Time frame for PCT bloodwork.

So I am nearing the tail end of my PCT period, and I was just wondering what the best way to go about getting my recovery labs would be.

My PCT has consisted of a 2 week HCG (1500iu E3D) blast during the ester-clearing period, and then 5 weeks of Clomid (100/50/50/25/25) and Exemestane (12.5mg/day). Is there a generally accepted time period to get drawn after my final dose of Clomid to ensure that true recovery has occurred?

I'd get labs right at the end to see how PCT worked before falling off it. You LH & FSH should be high, test recovering or fully recovered. If not you may want to stay on Clomid longer and in the worst case, even blast HCG again.

That makes sense.. I suppose I will extend my clomid into week 6 since that will be the first time I have a chance to get out of town to the draw center.

I've always thought we should let all the compounds clear meaning wait a couple weeks after pct completion before blood work. We need to know that the system is up and running in its own without assistance. Won't clomid and hcg give you falsely high test numbers? Does clomid effect lh and fsh results?

^ That's what I had gathered from just random logs I had read. No solidified waiting periods or anything though.

I might just do labs at the end of this month then wait for the clomid to clear and do them again.

Ya I wish I had that option.. Living in the boonies has its flaws; 2.5 hour drive to the nearest Quest.

IdahoRally said:

Ya I wish I had that option.. Living in the boonies has its flaws; 2.5 hour drive to the nearest Quest.

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I'm almost in the same boat. Had my lads done thru privatemdlabs & Labcorp. Since they don't do it in Maryland, I had to drive into Virginia do get labs & that's over an hour drive for me. Have a Labcorp in Maryland within 20 min of my house. Damn state laws

maddad said:

I've always thought we should let all the compounds clear meaning wait a couple weeks after pct completion before blood work. We need to know that the system is up and running in its own without assistance. Won't clomid and hcg give you falsely high test numbers? Does clomid effect lh and fsh results?

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HCG absolutely will muck with the HPTA -- it mimics LH, stimulating testicular testosterone production directly, and therefore boosting E2 numbers and triggering negative feedback on LH production at the hypothalamus & pituitary. So HCG will likely shutdown LH (and maybe FSH... I haven't determined how independent these two are or if there's some lockstep) and thereby sabotage HPTA recovery. For these reasons HCG should be discontinued before starting PCT. I was only mentioning a re-blast in the case that PCT is a complete failure. There's an endocrinologist out there, Michael Scally, who's posted a number of case studies along those lines with problematic patients and having to re-blast in a huge way to wake up those dormant leydig cells. Another (maybe better) option in this case of course is to just go see an endo yourself although it sounds like there's a lot of variation in treatment, sometimes very delicate and ineffective. Plus you'd have to fess up about AAS usage.

Clomid definitely affects LH & FSH by reducing E2 aromatization at the hypothalamus and pituitary, which boost LH & FSH and result in higher testosterone production. There are TRT therapy programs based on clomid alone.

You could certainly wait a few weeks after completion of PCT for a "clean" slate to get bloodwork on. The problem I'd have is that you're about 6-8 weeks through the process by that point and if things didn't work, you're suffering badly. Lethargy, crankiness, continuing loss of muscle, etc. Shitty situation. I'd be getting bloodwork much sooner to be sure PCT is working. I'm far too impatient to allow that to go on that long and not know WTF is wrong with me. Ideally, get bloodwork 3-4 weeks in and then again 6-8 weeks in.

Yeah I feel youse on living in the sticks and bloodwork being a tribulation. Maybe move out of redneck-ville and into a real city or something?

I definitely FEEL as though my PCT has been successful thus-far. No Low-T/High E2 symptoms, the boys are back to normal size, etc. However I am not naive to justify anything with how I feel. Most likely I will just continue the last two week of my PCT and make my way up out of the sticks to my Quest center about 2-3 weeks after completion of Clomid to ensure full recovery.

I really wish there were more options for the mail-off blood spot E2/Test tests, however it seems that ZRT labs discontinued the ability to purchase individual tests and only sell a combo pack for $180. A family friend of mine owns a pain clinic in the area and has offered to let me get my Endocrine panel done there for free, but that was mid-cycle. There is no way in hell I could go in and get tested as I know he would take a peak at my results to try and advise me. I guess there wouldn't be to much of an issue going in to see him after my PCT, unless my levels came back crazy out of whack low and he asks what the hell I've done to myself.

2weeks after last clomid should have you at your returned level. This is coming from an Endo.

JohnRambo said:

2weeks after last clomid should have you at your returned level. This is coming from an Endo.

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Thanks!