Erections, orgasm after Orchiectomy....

[RidingTheTigerFEMME]

Well the only thing I could even think of to suggest is that if you continue to use something then you'll never lose its ability.

So granted I'm sure your wife still enjoys penitive sex with you and is happy that you can still perform in that manner but if you want to lose size and the ability to have erections or even strong erections you have to stop using your penis eventually the muscles will atrophy and eventually it will shrink especially with being on hormones it should over time lose its ability to function

This is what happened with me. With time, the muscles in the penis needed for erections (especially the corpus cavernosum) are replaced with fibrous collagen, connective tissue, and fat. The amount of time this takes is highly dependent on your hormonal condition, but once my brain began to disassociate orgasm from having a full erection it did happen progressively.

[Northern Star Girl]

@RidingTheTigerFEMME
Dear Michelle:
I am thrilled to see that you have returned to the Forum after your long absence.
I have noted that you had originally registered as a member way back 10 years ago in 2014...
and your very last previous posting here was 7 years ago in 2017

Your presence and your recent login is very nice for me see and I am always glad when I see returning members.

As you may not be aware, the site experienced a site crash on January 1st this year and much
data was lost including member accounts, postings, private messaging, etc.

Through what seemed to be endless work, our staff has done a great job in piecing things
together again to very quickly have a fully operation site even though much of the lost
data appears to be unrecoverable. 

Some things have changed here on the Forum since you were last here... you should
read a couple announcements that were posted after the crash:

                  The New Years Outage and our Lost years
              https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,246809.0.html

                    The "NEW" updated Forum
              https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,247170.0.html 

            Important Update: Revising Our Language Moderation Guidelines
                https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,247169.0.html
           
              The Foul Language and Respectful Communication Policy
                https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,247168.0.html

... and be certain to read the revised and updated Terms of Service rules for the site.
              As we embark on this new chapter, we urge all returning members to familiarize themselves
              with our updated Terms of Service (TOS), which are vital for maintaining a respectful,
              inclusive, and safe environment for everyone.
You can review the new TOS here: 
              Susan's Place: Community Guidelines and Terms of Service
            --> https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,2.0.html

If you have any questions you can Forum Message me or you can Email me at alaskandanielle@yahoo.com

Many HUGS, and a BIG warm WELCOME back
Danielle [Northern Star Girl]
The Forum Administrator

cc: @Devlyn  @Jessica_Rose  @Mariah @Sarah B  @Lori Dee

[Northern Star Girl]

@RidingTheTigerFEMME
Dear Michelle:

ONE MORE THING !!!

Since it has been such a long time since you have been active on the Susan's Place Forum,
if you feel so inclined please stop by the Introductions Forum and tell us what
brings you back to Susan's Place.

Warmly, Danielle [Northern Star Girl]
The Forum Administrator

cc:  @Lori Dee  @Sarah B

[Sarah B]

Hello Michelle

My name is Sarah B and I would also like to formally, Welcome you back to Susan's Place!

I see that other members of Susan's have also welcomed you as well.

It is nice to see old members coming back to Susan's.  One wonders how they are going.  I'm the same I first came across Susan's in 2010 and left in 2012 and I have been back nearly one year.

It would be appreciated if you could mention a little about your personal journey in the intervening years that you have been away from Susan's.  I would appreciate it very much as, I'm always interested in learning something new about new members

As you know members of Susan's will more than likely will discuss problems or issues that are similar to yours as most have experienced these issues as well.

Take care and all the best for the future.

Once again, Welcome back to Susan's Place!

Best Wishes Always
Sarah B
Global Moderator
@Lori Dee
@Northern Star Girl
@RidingTheTigerFEMME

[RidingTheTigerFEMME]

Hi Danielle and Sarah,

Thank you for your warm welcome!

Thanks as well to everyone involved with restoring this forum to the best of your ability. I had no idea it went down.

I did receive your birthday wishes for my February 23 birthday when I logged in. Thanks for that as well Danielle!

I will certainly review all the site policies and announcements later today. I'm especially curious to learn what happened in January. Did the site get hacked or something?

I know how frustrating data loss can be. This forum is a big resource for us transfolk and I'm glad I've never lost contact with it when I really needed it.

I'll share more about myself in the Introductions forum shortly.

I look forward to reconnecting! Let me know if I can help out in any way.

Best wishes,
M

[Courtney G]

I'm poking around here (pun not intended) because, as I just mentioned in another post under this topic, I would like an orchie but I'm very concerned about losing function. I'm having some difficulty with spiro; staying hydrated is a challenge. I'd had a perfectly acceptable level of function with my T mostly suppressed but I'm wondering if losing the anatomy is different than chemical castration.

I'd much rather take fewer pills but I don't want to lose the ability to perform.

Any thoughts?

[ChrissyRyan]

Besides orchis, estrogen itself can have some impact on size, erections, and fluid volume.
The mind and desire has a lot to do with sexual potency.  But E can impact desire too. 
T blockers or finasteride for MTFs can also impact this for some I would believe.

I am unsure if original penile size has anything to do with potency after any shrinkage because of estrogen, but I think if you started out with more, there is potentially more left after the MTF HRT for sexual activity and for later GCS MTF bottom surgery.  At least that is how it is for me, there is frequent usefulness there and enough size and well, you know.  Enough said.
Your mileage may vary, discuss any usefulness concern with your physician as your transition continues.

[Lori Dee]

I think I posted earlier, or maybe a different thread. I had a friend who had an orchi plus prostatectomy due to cancer. He told me that the surgeons did a very good job not to damage any nerves. Thus, he is a fully functional cis male with dry ejaculations.

As for me, I just want it gone. All of it. Estradiol and abstinence have led to amazing shrinkage, but I won't be happy until all the "dangly bits" are gone. I don't use them and have no desire to, so they are just an annoyance. 

[ChrissyRyan]

. . .

As for me, I just want it gone. All of it. Estradiol and abstinence have led to amazing shrinkage, but I won't be happy until all the "dangly bits" are gone. I don't use them and have no desire to, so they are just an annoyance. 

Lori,

So are you saying, that at least for you, that "if you don't use it, you lose it?"


Chrissy

[ChrissyRyan]

. . .

As for me, I just want it gone. All of it. Estradiol and abstinence have led to amazing shrinkage, but I won't be happy until all the "dangly bits" are gone. I don't use them and have no desire to, so they are just an annoyance. 

Lori,

The ongoing and persistent question in my mind is as a MTF, "should I as a woman be using these?" (male parts) as their use seems unusual so to speak.

Chrissy

[Lori Dee]

Lori,

The ongoing and persistent question in my mind is as a MTF, "should I as a woman be using these?" (male parts) as their use seems unusual so to speak.

Chrissy

Using it was a trigger for my dysphoria. I didn't know it at the time, nor did I know that I was asexual. I discovered this through therapy. It explains many of the issues I had with three marriages. Now that I understand it, I just want to move on and be me. 

[ChrissyRyan]

Using it was a trigger for my dysphoria. I didn't know it at the time, nor did I know that I was asexual. I discovered this through therapy. It explains many of the issues I had with three marriages. Now that I understand it, I just want to move on and be me. 

It is good to get clarity.

Chrissy

[RidingTheTigerFEMME]

As for me, I just want it gone. All of it. Estradiol and abstinence have led to amazing shrinkage, but I won't be happy until all the "dangly bits" are gone. I don't use them and have no desire to, so they are just an annoyance. 

Lori,

So are you saying, that at least for you, that "if you don't use it, you lose it?"

I'd much rather take fewer pills but I don't want to lose the ability to perform.

Any thoughts?

Yes. Do exactly what you're doing right now by asking questions and advocating for yourself at every stage of your transition.

Don't do what I did by starting transition before you've gotten solid answers to each and every one of your questions.

Regarding erections, they very much depend on keeping your penis healthily engaged in regular sexual activity. I had always heard "use it or lose it" as a general maxim, but I had no idea exactly how frequently that meant. I had, however, read that HRT will eventually cause the penis to atrophy and decrease in size.

The only effective counter seems to be having regular erections and keeping your overall cardiovascular system in good shape with regular exercise.

Most men start to experience some symptoms of erectile dysfunction as they age. If it's caught early, there are plenty of medical treatments available for it. Erectile dysfunction is actually the first stage of penis atrophy. But more changes to the penis happen quickly while on estradiol & P with no T. Smooth muscle is lost and replaced with fat and connective tissue, and it holds less and less blood volume during arousal.

I wasn't too concerned with losing size initially, as I was never much of an active top and penetrative vaginal or anal sex was never particularly high on my list to do. When I did I performed it more out of obligation than anything else. But then I went through a 3 year stretch of being single. When I wanted to become sexually active again I found my penis had changed significantly and I could no longer use it for penetration. An orchie made sense because I wanted to remove as much as I could and tighten up as much loose skin as possible. It looks better now for what it is.

I'd like to underscore how important it is for those in transition to advocate for themselves and fully do their homework before starting HRT. I was foolish and jumped into it ten years ago without having a clear idea of who I wanted to become. I did so because I was in a crisis during a major life transition and deeply grieving the life I had lived as a man. My old life had been completely destroyed in the summer of 2013, when I lost everything after I had a mental breakdown that ultimately destroyed virtually every meaningful relationship in my life at the time.

Why shouldn't I reinvent myself as a woman? I hated myself as a man.

But I had just been in the psych ward the previous year after I lost it all. So I had to ask myself if the lifelong fantasy I had occasionally entertained, that of life as a woman -- was anything more than an idle daydream. I would be delusional to attempt to live out my fantasy in real life, wouldn't I?

I believed strongly at the time that one's biological sex is determined at birth and cannot be changed. That's the idea that was firmly intrenched in me when I was raised.

Why did society change? Is the society we live in today and better and healthier than the society we had been brought up with?

To me, these questions were deeply philosophical and political in nature. How could I be sure I was taking the right step for my life?

Wouldn't HRT essentially represent a form of escapism and wishful thinking?

I hadn't stumbled into the death spiral of drug addiction at that point in my life, but I had to ask myself if HRT was any healthier for me and my long-term prospects than a drug habit would be.

I knew I had to do SOMETHING. Which choice would be the most authentic for me?

I highly, highly advise anyone considering HRT to seek stability and mental health first. Then take as much time as you need to weight the costs, risks, and potential benefits of transitioning medically.

Don't do what I did ten years ago and give in to wishful or delusional thinking by using HRT to escape from the disaster your life has become.

[Lori Dee]

I highly, highly advise anyone considering HRT to seek stability and mental health first.

I totally agree. For me, I was in therapy to figure out what was wrong with me, and why I was not a happy person. It was through this therapy (involving two therapists and two psychologists with PhDs, all at different times), that I discovered that I was suffering from Gender Dysphoria.

It took me a long time to understand what that meant and what my options were. After two years of therapy, I decided to embrace it and started HRT and my transition.

[RidingTheTigerFEMME]

I totally agree. For me, I was in therapy to figure out what was wrong with me, and why I was not a happy person. It was through this therapy (involving two therapists and two psychologists with PhDs, all at different times), that I discovered that I was suffering from Gender Dysphoria.

It took me a long time to understand what that meant and what my options were. After two years of therapy, I decided to embrace it and started HRT and my transition.

How long did you question their diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria before you accepted and embraced it?

Psychologically I couldn't do this myself for the longest time because I thought doing so was the "easy way out" that allowed me to just shrug off the responsibilities of "being a man" simply because I hadn't done a good job of upholding those responsibilities. I saw it as essentially being the mindset of a quitter and so I resisted for the longest time.

[Lori Dee]

How long did you question their diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria before you accepted and embraced it?

About two years.

He said he thought I had Gender Dysphoria and I said, "What's that?" He said it meant that I was transgender and I said, "No way. I'm not gay!" So we started from scratch as I learned what this meant. Possible causes, possible journeys, and various options. As I learned what it was, I began to see how this could have affected my behavior, my social life, my relationships, and everything. I began to connect the dots that these issues I have had all my life were deeply rooted in my dysphoria.

Finally, I thought that if this is me, this is who I am, and this is what I need to do to be happy, then I am all in!

[ChrissyRyan]

Good gender therapists can be very helpful as we seek answers to our questions, and when we question our actions and thoughts.

Chrissy

[Lori Dee]

@RidingTheTigerFEMME

Happy Birthday!