HCG Water Retention and Bloating?

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Hi guys. Been trying HCG mono for about a month now, as I started freaking out watching my testicle shrink to nothing and was worried about fertility as baseline was already very low, probably due to grade varicocele.

Anyway, the plus side, HCG has done wonders for my libido. Haven’t woken up with morning wood since I was about 18. Great having this again.

Here’s the negative…bloating. My stomach, especially abs, get super soft and jiggly, like I’ve put on a ton of weight. Also my face looks much more round and puffy. Not a fan of this.

Anyone else deal with this? Suggestions?

2

High e2 causing some water retention is the most likely culprit. What’s your weekly dose look like?

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3

I’d try to give it another month or two. I had the same when I started T and it eventually worked itself out.

4

AI’s may or may not have an affect on E2 levels, perhaps you could try lowering the dosage or inject smaller doses more frequently to minimize E2.

5

Not taking any AI’s right now, just the HCG. 500 IUs M/W/F. Still waiting on my Estrogen results but my Test seems pretty on point at 750 Total, 160 Free, and SHBG at 32.

Ironically, HCG seems to be associated with huge weight LOSS (HCG diet?), yet I look puffier than I have since I was 16. I’m hoping I didn’t somehow just gain a ton of fat in the last month or so. Easy way to tell something is up is, when I started injecting, I could barely pinch an area big enough on my abs to do an injection. Now, I’m able to grab a pretty solid roll from my abdomen without much effort.

Is there any easy way to differentiate between fat and fluid?

6

The HCG diet was an age old myth/scam, there is no truth to it and every time I hear about it I can’t help but giggle. If anything HCG will make you gain water weight v.s TRT.

No, the tissues are absorbing more water than usual. It not like you’re having water behind the fat, your entire body is mostly water.

7

So you’re thinking it’s water weight caused by high E2?

8

The estrogen is a factor, I know when I had high E2, I had a lot of water weight. I had been on other protocols with the same TT and FT levels and estrogen lower with less water retention.

9

Should know tomorrow for sure If it’s E2 related. Would be a huge bummer if after finally getting my levels where I want without the T, I now have water retention issues to deal with.

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10

This is an interesting place to ask whether HCG can cause some fat gain or increase in apetite?

11

Don’t feel any particular increase in appetite, but if what I think is water retention is actually fat, then yes it can (but I still think it’s probably retention).

12

@cphil19 its logical to cause water retention since it may increase estrogen, but I think if this is the issue and give it enough time it should balance itself out

13

Maybe it’s a certain estrogen to T ratio that causes water retention. The first 4 months of TRT I was bloated full of water. Now my estrogen is even higher (E2 = 80) and I have no water weight compared to then. Maybe it’s when the body is dealing with a hormonal disruption (new drug or dose) that causes it and after a certain time period it goes away on its own? I don’t think it can just be high estrogen in every case. Seems like there has to be more to it than just “Any time estrogen is high you have extreme water retention” or I’d be looking like a bubble. Would be interesting to know the answer.

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14

Dont worry about high E2 if your test is also high. The last thing you want to do is have high test and kill your est. This will give you other problems. Ai’s come from bro science. Avoid them at all costs as they were designed for woman not men. Whoever thought it was a good idea to start taking them didnt know what he was doing and look what happened

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15

This “Diet” involved taking HCG and then living on 600 calories a day. Kind of hard to not lose weight on 600 calories a day. The claim was that the HCG wold somehow prevent muscle loss and loss of metabolism. Most people took the HCG in sub/lingual form. HCG cannot survive any of the digestive acids, so it was entirely placebo that people reported a lack of hunger while taking it and dieting at stupidly low calories.

16

You’re almost entirely right, but for the part about sublingual hcg. When it’s sold OTC it’s obviously trash (and that was what they were selling in all those dumb hcg diet articles), but compound pharmacies can and do make versions that are designed to work without injections. I know because I’ve been on such a version for over a year.

17

I have seen this recently, and was wondering about the newer compounded stuff. It seems impossible that they could make that work, but I wasn’t meaning to pass judgement on that stuff yet. I was thinking of ordering it next time I’m in the States, with the intention of taking a pregnany test and seeing if it actually worked. What are they compounding it with, do you know? I know virtually everything out there is garbage, especially the “organic” versions.

18

Got my tests back.

Estradiol- 38 (range 10-42)
Estrone- 32 (range 9-36).
Estrogens Total- 67.5 (range 19-69).

So definitely on the higher end but still not technically out of range. Does this mean it’s not caused by Estrogen?

19

What’s the question again?

20

It does not man anything. You have some E2 bloat, it will probably go away after a while after you burn off you excess stored aromatase enzyme. It is what it is, a side effect.