Starting with low body fat

[Pisces228]

I had my body fat measured at work a few months ago and it was 11%.  That was a good 3 months before starting hrt.  I have gained a few pounds since starting hrt but my body fat has stayed the same.  It is still 11% after measuring again but my muscle percentage has gone up.  Does anyone have any experience with starting mtf hrt with a low body fat percentage?  I was underweight before so......perhaps my muscle was too low and my body added that back first?  Will my bodyfat and muscle and shape change even if my weight stays similar to what it is now?  I was just expecting to gain weight as mostly fat now that I'm popping estrogen.  Thanks.

[Stacitg1]

Pisces, You don't mention what method was used to determine your body fat %. If it was electrolysis then it can vary several points depending on time of day, hydration, and whether or not you use the same device. I have an electrolysis scale and the reading can change as much as 3 points from morning to evening with the morning reading usually the higher reading. Also it can change one or two points from day to day. The best way to get a fairly accurate base is to take a reading every day at the same time and average it out over a period of time. This way you can eventually notice a trend even though the readings may be slightly different each day. Hope this helps. By the way one would need to know the starting weight and new weight to give a more detailed assessment. The higher your weight to begin with the more weight gain or loss it takes to change the reading.

[Pisces228]

It was an electrolysis scale.

[Stacitg1]

Tara, You mentioned you are on Estrogen, I hope you are also on an androgen blocker like Spiro, if not the estrogen will have a harder time because of fighting the Testosterone. If you are on something like Spiro you may need to have the dose increased. Talk it over with your doctor and have your T level checked.

[KayXo]

Estrogen naturally reduces testosterone production through negative feedback inhibition. How much depends on the dose and the individual. Sometimes, an anti-androgen is not necessary and estrogen alone proves to be a safe treatment given today bio-identical estrogen is used. Just bringing to the table another perspective...

[Pisces228]

Tara, You mentioned you are on Estrogen, I hope you are also on an androgen blocker like Spiro, if not the estrogen will have a harder time because of fighting the Testosterone. If you are on something like Spiro you may need to have the dose increased. Talk it over with your doctor and have your T level checked.

I am.  Is it possible to feel if your Spiro is not high enough or do you have to wait for a blood test to see your testosterone levels?

[Stacitg1]

I am.  Is it possible to feel if your Spiro is not high enough or do you have to wait for a blood test to see your testosterone levels?

The only sure way to know is to have your levels tested. If you really feel you gained a lot of muscle then that would be anecdotal evidence that you may need more Spiro but not necessarily. The fact that you are still quite young generally means you would need more than say someone 50 or older. T levels tend to gradually lower after the age of 20 (1% a year) and the older you are the faster they decline. When I was in my mid 40's mine was still in the 800's ng/dL, now at 63 it was last tested at 553. Since being on HRT I won't be tested again until late January. I can tell the HRT is working though, as I have lost a little strength and my running performance has gone down. I am also feeling tenderness and puffiness in by breast for the last 3 weeks. 82 days on Spiro now and 49 days on Estradiol patches. My doctor believes in starting low and gradually raising if need be. The goal is to get it down to 80 ng/dL or less if possible.

[KayXo]

I am.  Is it possible to feel if your Spiro is not high enough or do you have to wait for a blood test to see your testosterone levels?

I believe that a test for T levels is not necessary and does not give the whole picture as levels fluctuate and sensitivity to levels varies from one person to the other so that requirements differ. When you start to see significant breast growth, experience slower body hair growth, less (milder) libido, more fat deposition in typical female areas like thighs and glutes, less body odor, increased overall feminization, experience less strength, decreased testicular size, less spontaneous erections, you know the anti-androgen and hormone regimen is working!

Spironolactone will block androgens and a test cannot tell you how much is blocked and to what degree so say your levels are higher than what is desired by your doctor but that much of the testosterone is blocked anyways by Spiro, it doesn't matter that your levels are high. See the problem with tests? Or say that it is 20 or 80 ng/dl, depending on your genetics, you may feel lousy or amazing on either level, see great or terrible results. Tests ignore a lot, in my opinion.

But, as always, discuss these matters with your doctor.

[Lady_Oracle]

I was as thin as you can be prehrt and I developed really well. To give an idea I was about 115-120lbs 5'10. My highest weight so far on hrt was 145 I think and then I dropped to 130 in the past year. So to answer your question about body fat and muscle..YES! it will change even if there aren't any major weight changes, for us thin gals it happens very subtly. It took a couple of years to gain 20lbs though, so by year two the changes with fat and muscle were really obvious by then.