Any explanation as to why IGF isnt correlating to dosage of GH?

cgahan

New Member
It is my understanding that females tend to respond differently, but from what I have read, 3 IU used daily should equate to more. My last blood work showed 174 IGF, and I have been using 3 IU for at least three months. They are SSA, have been tested, 36 IU kits. Any help or insights are appreciated.
 
It is my understanding that females tend to respond differently, but from what I have read, 3 IU used daily should equate to more. My last blood work showed 174 IGF, and I have been using 3 IU for at least three months. They are SSA, have been tested, 36 IU kits. Any help or insights are appreciated.

Check liver enzymes, kidney function. and thyroid. The most common reasons for low GH to IGF conversion in a woman.
 
It is my understanding that females tend to respond differently, but from what I have read, 3 IU used daily should equate to more. My last blood work showed 174 IGF, and I have been using 3 IU for at least three months. They are SSA, have been tested, 36 IU kits. Any help or insights are appreciated.
so your a woman? Sorry if i missed this in your "new member introduction"? Theres alot of supporting evidence , that we know nothing about you, before actual help can be applied,, Have you retested igf1 since you have been on the 3 ius daily for 3 months?
 
so your a woman? Sorry if i missed this in your "new member introduction"? Theres alot of supporting evidence , that we know nothing about you, before actual help can be applied,, Have you retested igf1 since you have been on the 3 ius daily for 3 months?
Baseline was 90 something (id have to pull it up). And yes, 40 (soon to be 41) F. The igf of 197 was after 3 months.
 
Baseline was 90 something (id have to pull it up). And yes, 40 (soon to be 41) F. The igf of 197 was after 3 months.
alot of factors, including calorie defecit can give you a lower igf1 reading, are you on a defecit diet atm? i personally noticed my igf1 was considerably lower when i was in a calorie defecit,
 
Check liver enzymes, kidney function. and thyroid. The most common reasons for low GH to IGF conversion in a woman.
All labs are good except slightly elevated liver enzymes (like just enough to flag in red). High rbc though with low mch. Can post bloods if that'll help. Am a tobacco smoker (I know, I know). That was the reason I was given for the rbc values.
 
alot of factors, including calorie defecit can give you a lower igf1 reading, are you on a defecit diet atm? i personally noticed my igf1 was considerably lower when i was in a calorie defecit,
i've actually been trying to eat at maintenance after a long time deficit (more than a year). During the period where I did the I g f testing, I was eating at maintenance for a good 2 months
 
All labs are good except slightly elevated liver enzymes (like just enough to flag in red). High rbc though with low mch. Can post bloods if that'll help. Am a tobacco smoker (I know, I know). That was the reason I was given for the rbc values.
its always good to post blood results, gives us a better picture as well as a reference point, make sure to block personal information,,
 
Looks like my recall was off on those numbers. Here are bloods
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20250816_110722_MyQuest.webp
    Screenshot_20250816_110722_MyQuest.webp
    96.1 KB · Views: 26
  • Screenshot_20250816_110740_MyQuest.webp
    Screenshot_20250816_110740_MyQuest.webp
    413.8 KB · Views: 28
All labs are good except slightly elevated liver enzymes (like just enough to flag in red). High rbc though with low mch. Can post bloods if that'll help. Am a tobacco smoker (I know, I know). That was the reason I was given for the rbc values.

What's your albumin?

Liver function is the biggest factor by far for low IGF conversion.

Low albumin is the main marker for liver IGF conversion ability, and if it's low a sign of fatty liver (common), hepatitis, too much alcohol use, bad kidneys, or some other source of inflammation.
 
What's your albumin?

Liver function is the biggest factor by far for low IGF conversion.

Low albumin is the main marker for liver IGF conversion ability, and if it's low a sign of fatty liver (common), hepatitis, too much alcohol use, bad kidneys, or some other source of inflammation.
Albumin is good, it's included in bloods i posted. Also worth noting, am on coumadin so inr and pt values are a reflection of anti-coagulation.
 
Baseline was 90 something (id have to pull it up). And yes, 40 (soon to be 41) F. The igf of 197 was after 3 months.
I haven't talked with other women to know what their igf is after using similar amounts of GH, but if I was able to double my natural baseline with only 3iu I'd be thrilled.

Do you know what levels other women experience with a similar dose? Do you have a specific level you have as a goal?

You're labs reflect that you are on a blood thinner, but is your hematocrit level before or after starting test? I saw your mention of Test P in a different thread.

If you haven't started Test yet, you will likely want to address that hematocrit before you do. But, you might see a more synergistic effect from your HGH after starting test.
 
I haven't talked with other women to know what their igf is after using similar amounts of GH, but if I was able to double my natural baseline with only 3iu I'd be thrilled.

Do you know what levels other women experience with a similar dose? Do you have a specific level you have as a goal?

You're labs reflect that you are on a blood thinner, but is your hematocrit level before or after starting test? I saw your mention of Test P in a different thread.

If you haven't started Test yet, you will likely want to address that hematocrit before you do. But, you might see a more synergistic effect from your HGH after starting test.
No haven't started the test yet. I'll have to look into how to reduce the hematocrit. Cant donate due to coumadin. I may have been slightly dehydrated at time of testing. Was hoping for 250-300; supposedly thats the range for well aging, skin, etc and considering I'm using 3iu, didn't think that was beyond the scope of possible
 
I haven't talked with other women to know what their igf is after using similar amounts of GH, but if I was able to double my natural baseline with only 3iu I'd be thrilled.

Do you know what levels other women experience with a similar dose? Do you have a specific level you have as a goal?

You're labs reflect that you are on a blood thinner, but is your hematocrit level before or after starting test? I saw your mention of Test P in a different thread.

If you haven't started Test yet, you will likely want to address that hematocrit before you do. But, you might see a more synergistic effect from your HGH after starting test.
Just wanted to note, I looked back and the hematicrit was only elevated once in the last 3 years. So I think it was dehydration, but I'll keep an eye on it for sure.
 
If that's your goal, most women use 1IU each night. I don't know what that translates into IGF levels for them, but 3IU's + and Test is something to do if you have bodybuilding goals.
Oh yeah, that too. Just finishing up first cycle of anavar, definitely want to build muscle, but first implemented the gh for the well aging benefits. I had read somewhere the IGF range is what I described above, that's why I was shooting for that. Plus it was an experiment to see how my body responded to the gh. Was used by itself for a while. Didn't notice anything, tbh. Joints actually hurt more. No cts, just joint pain.
 
It is my understanding that females tend to respond differently, but from what I have read, 3 IU used daily should equate to more. My last blood work showed 174 IGF, and I have been using 3 IU for at least three months. They are SSA, have been tested, 36 IU kits. Any help or insights are appreciated.
If I recall correctly, I have come across this explanation a few times:

Essentially, you have serum IGF-1 levels circulating in your blood, and you have tissue-specific IGF-1 that is actively working within certain bodily tissues. It is the tissue IGF-1 that is responsible for things like muscle growth/repair, bone development, etc. The only one we are able accurately test for is serum IGF-1, so that is the number you'll see on blood tests, irrespective of your tissue IGF-1 levels. So, basically, a blood test is a relatively poor indicator of how effective or potent your rHGH is.
 
Oh yeah, that too. Just finishing up first cycle of anavar, definitely want to build muscle, but first implemented the gh for the well aging benefits. I had read somewhere the IGF range is what I described above, that's why I was shooting for that. Plus it was an experiment to see how my body responded to the gh. Was used by itself for a while. Didn't notice anything, tbh. Joints actually hurt more. No cts, just joint pain.
The joint pain might be from the glp you mentioned taking, I think it was trizz? I felt stiff and sore on Reta. As gh causes you to hold more water, your joints might respond to that with a feeling of stiffness or pain. If you think it’s the gh, go back down to 1iu and SLOWLY go back up with very small increments at a time

GH on its on won’t offer a performance enhancement. Most use it for the synergy it has with other anabolics, primarily test. You might find more benefit from it if you are able to start test.

Maybe someone who runs var with gh can chime in.
 
My wife's baseline igf-1 was 92. On 1iu she got to 136,and 1.5iu got her to 159 igf-1. She's taking t4 prescribed for low thyroid but her numbers are all good and have been for years. She's at 2iu now and retesting in a few weeks.

Your numbers don't seem too far off from that.
 
Back
Top