Blood work 250 testo cypio

[ganciodestro]

Hi guys, I’m opening a new thread connected to my previous one.

I’ve just received my bloodwork results.
I’ve done 4 weeks on 225 mg of testosterone per week (125 mg of cypionate + 50 mg of propionate every Sunday, plus another 50 mg of propionate on Thursday).
In week 5 (last week), I switched to 250 mg of testosterone cypionate only, split into two shots per week (every 3.5 days).

I know the timing made no real sense with those esters, but I added the propionate to kickstart the cycle quicker (or at least that was the idea).

I didn’t use HCG during the first two weeks.
In weeks 3 and 4, I added HCG at 1000 IU/week, split into two injections, and I experienced very strong libido (which lasted around a week or slightly more).
By the end of week 4, my libido gradually decreased, day by day, until I’d say it “dropped drastically.”
That’s when I started to suspect high estrogen could be the cause.
I made a post but was rightly told to get bloodwork done first.

So I did.

The bloodwork was done 2 days after an injection of 125 mg testosterone cypionate.
Estrogen surprisingly came back not high at all.
(My body fat is low, around 10%.)

Here are the values:

• Total testosterone: 1502.80 ng/dL
• Free testosterone: 80 pg/mL
• Estradiol (E2): 34 pg/mL

---

What do you think about these results, considering the previous 5 weeks of dosing?​

• How do you see the total/free testosterone ratio?
• How does the estrogen/testosterone balance look (never used an AI)?

Now that I’ve switched to 2 weekly shots of cypionate, I assume total testosterone might rise further.
For long-term health, I’d prefer to stay around 1100–1250 ng/dL, so I’m considering dropping to 200 mg per week and seeing how I respond.
I’m also not sure whether to keep 2 injections/week or split the dose into 3 shots (Mon/Wed/Fri).

---

Questions:​

• What differences might I notice with this new timing? (Even in terms of how I feel)
• Would testosterone levels be higher or lower?
• Would estrogen go up or down?

I’m also thinking about adding 250 IU of HCG 3x per week, because I really miss that libido spike – and I think it was directly related to HCG use.

I want to be careful not to raise estrogen too much, as I believe that’s what caused the loss of libido (even though E2 levels are currently normal, which makes it confusing).
With lower, more frequent doses, I feel I could monitor and control things more easily.

If anyone wants to share personal experience, feel free.
Thanks a lot for reading!

---

 

[ganciodestro]

Up

 

[sionnach]

I would expect your Free T to be higher at 1500, tbh.

 

[BigDadd7]

That looks about as expected for that low dose. Your cycle is all over the place. Pick a plan and stick with it.

 

[verylargeshoes]

I have no useful comment, but "testo cypio" sounds like a spell Harry Potter would use to make somebody jacked.

 

[Matty_G]

I have no useful comment, but "testo cypio" sounds like a spell Harry Potter would use to make somebody jacked.

The counterspell would be “estro aromatis” and suddenly your crying during commercials and can’t see your jawline lmaooo

 

[ganciodestro]

That looks about as expected for that low dose. Your cycle is all over the place. Pick a plan and stick with it.

Well, now I think that taking testosterone cypionate twice a week makes sense. I just wanted to understand if splitting the weekly dose into three administrations instead of two could give me any benefits or changes in terms of blood values.

 

[ganciodestro]

I would expect your Free T to be higher at 1500, tbh.

What dosage were you expecting?
I’m not sure if there’s anything I can do to get more free testosterone without taking other drugs... I think it’s a genetic issue.

 

[BigDadd7]

Well, now I think that taking testosterone cypionate twice a week makes sense. I just wanted to understand if splitting the weekly dose into three administrations instead of two could give me any benefits or changes in terms of blood values.

Two different esters and three different injection days is wild

 

[ganciodestro]

Two different esters and three different injection days is wild

agree with you on that I was referring to taking only the cypionate ester, which I’ve been using for two weeks with two weekly injections. I wanted to understand if I could benefit from switching to three weekly injections (not daily, of course), while keeping the total weekly dosage the same.

 

[verylargeshoes]

I'd recommend for you to KISS. You're pushing too many buttons, too fast. Here's how a simple test cyp ramp-up would look:



You weren't even on test cyp by itself long enough for it to reach steady state concentration. Then you complicated it by adding in twice weekly test prop. Here's what your levels looked like on that protocol (roughly):



So stay on JUST test cyp @ 200mg/week, split into two injections per week, until you've got the hang of that, know where your steady-state levels are on it. If you have consistent signs of high E2, you can experiment to find a suitable AI dosage to get your E2 into the right place.

Get bloods after a few weeks/months of consistent test cyp usage to form a new baseline. *Then* think about layering in the HCG. But you might be starting over in terms of E2 management, as it will produce both test and E2 that an AI can't block because it's aromatized intratesticularly.

It will also introduce potentially a lot of variability in levels unless you pin it daily. See this steroidplotter graph for how HCG itself metabolizes; not sure how to chart the effects of it, but even if the pulses of HCG trigger more sustained releases of test and E2 from the ol' testes, it's probably still introducing or magnifying your peaks and valleys of both hormones. (Well, and also indirectly DHT but let's ignore that.)



Also, given that you're having some bumps in the road, don't start everything at your maximum/target dose. Start at a lower dose and titrate up.

Don't add compounds more often than you're taking bloods. This will give you the most opportunities to isolate variables and gain insight.

What's your purpose in taking HCG? Can you do without it for a while?

Finally, forget about the test prop or combining with any other test ester. "Kickstarting" just doesn't seems like a good idea to me. If you're doing TRT, your goal is to get to a consistent, predictable effect. Kickstarting is the opposite of that. You're doing one thing to get some effect early before some entirely other thing ramps up to its different effects later. Unless you understand the mechanics of both of those processes in your body extremely well, you're going to have great difficulty understanding phenomena like the ones you're asking about.

In your next labs, consider adding in SHBG and DHT, maybe even prolactin. There might be an interesting story there.

 

[BabaJagga]

agree with you on that I was referring to taking only the cypionate ester, which I’ve been using for two weeks with two weekly injections. I wanted to understand if I could benefit from switching to three weekly injections (not daily, of course), while keeping the total weekly dosage the same.

unless you need to push more ml's, i wouldnt increase pinning frequency of C ester, seems pointless.

 

[ganciodestro]

I'd recommend for you to KISS. You're pushing too many buttons, too fast. Here's how a simple test cyp ramp-up would look:

View attachment 338652

You weren't even on test cyp by itself long enough for it to reach steady state concentration. Then you complicated it by adding in twice weekly test prop. Here's what your levels looked like on that protocol (roughly):

View attachment 338648

So stay on JUST test cyp @ 200mg/week, split into two injections per week, until you've got the hang of that, know where your steady-state levels are on it. If you have consistent signs of high E2, you can experiment to find a suitable AI dosage to get your E2 into the right place.

Get bloods after a few weeks/months of consistent test cyp usage to form a new baseline. *Then* think about layering in the HCG. But you might be starting over in terms of E2 management, as it will produce both test and E2 that an AI can't block because it's aromatized intratesticularly.

It will also introduce potentially a lot of variability in levels unless you pin it daily. See this steroidplotter graph for how HCG itself metabolizes; not sure how to chart the effects of it, but even if the pulses of HCG trigger more sustained releases of test and E2 from the ol' testes, it's probably still introducing or magnifying your peaks and valleys of both hormones. (Well, and also indirectly DHT but let's ignore that.)

View attachment 338649

Also, given that you're having some bumps in the road, don't start everything at your maximum/target dose. Start at a lower dose and titrate up.

Don't add compounds more often than you're taking bloods. This will give you the most opportunities to isolate variables and gain insight.

What's your purpose in taking HCG? Can you do without it for a while?

Finally, forget about the test prop or combining with any other test ester. "Kickstarting" just doesn't seems like a good idea to me. If you're doing TRT, your goal is to get to a consistent, predictable effect. Kickstarting is the opposite of that. You're doing one thing to get some effect early before some entirely other thing ramps up to its different effects later. Unless you understand the mechanics of both of those processes in your body extremely well, you're going to have great difficulty understanding phenomena like the ones you're asking about.

In your next labs, consider adding in SHBG and DHT, maybe even prolactin. There might be an interesting story there.

Thank you so much for your detailed explanation and for the time you dedicated to me!





I’d like to add HCG mainly due to testicular atrophy, but especially because of libido. I’m not sure if my libido was truly connected to the use of HCG—I just know that, even with blood levels that seem optimal for good libido, I currently feel like it’s low.





But now I’ll do exactly what you suggested: I’ll lower the dose to 200 mg instead of 250, because I don’t want my testosterone to be too far out of range.





My goal is physical and mental well-being. Honestly, I care much more about feeling good (libido, mood, etc.) than about muscle gains.

 

[ganciodestro]

unless you need to push more ml's, i wouldnt increase pinning frequency of C ester, seems pointless.

Thank you very much for the reply!


I was asking because I’ve read that many people split their total dose (even on TRT) into more frequent administrations, even daily… I’ve never really understood why.

 

[verylargeshoes]

Thank you so much for your detailed explanation and for the time you dedicated to me!

My pleasure! I'm just trying to pay forward a bit of what the folks here have done for me.

I’d like to add HCG mainly due to testicular atrophy, but especially because of libido. I’m not sure if my libido was truly connected to the use of HCG—I just know that, even with blood levels that seem optimal for good libido, I currently feel like it’s low.

Libido is a complex thing, both hormonally and psychologically. But at least if you take it a step at a time, you'll be able to establish with confidence that when you add HCG back in, it did or didn't do *something* to affect libido, and then see what the HCG did to your blood levels to correspond with those changes.

The other thing I'd mention is that effects can lag behind changes in your protocol by days or weeks, and spacing out the changes helps with correlation when that happens.

It can be hard to take your time with all this, because feeling better is a powerful motivator to move fast. Libido doubly so But it'll pay off in the long run.

My goal is physical and mental well-being. Honestly, I care much more about feeling good (libido, mood, etc.) than about muscle gains.

Ditto. I'll take it all if I can, though!

Good luck, and keep us posted. This is an interesting situation.

 

[BigDadd7]

Serious question- how do you know anyone in this thread is giving you good advice? You don't. Eloquence and wordiness do not equal good advice.

Now, I'm not saying you've recieved bad advice. I'm just saying you have no idea if it's good or bad.

You need to read more. A LOT more. Educate yourself and answer these questions for yourself.

 

[verylargeshoes]

Serious question- how do you know anyone in this thread is giving you good advice? You don't. Eloquence and wordiness do not equal good advice.

Now, I'm not saying you've recieved bad advice. I'm just saying you have no idea if it's good or bad.

You need to read more. A LOT more. Educate yourself and answer these questions for yourself.

Agreed.

The $50,000 question is...what does he read? What's the authoritative source? And from what does it derive its authority?

It's also worth saying that most people giving very specific advice are speaking from personal experience with their body, but all bodies differ. So no matter how much you read, you're going to go through some trial & error with your own body. The process is more important than specific compounds and dosages.

P.S. I take umbrage at "wordiness".

 

[BigDadd7]

I couldn't agree with you more. I would recommend some of the great articles right here on this very site. There are also lots of great personal journals. And for sure there are tons of very experienced and knowledgeable users here..

 

[ganciodestro]

Once again, I want to thank everyone for contributing and sharing your experiences. I’m fully aware that there’s no magic formula, and equally aware that what works for one person might not work for many others. Let’s say what I’m really trying to learn about are your personal experiences, so I can then test on myself what’s been said, while also doing my own research through some reliable articles I find online.

 

[verylargeshoes]

*Then* think about layering in the HCG. But you might be starting over in terms of E2 management, as it will produce both test and E2 that an AI can't block because it's aromatized intratesticularly.

Well, shit. To @BigDadd7's point, a cursory search doesn't turn up conclusive supporting studies for this claim I so confidently stated. I read it somewhere, and just accepted it without verification, and passed it on.