OPTN Protocol

Articles

The complete archive.

Supplements Issue #030

Vitamin D3 + K2: The Stack Within the Stack

Vitamin D gets the attention. K2 is the quiet half of the stack that makes sure the calcium goes where it should. Here's how to dose both.

6 min read
Supplements Issue #029

Magnesium: The Most Underrated Supplement for Men on TRT

Magnesium is the supplement that matters. What it does, why most men are deficient, which forms to use, and how to dose it.

6 min read
Protocol Issue #028

Training on TRT: What Changes and What Doesn't

TRT changes your training in smaller ways than the internet promises. What actually shifts, what stays the same, and how to train for the next 40 years.

8 min read
Research Issue #027

Enclomiphene vs. TRT: The Fertility-Preserving Alternative

Enclomiphene raises testosterone by amplifying your own production instead of replacing it. For men who want kids, it can be the right first lever.

7 min read
Industry Issue #026

The Telehealth Stack: How Online TRT Clinics Actually Work

Most online TRT clinics share backend infrastructure. The brand you see is a marketing layer on top of the same providers and pharmacies.

8 min read
Protocol Issue #025

BPC-157 and TB-500: My Healing Protocol

The most over-hyped category in peptide therapy. Here's what I ran, what the evidence says, and what I will and won't claim about the result.

8 min read
Protocol Issue #024

Growth Hormone Secretagogues: Sermorelin, Ipamorelin, CJC-1295

The boring middle of the peptide world. What GH secretagogues do, what the evidence says, and how to think about a protocol.

8 min read
Protocol Issue #023

The Injection Anxiety Article

If the needle is the reason you haven't started TRT, this one is for you. What the first shot feels like, what I was wrong about, and what nobody tells you.

6 min read
Protocol Issue #022

GLP-1 for Recomposition, Not Just Weight Loss

Semaglutide and tirzepatide are marketed for obesity. The more interesting use for men in men's health optimization is body recomposition at a lower dose.

9 min read
Research Issue #021

The Testosterone Cardiovascular Warning Is Gone. Now What?

After TRAVERSE, the FDA updated the testosterone cardiovascular label. What changed, what it means for patients today, and what the new conversation looks like.

7 min read
Research Issue #020

What the TRAVERSE Trial Actually Showed

The largest TRT safety trial in history reset the cardiovascular conversation. What TRAVERSE found, what it didn't, and what it means.

8 min read
Local Issue #019

Why Portland Is the Right Market for This

Portland, Maine is an unusually good place to build a men's health newsletter. The regulatory edge, the demographics, and the local gap.

7 min read
Protocol Issue #018

Bloodwork Cadence: When and How Often to Test

How often you should get bloodwork on TRT, what to test each time, and why the 'every six weeks forever' model is wrong.

7 min read
Protocol Issue #017

My TRT Protocol, Month by Month

A first-person walkthrough of the first nine months of my TRT protocol. Labs, doses, adjustments, what I felt, and what I would do differently.

11 min read
Industry Issue #016

The Compounding Pharmacy Wars

A short history of the fight between brand-name pharma and compounding pharmacies, why it keeps happening, and what patients should watch for next.

9 min read
Protocol Issue #015

Dialing In Estradiol: The Marker Everyone Gets Wrong

Estradiol is the most misunderstood number on a male hormone panel. Too high and too low both feel bad. Here's how to read it and how to dial it in.

9 min read
Fundamentals Issue #014

Sleep Is the Protocol You're Ignoring

Before you spend $200 a month on TRT, spend two weeks fixing your sleep. Most men who think they need testosterone need a better bedroom first.

8 min read
Industry Issue #013

I Signed Up for 3 Online TRT Clinics So You Don't Have To

A first-person walkthrough of three online TRT clinic sign-ups at once. The intake, the providers, and what the real experience looked like.

10 min read
Industry Issue #012

What Your TRT Clinic Doesn't Want You to Know About Pricing

The bundling tricks, hidden fees, and fine-print charges that make online TRT clinics look cheaper than they are. A line-item teardown.

9 min read
Industry Issue #011

Hone, Marek, Defy: The Big Three Online TRT Clinics Compared

An honest head-to-head of the three most-searched online TRT clinics. Pricing, what's included, who each is for, and what the marketing hides.

11 min read
Research Issue #010

Peptide Access After the Kennedy HHS Announcement

What the February 2026 HHS reclassification changed for peptide access, what it didn't, and what patients should do now.

8 min read
Local Issue #009

The Portland, Maine Men's Health Landscape

What it's like to do men's health optimization in Portland, Maine. Local clinics, lab access, the LD 1277 advantage, and what's missing.

9 min read
Fundamentals Issue #008

The OPTN Protocol: What This Is and Why It Exists

A newsletter and content library for men who opted in. What that means, why I started it, and who it's for.

8 min read
Industry Issue #007

Compounding Pharmacies: What They Are and Why They Matter

Compounding pharmacies are the reason TRT is affordable and peptides exist. Here's how they work, why regulators fight them, and what changed in 2026.

9 min read
Industry Issue #006

The Real Cost of Men's Health Optimization

Honest breakdown of monthly costs for TRT, peptides, bloodwork, and supplements. Real numbers, named clinics, no affiliate links.

10 min read
Fundamentals Issue #005

How to Read Your Own Bloodwork

A walkthrough of a male hormone panel marker by marker. How to interpret your own results before you talk to any provider.

12 min read
Fundamentals Issue #004

Peptides: A No-BS Primer

What peptides are, how they work, which ones have evidence behind them, and what Reddit gets wrong about every single one of them.

11 min read
Fundamentals Issue #003

The 5 Blood Markers Every Man Over 35 Should Track

Total T, free T, SHBG, estradiol, hematocrit. What each marker tells you, what to target, and how often to test.

11 min read
Fundamentals Issue #002

What TRT Actually Is (And Isn't)

Plain-language guide to what testosterone replacement therapy does, how it works, and what it won't fix. No bro science, no clinic marketing.

10 min read
Fundamentals Issue #001

You're in Range. You're Not Fine.

Your doctor says you have normal testosterone levels. You feel fine. Fine isn't what you're going for. Here's why that gap matters.

9 min read