Unexpected water retention after low‑dose HCG on TRT

Posted by restlessnina in Safety & Side Effects - 1 points, 2 comments.

I’ve been on TRT for about a year and started adding 500 IU HCG twice a week to keep my testicles from shrinking. The first few weeks were fine, but around week three I noticed a subtle bloating around my ankles and a slightly puffy face that I hadn’t seen before. I thought it might be a change in my diet or a reaction to a new moisturizer, but the timing line up with the HCG.

I checked my blood work after a month and saw my estradiol had crept up from 25 pg/mL to about 38 pg/mL. No gynecomastia yet, just the mild fluid retention. I reduced the HCG to 250 IU once a week and added a low dose of aromatase inhibitor for a week, and the puffiness started to subside. Has anyone else seen a similar pattern at these doses, or is this just my body being extra sensitive?

Comments

• trevor_recovery: I’ve tried a similar HCG schedule (500 IU twice a week) after a year on TRT and did notice a little ankle swelling after the third week. My estradiol also rose a bit, from low‑20s to high‑30s pg/mL. 25 mg of anastrozole a few days later, and the puffiness went down within a week. For me the retention seemed tied to the aromatization spike rather than the HCG itself, so keeping the estrogen a bit lower helped. Have you checked your sodium intake or any new supplements? Sometimes a small change t
• restlessnina: That lines up with what I saw – the ankle puff was most noticeable after the third week, just like yours. I did a quick diet audit and didn’t add anything salty, but I started a new magnesium glycinate supplement that week; I hadn’t thought that could matter. I’ll pause the Mg for a few days and see if the retention eases before tweaking the AI again. Thanks for the tip on the sodium check.

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