well, this illustrates part of why HCG complicates things for a lot of guys…
HCG only serves to help the testes recover from the suppression of the cycle, and therefore, be more responsive to the LH and FSH.
however, until total testosterone and estrogen levels are normal (or low, really), the hypothalamus and the pituitary aren’t gonna send the signals down to the testes to produce testosterone. high doses of HCG complicate this by actually elevating testosterone and estrogen levels, and tricking the HPTA to believe it’s recovered when it actually isn’t.
there’s plenty of data that shows lower doses of HCG (250-500 IU) can effectively stimulate the Leydig cells in the testes, so anything over that is overkill (and might actual make the testes desensitized to LH, which is absolutely something we need to avoid). (side note: if one is truly concerned about getting the testes recovered, then i’d suggest using D-aspartic acid as well, as it help push cholesterol into the testes to be used for actual testosterone production).
HCG takes about a week to get out of you system, so there’s simply no reason to start a SERM until it’s gone. your HPTA is not gonna kick back in if it thinks LH levels (and test and E, as well) are high.
now, it’s not absolutely necessary for HPTA recovery to use HCG. if the “H” or the “P” aren’t receiving the correct signals, it doesn’t matter if your “T” are ready anyway. one needs to ensure that their PCT actually normalizes hormone levels, or HCG is just a waste.
(^note: i’m not saying not to use HCG, i’m just stating that we need to make sure it’s used as part of a logical, coherent plan for recovery).
with all that being said, i don’t think HCG needs to be ran on it’s own. for most cycles, it’s very convenient to run it when we’re waiting for esters to clear, though.
example:
Week 1-8
Test E
A-dex
Week 9-10
Test E
A-dex
HCG
Week 11
A-dex
HCG
Week 12
A-dex
Week 13-18
Nolvadex