High E2 on Reta & TRT - Help!

[pluckyedamame]

Feel pretty good running my current testosterone dose, keeps my total level around 900 and estrogen around 40.

Mostly just curious what routes others have taken, planning to stay within a typical replacement-therapy range for now. If that shifts I'm active on another community and can dig deeper into specifics over there if this forum's outside the scope for that topic.

Adding to this, get bloodwork done every couple months, and since starting hormone therapy alongside the dual-action medication, all my markers have landed in normal range. Balanced hormones make a real difference in how I feel day to day, and shedding that much overall weight has obviously boosted my health too. Not chasing a bodybuilder physique or trying to get huge. Just want to sit around 12 percent body fat, which should put me somewhere in the mid 180s. Currently around 16 percent and still losing waist inches, roughly half a pound weekly. Only running a mild shortfall calorie-wise, and I've actually managed to add strength along the way.

 

[pecan-plotter]

My honest advice, hold off until you've dropped some fat first. Haven't seen anyone bring this up, but blood pressure factors in too. Testosterone can spike hematocrit dramatically, which raises risk for cardiac events and strokes. And like every other TRT side effect, that risk climbs right alongside your body fat percentage.

Was at 300lbs with over 40% body fat myself. Chose to delay starting TRT because of elevated estrogen, insulin resistance, and blood pressure running high. Spent a solid twelve months grinding to cut that fat, clean eating plus lifting five days a week. Started the third compound, plus a growth-hormone releasing combo to push the fat loss further. Then rotated through NAD+, SS-31, and mitochondrial-support peptide to boost insulin sensitivity. Once I dropped under 20% body fat, felt confident enough to finally start TRT. Currently running 150mg test-c weekly, total testosterone sits at 1200, estrogen at 50, hematocrit at 47. Best I've ever felt! Wasn't the quickest route to get here, but it felt like the right one for me. That said, my path was just mine. You'll need to weigh your own risks and pick whatever route makes sense for you.

 

[sage-steeper]

How old are you? Past 40 or so, look into hormone therapy and don't second-guess it. Keep chipping away at the weight, it'll actually help with that and support building new lean mass too. Personally dropped 75 to 80 pounds after starting hormone therapy, and lost even more actual fat than the scale showed since I kept adding muscle throughout that entire stretch. All of this happened before this drug class was even around. Had gotten down into the low 300s last November, switched to a carnivore-style diet and dropped 15 pounds in two weeks, then another five took about a month. That's when I added the third compound and within a month was down to 275, the lowest I'd been in roughly two decades. Paused the third compound for now but plan on starting it again soon. Hitting 275 felt like a number I never actually believed I'd reach. Feeling confident I'll be at 250 before long.