Originally Posted by rickair7777 (Post 1203751)

I can't see why it would be a big problem. But worry about your health first, aviation second.

I noticed a drop in sex drive when the stress piled up, no "performance" issues thankfully but I did some research and made some changes which helped noticeably...

Cardio: I tend to manage stress with cardio. I would do at least an hour cardio if I put on the shoes or got in the pool. Turns out cardio is good for you health overall and will help with stress, but a whole lot of it will increase cortisol, which will drives down your T. Three or four 30 minute cardio sessions / week shouldn't have much impact on T, the cortisol boost starts after 40-45 minutes cardio. Long term, I would actually advocate more cardio than what I suggested here, for overall health, but this might deal with the T issue.

Weights: Must do this to increase T, also has fringe benefit of helping prevent random injuries as you age. With weights you want to focus on activating the large muscle groups...all the insecure little boys at the gym who do nothing but blast their biceps are not really generating much T. Go for somewhat lower reps (ex 10-8-6-4), shoot for 80-90% of max reps before fail. You MUST do legs...squats, deadlift, hamstrings, etc. Pullups, rows, bench, etc all get multiple muscle groups. Get the back involved too.

Zinc: zinc supplements may help, look for good quality about 30 mg/day in the evening (more than about 30mg may not be healthy in the long run). Surprisingly this can have a noticeable affect within an hour or so. Some foods have zinc too.

Body weight: If not already, get fit. You may have to do a lot of cardio to get there but after you get near fighting trim you can ramp up weights and reduce cardio.

Caffeine: Puts your body in an elevated state which, while useful, is similar to a stress response (cortisol again). Try limiting to one cup of joe (or soda equivalent) per day. If you're over age 25 and doing monster drinks or 5-hour energy, that's most likely your problem right there.

Last thing, gym membership can definitely improve your sex drive...so buy one for your wife today :D

Originally Posted by Rotor2prop (Post 1203806)

Well stress for sure is always present but I manage.

The things you mention above is excellent advice. Thing is I already do all of them:) I am also a personal trainer even though I'm not currently training anyone since jumping back in aviation.

Being active in fitness and eating clean is how I noticed something was wrong. Over the past year and a half I have had a huge issue with fat gain. Honestly it takes alternating HITT and LISS cardio plus weight training to keep the fat from taking over while eating 500 cals. under maintenance. I am far from being as fit as I was in 2008 when I was 250lbs at 10% BF. Now its more like 16-18% and it takes a lot of effort to maintain that.

I know the TRT is the right thing to do for me but I want as much info as possible before trying to maintain a 1st class while on it.

Originally Posted by rickair7777 (Post 1204116)

Sounds like you know better than I do, maybe the therapy is the way to go at this point.

Originally Posted by Rotor2prop (Post 1204128)

I feel it would be good for me but I really want to find some 121 pilots that are currently on it to confirm its not a huge hassle.


So if anyone is on TRT and doesn't want to talk openly about you can PM me if you would like.

Originally Posted by rotorhead1026 (Post 1204175)

POA and AOPA forums both have a good med section. Post your question there. You have to be in AOPA to post on their forum; POA is open to all.

Originally Posted by Rotor2prop (Post 1204128)

I feel it would be good for me but I really want to find some 121 pilots that are currently on it to confirm its not a huge hassle.


So if anyone is on TRT and doesn't want to talk openly about you can PM me if you would like.

Originally Posted by Rotor2prop (Post 1203643)

My Dr. has been trying to get me on testosterone replacement for a while but I have been afraid to start down that road with 121 flying in my future. On the other hand I feel that I would benefit greatly from it because of the issues of having low test has caused in my life. I hold a current 1st class and I'm in good health other than the sluggish feelings, low motivation, and low sex drive.