Spikes in testosterone?

[Bardoux]

I apologise in advance if this topic is unsavoury to some, but i've done a search of the forums and the topic doesn't seem to be discussed all that much.

I've been on hormones for just over four months, with a small break of a few days at the 3 month mark. When i first started hormones, i was very much relieved that my libido dropped dramatically, as well as of course all of the other mental and physical changes estrogen induced. I would still have to masturbate every week or two to relieve some build up of sexual tension (almost like a chore), but for the last two weeks i've been feeling rather more horny and am achieving morning erections again. Given that i haven't had many erections at all over the last four months, this is quite painful and has got to the point that its hard to orgasm when the pain is so strong. In fact the last time i did manage to orgasm, the pain was so great i just barely got there and it ended rather abruptly - which is probably why i still feel quite sexually frustrated.

I am at a loss as why this is happening. I haven't adjusted my hormone dosage and i am still on quite a high dose of spiro. I feel like my testosterone is spiking up again and i have no idea how to combat this. I'll talk to my endo at our next appointment at the end of next month, but i'm already starting to see the effects, with increased sebum production and small pimples. Any ideas?

Only thing i can think of is inhaling some mold spores from a room i cleaned out two weeks ago. We both wore masks, but i'm guessing even though the room was very well ventilated, i must have been affected (felt weezy and nasally congested the next morning - i slept in the room that same night). Just thinking back to this day i;m thinking what a complete ass i have been to do that. Everything was fine and now it feels like my hormones are completely thrown out of kilt. I'm very sad and confused at the moment.

[A]

The only answer I can provide is that antiandrogens aren't perfect, especially spironolactone... Sadly in the US you can't try anything else, can you... In any case, I doubt the mold or whatever can be the cause. Also, a testosterone spike isn't the only possible reason for your symptoms. Estrogrn can give pimples to some people, and after a while, libido can come back. But I'll be honest with you; testosterone does sound like thr most likely culprit.

Perhaps you could try to supplement your antiandrogen with spearmint tea. It's not magical, but it's used for hirsutism in women.

[kelly_aus]

Don't assume libido and T levels are so closely intertwined..

I have a sub-female T level and have both a healthy libido and reasonable function. This hasn't always been the case though - for the first 6 months or so I had no interest or ability.

[A]

I agree, but automatic morning erections and automatic, unwanted arousal that needs to be periodically released sounds pretty testosterone-specific. My "male" libido has been dead for a while, so I don't have any more of this compulsion to masturbate or automatic erections with no reasonable cause anymore, ane this hasn't come back. Yet in the last few months, some more "female" libido has appeared, just as undesirable considering my organs haven't changed and it's now painful to have a full erection, but it definitely feels different, and it abaolutely doesn't come with any compulsion or automatic erection. I think her worries are definitely justified.

[Joanna Dark]

It could be related to the spiro. Spiro is androgenic. it bonds to androgen recpetors. And can cause an increase in testosterone. Perhaps some change in diet or something else is causing the bioavailability of spiro toi increase, resulting in blood plasma levels and temporarily increasing free testosterone. How old you? It is well known that T is much, much harder to suppress in 18-21 year olds as this is the peak T levels MAAB persons will see in their lifetime. Not just that, but the body sometimes responds to a disruption of T production via spiro by producing yet more T. Spiro doesn't suppress T like andorcour and simply is not as good, I have heard. But androcour cause liver problems and depression so there is that.

Your symptoms do sound like the result of increased T levels. I have see something like this in myself two times and both were right of a dose increase of spiro and lasted two to three weeks and were charcterized by acne and erections. I wouldn't say it adversely effected feminization. maybe in the short term but I rebounded quickly.

The only way to know for sure is to get your levels checks and even then, endocrinology is tough business. There could be any number of causes for high T levels and a rebound in T production while on spiro.

[Bardoux]

Hi all, Thanks for the responses

I turned 29 last month. Joanna, I recently changed my diet to incorporate more calories, cooking and eating a great deal more fats largely in the form of olive oil and other mono and poly-saturated sources. However i suppose this will also increase my intake of saturated fats, which is an important building block in the production of testosterone.

Tbh i feel internally like a bit of a mess. I'm emotionally quite up and down, i'm feeling greatly dysphoric about certain features of my appearance, and i no longer have that calm feeling of being on the right track. I suppose it could just be too much E in my system. Either way i need to get it checked and i hope it levels back out soon :S

[Joanna Dark]

I would go with the change in diet being the cause. The difference in taking spiro with food and without is night and day. When you take it with food, it would be like taking twice as much spiro if you were taking without foood before. And fatty foods are well known to increase the absorption rate of medications. Meds have all crazy interactions with food.