Do you think that your HRT might have been somehow responsible for the heart attack? I tend to suspect that to be the case, based on what I've read. Although there is still some debate as to the exact role of various androgens on the progression of CVD - with some of the studies conflicting each other - I have found a strong consistency among several studies wich demonstrate that natural testosterone (or HRT) tend to increase blood pressure by about 5 to 15 points, lower HDL cholesterol as well as increase fibrinogen levels - all of wich constitue important risk factors in the development of CVD. On the other hand, most of the studies also show that castration and HRT have only a minimal effect on LDL cholesterol.
JeffEunuch (imported) wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:56 am My information is it's not true that heart problems are mostly a male thing. I understand it is true that males experience them sooner than women.
I lived with moderately high cholesterol levels for 15-20 years until I suffered a heart attack earlier this year. I was lucky it was mild and the artery that was blocked could be repaired with non-invasive introduction of a stent through an incision in the artery in the groin. I'm now entirely healed and am back to marathon running. It's hopefully a good thing that my doc's given up on reducing my cholesterol levels with diet - wasn't working even though I was observing fairly good eating habits and am quite active physically - and I'm ingesting a pharmaceutical to reduce the levels. While I was in hospital only 4 days, the cardiologist had no issue with my doing AndroGel while there when he learned I had no testicles.