'Natural' Levels vs TRT Levels?

I have no visible pecks or abs (flat) and probably never will. My brother and father are the same.

My arms, shoulders and legs or anywhere else is naturally muscular and lean.

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Yep. That natty will go up and down. The TRT guy is 1000ng at his lowest point (likely).

Plenty of other reasons, but that’s the main one

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General practice is to measure a natural TT at it’s peak and the TRT user at their trough. It’s a safe assumption to make since this guy didn’t clarify in his post which was which

Then clearly, general measuring practice makes the question misleading. I can’t imagine anyone asking what looked like a question comparing equal testosterone with the exception that one was endogenous and the other exogenous and a measuring method makes them completely different.

This grossly fails a scientific method of comparison. The two must be equally measured or the comparison holds zero merit.

I see this question asked a lot, and really the timing of the blood test is just one point of comparison. You have the lifestyle factors that don’t influence the TRT users levels, their training history and methods, overall genetics, etc.

But yes, if you measured both men at that exact moment in time then 1000ng natty is 1000ng TRT. Problem is they won’t stay at that 1000ng consistently throughout the week.

TRT testing is for the sole purpose of adjusting dose and frequency. It is a worthless comparison to endogenous testosterone.

It would seem an apples-to-apples comparison of exogenous and endogenous testosterone would be very complex. I would best guess that area under the curve in the same time frame as the frequency times of exogenous injections.

I can see how exogenous injections would be fairly predictable, that is the area under the curve between injections should be consistent.

Just seeing the various responses, I would think many people would believe EVERY man would be better off on TRT than to stay natural. That is a frightening thought. I suppose DuPont had it right: “Better Living Through Chemistry.”

That’s exactly how people often get TRT. Some intentionally wreck their natural production a few days before measurement and then get a prescription because of that.

Very valid point and indeed a reason why TRT potential is higher than natural potential.

Absolutely correct point. We measure natural T at peak and TRT at trough, so the same number does not mean the same.

I don’t think that’s what OP intended either.

I’ll make another point. Most TRT “patients” take 1-2 injections a week, but some more than that. The fluctuations with test cypionate with twice a week injections are about as large as natural fluctuations in a day. This means that even with the same peak and trough values, the AUC would be larger with TRT and therefore provide more muscle growth.

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I knew a guy who took his wife’s birth control pills to get a doctor to prescribe testosterone.

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Excellent third “case” to add to those addressed above.

The question is not misleading; it is intriguing. General measuring practice can be very misleading unless a person gets into the weeds.

Think about a provider trying to measure peak or mean TT on a patient throughout one injection cycle. Very easy to measure trough (minimum). So I am glad the OP asked the question and thar people will have better insight. Thanks OP.

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I didnt intend to be misleading… i’m really not a science-guy with a deep understanding of all discussed above.

My question was actually as simple as i stated, but i can make it more general;

A young healty 21y old person with a 1000ng/ml Testosterone (measured in the morning) versus a 40y old male with a ‘general’ level of 1000ng/dl on TRT…

I know the question(s) are perhaps not specific enough, but i wasnt really overthinking or analysing it to much.

I just wanted to know if someone on TRT has a benefit over some other person with normal-high Testosterone levels from a sport perspective.

Yes, TRT guy will have an advantage because his hormones are not dependent on sleep, stress, food, etc.

If natty guy’s free Test (and all other related hormones) remained exactly the same as if he was on TRT, then the two would be equal.

Are you the 21 year old in the above example?

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Get to work :grinning:. You now have the info to educate yourself instead of the trivial answer.

In free T, yes. Exactly the same from integral hormone analysis, no. TRT dude missing a lot of stuff the natural dude has. And potentially vice versa (Hct, BP, RHR, hair loss, autonomic dysfunction, HDL hit, etc.).

Majority of opinion usually wrong. Above discussion was with respect to muscle building. To think you can do better than nature with a bottle of test would be folly from total health perspective (eugonadal person).

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Edited, thanks for keeping me honest.

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My curse. Thanks for your collaborative attitude. I expect the same in return on anything I miss or screw up. It takes a village (or so I hear :joy:).

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I suppose the OP could have started this thread for a clinical discussion of comparing the efficacy of endogenous and exogenous testosterone. I can easily see @readalot and some others doing so. But when a “stranger” makes the same inquiry, I first believe it is to some pragmatic end.

A decision to turn to TRT is very close to a lifetime decision. Had my testosterone not been so pitifully low (270ng/dL in my mid 50’s) I would have not turned to TRT. And at 73 I am still on TRT, and I suppose I will for the rest of my life.

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I would think it would need to be a range over time, not a single data point. So test the natural for 8 weeks and take the average, and test the TRT user for 8 weeks, peak and trough, and also take the average. That would be a better comparison

I agree with your intention here (if I interpret you position correctly). Unless stranger is hypogonadal or mental illness/body dysmorphia requiring hormone intervention, I would try to steer them clear.

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No, i’m the 40y old.

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TRT would ofcourse be beneficial because you have more consistent levels of T in the body, and you will proably have higher levels than someone who is not on T.

Especialy in 2022, when we know for a fact (through studies) that men have much lwoer T than their forefathers.

If we could only compare the men of old versus new… wait we can. just look at society today and where we are headed.

T is way more than buildling muscle and how we look. Its how men behave and operate … their health. their energy levels. their attitude.

lots has changed over hte years and part of those chagnes are a decline in hormone levels.

You would always top your levels off regardless of what the body wants to do