Risks of testosterone?

[BearGuy]

Got a few questions
1. Will prolonged use of T for SURE cause health issues, even while monitored by a doctor? Like if I use it for the rest of my life, how much certainty is there that I will develop an illness?

2. What is the most common risk from T? I heard it's liver cancer, but I'm not sure.

3. Can all the risks be prevented?


Generally, I'm pretty healthy, I eat 90% of the time at home, 80% of the time food only cooked by myself. I exercise 3 days on 1 day off usually, 4 lifting sessions per week, 2 cardio sessions. I don't have any medical issues. It's my 5th day on T today :3

[Adam (birkin)]

My endocrinologist said that the risk of liver problems is pretty small, even with the new forms of pills they have (which go under the tongue, therefore taking a different pathway through the body than the pills you swallowed in the past). He also noted that a lot of the studies done on HRT are based on cismen, not transmen.

I've read a few studies that say there seems to be no long-term morbidity changes from testosterone, but even at that, they note that the studies still are not enough to conclusively say whether or not there are any long-term health effects at this time.

[wheat thins are delicious]

These are the kind of questions you should have been asking before going on T, but anyway.

1.  There is no certainty.  It's said that the risk of cancer in the female reproductive organs is higher after 5-10 (I've heard conflicting numbers) years on T.  The way to prevent liver/kidney/other damage is to have your levels and overall health checked by a doctor regularly.

2.  High blood pressure and high red blood cell count are both pretty common.

3.  Yes, by seeing your doctor regularly.

[Kevin Peña]

Not for sure. If you have healthy life habits, you're risk greatly diminishes. I think all of the likeliest risks have been mentioned, though.

[insideontheoutside]

I honestly think healthy life habits don't always count for as much as we'd like them to. I work out and I was a vegetarian for 15 years and ate very little trans/saturated fats, yet I had higher than normal cholesterol (both "bad" and "good"). T raised that even higher. Between that, heart palpitation problems and general malaise, I went off T pretty quickly. The "everybody's different" thing definitely comes into play here. And since neither short nor long term use of T by female-bodied people has been studied thoroughly, it's really impossible to know what negative effects might happen, especially long term. Using male-bodied people to try to extrapolate the effects is guesswork at best. Most older FTM's or those that have been on T for 5+ years just seem to disappear into society (and live stealth), so we never find out whether they're having problems or not.

It would make me somewhat uncomfortable if I had a doctor that wasn't doing tests frequently. I've heard from different sources that the current protocol is to get less and less tests the longer you're on it, which doesn't seem right to me.

The other issue is that if you end up having any kind of problem where it's best you go off T, then you're back to dealing with issues that made you want to go on it in the first place.

@wheat thins is right in that these are the types of things to research and question BEFORE going on it, not after you've already started.

[Kevin Peña]

Well, the OP already started T, so that's in the past. Let's not badger him about what he should've done; that's unrelated.

As for health habits, the risk lowers, but like all people, doesn't go away completely. Plus, staying away from fat isn't necessarily healthy. Your body needs fat, too, you know. That's why our cells are covered in a LIPID bilayer.

Anywho, all tangents aside, of course, a female body will react differently to a male body in terms of dealing with testosterone, especially an older one. However, starting early can reduce health risks, too (don't know the OP's age, so that might be irrelevant).

The best I can tell you now is to continue with your healthy habits and have regular doctor appointments, going immediately if something feels//looks wrong, such as having yellowing skin (jaundice), a sign of liver illness.

[unknown]

2.  High blood pressure and high red blood cell count are both pretty common.

I actually want my blood pressure to be higher so I can stop being dizzy all the time  (I have found several non trans reason why T would help me.)

[Mr.Rainey]

I'm not a doc but this is how I look at it-

Males have different risks. There are a number of reasons why those risks happen. We can do our best to keep ourselves healthy no matter what we are prone to. If you know you have a inherent risk of something take steps to avoid getting it.

Make sure to-
Understand what you are prone to (regardless if it is T related or hereditary)
Take steps to prevent whatever you are prone to (eat better, exercise, take time to de-stress)
Go to the doc regularly and make sure that you are getting screened for everything you need to be screened for.

[Nygeel]

1. I can't say if it's likely but in the US 1 in 4 deaths is due to heart disease. It's possible that you're like me and have the genetics wired in favor of having heart and blood problems. Testosterone can raise your blood pressure and can raise your cholesterol. If you know you have a family history of heart disease then try taking preventative steps to keep yourself in good heart health. Liver or kidney problems might happen if you already have something preexisting. If you have a high red blood cell count which does happen, you just need a prescription to donate blood every couple weeks.

2. Higher blood pressure, increased red blood cell count, and increased cholesterol. BP and cholesterol can be counter acted, not sure about the red blood cell count.

3. Not that I'm aware of. It's possible that if your genes are set for you to develop high BP or cholesterol that you can't do anything to stop that from happening. If you're 20+ and know you have a family history of heart disease do some preventative maintenance. Take a baby aspirin once a day, eat more unsaturated fats, exercise.


@Sparrowhawke it's possible that your feeling dizzy might be related to low blood sugar.

[Jared]

I actually want my blood pressure to be higher so I can stop being dizzy all the time  (I have found several non trans reason why T would help me.)

My blood pressure also used to be very low before T, now it's in the normal range. OTOH my pulse got very quick I can't even sleep sometimes. I just don't get it, I would think with quick pulse comes high blood pressure, but mine is just normal. I hope it will pass away.

[BearGuy]

I just turned 18, and I've done plenty of research and asked my trans counselor and doctors about potential risks. I didn't want anything to stop me from my decision, and from being happy in life, so I started T and decided to find out more after my first shot, so there would be no going back (I'm the type of person that obsesses with little things, so if you tell me there's some risk, I'm eventually going to fool myself into really believing I'm starting to get sick -.-). But now that I'm on T, it's weird but I'm much more calm about it than pre-T. I just want to know what to look for, not obsess over, and take precautions.

[unknown]

@Sparrowhawke it's possible that your feeling dizzy might be related to low blood sugar.

Nope. I don't even want to know how high it is (I should eat better let's just keep it that way). I took a blood pressure test because I always had a problem with dizziness and my fingers and feet are always really could. It was lower than normal, but not low enough to get medical help from.

[Mr.Rainey]

Nope. I don't even want to know how high it is (I should eat better let's just keep it that way). I took a blood pressure test because I always had a problem with dizziness and my fingers and feet are always really could. It was lower than normal, but not low enough to get medical help from.

I would say keep an eye on it. It is best to catch things before they become a serious issue. Just mention it at your next physical if it does not become more urgent.

[smooth]

"Will prolonged use of T for SURE cause health issues, even while monitored by a doctor? Like if I use it for the rest of my life, how much certainty is there that I will develop an illness?"


I think if you use it for the rest of your life you're probably going to develop an illness. Wether or not it's going to be as a direct result of anything that your taking is open to question but T may well end up being blamed for your sad demise. An illness that you eventually get may well be attributed to your T use but it might be that you'd have got it anyway.... Like everything we do in life you just have to weigh the risks and make your choice, eventually something is going to kill you anyway. I wonder how many non smokers have died of lung cancer or fitness fanatics that have had heart attacks and dropped dead... The way I see it if you can make your existence between now and then more comfortable and happy then it's a pretty easy choice.

I remember well when I was told "once you start down this road you're on it for life" fair enough I thought I can live with that. When I thought about it though it struck me that as the years progressed it might be a good idea to taper down my dosage as would be the case with the normal hormone levels that drop off as life progresses. On the other hand I also considered that I might not taper off my use. I may well decide to maintain my dose as it is and continue reaping the benefits whilst ignoring the risks as with HRT that a lot of non TG folks take to fend off menopause/manopause.

You can minimise the risks by exercising regularly, eating well and keeping your levels at or under what would be considered normal for your age. Just be careful when you're crossing the road.... 

 

[Jamison]

Nothing is certain in HRT. There's risks in everything, but if your not willing to take some risks on a highly researched and widely used medication, then medically transitioning is probably not right for you. As long as you check your levels and have no prior serious medical problems, the likelihood that T will "cause" a serious health problem is very slim.

[aleon515]

There are risks that might be the same as a cismale. There are also risks of estrogen. And there are benefits. Two I can think of are reduced risk of getting dementia and bone health.

--Jay J