HCG

HCG PART II:

In power athletes for 26 weeks of steroid self-administration and for the subsequent 16 weeks after drug withdrawal, the effects of high doses of testosterone and anabolic steroids on testicular endocrine function and on the circulating steroid-binding proteins, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and cortisol binding globulin (CBG), were examined.

Decreased levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulphate in the blood suggest that androgenic-anabolic drugs also reduce the synthesis of adrenal androgen.

We are all aware that testosterone is a key male hormone that affects more than 150 bodily functions. In addition to having a direct impact on muscle mass, it also has several indirect affects on things like sleep, mood, and bone density.

Progesterone 

Progesterone functions in the brain because it is a neurosteroid and a neuroactive steroid. The blood-brain barrier can be crossed for it to reach the brain. Traditionally, progesterone acts by binding to the progesterone receptor. Sadly, it hasn't been explored much in guys, especially in a clinical and non-animal manner.

It does, however, play a key part in preserving a healthy brain in both women and men, healthy or not, according to research.

Progesterone has been shown to be crucial for the recovery from traumatic brain injury in animal models. Further research will be necessary to determine whether or not this applies to humans.

The fact that progesterone serves as a balance to reduce oestrogen impact, improve sleep, and have an impact on tumours in the central nervous system (meningioma, fibroma), as well as having an impact on the immune system, cardiovascular system, kidney function, adipose tissue, behaviour, and respiratory system, is something that many men are also unaware of.

DHEA 

Your body naturally creates the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the adrenal gland. As a result, a catabolic state is changed to an anabolic, or protein-building, one.

Although its function is not entirely known, it is crucial for the synthesis of oestrogen and androgen.

The immune system is stimulated, sexual vitality is restored, moods are improved, body fat and cholesterol levels are decreased, memory is improved, energy levels are raised, and it has anti-cancer properties by boosting the immune system. It also lowers cardiovascular risks by increasing lipolyses (decrease visceral fat). DHEA, an endocrine precursor to other hormones, lowers the need for insulin and protects immuno-senescence, insomnia, osteoporosis, and atherosclerosis.

The hormone DHEA is anabolic and protecting. It is ergogenic to cognition because it has antioxidant action and may aid in neuronal maintenance. In other words, it benefits your brain. It could be related to memory and executive function [8]. However, we can't state this with great certainty about males because the results aren't quite clear; further research is required.

The greatest proof is that the World Anti-Doping Agency lists DHEA as a drug that is prohibited in sports. They never forbid ineffective things.

Pregnenolone 

The precursor of all steroid hormones is pregnenolone, which occurs naturally. But it also has self-healing properties that help with depression and memory. contains effective mood-enhancing anti-inflammatory arthritic pain-relieving qualities.

It has been demonstrated to lessen and ameliorate depression symptoms in well-designed trials utilising males with bipolar illness.

Pregnenolone also lessens pain perception, as demonstrated in a randomised control experiment with Army veterans who experienced lower back pain; pregnenolone lessened pain perception in a clinically significant way.

The hormone is widely established to have significant roles in cognition, mood enhancement, and pain relief.

Pregnenolone supplementation entered the field of antiaging to treat mental decline and memory loss as well as work as a memory booster, in addition to stress and depression.

Pregnenolone is a negative modulator of the endocannabinoid CB1 receptor, an antagonist of the GABAB1 receptor, and it stimulates neurogenesis in the hippocampus.

Allopregnanolone 

The neurosteroid allopregnanolone is a metabolite of allopregnanedione. It has demonstrated its significance in psychiatry and general wellbeing. It is generated both by the adrenal cortex and directly in the brain from the serum progesterone. This steroid has antidepressant properties and has a variety of functions in the growth and maintenance of the central nervous system.

Neurogenetic, neuroprotective, antidepressant, and anxiolytic actions are all brought about by allopregnanolone. It has been discovered that serious depression, anxiety disorders, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and Alzheimer's disease are all linked to low levels of allopregnanolone.

Yes, there is proof that the absence of allopregnanolone causes your girlfriend's PMS:

•    In women with a regular menstrual cycle, the neurosteroid allopregnanolone has been linked to an increase in perimenstrual seizures. 
•    It is believed that stopping the use of progesterone-derived neurosteroids causes increased excitability that increases the risk of seizures.
•    The GABA-A receptor's activity is modulated by it.
•    The anxiolytic, sedative, and anticonvulsant actions of allopregnanolone are comparable to those of other positive allosteric modulators of the GABA action at GABAA receptor, such as the benzodiazepines.
•    Patients with depression have been found to have lower levels of allopregnanolone in their serum and cerebrospinal fluid; successful antidepressant therapy is said to be associated with an increase in allopregnanolone, and allopregnanolone has been shown to have an antidepressant-like effect in animal models.
•    Preliminary findings from an unpublished study indicated that allopregnanolone levels were negatively connected with different PTSD symptoms and that depressed military veterans with PTSD and suicidal thoughts had lower allopregnanolone/progesterone ratios.
•    Despite being a recent discovery, allopregnanolone is already being used in psychiatry to treat depression as brexanolone. Brexanolone was authorised by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2019 for use as a quick-acting antidepressant in the United States.  
•    It has demonstrated its effectiveness and is advised for the treatment of resistant depressions.
•    Brexanolone's antidepressant benefits on severe postpartum depression and other depressive disorders were observed in an open-label research after a single IV injection.
•    Allopregnanolone is safe and may prevent Alzheimer's-related brain shrinkage.

So what's the problem with all of this?

In our discussion, we discovered that chemicals hitherto thought of only as testosterone's precursors or metabolites are actually significant in and of itself.

Stopping HPTA with AAS will just leave you with testosterone (or its derivatives), whereas the other components of the cascade are crucial and each one serves a specific purpose.

Let's go back to the research we covered at the outset of this article:

For the 16 weeks that follow drug discontinuation, self-administered dosages of testosterone and anabolic steroids completely stop the steroidogenesis cascade.

This time, the entire sequence of events must "restart," and sometimes this is not so simple.

What can we do to get out of it?

Okay, there is an alternative. Use human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) to maintain the steroidogenesis cascade in motion and help your body create all the steroid hormones required!

Pregnenelone is the parent of all steroid hormones. By activating the p450 side chain cleavage (p450scc) enzyme, HCG creates the precursors for DHEA, Pregnenelone, Allopregnenelone Estrogen, Cortisol, Testosterone, and DHT—back-filling the pathways.

Literally! If hCG is substituted for gonadotropins, the serum steroid hormone profiles of guys with CHH mirror those of healthy men. Gonadotropins contribute to steroid hormone production through the traditional 4 route and co-activate an alternate pathway of testosterone biosynthesis via androstenediol.

As a consequence, you'll maintain testicular activity, ease PCT even after extremely extended cycles thanks to HCG, experience more wellbeing, and a whole lot more.

In summary, HCG is always required during TRT or a cycle lasting more than six weeks.