ashensmudgeoffluff

From your other responses, I understand that you end up giving men testosterone to maintain "normal" levels.

Are these "normal" as defined by their individual baseline, or by population norms?

Additionally, you mention that sperm production recovers above some threshold, but does it recover fully (again referencing the individual's baseline)?

I partially ask because I understand that testosterone supplementation in those with normal levels can permanently suppress endogenous testosterone production; this is typically from recreational steroid use in unusual doses, but I wonder what lower levels might do.

I think it depends on your interest rates and amount of debt. I have about 30k at 3.625%. I am not in any great hurry to pay that off.

Unfortunately, it is not feasible or ethical to do a long-term randomized controlled trial on people who are depending on this drug for their birth control.

I guess I don't understand why the subjects in an experiment are relying on the experimental drug? Were they not advised to also use barrier/female hormonal contraceptives?

I do understand that people take more risks when they presume they've received the drug. I didn't realize that placebo groups weren't used because of this, though.

One thing folks should know about the most recent trial mentioned above is that over the course of a year...

Yeah...we're gonna need a double-blinded RCT to confirm that. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't.

eh. That can also be circumvented when there is a reasonable argument to be made.

In the US, commercial airline pilots cannot be older than 65, for example.