Hormones and their effects

I am thinking seriously about taking hormones. I have heard all of the pros and cons. I want to ask some people who have taken the hormones a few questions. See I know that at some point there is no turning back. The changes to your body are permanent.

1) When taking Spiro, at what point can you become sterile?
2) Does it require estrogen to complete that process of becoming sterile?
3) Does taking Spiro lead to a dry orgasm?

The reason for my asking is to know everything in order to make an informed choice. I'm married and separated. There is a lot of indecision right now in regards to my wife. She is not very accepting and I can't talk with her about any of this much. I need to go back to my therapist before I make any decisions, but I was hoping that some of you could enlighten me about hormones. So when the time came to make my decision that I will have enough information to do so.

dry orgasms are different! u still orgasm and feel the feeling of orgasmic pleasure, and initially u may think, no big deal. but over time u realize how much satisfaction is associated with the feeling of... how do i say this w/o some hyper mod not deleting my post... it's just that u take it for granted and not until u experience the absence of ejaculation do u realize how satisfying the feeling of semen flowing out really is. in fact after a while u really miss it. all my orgasms are dry because about 12 years ago i had to have an orchiectomy (just one, not both) and a follow-up procedure that had dry orgasms as a side-effect. i just assumed it would make me more desirable to a woman because i myself always hated the messiness and stickiness of ejaculate, plus it meant i was extra "safe", and couldnt pass on stds (even tho i am absolutely healthy and w/o any std), still, i should think it would be seen as a plus, a reassuring thing. then i was amazed to discover just the opposite was true. most women LIKE messing around with ejaculate, or at least need to SEE it coming as proof that u were truly satisfied!!! UNbelievable is how i reacted. so i started feeling like a freak, sort of. then just didnt date. the fact that i have one testicle (being in a half castrated state, actually) might be why i am becoming more and more femme, developing more prominent breast tissue and get more emotional and passionate then ever before. i could take testosterone shots but it is so inconvenient to go to the clinic and it really doesn't make me feel much different. and i tried testosterone patches and gel, but that too is such a bother and really doesnt work. so i am just going in a new direction where my body is changing in ways i am really enjoying now. the only thing i miss is that feeling of ejaculation which really does give one a sense of satisfaction tho u wont realize and miss it till its gone.

My main reason for asking these questions is to better understand at what point you better know for sure that you are going all the way. I don't want to make a mistake and that's why I'm asking so many questions. The last thing I want to do is beginning taking spiro and find out that I become sterile without moving on to estogren.

If you are really worried about sterility, have you considered sperm banking?

I wouldn’t think that anyone could say at what point you become sterile. For sure, with enough hormones and anti-androgens, you will have less sperm. After a while I had virtually none. If you want to father children, bank it before that first pill.

Terri

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Originally Posted by Zenith

If you are really worried about sterility, have you considered sperm banking?

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I don't worry about having kids. I realize now from the responses that I said it wrong. I have 3 kids and got fixed years ago.

At what point do you lose the ability to have an erection? I read somewhere along the way about a person whose testicles shrank so much that they stuffed them back inside when they tucked. I can't imagine that. I realize that it must be possible at some point.

If you take Spiro what changes can you expect. I read all of the literature that I can, but none of it explains TG treatment.

I know people that say spiro killed any male response. For me I took high doses for a couple of years and was still able to function as a male. Just less size and very limited output. (GRS has fixed all of that)

This guide talks about some of what you are asking...
http://www.vch.ca/transhealth/resour...rmones-MTF.pdf Page 9 talks to some of your questions.

Terri

Nobody can tell you for sure because people all react differently. The ability to have an erection is mostly mental. I know people with no testicles who can sustain an erection. We're not supposed to give dosages here, but I know TG girls on a high dose of Spiro and a high dose of estrogen who still have no problem getting erections. Specifically, I know a local girl who has been on estrogen for many years and responded to it very well -- she has a 100% natural D-cup (and I, like, verified that personally), but she also has no problem with sexual function of her boy parts. From time to time she runs an escort ad which mentions she is a "total top."

But there are also many TS people -- maybe even the majority -- who lose erectile function rather quickly. A fairly significant number of TS people have no erections even before they get on HRT, though. So, if you don't particularly mind having erections, you're probably a little more predisposed towards maintaining function.

And I do think a lot of people take a lot more Spiro than they need. The average TS person has much lower testosterone than a GG. Personally, I take a somewhat low dose. I'm not all sexually frustrated like I was before, and I've gone from a 5-time-a-day porn habit to 5 times a week, and I don't wake up with a hard-on, but things still work fine. It just takes a little more effort to get excited.

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Originally Posted by Elise.Matei

it's just that u take it for granted and not until u experience the absence of ejaculation do u realize how satisfying the feeling of semen flowing out really is.

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I like orgasms as much as the next person, but I always thought the whole messy part was ... well ... messy. If you want to know what it feels like to have an orgasm without ejaculating, just push down on the back part of your perineum and you won't ejaculate. That's how I've done it for the past 15 years, and I like it just fine.

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Originally Posted by Zenith

If you are really worried about sterility, have you considered sperm banking?

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Is now really a good time? I mean, with interest rates being down and all...

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Originally Posted by racquel937

...Is now really a good time? I mean, with interest rates being down and all...

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:slap:

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Originally Posted by tori-e

I know people that say spiro killed any male response. For me I took high doses for a couple of years and was still able to function as a male. Just less size and very limited output. (GRS has fixed all of that)

This guide talks about some of what you are asking...
http://www.vch.ca/transhealth/resour...rmones-MTF.pdf Page 9 talks to some of your questions.

Terri

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This is a great resource Terri! Nice...