I finally got some answers 🥼🩺

Perhaps you saw my post from a few weeks ago announcing that I had a successful experience with https://honehealth.com/. If not, you can check out that blog here: @daltono/hone-health-allowed-me-to-test-my-hormone-levels-from-the-comfort-of-my-home.

Basically, I paid $45 to have a blood sample kit mailed to me that I was able to do myself, from the comfort of my home. I then mailed the completed blood sample with a prepaid return label and I received my lab results in less than a week.

After that, I had to wait just under a month until I was able to get a virtual appointment with one of Hone's doctors. Hone is very busy, but I finally was able to talk to my doctor this week.

This video is a recording of everything that we discussed. There is a ton of useful information here. I know I definitely learned several things about how hormones work.

By the end of our discussion, my doctor determined that my TOTAL TESTOSTERONE was at an average level for men of all ages, but my FREE TESTOSTERONE was pretty low. The goal is to get my FREE T above 15.

I also have a healthy level of LUTEINIZING HORMONE and low levels of Estradiol (which is good in this instance), this means that I have another option besides just taking testosterone. Remember that the only way to increase FREE TESTOSTERONE is to increase TOTAL TESTOSTERONE. This lead him to recommend that I give Clomiphene aka Clomid a try.

Clomid will allow my body to be reminded to produce higher levels of testosterone without suppressing my testicles and sperm production. From where I am only turning 30 in October, we both thought that there wasn't a need to get on test yet since I'm still pretty young. Test turns into a lifelong commitment and is known to reduce sperm counts. It seems best to at least give Clomid a chance to encourage my body to do its thing first and have the option to stop using it at any time.

If my body only has a partial reaction to Clomid, I can also combine test with it without having to worry about reducing my sperm count thanks to Clomid working in tandem with the test. Not everyone has this option, but my labs told my doctor that this would be the best place to start for me. There is much more to our discussion, but you can see that in the video.

If you are wondering how much it will cost me to start taking Clomid, I have that answer. There is a monthly membership with Hone that costs $120. On top of that, the monthly subscription for Clomid is $38. In total, about $160 per month. It is costly, but something I'm willing to afford if it will increase the optimization of my overall life. Plus test and other options cost even more, so I am lucky to have this cheaper option thanks to where my body is currently.

I am very excited to see how my body reacts to Clomid. If things don't go well, I will stop using it and perhaps consider testosterone. I have a feeling since my numbers are where they are, things will go well and I'll reawaken my body that way my hormones will sort themselves out without having to get on test.

I will definitely be updating after I have had some time to see how Clomid works for me. It will take weeks, perhaps even months to see full results. I will be paying close attention to any and all changes to my body during this time. I will also have another appointment and new labs in 12 weeks, so I am excited to see where all of this goes.