Hi - new to forum and HRT in general. Normal T, low Free T (high SHBG, LH). Going to trial HCG Mono 500iu 3x week for six weeks. Does anyone have experience with this, and any recommendations? I’ve seen posts here saying go lower dose (e.g. 250iu EOD)? Or is it worth doing the 500iu 3x. Would you take AI in parallel with it?
There are some here that have tried hcg mono therapy with some success, haven’t tried it myself though.
My thoughts are you’re shbg is on the high side, more concerning, to me, is the out of range high LH. This implies you have primary hypogonadism, in that your testicles aren’t working well any more. Since HCG is an LH mimic, I’m not convinced this will work well for you. You may get some relief, for a while, but I think you’re going to end up on regular trt sooner than later.
Give it a try, if for no reason than to be able to say you tried everything, but be prepared for it to stop working or not provide enough relief of your symptoms. Also HCG doesnt agree well with some men, so even if it does help with low t symptoms you may not feel good on it.
@wolf359 - thanks! Not an expert at all (just pretending to be a google doctor recently), but I sort of came to the same conclusion as well. I haven’t started yet, and figured I would go with a 6 week trial to see how things turn out.
Any thoughts on the 250 EOD, vs 500 3 days a week?
I really don’t know which dosing would be better. My feeling is that for you the larger dose per week might be needed to get where you want to be, since you’re struggling to produce testosterone at the moment, but I have no idea how hcg dosing will compare to LH levels.
Just have to give it a shot and see what happens. The larger dose though might lead to the side effects and not feeling well, again, just have to try and see where you end up.