I’ve read this forum on and off for years, so it’s time I posted my own story.
Background
I’m in the UK. I took Propecia (finasteride 1 mg) for hair loss for about 5 months, from late 2002 into 2003, starting at around age 33. I only noticed the side effects when I stopped taking it. That was more than 23 years ago, and the sexual side effects have never gone away.
My main symptoms have always been sexual: low or no libido, weak erections, difficulty getting and keeping an erection, and far fewer morning and daytime erections. When I took it, there was no warning in the pack that side effects could carry on after stopping.
Over the years I tried psychosexual therapy, which made no difference. I also have HNPP (hereditary neuropathy with pressure palsies), a genetic nerve condition, which makes it harder to separate what is PFS and what isn’t. I stopped drinking alcohol in 2024, I train twice a week and play golf at weekends.
Latest developments
In August 2025 my already limited sexual function started to get worse, so I began looking into PFS again to see if there had been any developments.
I saw a private specialist who agreed hormone treatment (hCG + TRT) was worth trying but wasn’t sure about the protocol. He said he would get back to me and never did.
In April 2026 I had private bloods done. They showed a normal-looking total testosterone, but SHBG at the top of the range leaving very little free testosterone, and almost no oestrogen.
I’ve since been seen at The Mens Health Clinic, who prescribed hCG + testosterone + tadalafil 5 mg daily. I started at the end of September. Here are my bloods before treatment and after 4 weeks:
Total testosterone: 17.7 before, 50.7 after (range 6.68-25.7 nmol/L)
Free testosterone: about 0.19-0.20 before, 0.81 after (range 0.163-0.473 nmol/L)
SHBG: 75.1 before, 67.3 after (range 20.6-76.7 nmol/L)
Oestradiol: 23 before, 152 after (range 41.4-150 pmol/L)
Prolactin: normal before, 184 after (range 86-324 mIU/L)
Albumin: 49 before, 47 after (range 35-50 g/L)
LH: 1.8 before (low-normal), not tested after
So the numbers have moved a long way: free testosterone has gone from below range to above it, and oestradiol from almost undetectable to just above range. SHBG has dropped a little. I expect the clinic to adjust the dose. In terms of symptoms it’s too early to say whether it’s helping.
From reading here, I’m wary of aromatase inhibitors. My oestradiol was very low for a long time, and several people here crashed on them, so I’d rather the dose was adjusted than an AI added. I also know improvements on hCG/TRT can take months.
If anyone with high SHBG and low oestradiol has tried a similar protocol, I’d be grateful to hear how it went. I’ll post updates here.
Thanks for reading.