Testosterone gives transmen incontinence, bladder & bowel problems

Yes I think there is a phenomenon where suffering adverse health effects is seen as more validation and membership of a special group who have so much to endure etc. I can understand why that happens mentally - as saying “hang on this is really harming me” (as Scott newgent does so forcefully) is effectively bursting the bubble that trans is beautiful and a wonderful community and so on.

@Runskiyoga I've just had a peep at reddit, and it seems like most of our problem is in trying to protect people who just don't want to be protected. There is such rage on there!

Sex hormones can act as an catalyst to some cancers. Eg women with a family history of breast cancer advised not to take the pill/hrt.

People in general are very uninformed about human biology.

You think it would be important to people as we all have a body and knowing how it works and what is good and bad for it should be invaluable knowledge.

Sadly this isn't the case which is why so many people make really obvious bad choices regarding their health.

Fuck's sake.

I know a delightful young transman who is currently having health problems, intestinal issues amongst them. (He's a relation, which is why I know some of the details.) I have suspected from the off that it's all connected to taking 'T', because 'he' was perfectly healthy as 'she' except for a bit of skin sensitivity to certain things which seemed to have largely resolved into adulthood.

Honest to God, I am sitting here waiting for a large group of transitions to sue the NHS. It will cost the country a bloody fortune that it can ill afford, and will not compensate these young people for the fucking-up of their bodies.

I find it so enraging and distressing that I just can't think about it too much.

I'm guessing you'd be taking a very small dose to raise your testosterone levels up to pre menopause levels.

In comparison Trans men take huge doses to suppress oestrogen and grow facial hair etc.

So it can be beneficial in the right does? I didn't go down that route, my friend did but we haven't discussed how it worked out for her so I'm not sure about the outcome. So many decisions to make, mind you at the moment I just wish the 2nd course of antibiotics I'm on would get rid of this horrible chest infection.

RE cross-sex hormones and the male body, I'm sure that (pre-cancerous) changes to the testicals has been raised as an issue. I need to do another search to check, but maybe this was mentioned in the WPATH files?

I did find this.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5868281/

Yes the human body has lots of substances in small or specific amounts that would be extremely dangerous at a different level - salt, copper, vitamin A and so on. Even too much water in the body can be deadly. It’s not that testosterone is in itself bad, it’s that a huge excess of it is harmful for the female body (also bad for males if they have too much as well).

That's interesting. Do you have a source for the persistence of testosterone in the body?

It's a question of what dose, how often, for how long.

Women have testosterone as well as estrogen, relatively small amounts are released by the (healthy) ovaries just enough for what a body needs.
This is why once menopausal the testosterone disappears.

Increased risk of heart attacks with cross hormones in males.

*Forhecksake · Yesterday 19:02

I hadn't heard about the increased cancer risk. Do you know of any links to related articles?

My sister transitioned around 5 years ago and now has stage 4 cancer. Everyone insists that it isn't related to the testosterone, but it's hard not to wonder.*

How awful Forhecksake, I’m really sorry. I’m very concerned about my trans-identifying female family member too who is on testosterone and in line for a mastectomy - and obese, so the potential cancer risk, heart/clots risks and complications risks are exacerbated.

Though the study may not be very strong, it clearly is a basis for a more thorough follow-up. Plus we know about the many health problems suffered by women athletes who were on similar drugs in the past, so this isn’t a new claim.

I did read one study that found trans women taking hormones (aka males) were 46 times more at risk of developing breast cancer than males who didn't. Don't know if any studies have been done on children though 😡

Osteoporosis sounds likely.

An aside but does anyone know what impact transitioning has on the health of boys who take puberty blockers/cross sex hormones?

I’m sure I’ve read something about an increased incidence of MS but can’t remember if that was in men or women.

And also problems with mobility- again I can’t remember the details but I imagine that might be to do with osteoporosis.

I’d appreciate any links. Thank you.

As a post menopausal woman I'd been told some testosterone helped with pelvic floor issues, a friend was told the same after an early hysterectomy. Are post menopausal women being misled?

It really is unfathomable from the medical profession who were swept along blindly accepting and facilitating this horror. With HRT even where women were experiencing real physical health problems due to the menopause, there was such caution and scare stories. Whereas testosterone was handed out to physically healthy girls and women seemingly unquestioning. At best the evidence of harm unknown but more likely knowing it to cause devastating harm. It has never made sense.

It is remarkable to think of the research that went into the possible impact of HRT on women, and the caution GPs had about prescribing HRT to menopausal women because of the supposed increased risk of breast cancer, which seems to have been exaggerated. And now testosterone is being doled out to young women with apparently no consideration of the harmful effects it will have on their health. It is beyond all rationality.

Daily Mail Australia website has picked up story so that’s good.

Reddit detrans is getting more and more heartbreaking.

I just don't know what to think about this. On the one hand, Streeting is a powerful voice in this current version of the Labour Party and so his apology (if that's what it is) will have some weight.

And yet ... we're in election campaign mode & the Labour Party wants to win. Promises to 51% of the population is a good move, but will they follow through?

Oh, I hate having to be so cynical.

The fact that testosterone remains in detransitioning female bodies for so long after they stop taking it, also harms a new generation. There is NO NHS England policy on monitoring their children. Many of the babies born will have long term health problems that may not show up until they reach puberty themselves- yet every Trust does their own thing (mostly nothing long term).

My sister transitioned around 5 years ago and now has stage 4 cancer. Everyone insists that it isn't related to the testosterone, but it's hard not to wonder.

Oh, so sorry to read that @Forhecksake It's tough, keeping quiet - or at least discreet, to try to keep lines of communication & family open. So sorry for your sister's condition. I hope it's not as bad as it sounds.

Well done! It must be so hard to push back when your child is in distress.