TESTOSTERONE AND HCG THERAPY – FUNCTIONS AND BENEFITS
Function of Testosterone
TESTOSTERONE AND HCG THERAPY – Testosterone is the most essential sex hormone or androgen produced in men. The function of testosterone is primarily to produce typical adult male characteristics. In addition, during puberty, testosterone stimulates the physical changes that constitute the attributes of the adult male.
Throughout adult life, testosterone helps maintain sex drive, the production of sperm cells, male hair patterns, muscle mass, and bone mass. Testosterone is produced in men by the testes and in the outer layer of the adrenal glands.
The hypothalamus controls hormone production in the pituitary gland using gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). This hormone also tells the pituitary gland to make follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing hormone (LH).
LH orders the testes to produce testosterone. If the testes begin producing too much testosterone, the brain sends signals to the pituitary to make less LH. This, in turn, slows testosterone production. If the testes begin producing too little testosterone, the brain sends signals to the pituitary gland telling it to make more LH, which causes the testes to make more testosterone.
Symptoms of Low Testosterone
The failure of the testes to produce a sufficient level of testosterone in the adult male results in a low testosterone level. Thus, physical signs of low testosterone in men may include:
- Declining sex drive,
- Erectile dysfunction (ED)
- Low sperm count
- Decrease in lean muscle mass
- Insomnia or sleep disorder
- Depression
- Chronic fatigue.
Conditions Causing Male Testosterone Deficiency
Different conditions can cause testosterone deficiency:
1) the effects of aging;
2) testes-based conditions,
3) genetics, and
4) conditions caused by the pituitary and hypothalamus.
- The effects of aging on testosterone production
- Testes disorder
- Pituitary/Hypothalamus disorder
- Genetically-based condition
The Function of Testosterone Therapy
The function of testosterone hormone replacement therapy is to increase the level of testosterone in the adult male diagnosed with testosterone deficiency (low testosterone) or hypogonadism.
In addition, Testosterone replacement should approximate the natural, endogenous production of the hormone. Moreover, the clinical reasons for the treatment of testosterone deficiency in men include:
- Increased male sex drive
- Improve male sexual performance
- Enhance mood in men
- Reduce depression in men
- Increased energy and vitality
- It increases bone density
- Improves strength and endurance
- Reduce body fat
- Increase body hair growth
- Reduce the risk of heart disease
- Develop lean muscle mass with exercise
The function of HCG Therapy is to Stimulate the Testes to Prevent Loss of Natural Testosterone Production and Avoid Testicular Atrophy while the Male Patient is Undergoing Testosterone Hormone Replacement Therapy.
Doctors prescribe the hormone HCG for men in this therapy to stimulate the testes with HCG and increase natural testosterone production during therapy. Additionally, this treatment does not administer any testosterone medication.
Moreover, the treatment objective is to cause the male testes to naturally produce a higher volume of testosterone by HCG stimulation of his testes with the result that the patient experiences a continuing higher blood level of testosterone while on treatment. Hence, TESTOSTERONE AND HCG THERAPY, another treatment objective, is to avoid using any anabolic steroids and their adverse side effects on the patient.
The Benefits and Underlying Causes Addressed by HCG Therapy
During the treatment period, HCG Therapy typically prompts the male testes to increase natural testosterone production when doctors administer HCG to the patient.
However, the cause of the patient’s low natural LH secretion by the pituitary isn’t related to the patient’s natural genetics, the aging process, or injury to or loss of one or both testes. In that case, HCG Therapy can maintain an elevated testosterone production and result in a higher level of testosterone in the bloodstream even after completing the treatment. Thus, it is a medical disorder or disease affecting the testes or castration.
During HCG Therapy, the testes can continue to produce a higher level of natural testosterone even after completing the therapy if the underlying cause of the low LH secretion and resulting low testosterone production (1) stems from the patient’s prior use of one or more anabolic steroids or (2) comes from administering testosterone in a previous hormone replacement therapy without the necessary concurrent HCG Therapy.
This concurrent therapy is essential to prevent the patient’s endocrine system (hypothalamus pituitary-testes axis) from shutting down the natural production of testosterone by the testes and causing testicular atrophy.
Types of Testosterone Therapy for Men
An excellent male testosterone replacement therapy produces and maintains physiologic serum concentrations of testosterone and its active metabolites without significant adverse side effects.
The leading types of testosterone therapy for men include:
- Testosterone Injection with HCG
- HCG Testosterone Transdermal Cream
- Testosterone Transdermal Gel with HCG
Benefits of HCG Therapy for the Male Patient Undergoing TRT
- Increases natural testosterone production by the testes
- Prevents loss of natural testosterone production by the testes while the male patient is undergoing testosterone hormone replacement therapy
- Treating the male patient with testosterone replacement therapy prevents testicular atrophy.
- Increases physical energy and elimination of chronic fatigue
- Increases sex drive
- It improves sexual performance
- Improves mood
- Reduces depression
- Increases lean muscle mass
- Increases strength and endurance as a result of exercise
- Reduces body fat due to increased exercise
- Increases sperm count and, therefore, male fertility. If a man’s current low testosterone production stems from prior use of anabolic steroids that either shut down or reduced the pituitary gland’s production of LH and decreased testosterone production, HCG Therapy can lead to a higher level of natural testosterone production even after completing the therapy.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG)
A compounding pharmacy compounds HCG, or a pharmaceutical company manufactures it in 10,000 IU (International Units) vials. Additionally, these are meant for reconstitution with ten cc of sterile water for injections.
HCG is a natural protein hormone secreted by the human placenta and purified from the urine of pregnant women. HCG hormone is not a natural male hormone but mimics the natural hormone LH (Luteinizing Hormone) almost identically. As a result of HCG stimulating the testes in the same manner as LH, HCG therapy increases testosterone production by the testes or male gonads as a result of HCG’s stimulating effect on Leydig cells of the testes.
The Decline in Gonadal Stimulating Pituitary Hormone LH
The natural decline in male testosterone production that occurs with aging is attributed to a decline in the gonadal stimulating pituitary hormone LH (Luteinizing hormone).
The hypothalamus secretes less gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which stimulates the pituitary gland to produce LH. This decrease in the pituitary secretion of LH reduces the stimulation of the gonads or male testes and results in declining testosterone and sperm production due to the decreased function of the gonads.
The decreased stimulation of the testes by the pituitary’s diminished secretion of LH can also cause testicular atrophy. HCG stimulates the testis in the same manner as naturally produced. HCG Therapy is administered medically to increase male fertility by stimulating the testes to produce more sperm cells, thereby increasing sperm count or Spermatogenesis.
The decreased stimulation of the testes by the pituitary’s diminished secretion of LH can also cause testicular atrophy. HCG stimulates the testis in the same manner as naturally produced. HCG Therapy is administered medically to increase male fertility by stimulating the testes to produce more sperm cells, thereby increasing sperm count or Spermatogenesis.
How HCG Therapy Increases Plasma Testosterone Levels in Men
HCG therapy uses the body’s biochemical stimulating mechanisms to increase plasma testosterone levels during HCG therapy. It is used to stimulate the testes of men who are hypogonadal or lack sufficient testosterone.
The male endocrine system is responsible for the testes’ production of testosterone. The HPTA (hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis) regulates the testosterone level in the bloodstream. The hypothalamus produces gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which stimulates the pituitary gland to release Luteinizing hormone (LH).
LH released by the pituitary gland travels from the pituitary via the bloodstream to the testes, where it triggers the production and release of testosterone. Without the continuing release of LH by the pituitary gland, the testes would shut down their testosterone production, causing testicular atrophy and stopping natural testosterone production by the testes.
The Role of HCG in Enhancing Testosterone Production in Aging Men
As men age, the volume of hypothalamus-produced gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) declines, causing the pituitary gland to release less Luteinizing hormone (LH).
The reduction in the volume of LH released by the Pituitary gland decreases the available LH in the bloodstream, stimulating the testes to produce testosterone.
In males, HCG mimics LH and increases testosterone production in the testes. As such, HCG is administered to patients to increase endogenous (natural) testosterone production.
The HCG medication administered combines with the patient’s naturally available LH released into the bloodstream by the Pituitary gland, thereby stimulating the testes to produce more testosterone than the pituitary-released LH alone.
The additional HCG added to the bloodstream combined with the Pituitary gland’s naturally produced LH triggers a greater volume of testosterone production by the tests since HCG mimics LH and adds to the total stimulation of the testes.
HCG Clinical Pharmacology
The action of HCG is virtually identical to that of pituitary LH, although HCG also appears to have a small degree of FSH activity. It stimulates the production of gonadal steroid hormones by stimulating the testis’s interstitial cells (Leydig cells) to produce androgens.
Thus, HCG sends the same message and results in increased testosterone production by the testis due to its effect on the testis’s Leydig cells. HCG therapy uses the body’s own biochemical stimulating mechanisms to increase plasma testosterone levels.
Following intramuscular injection, serum HCG concentrations may increase within 2 hours; peak HCG concentrations occur within about 6 hours and persist for about 36 hours. Serum HCG concentrations begin to decline at 48 hours and approach baseline (undetectable) levels after about 72 hours.
TESTOSTERONE AND HCG THERAPY
HCG is not a steroid and is administered to assist the body in continuing to produce its own natural testosterone, as LH signals stimulate testosterone production by the testis.
This LH stimulates the production of testosterone by the testes in males. Thus, HCG sends the same message as LH to the testes and results in increased testosterone production due to HCG’s effect on the testes’ Leydig cells.
In males, hCG mimics LH and helps restore and maintain testosterone production in the testes. Suppose HCG is used for too long and in too high a dose. In that case, the resulting rise in natural testosterone will eventually inhibit its production via negative feedback on the hypothalamus and pituitary.
HCG therapy uses the body’s biochemical stimulating mechanisms to increase plasma testosterone levels during HCG therapy. It is used to stimulate the testes of men who are hypogonadal or lack sufficient testosterone.
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