Posted: 8/11/2026 4:35:27 AM EDT
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Warning graphic image of clots at the bottom!!! Hey guys, sitting in a hospital bed recovering from a right leg DVT and pulmonary emboli removal from all 5 lobes, and I just wanted to post my situation as a warning to others. I’m a fit, healthy 41-year-old male. I was using a local men’s clinic and taking 37 mg of Clomid daily and 0.25 mg of anastrozole twice weekly for the last 6 months or so. My testosterone has been around 600 and my estrogen around 35. Everything was going great until about 6 weeks ago. I started having pressure in my right calf. There was no noticeable swelling. It just felt like a torn or strained muscle, so I ignored it. A few weeks went by and I noticed I was getting really tired and not sleeping great. I got into a caffeine cycle where I wasn’t just having my normal morning brew. I’d make another one in the early afternoon, then have another cold brew on the way to the gym. During this time I was still doing full workouts 4 days a week. I broke the caffeine cycle, started sleeping better, and thought I’d fixed it. Maybe this wasn’t related at all, I have no idea. I still noticed my leg, though. It would be sore if I crossed my legs with my left knee supporting my right calf. Finally, last week I started getting full body aches and thought I was getting sick. I was at the gym Thursday and got through my normal 30 minutes of intense StairMaster cardio, but I was smoked. Typically, I do a full workout afterward. I went home, took a hot bath, and went to bed. I woke up Friday morning and it hurt to breathe. It kind of felt like a pulled intercostal muscle, but it was positional. Standing or hunched over was perfectly fine. If I laid back, the pain built in intensity. I still wrote it off as a pulled, torn, or irritated intercostal. I did yard work Saturday in 100° heat and definitely noticed tachycardia. I thought maybe I was dehydrated. I focused on hydration Saturday night, made love to my wife, and went to bed. I awoke at 2:58 am in distress. I couldn’t breathe without severe pain, and any position other than vertical was intolerable. Still in denial, I went and slept sitting up on the couch. I woke up around 6:30 Sunday morning, felt better, took a shower, and headed to the local ER while my wife and kids went to church. The doctor walked in shortly after I arrived, took one look at me, fit, toned, clean-shaven, etc., and said, “Most likely it’s pleuritis from a recent viral illness that made you sore, but we’re going to run ALL the tests to find out.” ECG. Contrast CT of my chest. Initial blood work. About an hour later, he came in and told me he was completely wrong. I had pulmonary emboli throughout all 5 lobes of my lungs, with two areas of pulmonary ischemia from loss of blood flow. I needed to be transferred to the main hospital for treatment. He told me to cancel my week and call my family. He also told me that if I hadn’t come in, there was a very real possibility I wouldn’t have survived to mid week, especially considering how hard I had continued pushing myself physically. Obviously, I was shocked. The doc was amazing and took all the time I needed to process everything and discuss what was happening. They started me on heparin, and I stayed in my nice, comfy ER room for about 5 hours until a room opened at the main hospital. I was then transferred by ambulance. Ultrasounds of my legs showed two small remaining clots from the DVT in my right calf. Blood work and CTs of my pelvis and abdomen have so far found no evidence of cancer, which was a big concern because of my family history. We also have no known family history of clotting disorders. At this point, that leaves Clomid as a possible provoking factor versus this being an otherwise unprovoked DVT/PE. I still have additional outpatient hematology testing ahead of me. I had a thrombectomy Monday afternoon, and they removed roughly 90% of the clot burden from my lungs. The remaining clot burden in my lungs and the small clots in my calf will be treated with Eliquis while my body gradually breaks them down over the coming months. I’ll follow up with outpatient hematology for additional testing, monitoring, and eventually a decision about how long I need to remain on Eliquis. I’m putting this out there so others know what to look for. We aren’t 100% finished ruling out an underlying cause, and this could ultimately be classified as an unprovoked DVT/PE. But Clomid has been associated with DVT and pulmonary embolism in men and is considered a possible contributor in my case. There isn’t good enough evidence in men to put an accurate number on exactly how much Clomid increases that risk. TRT has also been associated with an increased risk of venous blood clots, particularly during certain periods after starting treatment. The biggest reason I’m posting this is that my symptoms did NOT look like what I expected a DVT or pulmonary embolism to look like. My calf wasn’t massively swollen, red, or obviously abnormal. It felt like a muscle injury. My initial chest pain felt like a pulled intercostal muscle. I was still working out, doing intense cardio, doing yard work, and functioning pretty normally right up until things became severe. So please remember these symptoms. If you’re taking Clomid, TRT, or anything else that may affect clotting risk and you develop unexplained persistent calf pain, especially followed by shortness of breath, chest pain with breathing, unexplained tachycardia, or a sudden drop in exercise tolerance, don’t do what I did and keep trying to explain it away. Get evaluated immediately. Warning graphic clot image below!!! 
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Heal up quick broski, and thanks for the reminder to stay on top of my baby aspirin while on TRT. I had quad bilateral PEs about 5 years ago after an serious ortho surgery left me immobile for about 3 months. The doctor wasn’t amused when he delivered the news and I replied that I knew I probably had at least one.  That’s very scary stuff, again thanks for the reminder! ETA: you and the family all good to go now? |
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Yea a baby aspirin would have been a great addition, hate to say it but I was never told and I didn’t think to add it. I’m sure I’ll be taking one daily for the rest of my life after finishing the elequis regime. Everyone is fine, family and friends circled the wagons and took care of me. Thanks for asking. Glad you survived yours, crazy stuff. |
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That sounds EXACTLY like what I experienced a couple years ago. Stepped on a nail. Bone infection in foot. Antibiotics attacked tendons. Ankle got a boot. Felt like a pulled muscle at the top of my calf and went to the Ortho (because I was and still am pretty active, but no gym rat anymore), where I SPECIFICALLY expressed concern for a dvt. She dismissed it because no redness, no swelling. A couple days later I was 800 miles from home and it hurt bad enough I couldn't sleep. Hello, ER in Holland, Michigan. I too had been doing yard work and being active. Bingo, dvt. That Ortho lost her job. OP, did you not experience a dry cough? That was most subtle clue for me, my body trying to cough it's own blood out. I noticed I was out of breath (completely winded) just going from the bathroom to my bedroom, maybe a distance of fifteen feet, but chalked it up to being out of shape for being house bound for months because of the bone infection. I just took my now-daily Xarelto and look at my varicose veins. Yay, age. OP, I'm praying you don't get the long term or permanent effects that can happen to the respiratory system. My chest CT looked like a shotgun blast of #8 shot at ten yards. I'm only about 80-85% of where I was, cardio wise, but I'm working to get my exercise bike out and see if I can restore some of that. It's better than being zero percent which is where I was close to being. I posted about it back then, and I'm glad you're still here to post about it now. |
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I suffered a huge DVT in my left thigh in 1990. Back then, they didn't remove them. They fixed it in place and let your body "absorb, Break down, adapt" yeah whatever. I now have Post Phlebetic Syndrome in my left leg. The result of that course of treatment, i.e. I have no valves in my left leg. I have been on blood thinners since 1990. Have to wear compression socks. OP, Mind telling me your blood type? I'm AB- so I was a predetermined risk for clots but the cause of mine was never actually narrowed down. |
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This shit is precisely why I don’t fuck with TRT or hormones, or really anything else that “modifies” my body. It is what it is. I exercise, sleep and eat how I exercise, sleep and eat. If I want improvements in any specific area, I modify one of those things. Glad you’re OK, OP. This shit is scary. Take it seriously bros. I know so many people on TRT, a whole array of different peptides, etc. Nope. Nope. Nope. |
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Quoted: Clomiphene has a very low effect on hematocrit. It would potentially disrupt clotting factors without an increase in blood count. Quoted: Quoted: Were you monitoring hematocrit as part of TRT? Clomiphene has a very low effect on hematocrit. It would potentially disrupt clotting factors without an increase in blood count. So, will the OP know his last ‘crit? One of the leading criticisms of TRT & clomiphene is that most prescribers don’t follow labs for effect or side effects like this… But, I’m only a physician, not an AI expert. |
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Quoted: So, will the OP know his last ‘crit? One of the leading criticisms of TRT & clomiphene is that most prescribers don’t follow labs for effect or side effects like this… But, I’m only a physician, not an AI expert. Yes, it’s important to monitor labs when on hormone therapy. Thank you doctor. |
| You should post this in the TRT thread. Clomid and enclomiphene are known for increasing clot risk, but clinics are happy to prescribe because they'd rather make a sale than explain to people why needles aren't a big deal and are actually optimal. Then when I shit on clomid you have people go "I've never had a problem" |
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Thanks for the post. Glad it was caught in time. This post is interesting to me because about 8 weeks ago I woke up with what felt like a charliehorse in my calf. No swelling or redness. It has never eased up in all these weeks. It makes it hard to walk, which I now do with a limp. I don't take any meds except diclofenac (anti inflammatory). Mother had a history of developing clots. Never considered it could be that. |
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Quoted: Clomiphene has a very low effect on hematocrit. It would potentially disrupt clotting factors without an increase in blood count. Quoted: Quoted: Were you monitoring hematocrit as part of TRT? Clomiphene has a very low effect on hematocrit. It would potentially disrupt clotting factors without an increase in blood count. Interesting, thanks. I'm not super familiar with clomiphene - I only tried it once for a month or so, and it was awful. |
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Quoted: Did op or any others with this condition take the Covid vaccine? I had a co worker drop dead less than a year ago and they blamed it on trt. He was in his early 50’s For fuck's sake. Lung clots, medically known as a pulmonary embolism, are a very rare but serious potential complication of Clomid (clomiphene citrate) therapy. |
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Quoted: That sounds EXACTLY like what I experienced a couple years ago. Stepped on a nail. Bone infection in foot. Antibiotics attacked tendons. Ankle got a boot. Felt like a pulled muscle at the top of my calf and went to the Ortho (because I was and still am pretty active, but no gym rat anymore), where I SPECIFICALLY expressed concern for a dvt. She dismissed it because no redness, no swelling. A couple days later I was 800 miles from home and it hurt bad enough I couldn't sleep. Hello, ER in Holland, Michigan. I too had been doing yard work and being active. Bingo, dvt. That Ortho lost her job. OP, did you not experience a dry cough? That was most subtle clue for me, my body trying to cough it's own blood out. I noticed I was out of breath (completely winded) just going from the bathroom to my bedroom, maybe a distance of fifteen feet, but chalked it up to being out of shape for being house bound for months because of the bone infection. I just took my now-daily Xarelto and look at my varicose veins. Yay, age. OP, I'm praying you don't get the long term or permanent effects that can happen to the respiratory system. My chest CT looked like a shotgun blast of #8 shot at ten yards. I'm only about 80-85% of where I was, cardio wise, but I'm working to get my exercise bike out and see if I can restore some of that. It's better than being zero percent which is where I was close to being. I posted about it back then, and I'm glad you're still here to post about it now. I had a very minor dry cough, but with the body aches I just thought I was sick. I’m going to be working out again as soon as I can. I was in excellent cardio heath? Praying it makes for an easier/more effective recovery. Quoted: I'm glad you made it. Hopefully you make a full recovery quickly. Thanks me too! Quoted: Did op or any others with this condition take the Covid vaccine? I had a co worker drop dead less than a year ago and they blamed it on trt. He was in his early 50’s I DID have the covid shot when it first came out, I’m healthcare and of course fell for the lies. Never had a booster, but that was what 5 years-6 years ago. |
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Quoted: Had a DVT about 3 months ago, no PE fortunately. I’m off testosterone indefinitely now. Hope to be off Eliquis soon after my next untrasound on my calf shows the clot has resolved. Good luck OP and others I never expected this to happen. Thanks! I just want others to be aware. Quoted: Were you monitoring hematocrit as part of TRT? Yes hematocrit was always normal. Quoted: I suffered a huge DVT in my left thigh in 1990. Back then, they didn't remove them. They fixed it in place and let your body "absorb, Break down, adapt" yeah whatever. I now have Post Phlebetic Syndrome in my left leg. The result of that course of treatment, i.e. I have no valves in my left leg. I have been on blood thinners since 1990. Have to wear compression socks. OP, Mind telling me your blood type? I'm AB- so I was a predetermined risk for clots but the cause of mine was never actually narrowed down. a-pos is what I am. |
| Yep. Had a knee replacement last month. Had to go back to the hospital ER because I kept feeling worse. After having an echo done, a blood clot was found in my left lung. Doc that had done the surgery and the ER doc decided it must have broken loose during the surgery and lodged in my left lung. 3 day hospital stay on a Heperin drip and discharged. |
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Quoted: So, will the OP know his last ‘crit? One of the leading criticisms of TRT & clomiphene is that most prescribers don’t follow labs for effect or side effects like this… But, I’m only a physician, not an AI expert. Yes it was 46.6, I checked my test/estrogen and hematocrit every 6 weeks. I also did an extensive blood work up quarterly, so I’m very ontop of my blood work. Wish it would have showed d-dimer as mine was off the charts. May have been a good early indicator. Quoted: Thanks for the post. Glad it was caught in time. This post is interesting to me because about 8 weeks ago I woke up with what felt like a charliehorse in my calf. No swelling or redness. It has never eased up in all these weeks. It makes it hard to walk, which I now do with a limp. I don't take any meds except diclofenac (anti inflammatory). Mother had a history of developing clots. Never considered it could be that. Yea man get it checked out. I had a limp for a day or two, again thought I tore something. Don’t screw around with this. Go to urgent care or the ED and get an ultrasound of your leg. |
| Been on TRT for at least a decade. I don't take any other supportive meds for it. Been on baby aspirin for the duration along with 8 week blood donations, A+, for the duration. Marked donation #87 on my last trip. Yup coming up on gallon 11. Can't say it's related to DVT but my high hematocrit was monitored quarterly & when my endo was convinced I was 100% compliant with my donations, she went to 6 month checks which is out of sync with my PCP blood work so it still gets checked more frequently. And of course the blood center gives me my hemoglobin # every visit which tells me, based on years of history, whether or not I need to add iron to maintain my ferritin level. Hematocrit monitoring is imperative if you are on TRT. |
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Quoted: Been on TRT for at least a decade. I don't take any other supportive meds for it. Been on baby aspirin for the duration along with 8 week blood donations, A+, for the duration. Marked donation #87 on my last trip. Yup coming up on gallon 11. Can't say it's related to DVT but my high hematocrit was monitored quarterly & when my endo was convinced I was 100% compliant with my donations, she went to 6 month checks which is out of sync with my PCP blood work so it still gets checked more frequently. And of course the blood center gives me my hemoglobin # every visit which tells me, based on years of history, whether or not I need to add iron to maintain my ferritin level. Hematocrit monitoring is imperative if you are on TRT. Just remember the baby aspirin is protecting the arterial side by reducing platelet activation. That’s where Eliquis comes in to stop clot formation on the factor-Xa venous side. Of course this is all stuff I learned in the last 48 hours. |
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Quoted: You should post this in the TRT thread. Clomid and enclomiphene are known for increasing clot risk, but clinics are happy to prescribe because they'd rather make a sale than explain to people why needles aren't a big deal and are actually optimal. Then when I shit on clomid you have people go "I've never had a problem" Yea I’ll post it there too. |
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I had a saddle PE in April, surgery on left foot last August. No one will commit to what they think it was, but there were two other clots in my left leg. I had no symptoms other than I was getting winded while preparing for a backpacking trip. I bought a FitBit just to track my heart rate while I was on the treadmill and it happened to read O2 sats also. One morning I walked from one end of the house to the other and I had to sit down and catch my breath. I looked at the FitBit and my O2 was reading 88%. My wife is an RN and was just leaving for work so I figured I better say something She didn't believe it so she handed me a pulse oximeter and sure enough it wasn't correct...because it was actually 80%. I checked it after I got to the car and it was 76%.Local ER found it right away, started me on IV blood thinners and shipped me off to a bigger hospital. I had an EKOS procedure that evening and almost right away O2 was back to 98%. All bloodwork came back normal so it looks like Eliquis forever for me  And no shot here |
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I'm on TRT but not Clomid. I donate on cooldown to keep my 'crit in range, have neglected it in the past (during lockdowns) and regretted it but nothing dramatic happened, just high BP and doctors freaking out. Probably should add the baby aspirin, think it's a good idea for anyone my age anyway. Glad you got treatment in time OP. |
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Quoted: Sorry this happened to you, but I stopped reading at Clomid and anastrozole. Terrible protocol that's not "TRT" in any sense. Clomid has some nasty sides. It's PCT at best...and not even the best choice for that. So much this. What shady fly-by-night clinic prescribes clomid and ana instead of just test? I mean, that makes zero sense to me. |
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Quoted: This shit is precisely why I don't fuck with TRT or hormones, or really anything else that "modifies" my body. It is what it is. I exercise, sleep and eat how I exercise, sleep and eat. If I want improvements in any specific area, I modify one of those things. Glad you're OK, OP. This shit is scary. Take it seriously bros. I know so many people on TRT, a whole array of different peptides, etc. Nope. Nope. Nope. You should be thankful that you have no idea what you're talking about in this conversation. |
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I"ve been on enclomiphene for almost a year now. Bloodwork every 3 months. T has been holding steady just under 1k and estrogen is elevated but started taking DIM so we'll see. No side effects I'm aware of other than rampant morning wood and higher sex drive. Very happy with it but thinking about lowering the dose as I don't want to be a guinee pig. Best of luck to you. |
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Oof. Sorry to see that! Glad you are okay. Look into Serrapeptase and Lumbrokinase/Nattokinase for help with keeping your blood vessels “clean” in the future. (As always, consult your PCP first before beginning to use any of these compounds! ??) *Lumbrokinase: https://rphlabs.com/lumbrokinase-benefits/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29093246/ *Serrapeptase: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9599151/ *Nattokinase: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6043915/ Best of luck, brother! |
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Quoted: Yes it was 46.6, I checked my test/estrogen and hematocrit every 6 weeks. I also did an extensive blood work up quarterly, so I’m very ontop of my blood work. Wish it would have showed d-dimer as mine was off the charts. May have been a good early indicator. Yea man get it checked out. I had a limp for a day or two, again thought I tore something. Don’t screw around with this. Go to urgent care or the ED and get an ultrasound of your leg. Quoted: Quoted: So, will the OP know his last ‘crit? One of the leading criticisms of TRT & clomiphene is that most prescribers don’t follow labs for effect or side effects like this… But, I’m only a physician, not an AI expert. Yes it was 46.6, I checked my test/estrogen and hematocrit every 6 weeks. I also did an extensive blood work up quarterly, so I’m very ontop of my blood work. Wish it would have showed d-dimer as mine was off the charts. May have been a good early indicator. Quoted: Thanks for the post. Glad it was caught in time. This post is interesting to me because about 8 weeks ago I woke up with what felt like a charliehorse in my calf. No swelling or redness. It has never eased up in all these weeks. It makes it hard to walk, which I now do with a limp. I don't take any meds except diclofenac (anti inflammatory). Mother had a history of developing clots. Never considered it could be that. Yea man get it checked out. I had a limp for a day or two, again thought I tore something. Don’t screw around with this. Go to urgent care or the ED and get an ultrasound of your leg. D-Dimer elevation is usually from a DVT. It isn’t typically used as a “screen” until something like this. This is where the hematologist will now help. Speedy recovery, OP! |
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Quoted: Just remember the baby aspirin is protecting the arterial side by reducing platelet activation. That's where Eliquis comes in to stop clot formation on the factor-Xa venous side. Of course this is all stuff I learned in the last 48 hours. Quoted: Quoted: Been on TRT for at least a decade. I don't take any other supportive meds for it. Been on baby aspirin for the duration along with 8 week blood donations, A+, for the duration. Marked donation #87 on my last trip. Yup coming up on gallon 11. Can't say it's related to DVT but my high hematocrit was monitored quarterly & when my endo was convinced I was 100% compliant with my donations, she went to 6 month checks which is out of sync with my PCP blood work so it still gets checked more frequently. And of course the blood center gives me my hemoglobin # every visit which tells me, based on years of history, whether or not I need to add iron to maintain my ferritin level. Hematocrit monitoring is imperative if you are on TRT. Just remember the baby aspirin is protecting the arterial side by reducing platelet activation. That's where Eliquis comes in to stop clot formation on the factor-Xa venous side. Of course this is all stuff I learned in the last 48 hours. It is primarily an inhibitor of platelet agglutination, but none the less interrupts the clotting cascade considerably. There's a growing body of evidence that for otherwise low risk individuals, if a DVT is present below the popliteal trifurcation, treating the DVT with Asperin 325mg BID is an acceptable alternative to DOACs. |
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Quoted: Thanks for the post. Glad it was caught in time. This post is interesting to me because about 8 weeks ago I woke up with what felt like a charliehorse in my calf. No swelling or redness. It has never eased up in all these weeks. It makes it hard to walk, which I now do with a limp. I don't take any meds except diclofenac (anti inflammatory). Mother had a history of developing clots. Never considered it could be that. @pushrod_paul Go to the ER. Dead serious. Go now. The check for clots isn't difficult, just a sonogram up the leg. It's so simple they should make it part of your annual physical. |
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Quoted: Sorry this happened to you, but I stopped reading at Clomid and anastrozole. Terrible protocol that's not "TRT" in any sense. Clomid has some nasty sides. It's PCT at best...and not even the best choice for that. THIS - there are dudes here blaming test and TRT. PLEASE GTFO. You NEED estrogen. You NEED test. If you disagree then go ahead and die faster. If test caused blood clots I'd be dead already. Every fucking male teenager should be dead from blood clots, right? I hear doctors telling dudes not to get on test because it causes PROSTATE CANCER. Fuck. MOST Doctors don't know shit about HRT. Glad you're alive but I'd get off that shit you're taking and take a HORMONE - not a fucking drug. |