Going Off Testosterone Post-Hysterectomy

[micky]

Now I have a hypothetical question, I hope someone can shed some light on this for me.

Say I am on hormones for a couple of years and that I have chest and lower surgery
Say that surgery is metoidioplasty which, as you know, includes a hysterectomy
Say that the hysterectomy excludes an oophorectomy - that is, I keep my ovaries
Then say the permanent testosterone changes are enough for me to pass even if I stop taking it and my body fat redistributes etc.

Here's the question:
Could I, in theory, have the metoidioplasty, keep my ovaries and go off testosterone...
...or would the health risks associated with retained ovaries after hysterectomy (fibrosis, etc.) make that a bad idea?

Follow-up question:
Do surgeons performing metoidioplasty even allow you to keep your ovaries? 

The truth is that I am frightened by the idea of being dependent on outside hormones for the rest of my life.
Do you know of any instances of trans-guys keeping ovaries after a hysterectomy and metoidioplasty?
Alternatively, I'd be grateful for offers of reassurance that depending on doctors to maintain your sex hormone balance is not as bad as I fear it will be.

If you have any insights or comments, please feel free to add them below.

Thanks for reading my post, all the best,
Micky

[makipu]

Sorry, I don't have any surgery information but I know that there are several transmen who are off T on Youtube and maybe they may have information if they had those surgeries or not. I think the keywords I searched for was "ftm off testosterone"

[LordKAT]

You may keep your ovaries without a hassle and often they will come back to working order.

[Dante]

Unfortunately I don't have much to offer in the way of information, but I have heard of people doing this.

I'm actually very interested in this option as well, because as much as I'd like to get rid of my ovaries, just like you said I'm a bit scared to be entirely dependent on outside sources to regulate my hormones for the rest of my life. My (perhaps somewhat lofty) dream is to travel and live in many different countries, and being dependent on external hormones would make for a huge problem in trying to achieve that. I'd much rather deal with the few setbacks of going off T than have to bear that albatross.

Thank you for bringing up the topic!

[MacG]

I kept my ovaries. I'm not on T yet. Nor have I had bottom surgery.
If you keep your ovaries, you may go through menopause a little earlier than you would have. I am at age 43. (Hysto at age 39)
So keeping your ovaries may provide only a limited amount of time for you, depending on your age. I don't know how going on and off T affects the timing of your ovaries shutting down, though.

[mac1]

Hey thanks again for the replies!

I'm the same, I've yet to start hormones or have any surgery. I'm really searching for a realistic endpoint to medical transition.
Definitely helpful to know ovaries may cease working earlier than normal after hysterectomy.

I've also discovered that it would be difficult to monitor health of ovaries after metoidiplasty and scrotoplasty and that testosterone over a long period has a negative effect on the ovaries.
For these reasons, I think a surgeon might be reluctant to let me keep my ovaries after lower surgery. But if it could be done relatively safely it would be ideal for me as medical assistance could basically end at that point. Otherwise I'll have to reconcile myself to being dependent on outside hormones indefinitely or foregoing lower surgery altogether. Tricky stuff!

Thanks again guys. Any other information, anecdotes or just comments would be great.

Best, Micky

If you still have your vagina the ovaries could be checked that way as they do now. Otherwise they could possibly be checked rectally as they do the prostate.