Hi all,

I’m for all intents and purposes a chemical eunuch, been on Androcur for six months. I plan to go the surgical route soon. However my only concern is the potential for osteoporosis, as that seems to be the number one post op health concern. My questions to the long timers here are:

- Is osteoporosis always inevitable, post op or is that dependent on the individual?

- How long have you been castrated and have you experienced osteoporosis

- Lastly, what if any measures have you taken to prevent osteoporosis.

Thanks in advance for any info.

E-

I have no experience with osteoporosis other than not wanting it. I'm on estradiol to keep it at bay.

My understanding is that without a sex hormone you can (will?) get osteoporosis. Why would you want to chance it? What difference does it make if someone else did get it or not?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8996327

Orchiectomy for prostate cancer is frequently followed by severe osteoporosis,

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ful ... 03.04442.x

Hypogonadism, no matter how caused, compromises bone metabolism in men.

and...

Many studies have shown that hypogonadism has an adverse effect on the male skeleton and this effect is directly proportional to the duration. It is also more pronounced in patients with continuous ADT and surgical castration than in those with intermittent regimens.

Odds? For a Eunuch 100% from what I understand. Which is the primary reason I went on estradiol after three years without testosterone. I always have taken a calcium and vitamin D supplement to stave off bone loss and yet feared it would not be enough.

It is estradiol that protects bone health. In an intact male there is usually enough testosterone that is converted to estradiol by the aromatase enzyme. With increasing age and lower testosterone levels, some intact males need a bit of added estradiol to prevent osteoporosis. For eunuchs, the need is greater.