I tried HRT (both compounding pharmacy and patented versions) a while and it indeed increased testosterone, but overall it did not make me feel better, and it would give me dizzy spells, vertigo and painful feet.
There is one important area that is not often discussed and overlooked. Doctors (and sufferers) have a lack of training and knowledge in the area of nutrition and its impact on metabolic pathways. I know I was clueless until the damage was done. There is no money and no patents to be had in nutritional advice. Low testosterone can be just another symptom of too much sugar, bad diet, nutritional deficiencies, and pancreas damage such as pre-diabetes, diabetes, or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI).
Zinc, B and D vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids, for example, are all required by the body to produce testosterone. So, if you are deficient in any of those, they will likely get used in higher priority areas of the body, causing low testosterone.
Once I fixed my nutrient deficiencies my testosterone went up by 80% and back to a perfectly normal range, without exercise except small walks, and without HRT.
It is worth checking to see whether you are breaking down and absorbing your food properly, or have any nutritional deficiencies. Check for pancreas damage and microbiome dysbiosis (e.g. Candida overgrowth, SIBO). Have an honest, hard look at your food and beverage intake, or any other bodily insults you have control over.
Low testosterone is a symptom, and HRT is addressing a symptom, but not necessarily the root cause.
