Newbie - Please Advise!!

[redcoat]

Hi everyone,

Complete new to all this. 43 year old male. Battled Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for > 20 years. Had Orchiectomy in 2000. At that time advised sperm count was very low. Went on to father 3 kids with my wife

Recently found out my Testosterone is 239 ng/dL, below reference range of 348-1197, and hoping it's a source of much of the debilitating fatigue I've battled.

My friend works for a hormone replacement company, and recommended double strength gel (300MG/ML) initially (they usually do pellets). They casually mentioned that it *can* affect fertility, but usually it comes back after you stop taking it.

We still want more children, I researched it online some, and found out that a zero sperm count after supplementing testosterone is very common. Decided to get 2nd opinion, so got an appointment with local urologist who I saw yesterday. He said sometimes people still get pregnant on the gel, but would recommend Clomid. He's running some more blood work to check pituitary axis is working.

Haven't found much specific info online, just lots of body building sites

Are there any drs on here that could give me some clear advise?

- is Clomid the way to go? Heard horror stories of side effects
- heard of people taking gel along with HCG - is that a good option? Does it really sustain sperm production, as well as testes size (don't care about size) if taken with T gel.
- are there other options out there?
- how would I find a good Dr locally? Urologist had heard of HCG, never treated with it.
- can I go it alone with my friend at the hormone clinic? He's not a Dr. They have a new dr and several NPs. Not sure how experienced they are.
- what # for total testosterone do I want to hit to feel better?

I'm really in a quandry - desperate for some relief of the fatigue etc. which is horrendous, but don't want to sacrifice fertility.

Really looking for some concrete facts based on studies, treatment of patients, and any personal experience.

Thanks in advance!

[redcoat]

Anyone? Really need some help...

[mls51112]

bump. hope you get answers.

[napalm]

bump. hope you get answers.

ok, just for you

i tried a clomid challenge and didn't like the side effects. but, there are plenty of guys here that have tried clomid and had good results.

my personal opinion, don't even try the gel. my endo first tried to prescribe my the gel, but like you, i have a wife and kid and was worried about the contact issues. i don't want my daughter growing nuts if ya know what i mean.

i talked him into self injections and tbh, it's been a great decision. i feel better than i have in 20 yrs, i'm putting on muscle at the ripe ole age of 48 and want to screw everything that walks.

that said, if you want to have more kids, it will be difficult on trt. some here take hcg in an attempt to keep their boys swinging, but i'm not convinced of the efficacy. my advice would be to find a good endo, and also find a reproductive doc that has had experience w trt. it's not impossible, but it will be difficult.

as for levels to shoot for: 700-900 should do the trick.

good luck...

[The Matrix]

Hi everyone,

Complete new to all this. 43 year old male. Battled Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for > 20 years. Had Orchiectomy in 2000. At that time advised sperm count was very low. Went on to father 3 kids with my wife

Recently found out my Testosterone is 239 ng/dL, below reference range of 348-1197, and hoping it's a source of much of the debilitating fatigue I've battled.

My friend works for a hormone replacement company, and recommended double strength gel (300MG/ML) initially (they usually do pellets). They casually mentioned that it *can* affect fertility, but usually it comes back after you stop taking it.

We still want more children, I researched it online some, and found out that a zero sperm count after supplementing testosterone is very common. Decided to get 2nd opinion, so got an appointment with local urologist who I saw yesterday. He said sometimes people still get pregnant on the gel, but would recommend Clomid. He's running some more blood work to check pituitary axis is working.

Haven't found much specific info online, just lots of body building sites

Are there any drs on here that could give me some clear advise?

- is Clomid the way to go? Heard horror stories of side effects
- heard of people taking gel along with HCG - is that a good option? Does it really sustain sperm production, as well as testes size (don't care about size) if taken with T gel.
- are there other options out there?
- how would I find a good Dr locally? Urologist had heard of HCG, never treated with it.
- can I go it alone with my friend at the hormone clinic? He's not a Dr. They have a new dr and several NPs. Not sure how experienced they are.
- what # for total testosterone do I want to hit to feel better?

I'm really in a quandry - desperate for some relief of the fatigue etc. which is horrendous, but don't want to sacrifice fertility.

Really looking for some concrete facts based on studies, treatment of patients, and any personal experience.

Thanks in advance!

When dealing with CFS cases (which stand for Chronically full of SHNITZ for diagnosis) you need to look at multiple factors not just hormones (%20) of the equation in most cases. People tend to get the best response from focusing on possbile environmental exposures or hidden pathogens. I see this in majority of case why people are not getting better.

[dhickey]

Your story sounds similar to mine. Might want to do a 24hr saliva test to look at cortisol. Mine was very low. Addressing that made a huge difference. Now addressing T with some positive improvements. Addressing possible Hashimotos after T is sorted.

[redcoat]

Thanks, everyone!

I have been poked, prodded, tested up the wazoo over the last 20+ years. Cortisol ok, no environment issues or pathagens revealed. Some help by treating sleep apnea. Thyroid etc good. So down to trying T now.

Find an Dr experienced in all this, especially fertility issues, seems to be very hard.

Can anyone point me to any specific studies on HCG and how efficient it was in preserving fertility (not worried about its affect on size) while on TRT? And anyone know of anyone in a similar situation that had demostrable success with TRT & HCG?

I have read these on testosteronewisdom.blogspot.co m/2012/08/hcg-use-in-men.html and testosteronewisdom.blogspot.co m/2012/04/best-testosterone-interview-dr-michael.html.

At this point, it seems to be a toss-up between Clomid or Test w/ HCG, and I'm leaning against the latter due to side effects of the former.

Any other thoughts, anyone? Would it help to post single, more specific questions here?

Thanks!