Slide titled 'Goals of Treatment' with icons and bullet points about hormone therapy for fertility, including sex steroids like testosterone and estradiol, and gonadotropins or GnRH, with references to hCG and pulsatile GnRH.
Diagram explaining the role of sex steroids in male fertility, showing the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and gonads, with illustrations of hormone injections, gels, pellets, patches, and pills used in testosterone and estrogen plus progesterone hormone therapy.
Diagram showing fertility treatment with gonadotropins, including the hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonads, with illustrations of related hormones and medical injections.

Diagrams courtesy of Dr Andrew Dwyer, Boston College, USA.

Since diagnosis I have been mainly on hormone replacement therapy, in the form of testosterone.

I have occasionally been on gonadtotropin therapy instead, normally as part of clinical trials.

I started with Nebido, a form of testosterone undecanoate, an injection that is normally taken every 10 - 12 weeks.

I have also used testosterone gel, skin patches, gum patches and pellet implants at various stages.

At diagnosis I was put on Nebido, that helped me develop most of the physical changes that should have occured at puberty

I always looked younger than my true age but treatment helped with that. I also got a little bit of hair growth but started to loose head hair. My voice broke and after at least a years treatment I started to shave for the first time.

Since I was so late in being diagnosed I did not get much penile growth and since I was on testosterone only I got no testicle growth.

Being on treatment helped physically and mentally but it was not true puberty as I did not experience all the physical changes and I have to be on some form of treatment for life.

A small brown glass vial labeled 'Nebido 1000 mg/4 ml solution for injection testosterone undecanoate,' beside a white box with similar labeling. The box and vial are placed on a reflective black surface, with a laptop keyboard visible in the background.
A pharmacy box of OVITRELL solution for injection, used for hCG gonadotropin injections to stimulate natural testosterone production, and a pre-filled pen with a needle visible inside the packaging.