Bloodwork Question

[brazuka]

So far just finished 2 weeks of PCT, 2 more weeks to go! Can I get my blood drawn immediately after I finish to see where my levels stand at? Ive had low test all my life and can't wait to go to the endocrinologist again because I have health insurance now so I really want to do something about it! Do I really have to wait 1-2 months after PCT to get my levels checked? Or is right after PCT ok? Thanks

[gymfu]

So far just finished 2 weeks of PCT, 2 more weeks to go! Can I get my blood drawn immediately after I finish to see where my levels stand at? Ive had low test all my life and can't wait to go to the endocrinologist again because I have health insurance now so I really want to do something about it! Do I really have to wait 1-2 months after PCT to get my levels checked? Or is right after PCT ok? Thanks

Bad news, gotta wait to see if your PCT worked. I would recommend 6 weeks after PCT.

What did you do for PCT? Hopefully it kicked your system back into gear. My doc says he's restarted people with hcg and arimidex .

[brazuka]

Dang that's like 2 months away from now... :/ pct was/is clomid 100/50/50/50 nolvadex 40/40/20/20...

[AD]

i have done bloodwork right after pct (actually during the last wk of pct) before. it gave me an indication of whether the pct is working. your natty test should already be elevated by the end of pct if its working. 4-6wks after pct, the total T will settle down a little to your new baseline, whatever that may be.

so if you can get labs for free, no harm getting it done twice.

[gymfu]

Right after PCT your test should be around normal range. The SERM drugs elevate LH and FSH, LH binds to the leydig cells starting testosterone production again, a process that takes some time, hence the four week PCT.

Bloodwork right after PCT tells you nothing, except that your SERM drugs are not fake.

You won't know if you recovered until at least 3 weeks post PCT.

[AD]

the day before you start your pct is when your T is at its lowest point. as you start taking serms for pct, the negative feedback of estro on your hpta is blocked. with low T and blocked estro, your pituitary start to produce lh and fsh. in response, your testis start to produce natty T. this is only if everything goes well.

during pct, your lh fsh and T are at their highest. at the end of pct, after you stop taking the serms, the negative feedback from estro is present again. lh, fsh and T will all drop a little, to your new baseline, by 4-6wks after pct. everyone hopes that this new baseline is at least equal to the pre-cycle level. (for op, you're hoping its going to be higher )

the slight advantage of doing bloodwork early (right at the end of pct) is that it gives you time to react if your levels are low. either your pct is bunk or the duration and/or dosage is not enough. you can either try serms from another source or extend duration or increase dose.

if the results come back high or normal, well, that is to be expected (if everything goes as planned). nothing to be too happy about, cos its going to drop a little in the next 4-6wks, to your new baseline as mentioned earlier.

checking bloodwork at 4-6wks after pct is to know what your new baseline is.

if money is no matter, and you don't mind getting pinned a few more times, then there is a slight benefit in testing twice.

[brazuka]

Right after PCT your test should be around normal range. The SERM drugs elevate LH and FSH, LH binds to the leydig cells starting testosterone production again, a process that takes some time, hence the four week PCT.

Bloodwork right after PCT tells you nothing, except that your SERM drugs are not fake.

You won't know if you recovered until at least 3 weeks post PCT.

Gotcha, I guess Im going to have to wait

the day before you start your pct is when your T is at its lowest point. as you start taking serms for pct, the negative feedback of estro on your hpta is blocked. with low T and blocked estro, your pituitary start to produce lh and fsh. in response, your testis start to produce natty T. this is only if everything goes well.

during pct, your lh fsh and T are at their highest. at the end of pct, after you stop taking the serms, the negative feedback from estro is present again. lh, fsh and T will all drop a little, to your new baseline, by 4-6wks after pct. everyone hopes that this new baseline is at least equal to the pre-cycle level. (for op, you're hoping its going to be higher )

the slight advantage of doing bloodwork early (right at the end of pct) is that it gives you time to react if your levels are low. either your pct is bunk or the duration and/or dosage is not enough. you can either try serms from another source or extend duration or increase dose.

if the results come back high or normal, well, that is to be expected (if everything goes as planned). nothing to be too happy about, cos its going to drop a little in the next 4-6wks, to your new baseline as mentioned earlier.

checking bloodwork at 4-6wks after pct is to know what your new baseline is.

if money is no matter, and you don't mind getting pinned a few more times, then there is a slight benefit in testing twice.

Wow that's a lot of good info thank you! So does the above mean that towards the end of pct your libido will be at it's best, even better than when you are in a state of homeostasis? So basically your libido will drop a bit 6-8 weeks after pct because of the negative feedback? I'm trying to connect the dots sorry for all the questions lol

[AD]

I was only describing the likely changes you would see in your bloodworks. Problem is totalT level may not translate to libido directly. If i'm not wrong, the serms themselves might also affect libido. So i dont think you can gauge your recovery by libido alone.

[gymfu]

I was only describing the likely changes you would see in your bloodworks. Problem is totalT level may not translate to libido directly. If i'm not wrong, the serms themselves might also affect libido. So i dont think you can gauge your recovery by libido alone.

Yes, and I believe libido=test levels is kinda person specific.

[brazuka]

Oh ok thanks. Im enjoying playing around with my diet etc trying to maintain during off cycle - it shows me what I'm made of. The next 6-8 weeks wait won't be so bad ill be fine. A week and a few days of pct left