Help interpreting blood work during and immediately after PCT

[kaizoku]

This thread has basically just turned into a personal long-term recovery log.

Latest follow up:

Clomid and I generally do not get along.
50mg 3x a week was way too much.
Dropped to 25mg 3x a week. Still too much.

Dropped to 12.5mg EOD and found the sweet spot.

Feeling great and had Dr ordered blood work (CBC and TT only) and semen analysis last week. BW results came back today:

TT = 480ng/dL (250-827)

Not sure if it's from the varicocele repair, the clomid or a combo of both but my TT went from 290 to 480 and I feel good.

Got an appt this week with my doc to get my semen analysis results.

 

[The Terminator]

This thread has basically just turned into a personal long-term recovery log.

Latest follow up:

Clomid and I generally do not get along.
50mg 3x a week was way too much.
Dropped to 25mg 3x a week. Still too much.

Dropped to 12.5mg EOD and found the sweet spot.

Feeling great and had Dr ordered blood work (CBC and TT only) and semen analysis last week. BW results came back today:

TT = 480ng/dL (250-827)

Not sure if it's from the varicocele repair, the clomid or a combo of both but my TT went from 290 to 480 and I feel good.

Got an appt this week with my doc to get my semen analysis results.

Was the SA good or bad?

 

[kaizoku]

Was the SA good or bad?

Not great, but improving.

Old results:
Count: 1.5 M/mL
Motility: 33% (All 33% had medium velocity)
Morphology: 1%

New results:
Count: 4 M/mL
Motility: 45% (2% rapid, 10% progressively rapid, rest were medium)
Morphology: 1%

So there are more, more of them are moving, and they are moving better, but morphology is still poor.

Dr said things should continue to improve and we can either keep trying naturally, go see a fertility specialist to try to bump the numbers faster, or go straight to IVF.

 

[The Terminator]

Not great, but improving.

Old results:
Count: 1.5 M/mL
Motility: 33% (All 33% had medium velocity)
Morphology: 1%

New results:
Count: 4 M/mL
Motility: 45% (2% rapid, 10% progressively rapid, rest were medium)
Morphology: 1%

So there are more, more of them are moving, and they are moving better, but morphology is still poor.

Dr said things should continue to improve and we can either keep trying naturally, go see a fertility specialist to try to bump the numbers faster, or go straight to IVF.

That’s good news man. First 2 options sound the best, ivf is pretty expensive, like 1000s of $ so probably best used as a last resort. I guess now that there’s no varicoele fertility drugs will be more effective if you go with option II.

How do SA’s work do they give you a special lube or do you gotta jack it dry lol, curious cause I’ve got an app coming up with a specialist in a couple months and I’m gonna be getting one just to see where I’m at.

 

[nervje]

I plan on getting my semen tested too, not sure when exactly, but i guess during pct its pointless.
I end my serms at around end of june so i guess somewhere in august.
I would freeze some if i have positive results, just to be safe.
Im a jackass and i never know when im stupid enough to jump on gear again.
I hope i wont.

 

[kaizoku]

That’s good news man. First 2 options sound the best, ivf is pretty expensive, like 1000s of $ so probably best used as a last resort. I guess now that there’s no varicoele fertility drugs will be more effective if you go with option II.

How do SA’s work do they give you a special lube or do you gotta jack it dry lol, curious cause I’ve got an app coming up with a specialist in a couple months and I’m gonna be getting one just to see where I’m at.

Yeah, my sister had to do IVF. Think they spent over $25k so that's definitely last resort.

You gotta go for it dry...lube affects how the swimmer swim.

 

[The Terminator]

Yeah, my sister had to do IVF. Think they spent over $25k so that's definitely last resort.

You gotta go for it dry...lube affects how the swimmer swim.

Damn $25k, it wouldn’t be so bad if it costed that much for successful results, it would really suck to pay that for a failed attempt.

Ah ok, I mean I can do dry at home no problem, guess as long as they have some porn or they let me bring my phone with me and I could lie down rubbing it dry wouldn’t be an issue at the drs office lol

 

[nervje]

Damn $25k, it wouldn’t be so bad if it costed that much for successful results, it would really suck to pay that for a failed attempt.

Ah ok, I mean I can do dry at home no problem, guess as long as they have some porn or they let me bring my phone with me and I could lie down rubbing it dry wouldn’t be an issue at the drs office lol

I remember informing myself for sperm freezing when i got off 2 years ago and if im not mistaken, they even allow you to bring your girl in my state lol.
But im not 100% sure anymore and too lazy to check hahah

 

[kaizoku]

Damn $25k, it wouldn’t be so bad if it costed that much for successful results, it would really suck to pay that for a failed attempt.

Ah ok, I mean I can do dry at home no problem, guess as long as they have some porn or they let me bring my phone with me and I could lie down rubbing it dry wouldn’t be an issue at the drs office lol

They ended up with a two for one deal...two of the implanted eggs worked and they have 2 year old fraternal twins now.

I took my phone in with me, but the place I went also had a stack of nudie/porn mags.

The whole thing is very clinical and professional. It's like when you go to see a doctor and they sit you down in the exam room to wait for the doc, but instead of just sitting there staring at the drug and anatomy posters on the wall you jack off and then leave before the doc comes in.

I remember informing myself for sperm freezing when i got off 2 years ago and if im not mistaken, they even allow you to bring your girl in my state lol.
But im not 100% sure anymore and too lazy to check hahah

That makes sense for freezing sperm.
"You gotta come with me babe, they said the only way they can get a good sample is if it's mixed with your saliva"

 

[The Terminator]

I remember informing myself for sperm freezing when i got off 2 years ago and if im not mistaken, they even allow you to bring your girl in my state lol.
But im not 100% sure anymore and too lazy to check hahah

lol that would make it easier

 

[The Terminator]

They ended up with a two for one deal...two of the implanted eggs worked and they have 2 year old fraternal twins now.

I took my phone in with me, but the place I went also had a stack of nudie/porn mags.

The whole thing is very clinical and professional. It's like when you go to see a doctor and they sit you down in the exam room to wait for the doc, but instead of just sitting there staring at the drug and anatomy posters on the wall you jack off and then leave before the doc comes in.



That makes sense for freezing sperm.
"You gotta come with me babe, they said the only way they can get a good sample is if it's mixed with your saliva"

Ah that’s good that it worked out for them, definitely a worthwhile $25k in that case.

Yea I think I’ll want my phone, not really trying to touch magazines that other dudes touched while jacking off lol

 

[kaizoku]

Dropped the clomid ~10 days ago.

For me even 12.5mg EOD fucks with my head and causes depression/moodiness.

Already feeling much better. Going to give it a few weeks to clear out and then get bloods pulled again.

 

[kaizoku]

Had to come back in here to update:

Finally got the wife pregnant!

We had just about given up hope for a natural pregnancy and did a consult with an IVF clinic a month ago. I was supposed to go in for another semen analysis today so we could start the IVF process.

3 different brand pregnancy tests over the past 3 days confirmed it.

No idea what my sperm count is now, but back in January I decided to try a hail mary:
HCG at 500iu ED for 2 months
Clomid (from US pharmacy) at 50mg EOD for 7 months.

Stopped everything on August 1st because I couldn't take the sides anymore but all the moodiness/depression/anxiety from the Clomid paid off.

Now I need to go get bloodwork to check T levels.

 

[Worf]

That’s awesome man. Congratulations

 

[IrishJuice]

Any idea where you TT is at now?

 

[IrishJuice]

Oh and congratulations

 

[kaizoku]

Any idea where you TT is at now?

Still haven’t gone in for blood work.
Wife miscarried, so we’re starting the whole process over

 

[Worf]

Damn it. I feel for ya. I hope things turn around for you guys.

 

[kaizoku]

Long overdue update…slightly more than a year after my last post my wife gave birth to our daughter who is now almost 2 1/2 and has made all the misery of recovery worth it.

Also, I had some minor pubertal gyno that flared up and significantly enlarged because of the recovery process, which I’ll be hopefully getting surgery for later this year.
Not Robert Paulson level gyno but pretty obvious and noticeable. Ironically I never had gyno issues while on AAS.

Like I told my wife, $8-10k for gyno surgery vs $25-50k (or more) for IVF, which wasn’t guaranteed to lead to pregnancy, is a trade off I’m gladly willing to make.

 

[grey]

Long overdue update…slightly more than a year after my last post my wife gave birth to our daughter who is now almost 2 1/2 and has made all the misery of recovery worth it.

Congrats!