Calcium

[Brittyn]

I heard from someone that said their endo says people on T should be taking calcium supplements since the estrogen that provided you with the most calcium is no longer there.  This is the first time I've heard this.  Has anyone else heard this or does anyone do this?

[kyril]

That's really very backwards - at least the reasoning is. Women are actually at a higher risk of osteoporosis because of smaller bones. T causes bones to thicken and become stronger, so it's actually better at getting your body to hold on to dietary calcium than estrogen is. And estrogen itself contains no calcium.

That being said, the conclusion might be accurate: it might be a good idea to bump up your calcium intake in the early days of T to give your body some material to work with to build those thicker bones. But the reason would be the same as the reason for increasing intake of protein and other nutrients: your body's building stuff, it needs raw materials.

[Nimetön]

As a general rule, I would recommend against regarding second-hand medical advice.  Much of what doctors say is carefully simplified by, and implicitly qualified by, the context of the patient being advised.  Add to that the 'telephone problem,' and you have a recipe for confusion at best.

- N

[Silver]

That doesn't even make sense, why would estrogen be providing you with calcium? Does it summon it with magic or something?

[Jude_]

Hey! Haha that's from the video i just uploaded today.
I'm not sure how well i explained myself in the video. It's actually linked to your period being stopped, which apparently causes a big lapse in calcium.

Yes, my endo recommends that transguys take calcium supplements. Nothing really fancy. Just over the counter supplements. They're actually the same ones my post-menopausal mom takes. Also, the same reasoning behind it.

I have a couple of friends who see a different endo, and he recommends that his patients get bone density scans done every few years, because of the same problem.

I'm not sure about the rules with regards to linking to other websites, but if you go to wikipedia and type "hrt" into the search bar. Then pick the female to male option, it has some info about bone density. The last bullet point even says
"Daily calcium supplementation and possibly Vitamin D is probably a good idea for most transgender men, but it is even more important after removal of the ovaries."

Of course, haha this is coming from wikipedia. But, it's something my endo recommends for her patients.

[kyril]

That's very odd. Taking T isn't remotely equivalent to menopause - the latter involves near-elimination of all sex hormones, whereas the former substitutes one hormone for the other. It's true that sex hormones are important for maintaining bone density but T does, if anything, a better job of it than E.

[Myself]

Estrogen doesn't provide with calcium, it helps your bone put it into use, increasing (or maintaining more likely) bone density. Oh but hey, Testosterone does that too!

My Dr was silly, saying the same thing but the other way around "You know your bones are going to get weak?" "Hey Doc, Estrogen actually  does that too" "Will check.. Oh right!"

[Vancha]

As far as I know, as long as you are not eliminating all sex hormones from your body, you need not supplement with calcium more than you usually would so long as you get sufficient calcium in your daily diet.  The assumption that transmen need supplemental calcium probably derives from the idea that our bodies will not begin to function like male bodies, but instead like female bodies without estrogen, which is why they'd assume we'd need the same supplements as post-menopausal women.  It just does not apply.

[Turtle]

The main issue comes in if someone is taking testosterone, then has to stop for whatever reason - your body is then minus both oestrogen and testosterone, and osteoporosis does become a danger. Taking a supplement won't hurt, in any case, plus stoke up on your dark green leafy veg and sesame seeds.

[Griffin]

That doesn't even make sense, why would estrogen be providing you with calcium? Does it summon it with magic or something?

The logic goes like this: "Post-menopausal women lose estrogen and then get osteoporosis, right?  So when trans guys lose estrogen, they'll also get osteoporosis! Dang, I'm good at this."

That doesn't always happen, but I will tell you now that if you go off shots you might be screwed.  Talk your own doctor, because your own levels and health have more to do with it.  Regardless, you need to be getting 100% of your recommended allowance of calcium daily.  If you don't do it with diet, supplements might help.

[Jude_]

Ah yeah, regardless, i'm still going to listen to my endo's advice. She is my doctor after all, and she has a lot of experience with trans patients. Plus, it's not like calcium supplements are going to hurt me haha. Better safe than sorry!