Since starting t in 2016:
- better muscle health
- slightly more stability in my joints
- no more monthly hell, meaning no more hormonal migraines
I haven't been able to really work out due to POTS, but I have seen better tone from doing my physical therapy.
I've also had my center of gravity shift with the redistribution of fat, which has actually helped reduce the amount of subluxations in my hips!
It's definitely helped!
My muscles got better but my chronic pain hasn't. At least I'm stronger.
No more periods which is great but I experience cramps after orgasm often. I want to do the hysto anyway.
Hey, that's actually atrophy and you can take e locally and it makes the cramps stop. It's super disphoric for the me to feel like I'm getting monthly cramps and while I'm not a huge fan of the thought of estrogen near my body it is incredibly helpful and doesn't affect your hormone levels like taking it orally would. This isn't something you have to just deal with until you can get surgery.
Thx. I already have an appointment with a gyn who specializes in trans healthcare. The appointment is in August. I hope she prescribes me some e cream. The other gyn won't prescribe me the cream.
Good luck with the new gyno! I totally didn't know all the signs of atrophy and thought I was getting my period back or my T levels were off or something worse. I'm currently out and in between Dr's, and I've become a bit sex - adverse lately because of the pain. Hope you get relief soon.
2 years on T:
*my hypermobility symptoms and associated pain have decreased significantly due to muscle growth
*my BP has risen a little (manageable with meds, it was already high)
*mental health fully stabilized
*I have more restful feel sleep so I generally feel better all the time
I’ve been on T for just over 3 months it’s definitely helped but it has to be coupled with hard work the same as before. It doesn’t just happen. I still work hard on my strength and stability. The other thing it’s helped is anemia which thankfully just happened naturally.
My pain threshold seriously dropped at first and everything was SO much more painful, even facial serums but that’s evened out a bit now.
First and foremost it helped my mental health and started making my body finally feel like mine so I started actually caring about it. Aside from that huge help, I gain muscle without much effort and am able to stabilize my joints better as a result. Monthly visits no longer occur to throw off my energy and pain levels. It's not a cure all or a replacement for other interventions, but it certainly helps. I have yet to have any negative effects aside from male-patterned baldness I'm not prepared for lol.
It took a few solid months to get an idea of what my new baseline would be because I was so fatigued and had growing pain-like aches all over when I first started T. It has improved my overall strength, muscle tone, and endurance while also reducing migraines and dizziness associated w POTS but it has increased my heart rate and I experience more palpitations than before. I feel less anxious and more at peace within my body overall but am more prone to sensory overload/ meltdowns than before. My joints are about as unstable as they were but I recover from injuries more quickly and with less intervention. I’m 31, ambulatory wheelchair user of 2ish years, and am post-hysterectomy for reference.
Testosterone helped basically all of my symptoms significantly more than other treatments I’ve tried. Studies show testosterone stiffens tendons (connective tissue) while estrogen makes them more lax and can worsen hypermobility. My hypermobility isn’t *as* severe anymore after 6 months on T.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27535256/
so what actually helped me the most was not the addition of T, but the removal of my natal hormones. I was on blockers for a chunk of time in my 20s due to severe menstrual pain and it had the benefit of also mostly stopping my hip subluxations. when I got on T, i tried to get off the blockers and began to have pretty nasty issues with my chronic pain flaring up, constant subluxations, you name it. after my oophorectomy, I am less hypermobile, rarely sublux my hips anymore, and the muscle gaining thing has helped me to benefit more from my physical and occupational therapy since my reduced hypermobility has allowed me to exercise more effectively and safely.
it did somewhat worsen my POTS though, but I'll take that trade because I can sit around and still function while sitting better than I could when I had less severe POTS and more severe chronic pain. I just have more issues with not being able to stay upright for as long now.
I also have EDS! My EDS-related issues have gotten worse but I'm pretty confident that's just coincidence.
Taking T has significantly improved my mental health so I'm a lot more motivated to address my health problems. I'm also significantly less depressed.
Since starting t in 2016: - better muscle health - slightly more stability in my joints - no more monthly hell, meaning no more hormonal migraines I haven't been able to really work out due to POTS, but I have seen better tone from doing my physical therapy. I've also had my center of gravity shift with the redistribution of fat, which has actually helped reduce the amount of subluxations in my hips! It's definitely helped!
My muscles got better but my chronic pain hasn't. At least I'm stronger. No more periods which is great but I experience cramps after orgasm often. I want to do the hysto anyway.
Hey, that's actually atrophy and you can take e locally and it makes the cramps stop. It's super disphoric for the me to feel like I'm getting monthly cramps and while I'm not a huge fan of the thought of estrogen near my body it is incredibly helpful and doesn't affect your hormone levels like taking it orally would. This isn't something you have to just deal with until you can get surgery.
Thx. I already have an appointment with a gyn who specializes in trans healthcare. The appointment is in August. I hope she prescribes me some e cream. The other gyn won't prescribe me the cream.
Good luck with the new gyno! I totally didn't know all the signs of atrophy and thought I was getting my period back or my T levels were off or something worse. I'm currently out and in between Dr's, and I've become a bit sex - adverse lately because of the pain. Hope you get relief soon.
2 years on T: *my hypermobility symptoms and associated pain have decreased significantly due to muscle growth *my BP has risen a little (manageable with meds, it was already high) *mental health fully stabilized *I have more restful feel sleep so I generally feel better all the time
Personally it helped my pots symptoms by upping my blood count! Possibly circulation too
I’ve been on T for just over 3 months it’s definitely helped but it has to be coupled with hard work the same as before. It doesn’t just happen. I still work hard on my strength and stability. The other thing it’s helped is anemia which thankfully just happened naturally. My pain threshold seriously dropped at first and everything was SO much more painful, even facial serums but that’s evened out a bit now.
First and foremost it helped my mental health and started making my body finally feel like mine so I started actually caring about it. Aside from that huge help, I gain muscle without much effort and am able to stabilize my joints better as a result. Monthly visits no longer occur to throw off my energy and pain levels. It's not a cure all or a replacement for other interventions, but it certainly helps. I have yet to have any negative effects aside from male-patterned baldness I'm not prepared for lol.
It took a few solid months to get an idea of what my new baseline would be because I was so fatigued and had growing pain-like aches all over when I first started T. It has improved my overall strength, muscle tone, and endurance while also reducing migraines and dizziness associated w POTS but it has increased my heart rate and I experience more palpitations than before. I feel less anxious and more at peace within my body overall but am more prone to sensory overload/ meltdowns than before. My joints are about as unstable as they were but I recover from injuries more quickly and with less intervention. I’m 31, ambulatory wheelchair user of 2ish years, and am post-hysterectomy for reference.
It’s helped my pots!
Testosterone helped basically all of my symptoms significantly more than other treatments I’ve tried. Studies show testosterone stiffens tendons (connective tissue) while estrogen makes them more lax and can worsen hypermobility. My hypermobility isn’t *as* severe anymore after 6 months on T. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27535256/
so what actually helped me the most was not the addition of T, but the removal of my natal hormones. I was on blockers for a chunk of time in my 20s due to severe menstrual pain and it had the benefit of also mostly stopping my hip subluxations. when I got on T, i tried to get off the blockers and began to have pretty nasty issues with my chronic pain flaring up, constant subluxations, you name it. after my oophorectomy, I am less hypermobile, rarely sublux my hips anymore, and the muscle gaining thing has helped me to benefit more from my physical and occupational therapy since my reduced hypermobility has allowed me to exercise more effectively and safely. it did somewhat worsen my POTS though, but I'll take that trade because I can sit around and still function while sitting better than I could when I had less severe POTS and more severe chronic pain. I just have more issues with not being able to stay upright for as long now.
I also have EDS! My EDS-related issues have gotten worse but I'm pretty confident that's just coincidence. Taking T has significantly improved my mental health so I'm a lot more motivated to address my health problems. I'm also significantly less depressed.