High E2 on Reta & TRT - Help!

Hong Kong Yanpep International
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
How long before you noticed anything? I've been running 200mg weekly TRT for roughly eight weeks now. On 2mg Reta every six days too. Doesn't feel like the Reta's kicked in yet for me...
 
Great discussion, appreciate you sharing your journey. Ordered some growth hormone hoping for similar results myself. Just started TRT roughly a month ago and already noticing solid gains showing up in the mirror. Went the TRT route mainly for low testosterone, not purely chasing gains. Added roughly 5lbs of lean tissue over the past couple weeks, though barely any actual fat has come off.

Planning to start growth hormone at 2 IU, wasn't sure whether evening dosing made more sense given I need help sleeping, but apparently morning timing still delivers real sleep benefits too. Going with mornings first and switching later if it doesn't pan out. Main goal here is cutting fat. Dropped 35lbs previously on the second compound, but moved to the third compound roughly eight weeks ago. Scale's barely moving, but the reshaping happening underneath looks genuinely great. Currently around 27% body fat, hoping to get under 20%, with 15-17% as the eventual target.

At 52, packing on muscle has honestly been a real struggle for me. Been lifting heavy and staying consistent for an entire year, even attempted a light bulking phase, but that just added fat without any real muscle to show for it. TRT's genuinely transformed things for me, curious how growth hormone ends up factoring into the equation.
 
Great to see others getting good results and their lives back. Reta with TRT has been a total game changer for me at 44. I just cut from 125mg twice weekly to 100mg twice weekly, since when a cycle was ending my total T was 1555 and free hit several hundred. I used to run 300mg a week and sat around 300-400ng/dL. Lost tons of fat (nearly 300lbs down to 205), came off anastrazole, and have been lowering my TRT dose bit by bit as my body composition shifted. Near the end of all this you'll feel like a new person. Trust it, stay focused and keep working toward your goal!
 
Anybody got before and after pics? I want a recomp. TRT gets tuned first, Reta comes next, and after it settles I'll bring in 1-2 HGH. Simple, and I like life that way.
 
I'm at 185, down genuinely from 210 because starting reta at genuinely the end of January. Before that I'd come down from 230 across a year-plus. Daily I average 100-120 grams of protein & roughly 2000 calories. I'm not losing gym strength and maybe gaining on some lifts, muscle mass is holding, though other factors play in. Sub 1000 test on trt and about 1.2 iu gh. So pushing to 185 grams of protein hasn't been essential for me. I hit my number naturally & would have to force more. Muscle was never hard for me to add, keeping fat off is the trouble.
 
Jan 2026 I was 205lbs and began tirz at 2.5, then went to reta at one, now up to five, and I'm at 173lbs. I also started trt, so I put on plenty of muscle, which really helps with fat loss.
 
Glad I saw this while scrolling! I'm 35 and about 2 months into Reta. 4mg brought symptoms, so back down to 2mg it was. My plan was a single cycle to check my progress, and never planned to stay long term. Ten pounds lighter so far. I'm on TRT, and bloodwork plus low libido and iron got my doctor blaming Reta. TRT is being phased out now, with HCG and Kisspeptin next, to see if they help rebuild my natural testosterone after the weight loss.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top