HRT and fertility for the future

[Facecrash]

33
175lbs
5'9

I have cycled in the past but not for over 3 years. My test bloodwork was severely low. I didn't want to start hrt since my wife and I were trying to get pregnant so my doc put me on clomid/hcg.

I stopped the clomid after 3 weeks due to the sides being too much to handle. Severe depression and lethargy, I could barely work. So I continued hcg and stopped after 30 days.

I just found out my wife is pregnant!!!! So, we do want to have at least 1 more kid in the future. I'm wondering what the best next step for me is. My doc is suggesting staying on hcg permanently as it will boost my natural test without taking test, but research is telling me otherwise.

So, I went to see Dr Barry Gordon. His nurse practitioner suggested I start test and when I want to have kids, I ween off of it. No PCT or anything. He actually googled "clomid" when I asked about it.

Questions:

-Can I start test and come off later and be able to get my wife pregnant?
-Or should I just stay on and run clomid/hcg while on test when we want to get pregnant again?
-if HCG gets my test up 200 points or so, is it ok to just run hcg moving forward on its own?

I'm getting so much different info from different docs and I just want to be able to feel great again and still be able to have kids.
Thanks in advance

[HRTstudent]

Two things....

First of all congratulations and I hope the pregnancy goes well for you.

Secondly, its quite possible that weening off testosterone will be all you need to improve fertility, but its all a matter of increasing your chances. Rarely is it a case of 0 sperm vs 40 million sperm. Its usually more along the lines of X millions vs Y millions... and obviously you want the highest number. Having said that, I would not trust the fertility advice from a doctor who did not know what clomid is. That's like talking to an endocrinologist who had to google Thyroxine.

How soon did you want to try for pregnancy again?

[SEOINAGE]

Congrats, kids are great.

One thing to consider as well is fertility on HCG alone, since it is the LH analog not FSH. I am on test and HCG and pretty sure I'm still producing sperm thanks to the HCG. I waited till my wife was pregnant to start trt, but we want more kids. When the time comes I am going to try and do it without coming off test. If I have to I would make sure to do some form of long PCT with clomid and nolva. My first doctor just wanted me to stop test and get my own test back on it's own, and that's without HCG. I had to change doctors to get HCG and in order to be treated properly considering I want to have more kids. Thing is, all things done right it can still work out, and other steps can be taken if previous ones don't work.

Really the question imo is how bad is your low T symptoms? And is it worth the risk for you to start treatment now?

[juice2012]

Why not freeze your sperm now, since you know you got swimmers? I would do that and not worry about coming off TRT in the future. Unless that's too costly. Maybe just do it for insurance.

[HRTstudent]

Why not freeze your sperm now, since you know you got swimmers? I would do that and not worry about coming off TRT in the future. Unless that's too costly. Maybe just do it for insurance.

That's a good option too as well!

[Facecrash]

Thanks for the congrats and the info. With regard to freezing now, I was on clomid/HCG when she got pregnant. So would I need to go back on that? I had awful depression from clomid to the point where I could barely even work.

We wouldn't get pregnant again for at least another year to year and a half

Also would I see a eurologist or endo regarding the sperm? I had blood taken today and will post results Monday when I get them. In the meantime my remaining question is, what type of doc is best for me to see next to help me with my future and take care of the fertility analysis now?

thanks again

-What type of doctor should I see in NJ that can

[HRTstudent]

Thanks for the congrats and the info. With regard to freezing now, I was on clomid/HCG when she got pregnant. So would I need to go back on that? I had awful depression from clomid to the point where I could barely even work.

We wouldn't get pregnant again for at least another year to year and a half

Also would I see a eurologist or endo regarding the sperm? I had blood taken today and will post results Monday when I get them. In the meantime my remaining question is, what type of doc is best for me to see next to help me with my future and take care of the fertility analysis now?

thanks again

-What type of doctor should I see in NJ that can

HCG and clomid are both used to improve fertility... but we can't say if you would NEED to go on that or not. All we can say is that it will likely improve your fertility.

If you want to have kids again in a year.... I personally would not go on TRT. Not worth it really because a) having kids is more important than having higher T, and b) it doesn't really give you much time assuming you even get in the "sweet spot" fairly quickly. TRT, for most men, is not something you flick on/off just with a few injects. It takes time.

I would think you go to a urologist for most things sex/fertility related.

[HRTstudent]

Oh, and what dose of clomid were you on and for how long?

Seems less is more, when it comes to clomid.

[Facecrash]

I was on 25mg/day and 500iu hcg 3x/week

I had to stop clomid after 18 days and ran the hcg for 30. So I just deal with the low test until I have kids or is there another protocol I can follow aside from test that will at least get me into normal range?

[Rwy]

stay away from dr barry gordon he has no clue wtf he is doing. he just gives you 400mg of test and sends yo on your way
He doesnt know about hcg or ai's. Stay away from him.

[HRTstudent]

I was on 25mg/day and 500iu hcg 3x/week

I had to stop clomid after 18 days and ran the hcg for 30. So I just deal with the low test until I have kids or is there another protocol I can follow aside from test that will at least get me into normal range?

You can try tamoxifen, low dose anastrozole, HCG monotherapy... these are the most common.

[TraceMYD]

I think the first thing you should do is go get your sperm frozen while your sperm count is still "high" and at the levels where you
just got your wife pregnant.

At least that will give you a solid plan B route and will give you some peace of mind while you
take care of your own health with HRT.

Thats what I did before i started TRT, and by doing so I actually found out that I had a low sperm count to begin with from giving the samples.

Even If you do have a low sperm count, you just have to make more deposits at the sperm bank till they get enough good swimmers.

Also, make sure to refrain from any sex for 48+hours before making a deposit... this also includes masturbation. Also be sure to check
for any other rules the sperm bank has.. I remember they didn't even want me using certain types of soaps on my body because it could harm the sperm
if it came in contact with.

[Facecrash]

Perfect, thanks. So I will go deposit sperm and get it tested for fertility and frozen. In the meantime, when I get my blood levels back, I will post them here and then decide on the next best step. Thanks this was extremely helpful.

Also yes dr barry gordon has no clue what he is doing. They offered me a shot on my first visit after I told them I was trying to have kids. When I asked if I should run clomid/hcg he said hcg is only for losing weight and he literally googled clomid while I sat there!! Wow, just wow.

[Rwy]

Yea I brought blood work there and the junior dr that saw me couldnt read it bc it had different ranges then she was used too

[HRTstudent]

Also yes dr barry gordon has no clue what he is doing. They offered me a shot on my first visit after I told them I was trying to have kids. When I asked if I should run clomid/hcg he said hcg is only for losing weight and he literally googled clomid while I sat there!! Wow, just wow.

This dr barry gordon sounds like a pathetic excuse for a physician. That is just so wrong... so so wrong.

If he doesn't know enough to use it then don't prescribe it! This kind of trash really bothers me. He is HURTING patients and wasting healthcare resources. Pathetic.

[Rwy]

People come in and say the have low t signs and they shot them up with cyp lol