Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I read a lot of times that Transwoman have too low or still too high testosterone levels after their Srs. So I would like to know how near are the testosterone levels from Post-Op Transwoman to Cis-Woman and do many many need medication to adjust their testoreon levels ?

Just the thought of taking testosterone injections after my Srs scares me to death. I did so much effort to get it out of my body and I don't want to buy and take it just to function properly.

Hi,

My GCS is scheduled in November. I just signed the documents acknowledging I read all the information. I will be at Papillion Friday to give them the documents and do #4 genital clearing. In the information it states after SRS the estrogen medication needs to be reduced and monitored by you doctor. Also it stated low level of T or progesterone (breaks down to T) needs to be prescribed by your doctor to increase sex drive. My T is less than 3 ng/dl and my sex drive is nil.

I have no 1st hand experience but I have read this same information before elsewhere.

I had my surgery a long time ago but had my T levels checked for the first time 3 months ago. My Testosterone levels are 36 ng/dl and the normal range is 14-76 which puts me near mid range. I wouldn't worry about it until the time comes and if there is a problem there are options other than injections. The levels needed are so low that a patch can deliver what you need.

40 ng/dl
For me personally too high.

Quote from: Rachel Lynn on May 17, 2016, 07:10:30 PM
Also it stated low level of T or progesterone (breaks down to T) needs to be prescribed by your doctor to increase sex drive. My T is less than 3 ng/dl and my sex drive is nil.

I take a HIGH DOSE of progesterone (also high E), my T is 8 ng/dl, my free T undetectable, lowest levels of T EVER, lower than before when I was taking no progesterone. Sex drive is present...some days, VERY present. I am post-op. My T levels when I first had SRS, were around 27, then 2 years ago 20, now 8.

I would NEVER take testosterone. Estrogen (and sometimes) progesterone are, in my opinion sufficient for well-being and sex drive. T risks doing things to your body that can be quite depressive, cause anxiety and even be irreversible.

Quote from: Fluttershy95 on May 17, 2016, 04:58:15 PM
I read a lot of times that Transwoman have too low or still too high testosterone levels after their Srs. So I would like to know how near are the testosterone levels from Post-Op Transwoman to Cis-Woman and do many many need medication to adjust their testoreon levels ?

Just the thought of taking testosterone injections after my Srs scares me to death. I did so much effort to get it out of my body and I don't want to buy and take it just to function properly.

Basically after SRS there are two possibilities.

One is there is still some testo produced. The body may signal low testo and may try to produce as much teto as it can.
In some cases anti androgens are needed until this settles down after a few months.

The other is there i still some testo produced, in whatever amount, but in the female range.

The neovagina reacts to estrogen like a cis vagina.
So to avoid menopausal states like dryness and possibly even some atrophy and bone density matters, levels well in the female range should help.
Many endos strive for levels of 180-200 pg/ml or above.
High enough levels also can help with level of activity and libido.
If level of activity is low it may be possible to try to raise estrogen levels.
With bioidentical estrogen / estrogen valerate and sublingual, transdermal, injection or implant intake clotting factors should not be raised a lot.

Then adding bioidentical progesterone might help. It might fill in for testo.

If level of activity and libido is still low a low dose of testosterne might be tried, in the female range, below 70 ng/dl.
There are specifically for this purpose low dose applications like gels and patches, for menopausal people.

There are studies showing it indeed can help with libido:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16014407

Talk it all through with your doc.


hugs

Quote from: Laura_7 on May 18, 2016, 04:15:36 PM
The body may signal low testo and may try to produce as much teto as it can.

A theory which has yet to proven. Low T will raise FSH and LH levels if E (and P) levels are also too low. Since testicles are gone, higher LH won't lead to increased testosterone. Low T only signals testes to produce more T, not adrenal glands. There is also low T pre-op so why wouldn't the body try to produce as much testo as it can pre-op too? Your explanation is not scientifically substantiated, it appears.

Quote from: KayXo on May 18, 2016, 04:22:02 PM
A theory which has yet to proven. Low T will raise FSH and LH levels if E (and P) levels are also too low. Since testicles are gone, higher LH won't lead to increased testosterone. Low T only signals testes to produce more T, not adrenal glands. There is also low T pre-op so why wouldn't the body try to produce as much testo as it can pre-op too? Your explanation is not scientifically substantiated, it appears.

It may be possible a sudden drop in some cases is interpreted as a need to interfere.

There are instructions of surgens who found that after SRS some people had higher levels :

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,101474.msg750311.html#msg750311


hugs

Where comes all the T from? The andrenal glands only?

A little under one year post-SRS...blood test taken late in the day estradiol valerate injection was due +1 day.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cix7i33UUAA5rc9.jpg) (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cix7i5mUgAA7wNI.jpg)
EOM

I'm sure it varies by person. My T levels were last checked about 2 years ago, which was 2 years post-op, and at that time they were on the low end of the cis female range. (That is, still "normal"; most cis women with those levels would not have a problem, and I did not.) I haven't had any symptoms either way since, and I didn't during those two years either, so we haven't bothered checking anymore.

Quote from: Laura_7 on May 18, 2016, 04:41:14 PM
It may be possible a sudden drop in some cases is interpreted as a need to interfere.

There are instructions of surgens who found that after SRS some people had higher levels

The issue is not that androgen levels may be higher post-op but the explanation as to why...

Quote from: galaxy on May 18, 2016, 07:23:58 PM
Where comes all the T from? The andrenal glands only?

From conversion of adrenal androgen precursors such as DHEA-S and DHEA and to a smaller degree, androstenedione in peripheral tissues such as prostate, adipose tissue, etc. The adrenal gland produces insignificant amounts of T, from what I recall.

Quote from: Jenna Marie on May 19, 2016, 11:17:18 AM
they were on the low end of the cis female range.

Post-op, our levels will usually be on the low end because cisfemales also produce some T from their ovaries, in addition to their adrenal glands.

Quote from: OCAnne on May 18, 2016, 07:50:56 PM

A little under one year post-SRS...blood test taken late in the day estradiol valerate injection was due +1 day.

Imo levels of estro are low.
Menopausal levels are 60-80 with possible risk of vaginal dryness, possible risk of bone density and lower level of activity.
I personally would at least ask for levels of 150 to stay well away from menopausal levels.

Talk it all through with your doc.

Quote
EOM

Aren't you happy to be away ?
There is a saying translated from another language:
we wore peculiar clothing and wandered aimlessly around ...
thats what they say about their place ... maybe it can make for a good laugh ...

of course not being offensive just to mention ...


hugs