Stopping and then starting again?

[deviousxen]

Hey. What I was intensely curious about, was what happens if you change your mind in the first 3 months?

Like, what if you stop using estrogen, and then go back to normal, but then decide you need it and that you want to actually go through with it?

What I'm curious about is if this lessens the effect of the second run, or if you build an immunity to the drug and you lessen your potential?

Just Curious,

-Xen

[Sandy]

Xen:

Estrodiol and all the rest of the estrogenic compounds, like testosterone, is a sex steroid.  Your body does not build up a tolerance for them.  Just as with anabolic steroids, your body will always respond to them.

What *may* happen is that the feminizing effects of the estradiol may have started to have an effect on your body, but not enough time to exhibit any outward changes.  Then when you stop, the masculinizing effects of testosterone would start to re-assert themselves, then, depending on how long you stopped, it could take the same amount of time for the feminizing effects of the estrogen to re-assert themselves.

Additionally, one of the feminizing effects of estradiol is to reduce the amount of testosterone and sperm produced by the testes.  Additionally it will cause the testes to shrink.  After a period of time, the testes will no longer return to complete functionality in the absence of estrodiol.  In effect performing a chemical castration.  This takes much longer than three months, though.

-Sandy(wanna play doctor?)

[Keira]

3 month is rather short to get any shrinkage, but your T production should have stopped by then.
So, during the rebound period, your fertility and T levels could be impacted for a while. Its possible that your T level and fertility (sperm count) may be different (but in theory should not be too different) after than before (not enough study to be sure of this). But, there is a definite link between phytoestrogens in the environment and decreased fertility so I'm guessing estrogens have a similar effect.

Very little has been studied about what happens after a prolonged high level HRT stoppage.
Say more than 1 year on HRT. I don't think the testes sterility or stoppage of T is permanent; though, it may not recover fully.

They shrink but otherwise their function is not altered, this means that once E is stopped
the pituary gland will simply tell them to restart production since the body needs E or T,
restarting male puberty. Don't know if this restarting is as efficient at a later age than
at puberty, but it does work and eventually you get a substantial amount of T in your system and
produce a X level of sperms. IS T and X the same as before, probably not.

Even if your sperm count is low, you could still get a child after a year,
just at lower probability. And,
the last resort would be in vitro.

[Just Mandy]

What happens to noticeable changes like boobs and female fat distribution?

Do your nipples become flat again until you restart?

Do you lose breast tissue?

[Keira]

After 3 months, all changes in breast will be reversed, except the nipple.
Which generally keeps sticking out even with little breast tissue behind.
Generally the nipple changes are quick and permanent (or at least very
long term). I stopped 10 years and went from in between A and B to AA
in that time period.

[natalie]

Keira,
just to clarify. you were on HRT 3 months and then stopped for 10 years.

I guess i was under the false impression that the changes were permanent from HRT.

thanks,

-Natalie

[Keira]

No, was on a very low level with no anti-androgen (probably less than 1/3 the lowest dose given to a TS,  at the begining) (but seemingly, I responded well to that) for at least 3 years.

[elena]

I was told by my doctor that most changes in male to female were reversible.  The same cannot be said for female to male.  He did not say anything about building up immunities or slowed growth due to stopping and starting again, but of course I never asked :-P.

[deviousxen]

I guess that makes sense. I was just kinda paranoid about starting to get breast tissue, stopping, and then having saggy breast tissue and a lesser chance of having the skin go back to normal. I mean the whole, "Second puberty" thing seems to work best at certain points to initiate from what I hear. I guess its not that big of a deal. I was told that 3 months was the mark, and I guess I interpreted it as, "You're screwed at this point if you want to revert back". It probably means more like, "It will start to create more permanent effects AFTER this point"

... Thanks.

[Just Mandy]

Does the longer you go the more irreversible the changes become?

I've heard six months before but what charges are permanent after that point?

[Isabel]

I'm probably the queen of inconsistent HRT - due totally for other reasons (wanting to have kids, family, work, etc.) but that's another story.  My experience is similar to Keira as I also started on a low dosage of hormones and at various points i stopped for periods.  Most definitively breast development is the least reversible change.  Probably 3 months would have not resulted in significant changes in that department but once the nipples start developing and some actual breast tissue is developed, it would be the less likely effect you would be able to reverse.  They might recede a bit but probably not to the same flatness as before.  Similarly sperm production would drop, depending on the dosage level you were on.  In my case sperm count drop to almost non existent (over a period longer than 3 months of course) and after about a year they were somewhat up, but still very low (fertility treatment was required).  Other than that, I think that most of the other changes are reversible. 

Hope it helps, however I would definitively not recommend to plan it that way.

[samanthawhalen]

I really do not understand why ANYONE would be on HRT if they were at risk of changing their minds.  Seems even more odd, that this question is being asked in the transsexual section of this site.  I was under the assumption that with transsexuals, there is NO DOUBT as to which direction they want to go in gender-wise.  No matter the cost.

[Nikki]

I really do not understand why ANYONE would be on HRT if they were at risk of changing their minds.  Seems even more odd, that this question is being asked in the transsexual section of this site.  I was under the assumption that with transsexuals, there is NO DOUBT as to which direction they want to go in gender-wise.  No matter the cost.

I think very few people have "no doubt" or fear. Transition is a far bigger decision than simply what gender are you?

[Keira]

Actually, even if you had not doubt about being a TS,
you could still have doubts of actually being accepted and living a good life,
which could make you stop or whatever.

Only a crazy person has no doubts at all.

[Just Mandy]

Actually, even if you had not doubt about being a TS,
you could still have doubts of actually being accepted and living a good life,
which could make you stop or whatever.

It's fun to see questions you posted what seems like years ago show up but were only
three months ago... my how things change

When I posted my question on Jan 25 I had not started HRT and I had serious doubts... about
10% was if I was really TS... and 30% was could I pass and 60% of the doubt was did I want to risk my
current life on trying to transistion.

Three months later... lets see 1% that I'm not a TS, maybe 20% that I can pass and 79% do I
want to risk my current life

So I do have doubts... mostly NOT that I'm TS or can pass. So check with me in three months

Amanda


Posted on: April 18, 2008, 09:56:47 PM

No, was on a very low level with no anti-androgen (probably less than 1/3 the lowest dose given to a TS,  at the begining) (but seemingly, I responded well to that) for at least 3 years.

Keira... do you think a lower dosage  is something that would be advisable if I wanted to slow
down my transition? On one hand I want everything to happen NOW but realistically my physical changes
are getting so far ahead of everything else being able to spread the physical changes over three years
would make things a lot easier.

Amanda

[Keira]

If you delay hair removal, you can usually pass as male
even after years of HRT.
The beard shadow is such a powerfull male symbol that it
trumps everything.

Of course, if you have big breast it could be hard to hide
But with lose clothes and binding, you can hide a lot (maybe not 38D,
but that shouldn't happen overnight...).

Right now, with right kind of haircut and clothes, I could probably
pass as a weird ass sort of male... Because of my height and
the recession at my temples (wich is again a very powerful male symbol).

A low amount of hormones may or may not work because everybody's
got a different reaction to hormones. Also, you don't want your
estrogen be so low that your quasi menopausal. Low E and T
is not a good physiological state for the body.

[Just Mandy]

Thanks Keira

The beard shadow is such a powerfull male symbol that it
trumps everything.

Hair removal is one thing I just hate to wait on lol... I guess that's why.

Amanda