I'm not sure how long this website has been in operation, but I think I've read it goes back to the 1990s. And there are a number of people involved with the Archive who, as far as I can tell, have been active in affairs related to those who want orchiectomies, or who have had the surgery, for as long as twenty years. And, when I accessed the Archive earlier this week, I had the thought that it would be interesting to get some sort of idea about whether the Archive has had a constructive effect. Also wondered about the perspective of members, over the last couple of decades, on what the general view, several years after surgery, has been.

I think, after reading through the archive, that there are some individuals who, because of gender dysphoria and similar states, can be considered to have clearly benefited by having orchietomies. If I remember right, the Fraj has observed that he could have avoided years of confusion and misery, if he had had the surgery earlier. And, too, there are those who simply had excessive sex drives or else their personalities were negatively impacted by their testosterone levels, and removal of the gonads had a distinctly positive effect for them.

But, at the same time, I think most people with long experience on the Archive can tell you, that some people want to have orchiectomies for reasons which aren't adequate, and which sometimes aren't even rational. So my question would be, in general, have those who have had orchiectomies over the last twenty years, generally been better off after the surgery or worse off, a few years on? I realize this is a complicated question, and there may be no definitive answer for a lot of people, but it is something which is a salient topic to explore. It is, of course, hard to determine whether somebody would have been better off if he hadn't had the surgery, because it's impossible to know what would have happened to him. Undoubtedly, a lot of people who have had the surgery, and may have had less than ideal results, are nevertheless better off than they would have been without the operation, because they would have spent their lives continually miserable because of their dissatisfaction with their gender characteristics if they hadn't had the orchiectomy. Still, I have to think that most people have made some judgement about whether their own surgery was beneficial, and those around them most likely have formed a general view of whether the person is better off or worse off.

Beyond that, the Archive has provided a place where those who are interested in having the gonads removed, can get information about the surgery, and where they can get advice from those who have gone down the same road before. So, is there any indication that the existence of the Archive, has reduced the incidence of people getting surgeries they really weren't ready for, and also the incidence of surgeries performed by incompetent persons? I don't know what percentage of those who are interested in orchiectomy, actually access the archive, but the number of hits on the website seems quite large.

One thing which seems to be typical about those who have had the surgery, is that even those who have expressed regrets, appear over time to become ambivalent about it--I think both Plix and IE have said they have wondered if they made the right decision in having the surgery, and some, like Krister, had less than ideal experiences during after their operations, and consequently must have regretted, at least, their choice of surgeons or "cutters." After a few years, of course, people become accustomed to the effects of the operations, they find that they have certain advantages or new opportunities, and the negative features of it tend to be more in the background than they might have been earlier.

Anyway, I think it is worthwhile to think about the effect of the Archive on those who fantasize about removal of the testes, those who have had the gonads removed, and those who have used pharmaceuticals to reduce testosterone levels. I don't access the Eunuch Archive much any more, but I learned quite a lot from it, and I think it has probably been the most constructive of those websites connected with the subject of voluntary orchiectomy.

I would say that the Archive has helped me to make my decision for castration and also was very helpful in my choosing the method and the means.

At times, I have had a few regrets, but they pass away quickly. My only true regret is that the EA did not exist some 30-years ago, when I truly needed to be castrated as atonement for my sins.

I should have done it earlier for pain relief. No regrets otherwise. EA at first kind of scared me. I think the sexual fetish aspect that some are into or whatever you want to call it. Anyway, there are a fairly large group of "medical" castrates (Non diy or fetish types) that had been instrumental in educating me in what this is about and taking away the fear of emasculation.

EA also broadened by horizons and through it I've become friends with a wide variety of people from different backgrounds. The whole thing of hormones and how they inflence us has made a lot of changes in my life and attitude to people with different issues.

I am way better off without my testicles. I have now been a eunuch long enough to realize how important it was for me to get castrated. I may have had some initial regrets because I no longer felt very sexual, but now, even with low dose testosterone, I finally feel in control of my life, whereas before, I was out of control. What a blessing that is! So I am glad I was castrated and only wish I had done it earlier.

Put me on the better off list. Castration helped me find my true gender as eunuch. Ended my sexual addiction problems once and for all. I have never had regrets.

well better off for me,

when the chronic pain is gone, things are alot better,

I have only been castrated since December 28, 2007. My sexual addiction has yet to die down completely though it is diminished by about 70%-85%.

Yet I enjoy being a eunuch much more than I anticipated because of the vast improvement in my self esteem and the peace known as "eunuch calm." I would do it again just for the peace. Those who don't like my values can go jump in a lake.

I think castration is way overblown. After all, in terms of irreversibility, it is absolutely no different than a vasectomy--assuming a vasectomy cannot be reversed surgically. This is because one can always replace the effect of one's lost testicles with hormone injections. I castrated myself at home and found it no bigger a deal than pulling a tooth or piercing an ear. (Yawn.)

"Live and let live," I say. Let men be safely castrated for whatever reasons they choose. Some people need to quit playing God with other people's lives and freedom. They need to stop passing judgment. In short, they need to pull their nose out of the crotch of people they don't know.

And let's not be encouraging the DIY job at home, though.

Thanks.

I suffered a chronic infection post a fight when I was 18 almost 19, I had damage occur then it turned into chronic bilateral orchitis.

This has been a huge hardship for myself, it is almost like not having a choice making it non elective.. My testicles atrophied specifically the cells that produce testosterone.

I am on testosterone gel, it has been working well.

I would say if it is elective you suffer less than not having a choice making it non elective., due to the forcefulness of it and you not wanting to have it.

Both I think could suffer if the wrong decision is made, however I have known a few guys around my age who have been happy as well as I am not sure if I should have done it.

Everyone is different depending on the person it could work out positive or negative, however I would say elective would be less traumatic than if you wanted it and knew it was going to happen, rather than the news to be blown to you later. (*This is very hard for guys who like masculinity as well as normal sex drive for a younger male with higer Testosterone levels.)

Either way you may need small doses of testosterone as well as calcium to keep your bone density where it should be or try to. Sometimes depending on why it is done it could be a female dose of hormones. Some guys are happy on low levels of testosterone, others at castrate and some of us at our normal high end levels, for some of us younger guys, just remember not every person is exactly the same.

Just my personal opinion no medical advise intended.

Some wonder what I am doing here.

Let me enlighten you. I am here because I want the end result of Eunuchism to be what this thread represents. I want to see mentally healthy gentlemen who have reasoned this out and are happy with their decision. You are all well qualified in that category.

Without a devil's advocate to cajole the impulsive to examine their motives and to be sure of their decisions one could sink into depression and suicide ideations very quickly after the fact. What we do not need is people blaming the E.A. for their decision if they should come to regret it later.

It is my wish that everyone who wants an elective castration is happy with their decision.

It is also helpful for others who have no choice in the matter for medical reasons to realize that there are some who want this and that this is not the end of their world after it is done.

You all seem to be happy. Congratulations with your new status and your new lives. I wish the best for all who come here.

And you are all my friends and I am grateful for that friendship.