Pct

[dmk777]

Good evening EF! I'm now 4 month without my monthly cycle no need for alarm bells I'm not pregnant unless It's by immaculate conception lol, So I'm thinking bout what PCT I should do after my test p cycle that would help get my hormones etc back in place before my next cycle . I remember RW mentioned zink a while back so I got some that but any ideas on what else I should take.
because as great as it is not having my monthly It has the health risks attached prolonging it....

Thanks peeps!!

 

[Rebecca D]

Nothing that I used helped get my period back. I did use Bridge after a cycle of epistrong and it kept the pump feeling going and kept me motivated in the weight room.

RD

 

[jennifer778]

Sorry to hear that D! Guess you knew that would happen tho. Obviously, I know nothing to help but best of luck to ya. Hope you get it all sorted out!!

 

[dmk777]

Nothing that I used helped get my period back. I did use Bridge after a cycle of epistrong and it kept the pump feeling going and kept me motivated in the weight room.

RD

Thanks Rd how long did it take for your to come back naturally ?,
I will look up bridge now cheers!

 

[dmk777]

Sorry to hear that D! Guess you knew that would happen tho. Obviously, I know nothing to help but best of luck to ya. Hope you get it all sorted out!!

Hi Jen. Thanks huni. Yeah I kinda knew and tbh I don't intend on having kids anyway if it wasn't for the health risks I wouldn't care . But I think every thing is a health risk these days so you Gota push the boundaries a bit lol live a little .

 

[jennifer778]

Hi Jen. Thanks huni. Yeah I kinda knew and tbh I don't intend on having kids anyway if it wasn't for the health risks I wouldn't care . But I think every thing is a health risk these days so you Gota push the boundaries a bit lol live a little .

You are correct..always about pushing limits and getting the best out of something yet stayin somewhere in the boundaries to be safe and healthy! The challenge of that is always fun!! Hope you figure it out!

 

[dmk777]

Wise words my friend ! And thank you..hey Jen you heard from snipes ? I emailed her last wk but heard nothing yet? It's not like snipes to miss EF.

 

[jennifer778]

Wise words my friend ! And thank you..hey Jen you heard from snipes ? I emailed her last wk but heard nothing yet? It's not like snipes to miss EF.

No I havent heard from her at all and I'm like you that it's not like her to not be on. I know at one point she was saying that she thought that the Mr snipes might be home around Christmas and then later said he wouldn't be...I've been wondering if that changed or if maybe he surprised her and came home?! That would be cool. Whatever the case I miss her and hope she's doing well. Let me know if you hear back from her please! Interested to know what she's been up to!!

 

[dmk777]

Hmmm strange I hope she's ok. I will let you know if I hear from her.

 

[zedhed]

Hey sugazombie discuss PCT with Nate and RADAR. They will by far be the most help to you. I know nothing about female PCT, will learn from you.

 

[dmk777]

Thanks Zed I will get in touch with them.

 

[figurechamp]

What's a period?!? I haven't had one in about 15 years!!! And I love it!! Before u get freaked out, I've been on the pill for about 20 years. It caused the stoppage. And I've never complained. my gyno is aware of it and insists I'm fine, that it's actually "normal" for me. This is why I'm hesitant to get off the pill while on cycle and dieting-- coz I don't want to ruin a good thing!!!

 

[Cutiebolic]

There are a lot of choices. What are you looking to do? It's not quite as obvious as in men, where you're trying to let the endogenous T come back.

If you just want to get "your cycle" back, it could mean doing some kind of a challenge to induce ovulation. I don't know what they use for this in the UK.

If you're looking to get a regular dose of hormone you could go with the pill. As I said before this seems kind of counterintuitive if one is still competing, but it's definitely a personal decision and depends where you hold your fat.

It's not always straightforward. You can get what looks like "a period" without ovulating. You can ovulate without getting a noticeable period. And there are other reasons to have estrogen on board than fertility/normal menstruation. This has a big effect on bone density, and some cancers.

I guess what I'm saying is, we all have to make our own choices but definitely don't go into it thinking that it's "no big deal".

I've chosen to manipulate my weight. I've chosen to run cycles. For the most part I knew what I was getting into but I definitely never anticipated the stress fractures in my hips and spine in my mid 20s. Can you offset this with more AAS? The absolute truth is it's anyone's guess because it hasn't been studied.

A good place to start would be to get some hormone levels checked. Are you planning another cycle soon?

 

[dmk777]

What's a period?!? I haven't had one in about 15 years!!! And I love it!! Before u get freaked out, I've been on the pill for about 20 years. It caused the stoppage. And I've never complained. my gyno is aware of it and insists I'm fine, that it's actually "normal" for me. This is why I'm hesitant to get off the pill while on cycle and dieting-- coz I don't want to ruin a good thing!!!

Hey FC ...15 years lol lucky you , see the thing is If you lose your cycle through contraceptive that ok because they are designed to do that without causing bone density etc but loosing them this was could carry serious health risk which I knew before I decided to cycle It's just a choice I made. Now I gota deal with that I don't regret my decisions I just gota find a way round this...

 

[dmk777]

Hey Cutey thanks for the input. what my intentions are to take something to help me keep my gains after my cycle but also to take something that will put T production back to normal In the hope to get my cycle back , I don't intend on starting a next cycle until I do this so as much as I didn't want to tell my GP Iv'e been dabbling In the forbidden AA'S I think It's the only way so she understand what were dealing with. I'm going to finish my cycle first that's another 4 weeks then take the steps .

donna

 

[figurechamp]

Hey FC ...15 years lol lucky you , see the thing is If you lose your cycle through contraceptive that ok because they are designed to do that without causing bone density etc but loosing them this was could carry serious health risk which I knew before I decided to cycle It's just a choice I made. Now I gota deal with that I don't regret my decisions I just gota find a way round this...

Interesting... I did not know that about bone stuff. I have no suggestions for u on this one coz I'm clueless. But I wonder if you've ever had a bone density scan done. I had one in association with a university study that was being conducted at my local university. Maybe look around ur area for a similar scan. I think it was called a dex scan.

 

[dmk777]

Thank you chic I will mention that next time I visit my gp see If this is causing any damage yet..

 

[caligirl85]

Donna...my disclaimer to my comments is that it's only my personal opinion so take it with a grain of salt. I don't really buy too much into women's pct, even though that's not the popular opinion. Keeping your gains is a different baby then regulating your hormones. Keeping your gains would be keeping your protein levels good, still lifting as heavy as you can (although strength will drop a bit most likely post cycle) and potentially looking at a product like Bridge from need2buildmuscle or even just some extra BCAA's. Getting your hormones to regulate out and the monthly to come back, again in my opinion, just takes time. I do the protocol RottenWillow suggested with the zinc and I don't really know if it helps or not but that is something that isn't too expensive and I trust her input and knowledge so I've used that. If in 2-3 months, things are not changing, I'd talk to the doctor but it usually takes me about that long to even out. The health risks would be different again. lol

Keep us posted!

I guess the one addition I would add is that you are running things like test and I've never dabbled into that type of stuff, which maybe makes pct different? I don't know!! If you decide to pm someone, I'd hit up RottenWillow or SuperQT. Both of them are very knowledgeable for women's use and I trust them both.

 

[caligirl85]

What's a period?!? I haven't had one in about 15 years!!! And I love it!! Before u get freaked out, I've been on the pill for about 20 years. It caused the stoppage. And I've never complained. my gyno is aware of it and insists I'm fine, that it's actually "normal" for me. This is why I'm hesitant to get off the pill while on cycle and dieting-- coz I don't want to ruin a good thing!!!

I was thinking about this and it's a tough call. From a strictly competition sense (I'm not thinking health stuff here now). When I went off the pill after being on for about 7 years, it was quite an adjustment and took me 2-3 months to even out and regulate. I felt better, overall, but had some mood swings etc. If you decide to off, I'd do it sooner in your prep, than later, just to give your body enough time to adjust. After that long, it's hard to say what it will be like.

 

[dmk777]

Hmmmm I got all this noted it makes sense ,Also I remember RW mentioned the zink and AM only dose of var like 5mg for 6 weeks after , So I think Im going to go with that and maybe look for an equivalent to bridge over here as It's just not practical for me to get it shipped over which is a dam shame as I love the look of needto's products I just couldn't afford the shipping .....Anyway thanks fro all the input Cg your a star!!

 

[caligirl85]

Hmmmm I got all this noted it makes sense ,Also I remember RW mentioned the zink and AM only dose of var like 5mg for 6 weeks after , So I think Im going to go with that and maybe look for an equivalent to bridge over here as It's just not practical for me to get it shipped over which is a dam shame as I love the look of needto's products I just couldn't afford the shipping .....Anyway thanks fro all the input Cg your a star!!

No problem! I think some BCAA's would do the trick. I used the zinc protocol too and I think that's a great idea!! Good luck!

 

[figurechamp]

Dmk-- I did the zinc thing too. And added more BCAAs. Whether or not it helped, I'm uncertain. But I was afraid to not do it. In past cycles, I didn't do anything for pct. I would just taper off. Honestly, I don't know that there's any difference IME.

Cali-- too scared to go off pill right now. I'm afraid of the fluctuations in mood, fat, etc. so I think I've decided to wait until the show is over and then come off of everything and just let my body clean out a bit. And I'm also considering an iud to replace the pill. But not til after show time. I can't handle any more major life decisions regarding my girly parts right now.

 

[slat1]

I believe PCT is important for both men and women. People really have no clue what goes on in their bodies. I am a huge advocate of getting a full blood panel screen before going on cycle. That way you have a baseline. Then get one during and another a month or so after. I bet 100% of the people that do it will learn something. Most men don't realize they are still effectively not "recovered" a year later when you look at FSH and LH even though they will tell you they are. How do they know? They don't.
Most women don't realize even the lowest dose of AAS will shut down their natural production of testosterone for a significant amount of time too. You can also add in liver values which get killed (worse then for men for some reason).
I found the blood panel opened my eyes and allowed me to make more informed decisions. I don't often discuss them but here are a few:

- I never go over 250mgs of test in a week. That is 250% of what a natural healthy man produces and also 250% of what a real Dr will prescribe for HRT.
- If I can't grow on 250mgs/wk I have a serious problem with my meal plan and my routine.
- I still grow on 250mgs/wk. I'm 39. I'm 246lbs. I don't ever have to increase the amount to get results. I just have to adjust my food and routine.
- 250mgs/wk have a huge effect on my lipids. It is scary! It screws with a bunch of other numbers too. Enough to make me really think about the risks.
- After a year of being off I still was not 100% recovered from just 250mgs/wk for ten weeks. I used HCG and clomid EXACTLY how a famous guru for IFBB Pro's told me to do it.

The bottom line is until you know what is really happening IN your body you have no idea how to deal with things. Its risk/reward.
Hope that is food for thought and helpful for some. I know I was listing things that men go through but women actually have it harder when it comes to AAS and its effect on the body.

 

[dmk777]

Dmk-- I did the zinc thing too. And added more BCAAs. Whether or not it helped, I'm uncertain. But I was afraid to not do it. In past cycles, I didn't do anything for pct. I would just taper off. Honestly, I don't know that there's any difference IME.

Cali-- too scared to go off pill right now. I'm afraid of the fluctuations in mood, fat, etc. so I think I've decided to wait until the show is over and then come off of everything and just let my body clean out a bit. And I'm also considering an iud to replace the pill. But not til after show time. I can't handle any more major life decisions regarding my girly parts right now.

Hey FC...Yeah I think that is the road I'm going to go down then in a couple month after I still have no period I will see my Gp , Either way Im also going to still get advice on how important it is to get it back to normal straight away or if It would be better to wait until I finish this 5x5 because I remember reading that its also building and dieting that can make it irregular.

Slat .... thats a really interesting and helpful post thank you. I believe in what your saying about your standard dose and you not needing to ever go further , I believe the majority of time people just like to push the boundary's and then there body needs more and more to work......

Thanks

Donna

 

[jennifer778]

Y'all are extremely knowledgeable!! Learning a ton just from reading your posts.

Good luck to all y'all in your decisions. I know they are all tough and different. I have to use the pill just to have periods...always have since I was in my teens. So I don't know if I could ever get into what y'all are doing as my body is already screwed up (hormonally-speaking)!! Y'all are all an inspiration!! Keep up the awesome work!!

 

[caligirl85]

Great post slat! Thanks for the info!!