ChicagoFit said:
@Gr33dyOctopus with consideration and respect for @Retract8740 let me further explain the physiology and extend the good wish that your hormone levels always bounce back after adding exogenous hormones to your body. In endocrinology, what I explained is a foundational rule of the human body: when you introduce exogenous (outside) hormones, your body downregulates or completely shuts down its endogenous (natural) production of that same hormone.
The primary mechanism behind this is a negative feedback loop.
This is the physiology of the loop explained:
The body maintains hormone levels within a very tight window to achieve homeostasis (balance). Most major hormone systems are controlled by a multi-tiered axis involving the brain and a target peripheral gland.
The control system generally follows a three-step chain of command:
The Hypothalamus (in the brain) senses low levels and releases a releasing hormone.
The Pituitary Gland (also in the brain) senses that releasing hormone and secretes a stimulating hormone into the bloodstream.
The Target Gland (like the thyroid, adrenal glands, or gonads) receives the signal and produces the final peripheral hormone.
The Feedback Mechanism
The hypothalamus and pituitary gland have highly sensitive receptors that constantly monitor the concentration of hormones circulating in the blood.
With Normal Physiology: When the peripheral hormone gets high enough, it binds to receptors in the brain, sending a signal that says, "We have plenty. Stop sending the signal." The hypothalamus and pituitary slow down, levels drop slightly, and the cycle repeats.
With Exogenous Intrusion: When you introduce an outside hormone, the brain's receptors cannot distinguish between the hormone you took and the hormone your body made. It simply registers an excess.
Believing the target gland is working overtime, the hypothalamus stops secreting its releasing hormones, and the pituitary stops secreting its stimulating hormones. Without that upstream signal, the target gland goes dormant.
When you inject exogenous HGH, the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland immediately detect the surge via specialized receptors. The hypothalamus responds by shutting down the release of GHRH (the accelerator). Concurrently, the hypothalamus upregulates the release of Somatostatin (also known as Growth Hormone-Inhibiting Hormone, or GHIH), which acts as the ultimate biological brake, actively blocking the pituitary from releasing any stored HGH.
When exogenous HGH drives up circulating IGF-1 levels, this triggers a secondary, powerful negative feedback loop. High levels of IGF-1 signal back to both the hypothalamus and the pituitary, further reinforcing the suppression of GHRH and reinforcing the release of somatostatin.
For certain individuals, natural baseline HGH production eventually returns (often within days to a couple of weeks, depending on the duration and dosage of the cycle and age) because the somatotroph cells often only need time to be re-awakened by GHRH.
For some, this doesn’t happen. Ever. For older men (who stopped producing HGH) or those who have been shut-down and subsequently produce zero HGH naturally, frequently (not always) stimulating those receptors with a medication like Tesamorelin will coax the body to produce HGH. Though, not always.
My hope is that you are among those that bounce back after introducing any exogenous hormone into your body. Disregard my explanation of the physiology of the endocrine system if it doesn't appeal to your paradigm and know of my wishes for your success.
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R
