Question about stopping and starting T for Top Surgery

[Dominick_81]

Before top surgery I know some guys stop T for a bit, I'm not actually sure how long. Will that effect changes in the future when you start T back up again? Or will it be like almost starting over again?...building that T up again in your system?

[ephone]

I stopped T before top surgery and started it over again over a year later after top surgery.

I wasn't on T for that long before I stopped (maybe 6 - 8 months) but my changes were noticeable. When I stopped.. I started reversing a bit (but not completely). My voice went up a bit but was still very deep.. my skin softened, body acne eventually cleared, body fat re-distribution went back to female (this is hard to gauge but I am quite slim, but noticeable enough to contribute to my dysphoria..). With the reversal effects, I started feeling very dysphoric about my body again which increased over time even post top surgery.

I then went back on T after my dysphoria got unbearable. It doesn't feel like I'm starting over again as much.. I think it took a month or two to catch up to where I left off. The changes I'm experiencing now are really steady but noticeable (voice started dropping back to its range before I stopped.. and then lower!), I started growing facial hair, my male body fat distribution is back.. my dysphoria much more relieved and I'm at a point (4 months in) where I've transitioned more than where I left off previously.

[Dominick_81]

Thanks for the info.  Why did you stop taking the T for so long after surgery? And when did you stop taking it prior to your surgery?

I have another question too...is it recommended to stop T for Surgery? And why do some guys stop T for top surgery and for how long? I know it's up to your endo doctor if you should stop T for surgery and how long to stop, and also, when should you stop the T prior to top surgery?

[mrs izzy]

I would follow what your surgeon has in there instructions.

My husband has not stop his t for any of his surgeries.

They where part of his instructions pre surgery.

[Dominick_81]

My surgeon says it's up to my endo doctor.

[Mr.X]

Stopping T before surgery is currently debated by the genderteam here in the Netherlands. So far, they have always required you to stop 1-2 weeks before the surgery, and start again 1-2 weeks after. It was said having T in your system makes the healing slower and increases the risk for infections. I have never seen research that backs this claim up, and I think the doctors are seeing that too. Right now some say you have to stop, while others do not. For my own surgery, which was a cooperation between two hospitals, one doctor told me it wasn't needed to stop. About 5 days before my surgery the other hospital called and told me to stop. So yeah...Widely debated. In the end I stopped for 1-2 weeks and didn't notice a single change.

In any case. If you stop for 3-4 weeks you should not see many changes. Remember, it took way longer for that to see changes when you started. You may think your voice gets higher and your fat is shifting back to female areas, but that is mostly dysphoria.

[SWNID]

I stopped for 1 week, although I didn't even think that was necessary at all.

[Dominick_81]

Thanks guys.