[Dave23]

Maybe Daveman was right, maybe it is the TRT that makes mine and Demos sperm count non existant that cures the POIS!

I thought this was worth repeating.

So TRT definitely lowered your sperm count demo?

Hey Horizon,

Any TRT will eventually kill sperm count or at least lower it to the bottom by shutting down LH+FSH signals.Even when one comes off TRT after being on long enough to shut down natural production of T, LH+FSH and sperm count will still be zero or near zero.

If one has primary hypogonadism then he can have very low sperm count naturally without TRT and can suffer from POIS as well. Difference though would be one having high testosterone from the bioidentical test from TRT and the other having low testosterone dispite both having low sperm count and low FSH+LH.

So maybe its not just the low sperm count that helps me , Demo and Animus but having a healthy level of testosterone as well dispite having low FH+LH signals too produce less/no sperm.

From reading Animus success story it seems he would have a healthy level of testosterone due to his recent active sex life but bloodwork would confirm.

[Dave23]

Would anyone else on this forum be interested in a POIS conference?
I know I would be willing to travel from my city of San Francisco to another city in Europe or USA- wherever it makes the most sense. I think a conference could substantially move our cause forward.

good idea.

But I think the most pressing thing to get is a graph done of how hormones, catecholamines etc rise and fall before an after an orgasm for POIS sufferers compared to a couple of Non-POIS "normal" people.

This would mean a week of blood tests
- Day before orgasm (well out-of-pois)
- During say 30min of arousal (before ejaculation)
- 1min after orgasm
- 1st day after orgasm
- 2nd day after orgasm
- 3rd day after orgasm
- 4th day after orgasm
- 5th day after orgasm

If you had say
2 NON-pois volunteers(graphs for NON-pois maybe exist already)
5-7 POIS volunteers

+ tests for say 15-25 chemicals (hormones (P,T etc)/catecholamines etc.)

EXAMPLES (Total+Free/Bio Testosterone; LH+FSH  (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) (Luteinizing Hormone), Estradiol (E2); SHBG SEX HORMONE GLOBULIN BINDING; Prolactin; DHEA; Cortisol; IGF-1; Progesterone; DHT; TSH Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone, Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3; HGH human growth hormone; PSA and CRP, Adrenaline, norepinephrine)

We figure out how much it would cost,
then figure out the cheapest way of getting the results
8 blood tests x about 7 people = ??

would it cost too much???

Maybe NORD, or universities, students, laboratory testers, or private companys, or hospitals could "cut us a deal"
maybe Marnia Robertson knows someone??

We then could do our own analysis from the graph...
or go on and find some people analyse the results...

We've got to take steps ON OUR OWN.
On a positive note, we have the advantage of knowing EXACTLY when and where and how long our illness occurs.

Most health problems like CFS, Epilesy, asthma etc  dont have this advantage.
We must use it to our advantage in finding the answers!

Agreed Horizon as Ive been recommending this for a while now as its no point playing guessing games when you can have accurate, confirmed data of where your own hormone levels are at.




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



If one cant find a doc who is willing to test these hormones or ones doc simply doesnt see the logic in it(Ive been there many times) then one can order from here as a "last resort" :

http://www.zrtlab.com/vmchk/hormone-blood-spot-profiles-and-tests/view-all-products.html [nofollow]

Do at home at your own leisure and pick which tests you can afford financially.

For example most of us recently have been discussing Testosterone, LH+FSH etc

This would cost :


Testosterone (T) (Blood Total) 35.00 USD
Luteinizing Hormone (LH) (Blood) 46.00 USD
Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) (Blood) 46.00 USD

Total 127.00 USD plus any shipping fees.




Horizon i love the fact you brought up before and during POIS to compare the data .. ive been saying the same thing all along Since one may have decent, normal, healthy levels while being out of POIS and have the opposite during POIS.


If one finds out theres a few imbalances here then can work on the next chain of hormones depending on budget or forward the results to a hormone specialist to get furthur specific help.You at least have some solid proven data to provide in order to get help from a hormone specialist if need be.

[CertainlyPOIS]

Great on sending reasearch request out, And demographx, great work on keeping up with nord. Is she also going to send list of pharmaceuticals that have dedicated money to rare disorders.

[CertainlyPOIS]

I just wanna say the moment i recover, hopefully the crazy dreams dont happen, i am trying levornorgestrel by using next choice.

[demografx]

Maybe Daveman was right, maybe it is the TRT that makes mine and Demos sperm count non existant that cures the POIS!

I thought this was worth repeating.

So TRT definitely lowered your sperm count demo?

Nope, horizon, dunno for sure. I'm just going with the 2 "maybe's" in Dave23's post above. And his further reply seems to tease out further fascinating tidbits!

[Animus]

Animus,

I am pursuing further surgery to remove the seminal vesicles, reduce the prostate, and cauterize the ejaculatory ducts. The aim is to achieve a minimum of semen production, and dry ejaculation.
 

Is this what you had performed?

Hi John,
Yes, I did have the seminal vesicles removed by surgery. That was the longer and more challenging operation because they are located deep in the pelvis- but the urologist said he had no trouble doing it. Usually the seminal vesicles are removed at the same time as a full Prostatectomy, I think because they are somehow behind the prostate. So it is less common to remove them independently of the Prostate.

I also had a "TURP" which reduced the size of my prostate, while leaving it in place. My prostate was fairly enlarged. This surgery is fairly common for people with BPH, and is effective, and pretty low-risk.

As an extra measure, we also cauterized the ejaculatory ducts, which prevents any remaining seminal fluids from leaving the body.

Before these operations I took care of the problem of high levels of testosterone- I had enlarged testicles and elevated testosterone. In that process, I ultimately stopped Sperm Production. Also I was able to reduce my Testosterone levels to a healthy level.

Testosterone levels vary a lot among individuals, and the "acceptable range" chart is very broad.
I found it too broad to be helpful in terms of getting a "right T number", but it could be a vital clue. I think it's a great idea to chart the hormone levels pre- and post O, and get a sense of how much the changes are.

[horizon]

My OUT-OF-POIS test results. (Feeling well, 10 days after an N.E)

Serum Testosterone              27.6 nmol/L (8.0 - 30.0)
Serum Sex Hormone Binding Glob  52 nmol/L (13-71)
Serum TSH level                 1.2 miu/L (0.20-6.00)
Serum free T4 level            17.5 pmol/L (10.0-25.0)
Prostate Specific Antigen      1.00 ug/L (<3.00)
Serum FSH level                4.3 iu/L (1.0-9.0)
Serum prolactin level          149 mu/L (<550)


It's no surprise to me that everything is in range since I was feeling good.
However, I was expecting T to be low/normal say around 10-14 nmol/L.
By being 27.6 nmol/L out-of-pois, I am ruling out TRT for me as an option even for 1 emergency patch on Day Zero. Reasons-
1) I might push it too high when out of pois
2) I cant imagine theres is such a catastrophic drop in T for it to be out of range in POIS.
3) Wont be able to get hold of it anyway (no-one will prescribe it).

I'd be surprised if the doctor I saw will administrate another set of results of the same for In pois. However, I may pay for an individual TSH level test IN Pois. This may fall too low In Pois. And despite what I said I may pay for an individual T test In Pois too.
I am thinking of getting Norepinephrine tested too. and testing progesterone levels too.
Trying Progesterone pills (like Limejuice) may be an interesting experiment or beta-blocker pills too.

[Dave23]

My OUT-OF-POIS test results. (Feeling well, 10 days after an N.E)

Serum Testosterone              27.6 nmol/L (8.0 - 30.0)
Serum Sex Hormone Binding Glob  52 nmol/L (13-71)
Serum TSH level                 1.2 miu/L (0.20-6.00)
Serum free T4 level            17.5 pmol/L (10.0-25.0)
Prostate Specific Antigen      1.00 ug/L (<3.00)
Serum FSH level                4.3 iu/L (1.0-9.0)
Serum prolactin level          149 mu/L (<550)


It's no surprise to me that everything is in range since I was feeling good.
However, I was expecting T to be low/normal say around 10-14 nmol/L.
By being 27.6 nmol/L out-of-pois, I am ruling out TRT for me as an option even for 1 emergency patch on Day Zero. Reasons-
1) I might push it too high when out of pois
2) I cant imagine theres is such a catastrophic drop in T for it to be out of range in POIS.
3) Wont be able to get hold of it anyway (no-one will prescribe it).

I'd be surprised if the doctor I saw will administrate another set of results of the same for In pois. However, I may pay for an individual TSH level test IN Pois. This may fall too low In Pois. And despite what I said I may pay for an individual T test In Pois too.
I am thinking of getting Norepinephrine tested too. and testing progesterone levels too.
Trying Progesterone pills (like Limejuice) may be an interesting experiment or beta-blocker pills too.

Hey Horizon,

Nice, now we got some data to go from.

Now it would appear you have high testosterone from looking at your total
test result but in fact you do not have high "useable" testosterone.

Look at your very high SHBG reading which binds testosterone making it
inactive/unavailable for the body to make use of it.

According to this chart you have a SHBG reading of a 75-84 yr old male.
Im guessing your more of a younger chap?

http://www.mens-hormonal-health.com/normal-testosterone-levels-in-men.html [nofollow]


From this scientific pubmed study high SHBG is also linked to high
estrogen/estradiol :

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=4134992&ordinalpos=10&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum [nofollow]

High SHBG+ High E2 would make all the testosterone in the world unusable, sitting
there at waste. High SHBG/E2 is also linked to strokes, cardiovascular diseases,
shorten life span, higher risk of cardiac death etc

Did some calculations for you :

A 27.6nmol/l reading(Uk im guessing? ) of Testosterone would
convert to a total test level of  795.39 ng/dL for the Americans out there.
American total T chart range usually 200-800 approx.

Now this total test level is excellent but high SHBG and possibly high E2 would
give low test symptoms as well as high E2 symptoms as i have mentioned many times
in my previous posts.


Now we dont know your Albumin level so this is just a rough calculation.
From this total test,shbg,albumin to free+bio test calculator you would have
the following levels:

Albumin 4.3(This is a healthy level for Albumin and not accurate only blood work would confim)
SHBG 52
Testosterone 795.39

Would give roughly

Free testosterone 13.6ng/dl  = 1.71
Bioavailable Testosterone 319ng/DL = 40.1%  110 - 575

If you have a higher level of Albumin then Bioavailable/Free test would be near the bottom range and vice versa.

[Dave23]

So Bioavailable/Free test would be about mid range.Best bio level around 500+.
However due to not just having high SHBG but most likely high E2 it would render
most of the testosterone useless and most of the general well being benefits of
high/healthy testosterone wouldnt be experienced.


Another interesting note is that you took this test 10 days after a NE/Orgasm.

Heres a scientific study off pubmed that once past 6 days of abstinence
total test levels can peak up to 145.7% pass baseline levels.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


J Zhejiang Univ Sci. 2003 Mar-Apr;4(2):236-40. Related Articles, Links

A research on the relationship between ejaculation and serum testosterone level in men.

Jiang M, Xin J, Zou Q, Shen JW.

Department of Life Science, Hangzhou Normal College, Hangzhou 310020, China. jiangmy@mail.hz.zj.cn

The purpose of this study is to gain understanding of the relationship between ejaculation and serum testosterone level in men. The serum testosterone concentrations of 28 volunteers were investigated daily during abstinence periods after ejaculation for two phases. The authors found that the fluctuations of testosterone levels from the 2nd to 5th day of abstinence were minimal. On the 7th day of abstinence, however, a clear peak of serum testosterone appeared, reaching 145.7% of the baseline ( P < 0.01). No regular fluctuation was observed following continuous abstinence after the peak. Ejaculation is the precondition and beginning of the special periodic serum testosterone level variations, which would not occur without ejaculation. The results showed that ejaculation-caused variations were characterized by a peak on the 7th day of abstinence; and that the effective time of an ejaculation is 7 days minimum. These data are the first to document the phenomenon of the periodic change in serum testosterone level; the correlation between ejaculation and periodic change in the serum testosterone level, and the pattern and characteristics of the periodic change.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



So from this study your total test levels should be significantly lower the closer it is after a ne/orgasm.Although bloodwork in POIS would confirm.

Another thing to factor in horizon is that if your total test level is lower the few days after a NE/Orgasm your free/bioavailable testosterone would indeed be low and not mid range depending on the total test level in POIS mode. This would explain the rollercoaster POIS symptoms that we experience for a few days/weeks from an orgasm
and then not experience after a timeframe depending on the individual.


Theres also other research out there on what causes high SHBG like
low protein intake, low carbs, low human growth hormone levels,
low dhea levels, high fiber diet, alcoholism, drinking from plastic
water bottles, microwaving food in plastic containers
(xenoestrogens) and many more.Liver issues is no1 as that is where SHBG is created.eg: ask your medical professional adviser to check your liver enzymes, and your inflammation markers



One more study on high SHBG relating to chronic heart failure.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rev Esp Cardiol. 2009 Dec;62(12):1381-7.

Sex hormone-binding globulin: a new marker of disease severity and prognosis in men with chronic heart failure.
Pascual-Figal DA, Tornel PL, Nicolás F, Sánchez-Más J, Martínez MD, Gracia MR, Garrido IP, Ruipérez JA, Valdés M.

Unidad de Insuficiencia Cardiaca, Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Departamento de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Murcia, El Palmar, 30120 Murcia, España. dapascual@servicam.com

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is a key regulator of the actions of anabolic steroids. Chronic heart failure (HF) has been associated with anabolic steroid deficiency, but its relationship with SHBG is not known. METHODS: The study involved 104 men (53+/-11 years) with HF (i.e. left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] <40%) attending a specialist clinic on optimum treatment and in a stable condition. At enrolment, the median and interquartile range (IQR) SHBG level was determined, associated hormone levels were measured, and known risk factors were recorded. The study end-point was cardiac death within 3 years. RESULTS: At enrolment, the SHBG level (median 34.5 nmol/L, IQR 27-50 nmol/L) was correlated with the N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide level (r=0.271, P=.005), LVEF (r=-0.263, P=.007), body mass index (r=-0.199, P=.020) and total testosterone level (r=0.332, P=.001). The median SHBG level was higher in the 16 patients (15.4%) who died, at 48.5 nmol/L (IQR 36-69.5 nmol/L) vs. 33 nmol/L (IQR 25.3-48.7 nmol/L; P=.001), and a high level was associated with an increased risk of death (hazard ratio =1.045, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.021-1.069; P< .001). The association remained significant after adjustment in Cox multivariate regression modeling, at HR=1.049 (95% CI 1.020-1.079; P=.001). Analysis by SHBG tertiles showed mortality was 30% in the third tertile, 14% in the second, and 4% in the first (log rank 0.007; HR=3.25, 95% CI 1.43-7.34; P=.004). CONCLUSIONS: The SHBG level correlated with measures of HF severity and was associated with a higher risk of cardiac death. Further studies are needed to clarify whether SHBG plays a role in HF pathophysiology.

[daveman]

It has been about a year and a half since my surgeries to recover from POIS, and I'm glad to report that I am currently 95% cured and have had very minimal recurrence of POIS since my surgeries. POIS has receded from my day to day health concerns, but I am still very committed to understanding and legitimizing the illness.
My life and health have improved dramatically in the last year+1/2. I have an active sex life again without regrets. My life and health have changed dramatically since having the surgeries. I have the personal data and records to prove it. Whether or not my particular approach was legitimate, is open to debate. A lot of us have tried experiments on ourselves and have become our own doctors and record keepers because of the POIS problem. My theory is very closely related to what is currently being discussed on the forum, with the elimination of the production of semen.

Hi Animus

I'm a little confused about the operations you had done....

It seems as though they prevent sperm from exiting the body, but how do they stop the production of sperm?

As I have mentioned, at one time I had a vasectomy, which reduced the sperm count in my semen to "0". But I still produced sperm, and my body had to dispose of it in other ways. I didn't have POIS then, but I still had sperm production (althugh perhaps reduced... not sure).

Is there a sperm production difference between a vasectomy and your operations. I ask and am very interested because, at least in my case, any subtle differences could be quite important in the whole causee and effect of POIS.

When I had the vasectomy, I didn't have POIS
I got a reversal and POIS began, but
I didn't have POIS before the vasectomy.

I have a general feeling that the long period of "0" sperm count, while still producing sperm a)built sperm anti-bodies and b) closed, backed-up vas caused damage to the epididymus. The urologist indicated that a) would happen and suggested that it would be likely that b) would happen.

I'm still not really sure why POIS began after the vasectomy reversal.

Perhaps understanding why your opertion worked, might help me to understand why I have POIS.

 

[daveman]

If one has primary hypogonadism then he can have very low sperm count naturally without TRT and can suffer from POIS as well. Difference though would be one having high testosterone from the bioidentical test from TRT and the other having low testosterone dispite both having low sperm count and low FSH+LH.

Interesting fact!

It's low FSH/LH that cause primary hypogonadism isn't it?
Would the also have low progesterone?
Is it POIS normal with primary hypogonadism, and would TRT help them?

[daveman]

Before these operations I took care of the problem of high levels of testosterone- I had enlarged testicles and elevated testosterone. In that process, I ultimately stopped Sperm Production. Also I was able to reduce my Testosterone levels to a healthy level.

Not sure I understand this?
Before the operation you had zero sperm count, or in the process of correcting high testoserone you reduced sperm count to zero? What did you do to accomplish this?

[Dave23]

If one has primary hypogonadism then he can have very low sperm count naturally without TRT and can suffer from POIS as well. Difference though would be one having high testosterone from the bioidentical test from TRT and the other having low testosterone dispite both having low sperm count and low FSH+LH.

Interesting fact!

It's low FSH/LH that cause primary hypogonadism isn't it?
Would the also have low progesterone?
Is it POIS normal with primary hypogonadism, and would TRT help them?

Hey Daveman,

hmm ... difficult to explain, let me try it

Primary hypogonadism is usually when low total testosterone has been
detected then checking LH+FSH.

If LH+FSH is healthy range or high then usually doc
will diagnose one with "Primary" Hypogonadism and straight onto TRT.

Reason being is that testes receptors no longer respond to the normal
or high LH+FSH signals. The testes have been desensitised so no amount
of LH+FSH treatments through fertility drugs like clomid, HCG, HMG etc
will be able to raise the testosterone level.

 
Secondary hypogonadism would be the opposite.
So :

Primary> Low testosterone, normal/high LH+FSH
Secondary>Low testosterone low LH+FSH

Secondardy can be treated by increasing the LH+FSH
from the fertility drugs as detailed above.

Ofc other things like SHBG, E2, Prolactin could be cause of
low testosterone & free/bio testosterone.


Yes low prog and low test "can" go hand in hand but very rarely.

Progesterone and estradiol are the hormones men use to become a woman.
Both in high amounts will lower testosterone even causing hypogonadism,raising shbg
rendering any testosterone unuseable, suppresses the HPTA, causes gyno,
causes impotence, reports of penile shrinkage turtle like wrinkly is common and many more.

If progesterone is low then pregnenolone will be low as well due to how the hormone pathways work.
Pregenolone is precursor from cholesterol, progesterone is precursor from pregnenolone.

Pregnenolone is a critical brain cognnition hormone.Research shows preg if preg is low
then raising it will treat anxiety.

Also progesterone can be prescribed for high DHT as prog is a 5-alpha-reductase.
This blocks testosterone to DHT conversion. Excessive progesterone may thus mean a
reduction in body hair, acne, lowered libido etc. - among other actions of DHT.

If one has low prog and low test then HCG can increase progesterone & testosterone production in men.
Although too high a dose of HCG can also increase estradiol/estrogen.


Progesterone can also increase estradiol depending how ones pathway works.
Progesterone also increases the number of estrogen receptors. Either one can lead to signs of excessive
estrogen signaling (e.g. gynecomastia, aggressiveness, fatigue
 (from lowered thyroid hormone in response to increased estrogen signaling),
loss of libido, etc. even if Estradiol is controlled
 (since the signal is stronger when there are more estrogen receptors).


Progesterone can increase Gaba through the Allopregnenolone pathway.
Allopregnenolone then increases GABA receptor sensitivity to GABA
which helps reduce "norepinephrine" signaling.This is how prog
can be sedating and good for anti-anxiety depending on ones current levels
and how one metabolizes progesterone.


POIS and primary hypogonadism patients doesnt seem to go hand in hand
otherwise everyone with POIS would be primary but thats not the case
so unfortunately theres still alot to find out how or even if low test or lh+fsh,
low sperm count is really related to our pois symptoms.


Although, yes! TRT for primary hypogonadism patients with POIS does help tremendiously in POIS
& just about every other area of health, wellbeing, life etc

Just ask the admin, Demo

[Animus]

It has been about a year and a half since my surgeries to recover from POIS, and I'm glad to report that I am currently 95% cured and have had very minimal recurrence of POIS since my surgeries. POIS has receded from my day to day health concerns, but I am still very committed to understanding and legitimizing the illness.
My life and health have improved dramatically in the last year+1/2. I have an active sex life again without regrets. My life and health have changed dramatically since having the surgeries. I have the personal data and records to prove it. Whether or not my particular approach was legitimate, is open to debate. A lot of us have tried experiments on ourselves and have become our own doctors and record keepers because of the POIS problem. My theory is very closely related to what is currently being discussed on the forum, with the elimination of the production of semen.

Hi Animus

I'm a little confused about the operations you had done....

It seems as though they prevent sperm from exiting the body, but how do they stop the production of sperm?

As I have mentioned, at one time I had a vasectomy, which reduced the sperm count in my semen to "0". But I still produced sperm, and my body had to dispose of it in other ways. I didn't have POIS then, but I still had sperm production (althugh perhaps reduced... not sure).

Is there a sperm production difference between a vasectomy and your operations. I ask and am very interested because, at least in my case, any subtle differences could be quite important in the whole causee and effect of POIS.

When I had the vasectomy, I didn't have POIS
I got a reversal and POIS began, but
I didn't have POIS before the vasectomy.

I have a general feeling that the long period of "0" sperm count, while still producing sperm a)built sperm anti-bodies and b) closed, backed-up vas caused damage to the epididymus. The urologist indicated that a) would happen and suggested that it would be likely that b) would happen.

I'm still not really sure why POIS began after the vasectomy reversal.

Perhaps understanding why your opertion worked, might help me to understand why I have POIS.

 

Hi daveman
You're saying that you developed POIS after you had a vasectomy reversal.  To clarify my case, I developed POIS after taking something called VigRX- which is like an herbal super-fertlity drug, which causes increased ejaculation volume, increased testicle size, with more sperm and semen released during ejac.
About my operations- I will tell you details via PM.
I currently do TRT.
In your case it sounds like sperm production Was reduced, and then increased again.??

[demografx]

Great on sending reasearch request out, And demographx, great work on keeping up with nord. Is she also going to send list of pharmaceuticals that have dedicated money to rare disorders.

Thanks, CC. I think that the main point she wanted to pass along (including a few notable examples) - is that ANY pharmaceutical company can be approached to help us find a POIS cure! Our advantage is that - if they don't already know it - we can point to major financial incentives if they do help us, thanx to The Orphan Drug Act.  Except for Bayer and Pfizer, most likely partners for us would be the smaller pharmas. But it's still up to us to scream and shout for POIS pharma studies,  which are expensive.

The Orphan Drug Act was signed largely thanks to NORD.

[demografx]

TRT for primary hypogonadism patients with POIS does help tremendiously in POIS & just about every other area of health, wellbeing, life etc

Just ask the admin, Demo

Yup, sounds right to me : - )

[daveman]

Great on sending reasearch request out, And demographx, great work on keeping up with nord. Is she also going to send list of pharmaceuticals that have dedicated money to rare disorders.

Thanks, CC. I think that the main point she wanted to pass along (including a few notable examples) - is that ANY pharmaceutical company can be approached to help us find a POIS cure! Our advantage is that - if they don't already know it - we can point to major financial incentives if they do help us, thanx to The Orphan Drug Act.  Except for Bayer and Pfizer, most likely partners for us would be the smaller pharmas. But it's still up to us to scream and shout for POIS pharma studies,  which are expensive.

The Orphan Drug Act was signed largely thanks to NORD.

Super great find! Great work. I guess one just has to keep pluggin' away!

[demografx]

Thanks for the support, daveman!

[demografx]

We've got to take steps ON OUR OWN.

Thank you very much, horizon, for this VERY important, sober reminder of the reality of POIS for all of us!!

We all need to roll our sleeves up and get in the trenches and get our hands dirty if we want results NOW.

That means outreach, phone calls, emails...communication with the-outside-medical-world-that-doesn't-understand-POIS! Ever hear the expression, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease"? It means those who scream loudest, longest, and shriekiest get the [medical] attention they need.

Let's think of ourselves as aliens from another galaxy. How do we communicate with these stupid earthlings?  []

[demografx]

Hey Horizon,

Any TRT will eventually kill sperm count or at least lower it to the bottom by shutting down LH+FSH signals.Even when one comes off TRT after being on long enough to shut down natural production of T, LH+FSH and sperm count will still be zero or near zero.

I showed the posted info above to my esteemed endocrinologist. Here's what he had to say:

"[Demo], Sperm counts go down when people are on testosterone, and may take 3 months to return to normal when men are interested in impregnating their mates. Semen volume (most of it from the glands around the prostate) remain good.
Supraphysiologic doses - like those taken by bodybuilders - may result in more long lasting or permanent decreases in sperm counts. You are taking a normal replacement dose so do not worry.

Dr. G, MD "