Life Expectancy

[AlwaysLauren]

Before I even start, please please don't respond about how you wouldn't have lived very long at all in your birth gender, I understand, but I'm looking for a medical answer.

I'm 22 and just starting HRT, and it occurred to me that (ignoring the reality that I literally could not live the rest of my life as a male) I'm probably shaving a few years off my life span. I realize it's unlikely, but does anyone know of any studies about how much HRT reduces life span? For me this is a purely academic question, I can't see any answer making me change my mind about HRT, but I'm curious and I figured I'd ask.

[Kelli]

Here's my .02 cents...

(I'm 22 also)

From a mental health prospective, people that are happy(er) with themselves tend to live longer. Depressed people tend to live shorter lives. I'm a big believer that if one's spirit is at peace, it has more of a desire to live. I've watched terminally ill people that have a strong desire to live, actually live.

That said, I would say that on some level our life expectancy would be a bit longer than what it would be if we were living in our birth gender.

Again, none of that is scientific... But I thought I'd throw my thoughts in there.

[Cire]

I seriously doubt you'll live shorter because of HRT. If you're happy, not only will your quantity of life go up, but your QUALITY. Who cares if you live forever and hate it? Live what you have and love it!

I'm 22 as well!

[AlwaysLauren]

Hooray for being 22! And I understand completely what you both are saying about being happy. I just (as less than a week ago) started HRT, and I feel much happier with myself and life in general. I'm much more cheerful, friendly and generally more happy.

I would be willing to bet that the way I feel is not due to the HRT itself, but instead because starting HRT feels like I'm actually taking a tangible step forward and is a huge relief for me. The effect is not due to the HRT, but instead a manifestation of my own happiness (and relief) to actually be making strides.

[shanetastic]

Why are all you 22 gosh

But yeah, I don't think it's going to shorten your life expectancy if you ask me.  I have no scientific proof or anything, just saying out of what I believe.

[kae m]

Sorry to break the trend...I'm 23

There are so many ways to look at this...
It makes sense to question it, but the stress from living in misery certainly would shorten your life as well.  It would be kind of hard to collect that data though, I mean how are you supposed to know how long you were supposed to live in the first place?

In a sense, I feel as though I've had 23 years stolen from me, but that's in the past.  Moving forward I know I'm committed to getting everything I can out of my remaining years.  And even if it is a quantity vs quality thing, I think I'd still choose quality.  Any one of us could get hit by a bus tomorrow.  Life is fleeting, but we shouldn't obsess over that fact.  We ought to be making the best of it however we can.

[AlwaysLauren]

Sorry to break the trend...I'm 23 :-P

That's ok, I'm planning on being 23 at some point :-)

And even if it is a quantity vs quality thing, I think I'd still choose quality.  Any one of us could get hit by a bus tomorrow.  Life is fleeting, but we shouldn't obsess over that fact.  We ought to be making the best of it however we can.

I like that a lot, it sounds good to me.

[LostInTime]

There was a study on this and it concluded that once suicide was taken out of the equation, TS people tend to live about the same amount as the cisgendered.

Of course we do not have an expiration date to judge for sure, can only go by the average for our particular part of the world.

[SocalledLife]

To take on a study like that and come up with meaningful results seems very unlikely.  what kind of sample size, background, ethnicity, geographic, economic, social, etc etc factors would you have to look at to even begin to understand a trend in life span.

Does it really matter are you booking appointments for 2060 or something?

DANA