Quote:
Originally Posted by smysteryman
I'm in my late 30's and was on injection T about 3 years ago. The problem, and the reason I went off it, it because once you start supplementing T your body stops making it. This leads to a condition called "hypogonadism", i.e. Your balls shrink.
I didn't want that to happen so I stopped.
This really is a touchy subject and you really have to weigh the risk/benefit ratio. For me I'd rather take a boner pill and get my T to elevate through exercise.
Just remember that the more fat you have, the more estrogen your body produces. Get rid of the fat and T raises automatically. Most men after 40 have low T because they have too much belly fat.
Just my $.02
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You're correct that estrogen levels are correlated with the amount of adipose tissue you have.
You're also correct that exogenous testosterone administration causes a shutdown in natural production of testosterone.
However, that's not what "hypogonadism" is, that refers to a diminished productive capacity of the gonads in general. If a person has low-T they most likely already HAVE hypogonadism, either primary (testicular problem) or secondary (pituitary problem).
Ball shrinkage is what's known as "testicular atrophy" and it does happen sometimes but not always. As your body's natural production goes from "barely enough" to "nothing at all" the testes can begin to atrophy from disuse. This is because the Leydig cells that produce the testosterone start to shrink in size.
The issue is merely cosmetic and doesn't always occur or occurs in varying degrees but it does bother some men.
If that's your primary issue then a TRT protocol which includes HCG shots will take care if this issue entirely. HCG mimics LH and thus "tricks" the testes into continuing testosterone production even though the HPTA axis is indeed shut down.
Adding HCG adds yet another variable to finding the right protocol, insurance often will not pay for it, and not as many doctors are willing to prescribe it.
In your case, if you're able to get normal T levels by losing weight and exercising then by all means do so. You should never have been put on TRT in the first place if that was an option. But if all you're worried about is a bit of shrinking nuts then by all means educate yourself and treat accordingly.