With the right treatment and some lifestyle changes, you can overcome it. Gender-affirming hormone therapy may affect other medical conditions, although research is lacking. These include autoimmune diseases, which can sometimes improve or worsen with hormonal changes, and migraines, which often have a hormonal component. Ask your healthcare provider if you have more questions about risks, health management needs, and other long-term considerations when taking hormone therapy.
Some of the effects of hormone therapy are reversible if you stop taking them. The degree to which they can be reversed depends on how long you've been taking testosterone. Clitoral growth, facial hair growth, voice changes, and male pattern baldness are not reversible. Through continuous monitoring and adjustments, TRT can provide long-term benefits and improve quality of life in general.
Do not take TRT for non-medical reasons, such as bodybuilding, preventing age-related changes, or improving performance. TRT won't help men who have normal testosterone levels. Some men buy products that increase testosterone at the gym or online, and that can be dangerous, he warned. You don't know what those products contain, as they are not regulated by any governing body.
Some of the physical changes caused by masculinizing hormone therapy can be reversed if you stop taking testosterone. Others, such as a deeper voice, a larger clitoris, hair loss on the scalp, and more facial and body hair, cannot be reversed. The amount of testosterone in a man's body usually begins to decrease around the age of 30. Dr.
Francois Eid, former director of the Center for Sexual Function at New York Presbyterian Hospital, warns on his office website: “Men often confuse the increased energy and improved mood they experience using a testosterone substitute with a proof of its effectiveness. Testosterone is usually given as an injection, also called an injection, or through a gel or patch that is applied to the skin. However, not all trans men will experience a total deepening of the tone of their voice with testosterone. If you have low testosterone levels, treatment options are available that can help bring your testosterone levels back to normal.
Men often feel a big difference when they stop therapy because their body's testosterone production hasn't recovered yet. There are potential risks of high blood pressure when taking this medication, so additional steps should be taken to monitor your health if you decide to use this form of testosterone. While cisgender men have higher rates of cholesterol-related disorders and heart disease than cisgender women, available research on transgender men taking testosterone has generally not found these differences. It's also important to know that, depending on how long you've been receiving testosterone therapy, your ovaries may have difficulty releasing eggs, and you may need to see a fertility specialist and use special medications or techniques, such as in vitro fertilization, to get pregnant. Testosterone may reduce your ability to get pregnant, but it doesn't completely eliminate the risk of pregnancy. Men with low sexual desire, loss of energy, mood changes, and erectile dysfunction may have low levels of testosterone, also known as low levels of testosterone.
While TRT is an ongoing treatment option and not a temporary solution, it plays a vital role in controlling low testosterone levels and improving people's quality of life. Rarely, testosterone therapy can cause you to completely lose your ability to produce fertile eggs or become pregnant. People interested in testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may be interested in whether these symptoms can be alleviated with a single solution or if the therapy is a long-term commitment. Although little has been published in the medical literature on this risk, a recent multicenter review on the impact of testosterone therapy on subsequent fertility warns: “Cessation of testosterone therapy may result in the restoration of baseline serum testosterone levels.
Once you've reached adequate testosterone levels for men, taking higher doses won't cause faster or more dramatic changes; however, they can cause more side effects or complications.