I was wondering if there are any natural supplements (herbs, spices, vitamins, etc) I can take to optimize my testosterone replacement therapy while minimizing side effects and preserving testicular function. I was prescribed 10g of androgel to treat my low testosterone.
However, while on the gel, i developed side effects which i think are estrogen related but unconfirmed by lab tests (not able to get Estradiol checked until my endo appt in September). I heard applying the gel to arms and shoulders as opposed to the abs limits conversion to estrogen but im not sure how true that is.
I don’t like the idea of not taking the testosterone i need so is there any non prescribed approaches I can take that would:
- limit aromitase activity (conversion of testosterone to Estrogen)
- preserve as much testicular function/size as possible
- protect any organs affected by trt (prostate? not sure if trt actually increases or decreases prostate cancer risk from what i read)
- limit any other androgel side effects i didnt mention
I came across the following supplements but im not sure how effective these are since alot of the sites had links to the supplement itself: Nettle, Indol 3 carbinol, quercertin, flax seed oil (all considered aromitase inhibitors?), tongkat ali, d-aspartic acid, tribulus (to preserve testicular size/ LH release?), pregnenolone to decrease conversion of testosterone to dht?
I can’t get my hands on any AI drugs right now so any help is appreciated (own experiences/study links/recommended effective dosages etc) and sorry if these are newbie questions but I didnt find any info on this so far.