Muscle mass

[Just Ole Me]

I have lost some muscle mass on AAs for 9 months. I'm starting E finally and wonder if E helps reduce muscle mass as much as AAs do or is it all about lowered testosterone?

Thanks

Kay

[brianna1016]

I have lost some muscle mass on AAs for 9 months. I'm starting E finally and wonder if E helps reduce muscle mass as much as AAs do or is it all about lowered testosterone?

Thanks

Kay

Honestly this is a frustrating thing for many of us. It seems that muscle mass might not melt away as quickly as we'd like it to. I've been on AA and E for 11 months and don't notice any significant decrease in upper body mass. I weighed 150lbs and measured 5' 10" when I started (very skinny by most people's standards). Now I weigh 145 lbs and measure 5' 9". I know my muscle mass has decreased but I can only tell if I look at a picture of myself from a couple years ago! I guess my point is that it takes a long time. YMMV of course.

[EllieM]

Your mileage may vary (what's the metric equivalent of that???)
I started losing muscle mass within a month of starting my regimen, but I was on buserelin acetate and not the usual spironolactone. I went from  180 to 170 within two months.

[Khalysta]

E starts the fat redistribution which can hide loss of muscle.  I know my legs are weaker and smaller when I go bike riding but they don't visibly look that much smaller.  My arms are the ones that have seen the most change though.  Just like weightlifters dont bulk up over night, the muscle doesnt go away over night either.  So it all varies. 

You say you did AAs for 9 months but how low did the testosterone go? E will suppress it further but if you are already at or below female range then you are slowly losing it. If you are really bulky endurance sports can help reduce muscle mass a bit otherwise it just takes time

[Lady_Oracle]

You're just now beginning to take e so it'll take sometime to get the right hrt regimen down. However once you have a set regimen you should notice a considerable difference, given time of course. Cause its not just about the muscle mass shedding away. It's also in combination with the fat redistributing to a female body shape fat wise. Plus if you still feel unsatisfied given enough time on e then definitely talk to your doc. It can make the biggest difference!

[Oriah]

it all depends on lifestyle.....I started living on a farm and doing a lot of physical work shortly after starting HRT, and haven't lost any muscle mass yet, though as someone else suggested, the extra fat I put on helps soften it.  Although Testosterone helps to build and maintain muscle, without it, muscle still won't get reabsorbed if it's regularly worked.

[Jill F]

Ugh, this is what's killing me.  I mean, I'm trying like crazy to lose it and it's just not happening as fast as I want it to.  When I was sick for several months in 2011, I got super skinny and this wasn't a problem.  Then I had to go and pack on 25 pounds of meat by working construction every day for 4 months.  Muscle always stuck to me without ever setting foot in a gym- it's like I was full of natural 'roids or something.  My younger brother, of course, goes to the gym 3 times a week and has for years, but still struggles to maintain any muscle mass at all.  I can still rip his arm off armwrestling.

I had to take drastic measures with a mostly vegetarian diet and lots of cardio, and I'm still not seeing much in the way of results, other than some lost belly fat (yay?). 

I suppose that 25 pounds of muscle is what helped send the dysphoria over the edge once and for all?

[kathyk]

As long as you're on an appropriate dose of E you'll find loosing muscle mass is hard to miss.  Things that used to be easy suddenly can't be done. 

Make sure the Doctor or Endo knows you desire a dose that can feminize more rapidly than just a mild starter dose.  But remember that the doctors are trying to protect you when they start an E reginine, so don't get upset if the prescription is lower than expected.

Kathy

[gn7]

E will help since it changes how fat is redistributed. E also makes you gain wieght. But most of your mass is gone due to T.

[Hikari]

Your mileage may vary (what's the metric equivalent of that???)

Your litres per 100 kilometers may vary (YLp100KMMV) lol

[Jennygirl]

I feel that E dominance has a slimming effect with loss of muscle mass, reduced metabolism, weakness. Of course if you continue to eat the same with metabolism slowing down, it's weight gain regardless unless you work off the extra calories. Most of that also stems from the kinds of nutrition. Healthy high fat / low sugar diets you will have a hard time gaining any weight.

With progesterone I found the opposite to be true for me. My appetite increased immediately, muscles felt stronger and limber, sex drive improved, and gained weight (muscle and fat). I didn't really like the muscles part.

Whenever my E dose has been high and progesterone low, my body wants to stay thin and my appetite is almost half of what it was.

I have no way to substantiate these claims other than my own experience! So take it with a grain of salt

[rinaballerina]

I think stretching also helps for slimming down muscle mass.

[Just Ole Me]

E starts the fat redistribution which can hide loss of muscle.  I know my legs are weaker and smaller when I go bike riding but they don't visibly look that much smaller.  My arms are the ones that have seen the most change though.  Just like weightlifters dont bulk up over night, the muscle doesnt go away over night either.  So it all varies. 

You say you did AAs for 9 months but how low did the testosterone go? E will suppress it further but if you are already at or below female range then you are slowly losing it. If you are really bulky endurance sports can help reduce muscle mass a bit otherwise it just takes time

After 9 months on a high Spiro dose, my T level is down to 680 which I think is high but my endo says my T level doesn't matter as the high Spiro dose is blocking it from binding so its not affecting me. Is that correct ?

[sam79]

After 9 months on a high Spiro dose, my T level is down to 680 which I think is high but my endo says my T level doesn't matter as the high Spiro dose is blocking it from binding so its not affecting me. Is that correct ?

680 is well within in the normal male range!

Spiro does bind to some testosterone, but not all of it. Don't forget, spiro's primary use is not as an AA. Even T at half that amount would still leave T being dominant.

If those were my results, I'd be looking for different AA options ASAP. Sorry if that sounds alarming, but I've been there. Spiro is not a great AA in my opinion.

[Allyda]

After 9 months on a high Spiro dose, my T level is down to 680 which I think is high but my endo says my T level doesn't matter as the high Spiro dose is blocking it from binding so its not affecting me. Is that correct ?

Not entirely. 680 is within the male range. Are you taking anti androgens such as finasteride or better yet, dutasteride?

[Jennygirl]

After 9 months on a high Spiro dose, my T level is down to 680 which I think is high but my endo says my T level doesn't matter as the high Spiro dose is blocking it from binding so its not affecting me. Is that correct ?

That is correct. With no estrogen and progesterone in your system, there is nothing to overcome the testosterone. Your endo is right, spiro just blocks T receptors- it doesn't stop it at the source like the estrogen you just started will

What you really need is the proper balance of the feminizing hormones estradiol and progesterone. With the right balance of both, testosterone is automatically reduced- meaning no AA is even necessary.

[EllieM]

Your litres per 100 kilometers may vary (YLp100KMMV) lol

domo arigato & merci beaucoup! 

[Just Ole Me]

Thanks all.  Well see in a few months if the E I just started starts to lower my T like y'all suggest it should. My first RX is the lowest dosage possible so might have to wait until its higher. My dr plans to raise it every 3 months until I get E dominate.

I'm hoping!

Kay

[Just Ole Me]

Not entirely. 680 is within the male range. Are you taking anti androgens such as finasteride or better yet, dutasteride?

Taking Spiro and Finesteride, both at medium to high levels but T hasn't dropped much but I am getting:

Fat redistribution
Some muscle mass loss
Head hair regrowth
Softer skin
Acne is gone
Libido is way down
Breast budding and minor breast growth

So the AAs only for 9 months are for sure doing their jobs but that's why I was suprised my T level was still high but I was getting good results from AAs only. Now with adding E maybe T will come down and feminization will accelerate.

Still makes no sense to me

Thanks

Kay

[Allyda]

Taking Spiro and Finesteride, both at medium to high levels but T hasn't dropped much but I am getting:

Fat redistribution
Some muscle mass loss
Head hair regrowth
Softer skin
Acne is gone
Libido is way down
Breast budding and minor breast growth

So the AAs only for 9 months are for sure doing their jobs but that's why I was suprised my T level was still high but I was getting good results from AAs only. Now with adding E maybe T will come down and feminization will accelerate.

Still makes no sense to me

Thanks

Kay

Yea sounds like the E was the missing element. Now that you've added it give it at least 3 months and you should start seeing some changes in muscle mass hopefully for the better. Me, I've never had much upper body. I've been able to do that 'chair trick' all of my life, lol!