testosterone levels and male pattern baldness

[madformedusa (imported)]

Hello all,

(my first time posting in the forums)

I'm a male in my mid twenties. I've been castrated for a little over 2 years now. The reason I had this procedure done was mainly because I wanted to curb my sexual urges. Living with very little testosterone in my system has been a blessing. I feel more calm, less aggressive, and best of all I do not spend so much time thinking about sex. Unfortunately, I've also suffered some expected drawbacks (decreased muscle mass and loss of energy and to some extent, mental focus). For this reason I've been considering taking some testosterone, but just a very minor amount (I recall recently someone had posted saying that they apply 2.5mg of testosterone gel everyday when the "normal" recommended dose is 5mg, and that they felt fine --this is a similar result to what I seek). I do not wish to return to my pre-castrate testosterone levels, but I feel as if a slight boost might give me an overall more enjoyable day to day life. I've not entirely made up my mind about this decision yet, but I've been considering a low testosterone supplement. In addition to slight lean muscle increase and increased energy I know that DHT, a byproduct of testosterone causes male pattern baldness. It's not something that will swing me in one direction or the other in regards to whether or not I decide to use HRT or not, but if I decide to use testosterone gel would I expect to see signs of baldness? Would there be a difference in the amount of baldness I would experience if I used 5mg T gel vs. 2.5mg T gel? Does anyone have any experiences with their hair patterns after going on/off of HRT? Again, my goal is not to have the testosterone levels of a "normal man"; I do not want to be super-muscled and have a hairy chest, aggression, and all of that. I really just want a slight increase in my stamina and mental acuity. Any suggestions or advice anyone could give would be greatly appreciated. (Thanks in advance)

madformedusa

[clysmaniac (imported)]

I have been castrated for not quite 2 years and was done chemically for over 2 1/2 years previous to my surgery. My chemical castration wasn't totally complete- my testosterone was just at 100 when castrate level was considered under 50 and "normal" ranged from 280-1080. I found this to be an ideal level as I lost some strength but not an excessive amount. I was not taking any calcium suppliments. After my castration, my T level dropped to well under 50 and I lost more strength than I felt I would. A bone scan showed my bones had degenerated into the osteopina range but not into osteoporosis. My doctor recommended that I take some testosterone for strength reasons and to help absorb the calcium I began to take. He would have preferred me to get my T up into the normal range, but I felt that if I just got it up to 100 as I had during my chemical castration, that would be fine. I was still impotent then but did get erections at times when sleeping and could ejaculate a couple drops on those rare occasions I had a limp orgasm.

My solution was to use the 5 gram tubes of testosterone gel but I only used half of it (2.5 grams) every other day. I really couldn't tell any difference between a day I used it and the day I didn't. I tried using 1/4 tube every day and found no difference either. My strength returned to an acceptable level and I did have more energy without rekindling my libido. I found this a good solution and did try both higher and lower levels for testosterone. A test had my level at 122 so it was about what I felt it should be.

So your basic theory works fine that way. I am not really in a position to say how it works towards male baldness. I am over 60 now so had progressed along that path reasonably far before we got into the castration mode. But my thought is that, assuming you had a normal level of testosterone pre-castration of something mid range like 500-600 and now would be in the 100-125 range that is less than 1/4th of the normal amoung so any contribution to DHT should be minimal. The great attribute of using testosterone gel is that you have the ability to control your particular dose at anything you choose up to the amount your doctor may prescribe. My doctor gave me a prescription for 10 grams/day and I never took that full amont. I was able to convince my doctor that I didn't need a "normal" amount and we tried several different levels for a couple weeks at a time and then had a T test to establish my comfort level. I am happy with my strength level there and my bone density is now back to the normal range so he is happy as well.

The other thing to keep in mind is that if you find that any hair loss you might have is excessive and not something simply genetically based is that you can then stop taking the TRT. You need the balls to go for it and see how this all fits you. If you had the balls to get castrated, this seems like something you can handle. And, of course, everyone reacts somewhat differently so pay attention to what your body tells you.

[Caith721 (imported)]

I have male pattern baldness, and mine is definitely a genetic, inheirited condition. Was your maternal grandfather balding? If so, you have a 1 in 4 chance (I believe) of having the condition. It's known that the conversion of T into DHT (di-hydro-testosterone) is a major cause of the baldness, hence the sales of Propecia (finasteride) and Avodart (dutasteride) which greatly reduce the DHT levels. If you're maintaining a very low level of T, I seriously doubt there would be a significant amount of DHT present, regardless of genetics.

[gandalf (imported)]

I am one that went from 5grams daily to 2.5 daily and have no problems with strength, energy or such. Of course, being in my 70's now might be one reason for loss of energy. I have male pattern baldness which is genetic. Men on both sides of my family have it so I was expecting it.

[devi (imported)]

There are actually many different patterns and genes for baldness. Some may be testosterone dependent wheras others may not be. Occasionally a male can have two 'X' chromosomes (in addition to the 'y' chromosome). Because of this and the fact that most of the baldness genes are carried on the 'X' chromosome this type of male will be just as likely as a female to not go bald. I started looking into this and doing some research when a (bald) cousin of mine confronted me and asked me, "Out of ALL your relatives you are the one and only who is NOT bald? So WHAT is your secret? I mean like WE'D like to know too." All I could answer was, "Well I don't know. I just don't know. I haven't ever done anything. I just have no idea."