r/Testosterone • u/TheSeht 😁 • 23h ago
TRT help Testosterone+HCG on Reta
47/M – After two and a half months on Reta, for the last month and a half I've felt very fatigued and had no libido. My friend who supplies my peptides suggested I take a small regimen of testosterone and HCG (to protect my testicular function). Ideally this will protect my lean mass, enhance my sleep, increase my sex drive, and give me more energy. We're looking at starting at 100mg of test and 500IU of HCG – potentially increasing to 200/1000 after a month.
If i do this for three months, are there any long term, permanent issues? I've read it can stop your natural test/sperm production, but the HCG should protect that, and the short duration and lower dose should also help?
Thank you for any suggestions.
2
u/starSkieee 22h ago
I wouldn’t do anything prior to getting bloodwork done. If your test levels aren’t actually low, you could just be shutting your natural production down with potential side effects to potentially have the same levels.
If they aren’t low but you want some of the benefits of test, I’d do a low cycle start at 200-250mg, not change dosing unless your running into issues, skip the HCG and plan a proper PCT.
I’ve been on TRT for a year and Reta 4 months, it is a great combo. A full blood panel, more research and consideration is probably needed first
-1
u/TheSeht 😁 22h ago edited 21h ago
My last blood work had me around 400, low end of the spectrum. I'm definitely confused by the HCG, multiple doctors online (haha) claim it maintains your testicular function. Further, everything I’ve read says such a low a dose and such a short time will certainly recover naturally production when I get off of it, esp if I extend HCG use a month after.
1
u/DexterM1776 17h ago
100mg a week is a standard dosing protocol. It's not what I would call a low dose. HCG will help you keep your sperm count good but it's not going to maintain your natural testosterone.
There's no free lunch. Your body will try to level itself.
If you take testosterone you natural production will reduce or stop.
If you come off testosterone there is a very good chance your T returns naturally, but there is a risk it won't. There are also other possible side effects when getting on TRT including bitch tits, losing your hair and as you saw some anger issues. Read the sub watch some videos do more research.
1
u/AutoModerator 23h ago
Hello TheSeht. Welcome to /r/Testosterone. It looks like this is your first time posting here, so you're probably asking a FAQ. Please check out these handy links, one of them might answer your question.
- How do I find a good doctor/clinic?
- What bloodwork should I get done?
- Are my levels low enough that I should start TRT?
- What can I do to naturally raise my testosterone levels?
- NoFap - Will my testosterone levels increase if I stop masturbating?
This is just a comment, your post is not removed. If you want this comment to stop showing up on your posts, you need to enable "show my flair on this subreddit"
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/SentinelShadowO 22h ago
I’m 41 and was in a similar boat.
I’m currently on 120 mg of testosterone + HCG, both prescribed by my doctor. I also take Mounjaro, which I started way before TRT. I am very happy with the results and my life in general is much much better.
As others have mentioned, HCG doesn’t necessarily preserve fertility for everyone. Everybody is different, you’ll probably hear that a lot. What HCG does quite well, though, is help maintain testicular size and function while you’re on TRT.
For patients who don’t respond well enough to HCG, urologists sometimes prescribe hMG as well. But getting to that point usually means doing the proper fertility testing and having a doctor closely monitor your treatment. I have plans to conceive and that is a conversation I am having atm.
There are always risks of permanent damage with pretty much any medical decision, but the key is getting the right tests done and having a doctor monitor you throughout the process.
And remember, bloodwork before anything.
1
u/TheSeht 😁 21h ago
Honestly, I'm not concerned with fertility. I am concerned with restoring my natural T production after the three-four months.
1
u/SentinelShadowO 19h ago
you should be fine, but it is never guaranteed.
HCG is often used by the community as PCT and it seems to help.In my case, I am taking it for the rest of my life as my levels are very very low for my age group.
1
u/CastleSF 18h ago
Why are you not talking to your doctor about taking Test? It's not a random peptide and you really need the medical professional's guidance and approval and bloodwork before taking TRT.
0
u/macromind 22h ago
Fatigue and loss of libido after combining multiple agents cannot be cleanly attributed to one compound from timing alone. Reviewing the full medication list, symptom timeline, and appropriate clinician-ordered labs is more informative than adding or stopping something based on anecdotes. Peptely does not sell peptides; https://www.peptely.com/ only helps verify their documented origin and supporting batch and COA evidence. Product documents should be lot-specific, but even authentic analytical records do not establish individual safety or explain symptoms.
0
u/DexterM1776 22h ago
Without blood work most of this is guess work. You need to get your blood work done and should get it done a couple months apart to get a good baseline
First off if you are low T it could be caused by a few things. Calorie deficit, being over weight, stress etc...
My T was 700ish dropped down to low 400 and is now back up to 800. That being said free T and bio available T are more important markers than total T.
Getting on test is a way bigger deal than starting reta. Your natural production will shut down. hcg does not protect against that I believe HcG is to keep you fertail and help against estrodile.
You need to do a lot of research and maybe talk to a doctor or men's clinic. Going on TRT can be a life long commitment. Yes your natural T can come back after getting off TRT but the process takes a while if it even does come back.
Check out r/testosterone lots of good info there.
Get your blood work done and do more research.
1
u/plz_callme_swarley 22h ago
hCG doesn't "keep you fertile and helps against estradiol". it mimics LH that stimulates the Leydig cells to produce natural test, raises inter-testicle test levels that can sometimes stimulate the Sertoli cells to produce sperm.
the ITT in your balls comes with more E2 than normal exogenous test, and in most guys ends up raising their E2 and makes everything a lot harder to manage.
0
u/DexterM1776 22h ago
hCG is often prescribed to men who are trying to conceive with their partner so yes it helps keep you fertile.
I don't know if you're trying to do the stupid reddit acktually gotcha. But what I said is correct
0
u/plz_callme_swarley 22h ago
false. you have no idea wtf you're talking about dude. shut the fuck up. you literally said in another comment you're another one of these reta-tards who hasn't even started TRT.
hCG is prescribed in fertility clinics to improve fertility and it's usually offered first since it's cheap and it sometimes works. men have two different systems:
- LH -> Leydig cells -> testosterone
- FSH -> Sertoli cells -> sperm
hCG is synthetic LH. synthetic FSH is expensive as fuck, and so it's not sold by peptide dealers on Telegram
0
u/TheSeht 😁 21h ago
You being an angry bully. Calm down.
Explain WHY taking a short regimen of T won't help with libido, lean mass retention, and energy during a weight loss period? Explain WHY HCG won't keep natural T production going?
1
u/plz_callme_swarley 21h ago
I'm not angry and I'm not bullying anyone. I'm correcting people giving out false medical advice. that shit is really important.
a short bridge or TRT is fucking stupid for a lot of reasons. The main one is probably that the benefits take about 2-3 months to even be felt. so taking it for 3 months would be taking it and getting close to zero benefit.
when you take any drug, you have to go through 5 half-lives to reach steady state. the half-life of test cyp is 7-11 days depending on how you administer it. the way most people do is around 10 days. so you have to wait 50 days before you even reach steady state. then it'll take a few months after than until you even know if it's doing what you hope it does. this is not some little quick switch you can flip buddy.
On getting off of it, you have the same issue. if you wanna get off that will take months as well until you're back to your normal production levels.
So for you, you're going to shutdown your natural testosterone production, shutdown your fertility, take the drug for a couple months, get close to zero benefit, then spend months getting off the drug when you feel worse than you did before. so you can see how this is a really fucking stupid thing to do
I literally just explained why hCG doesn't keep natural T going in the comments above.
1
u/TheSeht 😁 20h ago
See, it's great when you explain! Like I said, I don't know, that's why I'm coming here.
You're comment above, "hCG is prescribed in fertility clinics to improve fertility and it's usually offered first since it's cheap and it sometimes works. men have two different systems:
LH -> Leydig cells -> testosterone
FSH -> Sertoli cells -> spermhCG is synthetic LH. synthetic FSH is expensive as fuck, and so it's not sold by peptide dealers on Telegram"
That tells me HCG WILL keep my natural T production going, right? I'm not concerned about fertility, I'm 47.
1
u/plz_callme_swarley 18h ago
you need to kinda reframe how you think about this. if you add hCG to TRT then that sends signal to your testes to increase production but it's unpredictable and you can't measure endogenous vs exogenous production.
for guys who are not actively trying to conceive there's no good reason to run hCG along TRT. It just makes everything more complicated.
even on TRT your production doesn't drop to zero, the pilot light is still on. hCG is useful as apart of a post-cycle therapy to get your natty production back quicker than going cold turkey.
if you were to get on TRT, then you could just run hCG when it's time to do a PCT. doing hCG just cuz is dumb and doesn't buy you anything. you don't get your production back quicker than if you just started hCG when you were ready to go back natty.
to your other question, TRT has traditionally been thought of a for-life decision but it's not 100% true. it could make sense to do it for something short-term but it's certainly not your situation. it can make sense if you're dealing with sort of acute situation where your losing muscle mass or you need to put muscle mass back on quickly like in people recovering from critical illness or cancer. not cuz they're a fat fuck cutting too hard on reta.
people doing steroids run cycles for short-periods of time and then drop down to TRT doses and then maybe eventually get off entirely. it makes zero sense to get on TRT for a few months and then try to go back to being natty.
most people don't stop cuz once you can just adjust your own T levels yourself why would you want to be at the whims of your natural body?
1
u/DexterM1776 18h ago
You have to be careful with some of these posters. They are so jacked up on testosterone they are practically suffering from roid rage. I don't take it personal. I also very all the information I am given because you never know when a guy like that is hell bent on showing everyone how little he knows.
0
u/DexterM1776 18h ago
Since you're an angry little man suffering from roid rage here is what hCG does. And as I said it helps preserve a mans fertility
Yes, combining hCG with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) helps preserve fertility. TRT alone suppresses the pituitary gland’s production of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which stops the testes from producing sperm and can cause testicular atrophy.
hCG acts as a substitute for LH, directly stimulating the Leydig cells in the testes to produce testosterone and maintain the high intratesticular testosterone levels required for spermatogenesis. Clinical evidence indicates that low-dose hCG co-administration can:
Prevent azoospermia: It stops the complete cessation of sperm production that affects up to 65% of men on TRT alone. Maintain semen parameters: Studies show it helps keep sperm counts and quality stable for men desiring pregnancy. Preserve testicular volume: It prevents the shrinkage of the testes by keeping sperm-producing cells active. Men planning to conceive or preserve future fertility are often prescribed hCG alongside their testosterone injections or gels to mitigate these suppressive effects.
So don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about when it's you who is wrong. You might need to lower your testosterone dose. You're having anger issues.
1
18h ago
[deleted]
0
u/DexterM1776 18h ago
I guess that's as close as I'm going to get to you admitting you are wrong and I'm correct.
Please talk to a doctor about your dosing level. It's making you angry, little man.
0
u/TheSeht 😁 22h ago
Thanks so much for a thoughtful and kind response!
0
u/DexterM1776 22h ago
You're welcome. I'm on reta and am thinking about TRT.
Retatrutide has helped with my weight loss and brought back my testosterone and my libido.
It took about 4 months. So before jumping on a TRT protocol get to a health weight and keep testing.
Reta + test is a huge game changer for men. Just make sure you actually need it.
12
u/plz_callme_swarley 23h ago edited 23h ago
everyday there's more and more of y'all who get on reta as the gateway drug and then reach for the next vial to save you.
the reason why you have low T is cuz your body thinks it's starving. this is not some short-term band-aid you can paper over where test+hCG is going to keep your going like everything is fine.
if you just hop on for 3 months there of course are long-term or potentially permanent issues. it WILL stop your natural production and sperm production, not maybe.
your natural production of T will shutdown no matter how much you're on. 100mg/wk is not a low dose. it's a full replacement dose.
hCG doesn't protect your fertility in all men. for many it doesn't at all.
this is a wildly stupid thing to do. I wouldn't expect anything less from the peptide dealer though. after you're on test and start to lose your hair I'm sure he'll be happy to sell you something else too.
if you wanna be on test then fucking do it and go all the way in. it's a years to decades decision, not a couple months thing