Why do our testes atrophy on TRT?

[goshawk]

If your T levels were at level X when you were 25, and are now at X minus 30%, at age 50 say, why would replacing T back to X levels cause testicular atrophy? At one time it was a normal level and now the body sees it as too much?

Has anyone heard of ramping up T very slowly, just titrating it a bit week to week and at the same time removing excess E, so that total circulating hormone was the same, why would you get shut down?

[anyman]

Just as with muscles, it's "use it or lose it". External T shuts down the body's natural feedback loop. When your brain senses the extra T in your system it figures the testes don't need stimulation and shuts off the LH/FSH hormones that make them work. Now idled, the testes lose the ability to work after too long a time. Imagine what your muscles would look and work life if you hardly ever moved or exerted them. Sorta the same idea.

[rick055]

Anyman is 100% right.

That said, if you include hCG as part of your TRT, your testes should not atrophy.

hCG acts as a LH mimic, thus stimulating your testes and maintaining your endogenous baseline testicular output.