This is fantastic. Very helpful. And heartbreaking.
I'm confused about something he wrote. Does he not have the medical option to go off of estrogen now that he accepts himself as a man? Does his surgery or something else medical require him to stay on estrogen for life?
From my limited understanding, if an individual doesn’t have functional testicles or ovaries, they won’t be able to generate the necessary level of hormones. Testosterone and estrogen do more in the body than just develop secondary sex characteristics, so one generally shouldn’t mess too much with their endocrine system. As the author eloquently states, “Actually having to live with the reality of surgery made me realize I was inhabiting a real human body.” He will likely need to be on some type of hormone replacement for the rest of his life for optimal health and well being.
Because he had his testicles removed, he will need to take exogenous hormones for the rest of his life, whether that's estrogen or testosterone or a combination. Neurological/cognitive function, cardiovascular health, muscle mass, and bone mass are all affected by sex hormones, so if you suddenly cut off the entire source of one of them it'll throw everything out of whack unless you supplement.
In love with this 💙
So insightful. I wish I could share this, but it would be met with the fear response by the people I know who could learn most from him.
This is fantastic. Very helpful. And heartbreaking.
I'm confused about something he wrote. Does he not have the medical option to go off of estrogen now that he accepts himself as a man? Does his surgery or something else medical require him to stay on estrogen for life?
From my limited understanding, if an individual doesn’t have functional testicles or ovaries, they won’t be able to generate the necessary level of hormones. Testosterone and estrogen do more in the body than just develop secondary sex characteristics, so one generally shouldn’t mess too much with their endocrine system. As the author eloquently states, “Actually having to live with the reality of surgery made me realize I was inhabiting a real human body.” He will likely need to be on some type of hormone replacement for the rest of his life for optimal health and well being.
Because he had his testicles removed, he will need to take exogenous hormones for the rest of his life, whether that's estrogen or testosterone or a combination. Neurological/cognitive function, cardiovascular health, muscle mass, and bone mass are all affected by sex hormones, so if you suddenly cut off the entire source of one of them it'll throw everything out of whack unless you supplement.