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- Mar 16, 2017
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This is a continuation of this thread https://www.professionalmuscle.com/forums/index.php?threads/still-infertile.168260/
I just got my semen analysis back and after 4 months of HCG and FSH and coming off testosterone I'm azoospermic. I didn't want to delay so I pulled out all the stops early, adding the FSH and taking away the testosterone. My leydig cells seem to be responding very well. After 2 months my total testosterone was 550 and now after 4 months my total is 850. My sertoli cells don't seem to be responding.
I've been taking ~1000iu HCG + 75iu FSH 3x per week. My blood work has been done on a Friday morning, after a Thursday morning dose of these medications. In both tests my LH has been undetectable (makes sense) and my FSH has been 2.7 (range 1.5-12.4). I do not know how high the FSH would be if I tested the day of injection.
Here is the very disheartening aspect:
Me: I know it can take time, I've heard you can get detectable levels before you get testicular size back. Is that your experience?
Doc: I don't think you'll get the size back.
Me: None?
Doc: You can see that in adolescents but generally not in adults
Me: Wait, do you mean I can get normal levels of sperm back and not see testicular size come back?
Doc: No, I don't think you'll get normal levels back
Me: What? Isn't that the point? Then what is the goal?
Doc: Well I'm hoping you can get levels up to a point where you can get IVF done
Me: I'm so confused. I've seen dozens of studies showing a return of normal sperm
Doc: I have too, I've seen them, but I don't think that will happen. Your body seems to be resistant. I've seen people come back just by going off of testosterone or going off and adding clomiphene. You're taking medications to hasten it and we don't see any response.
Me: So, we're just trying to get enough to possibly do IUI?
Doc: No, we can't do IUI. For intra uterine insemination you need at least 10 million.
Me: So we're just trying to get detectable levels for IVF??
Doc: If we see no sperm at all there is a surgery where you go into the testicles and hope to find some viable sperm under a microscope.
Me: Should I up the doses?
Doc: No, you're already taking the recommended amount
This was completely shocking to me. This guy has to be around 70 and I'm hoping he is just wrong. At one point he couldn't think of the name for Sertoli cells and just said "the...uh...sperm producing tissue" but I could be grasping for straws there, he's obviously been doing this for a very long time. I didn't mention that I've also read dozens and dozens of anecdotes on the forums but I of course have. Dr. Thomas O'Connor and Dr. Rand McClain have both said in their videos that they have 100% success rate with JUST HCG, hell McClain doesn't even have his patients come off TRT (O'Connor does).
I know GotGame left the forums but has in depth experience with this, if anyone who still talks to him could pass this along I'd be very grateful. Any insights would be great. My wife is going to be crushed when she hears I'm still at zero.
I just got my semen analysis back and after 4 months of HCG and FSH and coming off testosterone I'm azoospermic. I didn't want to delay so I pulled out all the stops early, adding the FSH and taking away the testosterone. My leydig cells seem to be responding very well. After 2 months my total testosterone was 550 and now after 4 months my total is 850. My sertoli cells don't seem to be responding.
I've been taking ~1000iu HCG + 75iu FSH 3x per week. My blood work has been done on a Friday morning, after a Thursday morning dose of these medications. In both tests my LH has been undetectable (makes sense) and my FSH has been 2.7 (range 1.5-12.4). I do not know how high the FSH would be if I tested the day of injection.
Here is the very disheartening aspect:
Me: I know it can take time, I've heard you can get detectable levels before you get testicular size back. Is that your experience?
Doc: I don't think you'll get the size back.
Me: None?
Doc: You can see that in adolescents but generally not in adults
Me: Wait, do you mean I can get normal levels of sperm back and not see testicular size come back?
Doc: No, I don't think you'll get normal levels back
Me: What? Isn't that the point? Then what is the goal?
Doc: Well I'm hoping you can get levels up to a point where you can get IVF done
Me: I'm so confused. I've seen dozens of studies showing a return of normal sperm
Doc: I have too, I've seen them, but I don't think that will happen. Your body seems to be resistant. I've seen people come back just by going off of testosterone or going off and adding clomiphene. You're taking medications to hasten it and we don't see any response.
Me: So, we're just trying to get enough to possibly do IUI?
Doc: No, we can't do IUI. For intra uterine insemination you need at least 10 million.
Me: So we're just trying to get detectable levels for IVF??
Doc: If we see no sperm at all there is a surgery where you go into the testicles and hope to find some viable sperm under a microscope.
Me: Should I up the doses?
Doc: No, you're already taking the recommended amount
This was completely shocking to me. This guy has to be around 70 and I'm hoping he is just wrong. At one point he couldn't think of the name for Sertoli cells and just said "the...uh...sperm producing tissue" but I could be grasping for straws there, he's obviously been doing this for a very long time. I didn't mention that I've also read dozens and dozens of anecdotes on the forums but I of course have. Dr. Thomas O'Connor and Dr. Rand McClain have both said in their videos that they have 100% success rate with JUST HCG, hell McClain doesn't even have his patients come off TRT (O'Connor does).
I know GotGame left the forums but has in depth experience with this, if anyone who still talks to him could pass this along I'd be very grateful. Any insights would be great. My wife is going to be crushed when she hears I'm still at zero.