I'll start with whey I think it wasn't doc prescribed. The 'I was on TRT for a YEAR'. Genuine TRT tends not be be a 12 month thing. Plus, as you'll have seen, it's becoming all too common for a LOT of forum members (not just on Evo and Elite (our sister site) but on a LOT of forums) to swap cruising for TRT and vice versa. Now if you cruise, you're deffo staying on. Calling it some sort of hormone replacement therapy just makes it sound nicer.
Truth is 90% of what we see called TRT is self administered. You can search and see how often they admit it when asked. It's not because they had blood tests (for the most part, some do). It's simply because they don't like how they feel off. Being honest helps. SOME (not nearly enough) ARE the right age. But I've also seen (mostly on Facebook) guys in their mid-20's who went on gear at 18 doing the same. Most TRT is in the 100-200mg (usually the lower) range with only a few at the upper 300mg. If it's doc prescribed and as constant as genuine TRT (as in for LIFE not 12 months) you'll not always see an AI included. HCG does little or nothing for fertility - we see a LOT on it here and it's all about ball size and not much else.
I'll agree with you, as above, on getting bloods done but how many do? And the cost, at $175.00 isn't far off what I'd pay here for 2-3 months.
Now, if we just deal with the blasting and cruising... it usually prefaces what they call TRT. The ideas, at least originally, was 'keeping test levels high to optimize results'. Lasted about five fkin minutes ha ha . Show me, with rare exceptions, how many of these 'optimized' guys have outstanding physiques. Not nearly enough. There's a group with 20000 plus members on FB and I can count on one hand the numbers on TRT etc that look like they might compete.
I've written on the forum about how this has come on in recent years. It follows a fairly common thread: Gung hu 20-25 year olds (sometimes younger) who is all 'fuck the future, live fast die young'. Goes on 1000mg asap and blows up. Loves it. Cycles off. Then, all too quick, back on.... pct... what's that. Gets a touch of gyno... gets it looked at or actually then uses an AI. Feels ok / sorted / invincible... then starts lengthening the cycles. 8 weeks becomes, 12... becomes 16... becomes 24. Then they come here and say ' mates been on 6 months to a year'. It carries on until one day, no long wanting to die young (as if - we all change as we get older), they meet THE GIRL. Now, with a non-existant HPTA, balls and zero sperm they realize they are fucked for kids.
Even most TRT isn't as it once was. Back in the day it was given to guys with medical conditions. Not 40+ fellas (I'm 50+) who wanna feel better and deffo not 30+ who self prescribed test and then stayed on. Just have a look, via a search, at the TRT posts say just in the last 2 weeks.