[PD]

So a few things to confirm for me.

The water retention as it stands now has been like this from the initial weeks of the cycle – so when you added the AI in there was no change to water retention? As if the issue was high E2 and the Adex has then crashed our E2 you would for sure have seen a huge drop in water retention – so it seems to me High E2 was not the issue.

Based on the fact you have literally used 2mg of Adex only over 2 weeks and your E2 is completely in the gutter which I have never seen off so little adex im going to guess your E2 wasn’t raised in the first place and that was never the issue.

have you tried removing the GH and seeing if the water drops off – are you taking pharaoh or generic GH and how are you dosing it? All in 1 dose?

As chines GH can for some cause big amounts of fluid retention so I would be more inclined to think its this based on my notes below.

What is very to me is your taking 500mg test which would in almost all cased send E2 higher and on top of this HCG at 500iu twice a week which in almost all cased spike e2. Yes a pretty small amount of Adex has completed crashed your E2. This is a first ive ever seen a response like this happen personally – this would potentially indicate you dont aromatise alot at all and defo dont need potentially anything t control E2.

ideally for me I would.

Drop the adex out – leave all else as is

I personally do feel 250iu HCG twice a week is enough.

I would drop the GH out.

See if the water retention goes.

Retest bloods in 4-5 weeks and see were your E2 is without the Adex in play so you can better design your cycles in the future. You can then look as Kuba suggests to use primo or mast to better manage E2 but if you drop the Adex out now and add one of those in your creating a bigger yo yo effect ad have no clue what is doing what IMO.

Thanks for detailed reply Hilly, it’s much appreciated.

It’s generic GH from GenAtropin. I’ve got my last pack left of 100iu left before I was going to order anymore. I might finish that and then finish off without it to see how I feel. I’ve read on other posts that people that have taken only the generic GH (with no test etc) have had immediate water retention so it might seem quite likely that could be the main contributing factor to the water retention.

I’ll drop the AI completely and lower HCG to 250iu x2 a week and retest bloods in 4 weeks.

Thanks for the advice 🙏

[PD]

Like Kuba mentioned drop the AI and add mast or primo to control E2.

If you dont want to go to high on total load. Maybe drop the Test slightly to match with added primo or mast

Why run HCG if you had a vasectomy just purely from testicle size? lol drop the HCG to many unnecessary variables.

I dont know how you dont feel like garbage with E2 that low. Last time my E2 was crashed (7) from when I was learning what my test/primo ratio was I felt like death. ( Low aromatizer , my ratio has to be 2:1 Test to Primo)

Last few days I feel pretty low, got a couple of aches and a coldsore which I haven’t had in a few years. I think my immune system has dropped.

[PD]

Estrogen def too low. Go to just 0.5 adex if you went to keep that in.

Hcg wise 250iu x twice weekly is plenty for what you want and won’t cause to a gyno as much.

Water retention wise, some gh will cause it more then others. If you’re doing some of it fasted, this can make it worse so try doing it all more bed , your body metabolise it better.

Also focus on your electrolytes too, you might need some magnesium supplements and maybe tourine to control things a bit better

Thanks Sasan.

0.5mg of Arimidex a week was my next plan.

I think it’s worth dropping the HCG down to 250iu x2 a week. I had read that’s what’s usually prescribed when on trt but then when I started I was told I should be doing 500iu x2 a week.

I do the GH at night about 1 hour before bed so not fasted.

I take 1 sis electrolyte tablet in water each day and 2 magnesium tablets before bed. Not taken tourine before so will read into that.

Thanks for the advice

[PD]

Split your test into daily shots, will help with controlling water and e2 more

Rather than adding ai and crushing your estrogen

Lower your test and add some mast to control estrogen more

Doesn’t make sense adding ai on top of test your basically making primo this way

High estrogen will cause water retention low will not you’ll be dry,

Your estrogen is crushed here from too much ai

Hcg can also give you some gyno on top of this dose of test

Smarter cycle & more frequent dosing is key

Thanks for the reply.

I’ll read more into the masteron but I hadn’t planned on adding anything else into this cycle.

Would you recommend dropping down to 0.5mg of AI a week for now or stopping it altogether?

I’m only taking HCG as I don’t want my balls to shrink, I’m not worried about fertility as I’ve had a vasectomy a few years ago.

I appreciate the advice 🙏