Starting / Stopping HRT (for a short period)

[Harshaan]

Hello guys and gals!

I should preface this by saying that I am going to see my Doctor on the 8th and I will have the chance to ask these questions then;
however I am a little stressed out so I am hoping I might get some opinions and answers here, before then.

I want to store my sperm. I have been on hormones for one month.
I am seeing rapid breast growth and other changes. This is great!
But I'm going to have to stop hormones for a period of time in order to donate sperm, I believe.
Perhaps it is so early I would only have to stop for a few days. Does anyone know anything about this?

Secondly, if I do stop for a period of time (let us say, a month...)
has research shown a reduction in total breast growth or other changes if treatment is paused once it has been started?

Thanks so much.

Brihannala

EDIT:
Estradiol xx mg, Daily
Finasteride xx mg, Daily

[Emily Ray]

If storing your sperm is something you really feel is important I think you should stop as soon as you can and stay off of hormones until you are done. Last August my pharmacy switched the generic pill they bought and the new one didn't down regulate my testosterone for some undetermined reason. In just 20 days I went from very low normal female level to mid male level of testosterone. I felt like a whole year and a half of progress had been wiped out of existence. My depression quickly reached the level I was at before starting HRT and I needed to be hospitalized for Suicidal Ideation. Stopping or lowering your HRT can have huge repercussions. The good news is that once my estrogen stablelized and my testosterone reached normal female range the depression wasn't as severe.

Huggs

Emily

[Flan]

1 month isn't enough for significant drops in sperm count although it might take a week for the count to return before submitting a sample for testing prior to banking.

ps: we don't talk dosages here

[lilacwoman]

If storing your sperm is something you really feel is important I think you should stop as soon as you can and stay off of hormones until you are done. Last August my pharmacy switched the generic pill they bought and the new one didn't down regulate my testosterone for some undetermined reason. In just 20 days I went from very low normal female level to mid male level of testosterone. I felt like a whole year and a half of progress had been wiped out of existence. My depression quickly reached the level I was at before starting HRT and I needed to be hospitalized for Suicidal Ideation. Stopping or lowering your HRT can have huge repercussions. The good news is that once my estrogen stablelized and my testosterone reached normal female range the depression wasn't as severe.

Huggs

Emily

you're the person who said I was vain for stopping the progesterone that produce equally bad effects on me.

[Harshaan]

Thanks Flan;

Thanks Padma.

Flan:

What exactly did you mean by this?
"...it might take a week for the count to return before submitting a sample for testing prior to banking."

[SandraJane]

Don't know if you are aware of the costs of "banking" your sperm, I posted this on another thread a couple of days ago;

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,111371.msg845360.html#msg845360

If you live near a University Medical Center, it may be lower, but after the initial "fees"(consult, labs, freezing, first year of storage) avg. $1K, you'll have to pay a yearly storage fee between $250 - $500. 

If you donate your sperm it may cost you nothing, but you won't have much say if any over it, so take this under consideration also. Last, how long do you plan to store it? Although the sperm can be stored almost indefinitely, it may not be "usable/viable" 10,15,20 yrs from now, and that you have to pay that storage fee yearly...

[Harshaan]

I had not even thought about donating my sperm. ( Does anyone even want Trans sperm? )

I guess, as selfish as it is, I feel the need to reproduce. I think I'm pretty awesome!
While I think it would be better for the world if I adopted, if it is at all possible, I would like to contribute to the gene pool.
At the same time, I know that I must transition, and I cannot wait around to do that.
So if I donate it and someone uses it, that would make me a lot happier. If that is my only course of action.

I would be interested in storing the sperm for about 10 years.
I'm going to have to ask around, but this is quite possibly the scariest part of transition I've faced. Has anyone else dealt with this?

Impotence, check. Losing beard, check. Changing body, health problems..all of it..I don't care. Coming out and taking hormones has made me feel happier than I ever have in my life. But I'm terrified about this kid thing! I want to create another little ginger!

Ok, so I am waxing emotional here, but seriously: I am terrified. This is the only hurdle I've really stumbled on.

Finally...

How likely is sterility? I realize that I need to operate under the assumption that sterility will occur, but are there any established medical/scientific studies which indicate a percentage of how many T-Girls become sterile after several years of hormone treatment?

Thank you all very, very much. I will be posting here for many years to come, hopefully.

Solace!
Ganbatte!

~Brihannala

[SandraJane]

I'm going through it now, and I've decided not to, opportunity is there but not on my heart and I'm a little older than U (i'm pretty sure ), rather be "Co-Parent" or Adopt an older child.

Do take the time to really think this over now before your Testes start to shrink. Its not an easy question for some, especially if you don't currently have a Spouse or Partner.

On my Heart...

SJ

[Harshaan]

Just had a good long cry about it.

We'll see what the offices I call tomorrow say about price.

<not allowed> this life is a hard one.

<3 Sandra...

[Flan]

given enough time on hrt (especially any anti-androgen) the odds of low to zero sperm count become 1:1.
testing of sperm count and mobility is standard operating procedure before sperm banking (which costs money).

[Harshaan]

OK. Thank you Flan; I needed to hear that.

Finally, I must repeat the question:

I know that temporarily, my body and my mind would react very poorly to pausing HRT.

But, In the span of 10 years of HRT;

If I start for a month, stop for a month or two, and start again;
will that stunt my female growth and changes?

Thank you, all of your, and thank you for continuing to respond.

[lilacwoman]

a month may not cause any reversal - but how fast did you feminise each month?
what you might find is stopping gives you headaches, depressions etc.
have to try it and see what happens.

[Harshaan]

How do I word this?

Lilac: I've only been on it for a month. However, responses in my body have been high. (confirmed through doc and therapist)

What I'm asking is - sort of -
like if I am starting off on this process to feminize myself,
sending all these hormones throughout my body;

I am triggering a sort of second puberty;

but if I stop just after it has begun,

will my body go "Hey! I guess its over!"

and when I start again, will the response then be less effective?

[Smith]

Sometimes is funny for me to hear something like this honestly, maybe this is me, and every person has different opinion or vision or whatever.
Can we imagine that a woman has sperm? since I was kid (4) I would like to be as a real girl, and I hope that dream will come true, and hopefully magic is really exists, I can pregnant like any woman else, even though I realize that's impossible for real life, maybe I'm a woman with deformity (in my mind always).
I always think that I'm a woman and don't care what this body like, I'm in HRT more than 1 year.  Sometimes also I reject to read some information about transgender, because in my mind, I don't wanna be Transgender woman, that I wanna be as a real woman, I know this is impossible for this life, and maybe some people think that I'm freak or something like that.
so, for me, this kind of statement to stop HRT for store sperm, this is so strength for me, does your mind never thinking about yourself as a woman? or maybe I'm not normal person? I don't know, maybe I'm crazy one 

In my mind, Transgender woman has never come to be a woman, please correct me, does anyone know what is different between a real woman had hysterectomy with transgender woman? are they the same? this is what I'm thinking always

sorry for my opinion, really sorry, and peace  

[Bishounen]

How do I word this?

Lilac: I've only been on it for a month. However, responses in my body have been high. (confirmed through doc and therapist)

What I'm asking is - sort of -
like if I am starting off on this process to feminize myself,
sending all these hormones throughout my body;

I am triggering a sort of second puberty;

but if I stop just after it has begun,

will my body go "Hey! I guess its over!"

and when I start again, will the response then be less effective?

I know it has been said that stopping and then restarting hormonal therapy may stunt the remaining development.
However, I also do know that many MTF's has done just that and apparently had no problems at all, so I would guess that it is very individual.

Regardless, I would strongly recommend you to ask your physician for an anti-depressant if you descide to go off your hormones, to prevent any possible depressions.

Good look with your little Ginger-seeds.