I think I have low T

I think I have low T. Besides eliminating almost all the hair on my legs, it seems to have weakened most of my major muscles.

I've got a routine physical in a few weeks, and I'm going to talk to the doctor about it. I know what he's going to say, "I can prescribe you some T patches." Some of my doctors know about Steffi, to the extent of either seeing her in person or seeing pics of her. Other docs have seen hints that they probably couldn't ignore (but they did because they're professionals) like toe nail polish. This doc doesn't know about Steffi, and I'm not sure that I want to out myself to him.

So, can I take T without killing the girl inside? There was a time I would have loved to take the "magic pill", but I've really gotten to like Steffi, and I'd like to keep her around.

Anyone with similar experiences? Can you still enjoying CDing, even with a little extra T? I can't be the only one!

I am of no help, but I have wondered the same thing. Seems like the only way to know for sure is to have a test to see where you are at and use that for a baseline discussion with your doctor. Good luck with it.

I would not worry about talking to your doctor - unless the doctor is really good friends with your wife. I have that issue so I will not be bringing up Sandi with my primary doctor.

Sandi

Thinning leg hair happens with age, as circulation worsens in the legs as we get older. If it is sudden, it might be a sign of something more serious.

Weakening muscles is not normal, and if it is sudden that definitely can be a sign of something serious.

You can take testosterone replacement and still crossdress. It is very unlikely to make the desire to dress to go away. And TRT might be beneficial to your health and well being to do so, if your doctor recommends it. Hormonal changes might trigger some dormant hair follicles to start growing hair (as can happen with women around menopause), so be aware of that.

Yes, I had my T tested after dressing became a compulsion for me. Result, low normal.:straightface:

It's NOT likely any doc will prescribe hormones for u without a blood test. It's not expensive. Besides, then u won't have to wonder?:thumbsup:

I don't sense that folks here who enjoy wearing women's clothes have especially low testosterone but I do spend time on a forum where men have a hormone stew with elevated estrogen and lowered testosterone. That combination affects their bodies in many ways, the primary one being discussed is breast development which is called gynecomastia. When the discussion turns to wearing women's clothes it is because the shape of bodies is changing and women's clothes simply fit better. There is great resistance to the notion of crossdressing, but in reality that is what many men are doing for comfort.

Testosterone tends to diminish with age and from the reading I've done, estrogen does not diminish in men... so there can be a softening of the body that comes with age. Personally, I'm not inclined to take testosterone. I'll let nature takes its course... which means at the moment I have no need for breast forms... I don't need to wear a brassiere, but when I do the result is quite delicious.

I take Teststosterone gel daily and it has no effect on my desire to dress.

Stef... T normally drops as you age but in my case.... my pituitary tumor produces the female hormone prolactin which women secret during pregnancy. Besides giving me a good jump start on breast growth... it trashed my T and killed my crossdressing for over a decade. Once treated the tumor shrunk... prolactin dropped and my T levels returned to normal. And my crossdressing came back with a vengeance! So I wouldn?t worry about trying the T patches.

My blood work from my last two physicals showed that my T was in the high normal range, at the same time my estrogen was well above normal for a male of my age. Not sure what to make of it. The higher level of T doesn't seem to affect my crossdressing in the least.

I see my doctor four times per year and have routine blood tests before each visit. Among other things, he tests testosterone levels. Perhaps because of my age, but you could ask in advance for a testosterone test.

Testosterone replacement gel has not affected my desire to dress. Ask your doctor or look it up on the Internet, but I don't think testosterone levels have anything to do with hair growth ot thinning.

Adding testosterone should not affect your desire to dress or identity configuration IF that is driven by your neurological configuration. If your identity is created by only psychological factors or simply a stimulating activity (artistic hobby?) then it could decrease the desire as well as make you more male-like in terms of gender behavior. It is hard to tell which causal factors are fundamental to your neural patterns and which are caused by purely psychological factors. However raising T levels will likely make you hairier. It needs to be recognized that testosterone is a two faced hormone. It is essentially a behavior booster making bad male behavior worse and good male behavior better.

In late 2019 and early 2020 I was under androgen suppression as a part of prostate cancer treatment. A lot of hair disappeared and my mood was very stable and tended toward being a lot more feminine, but I also had little muscle strength or energy to do a lot of things. When the T came back after 6 months of suppression I had 4 months of hot flashes, sometimes as many as 20 a day. Not good to break out in a sweat on a 90 degree day or in a grocery store check out line. In the latter people think 911 needs to be called. I would assure them it is just a hot flash which would produce a bit of a blank "WTF, you are a male" look. My desire for dressing changed very little during that period but it did feel different. I tended to be more feminine and so my behavior became much more female-like, but when the T came back that didn't change much. Maybe, just maybe, it was a bit stronger toward the female-like side. Too many other things going on to attribute the increase in female-like feelings and behavior to just an increase in T. A lot of hair also came back, maybe even more than before.

Follow your doctor's advice very strictly. Adding testosterone can be dangerous as it can cause blood clots and strokes. It is not common, but it can happen. My doctors (personal and urologist) agree that it is best not to mess with hormones and let it be what it is. But others will lean toward supplementation. In my opinion, messing with hormones should be done under the care of an endocrinologist and not a general practitioner. Hormones are way too powerful to play with them unless you know what you are doing and are able to monitor the action of the change and see what effects the change is having on your body and your mind.

Will it change your desire to dress? Probably not. Following your posts, I think this behavior is more likely fundamental to you than a psychological aberration. You are likely a genetic gender variant, in my opinion. Steffi, you are, so to speak, part girl.

I have been on T injections for many years. I get it checked annually and it is is the normal range. It has not affected my desire to dress at all. I do feel better and have more energy. I would not worry about it as long as you are monitored.

I don't think leg hair or lack of is a sign of low T, as before I started HRT my T levels were normal. But if both my wife and I stopped shaving our legs, Her leg hair grows thicker and faster than mine.

Also I have been on HRT for three months now and my T levels are low, not as low as we want but low and it has not effected my leg hair growth at all.

Frankly I think low T has brought Natalie out more. As men age we do drop T levels.

Heck once we get a certain age all us OLD folks look alike, (up to a point).

I checked your age. What you are describing is in part the natural aging process. Check a legitimate health site; not a site trying to sell something. As we get older men will lose a certain percentage of muscle mass every year. Hair loss is also part of the aging process. The hair loss can also be accelerated if you're pre-diabetic or diabetic. Of more recent concern due to Covid-19 is the decrease in the immune system's ability to guard against viruses. Even though you may feel and look healthy you will not notice the decrease in the immune system's abilities until stricken by disease.

I am waiting for the next lab test! I started Progesterone and beard has increased regrowth! As I understand it, it produces some T! Last labs were normal female! We will see how the next ones are! Hugs Lana Mae

I suffered from low T. and not only did my dressing drop off but everything but my sex drive plummeted. My get up and go was GONE. I was put on a monthly shot and it works fine. My energy came back and the need for dressing as well. Never lost the desire just didn't feel like going through the actions to do it. Can't say it will work for you but it has been great for me.

I also have a low/ normal range of testosterone. Many years ago a Dr. put me on a shot regimen to try and boost my sex drive, all it did was make hair grow where I didn't need or want it to. In my ears, nose and my back. It didn't help the sex drive so the Dr. said I should stop the shots.

Lana Mae, you are quite right about progesterone and testosterone having a relationship. The molecules are incredibly similar and yet they have very different actions. Estrogen is also right in there with the rest of the so called sex hormones. They all strongly interact with each other in producing various influences on bodily functions. And that is why an endocrinologist is important in the management of HRT or any kind of hormonal tinkering other than just the very basic things which many doctors are knowledgeable about. Hormones can be called "magic molecules" because in very tiny amounts they have a huge effect.

I think it's important to remember that the examples posted here are anecdotal, just personal experiences without any scientific basis. What matters is how low testosterone affects you. What you are experiencing may or may not be related to testosterone, aging, disease or other factors.

Your family doctor or urologist is your best source of information on medical issues.

I've been taking weekly testosterone injections for about a decade now. It does not effect my desire to dress. I'm more androgynous, hybrid, man-in-a dress rather than attempting to appear as a female. I actually started wearing panties about the time I started injections, so I'd say that, if there's a correlation, it's in favor of crossdressing for me.

Testosterone injections have definitely cause a large increase in body hair. I'm not crazy about that fact. My beard is much thicker than before starting which is a plus for me. But, I'd love to go back to my near hairless chest from before starting treatments. Leg and butt hair is thicker too. There's a warning on the package that it could cause male pattern balding, which hasn't been a problem for me. It's worth the tradeoff, but grooming has been kind of a pain.

I think I've *always* had low T. Had a sort of botched hernia surgery at a very young age that left me with 'one of a pair' (maybe one and a 'blob' where the other should be).

Never had real body hair excepting for some on my arms (which is shaved now twice a week.)

I have never been tested that I know if, but u know me, avoid a doctor at almost any cost.

I've talked to my endocrinologist on this. T does diminish a bit with age. Have a concern? get tested

But all these ads on TV these days are a SCAM!

Thanks for all the comments.

I would only consider taking T if it was done under a doctor's care. My wife is really into alternative meds (not that I could ask her about this), and she's really fussy about the brand. She won't even buy vitamins from CVS because she doesn't trust their quality. There's no way that I'd buy anything that Verizon automatically dumps in my email spam folder.

I've been tested for low T before. Sometimes I'm low, and other time I'm low normal. I guess that there are different blood tests for T. I think the one used now is "Total Free T". When I used T before, I think I had a gel. I'm not excited about shots. I'm not afraid of the needle, but I'm reluctant to take off time from work once a month. I work almost in DC, and if I go to the doctor either before or after work, I'll lose have a day of work each time.

Right now, I'm thinking of outing myself. That way I may also be able to get tested for E. However, my wife uses the same doctor. As I've mentioned before, we're very DADT.

As many have mentioned T levels naturally drop with age. Male breasts start to enlarge also with age. I am a serious crossdresser with the interest to present myself as a female as well as I can

I'm sure I have low T. When I was around 65 my bobbies started growing on there own. Now at age
81 I have almost C cup ones. I'm not at all concerned about having low T

I was slightly below normal (upper 200's) when I was tested in April of 2020 before I started my HRT. Not that it matters, but I've been on Estrodial and Spiro for 9 months now and my Estrogen is 193 and my Testosterone is only 3.

I may some low T but at my age I'm not overly concerned, as I'm still functioning normally. I do have body hair loss and breast growth which I find beneficial :battingeyelashes:.

I do ... I do have low T. I hope I can get a patch and not the shot.

I?ve been on treatments for over a decade. I started with gel, then patches. I?ve been doing shots for the last several years and absolutely prefer injections. Once a week in thigh muscle and it?s done.

I never had the ability to grow a beard without bare spots before treatments. A beard is a plus for me. But, with the beard comes lots of extra body hair, which is a minus. Info included with vial warns of ?male pattern baldness? which has not been a problem for me. Good luck whatever you decide.

I'm in the low normal range. I've thought about starting TRT just to help with weight loss. But I also think that if my doctor were to recommend hormone therapy that I might ask instead about female hormones.

That's all wishful thinking, though. She knows my wife well - something might slip during a conversation.

I have never had leg hair and all normal hair sites are very scarce. About 10 years ago my DR put me on the T Gel but it had no effect. my T number is in the middle single digits. My dressing is influenced by my mental attitude. Presently I average about one day a week that I dress. I do not leave the house except when I have a good reason (DR appointments, food shopping, giving support to my GG friend 100 miles away.
So I would guess that old age is the primary reason for hair loss. like male pattern baldness (Which some women also get).

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Originally Posted by Kelli_cd

I'm in the low normal range. I've thought about starting TRT just to help with weight loss. But I also think that if my doctor were to recommend hormone therapy that I might ask instead about female hormones.

That's all wishful thinking, though. She knows my wife well - something might slip during a conversation.

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Kelli, That something might be the Dr telling your wife how your breasts are developing quite nicely and that it is a good thing you have like 50 Soma bras you can now fill.
Oh to be a fly on that wall

Get your full blood work done - hyperthyroidism can have a range of effects on muscles, such as wasting and other effects low libido etc, hair loss.

Self diagnosis, even among trained physicians, is usually inaccurate.