Hello,

I’m new here and have just been lurking and reading posts and threads for a month or so and gleaning some knowledge and insight from the experiences that you have shared.

So, here’s my situation and what lead me to this site: I’m 47 and transgender-MTF or similar. Happily in a long-lasting domestic partnership with the potential for marriage with a cis female. We have no children and neither of us have any desire to have any. I have an overactive sex drive and masturbate at least once a day, sometimes more. Since I have no desire to have children, want to put a damper on my sex drive, want to experience some feminization, but am not sure that I want full SRS, and because of dysphoria, and not liking the feeling of my testicles getting in the way, I am seriously considering undergoing a bilateral orchiectomy. I live in the USA, so some of the drugs that I could use to try chemical castration are not available here, such as Androcur and I don’t really want to go on spiro because of the dietary and other restrictions associated with it. I have a consultation for an orchiectomy at a transgender clinic in May and I hope to have my letter of approval from my psychotherapist by then. In the meantime, I have been taking cimetidine, as well as some herbs to bring about some feminization and try to suppress my sex drive.

Anyway, I hope you are all well. Thanks for listening.

Welcome to the forums Minstrel, you'll find us a friendly crowd I hope... It sounds like you are starting off on the right path by reaching out to your local TG center... It's true that some of the drugs that are popular for chemical castration trials aren't available in the US, but considering that they do have some potentially problematic side effects that isn't necessarily a bad thing, and there are alternatives.

I started my chemical castration with Lupron shots which took me from low to castrate T levels with so little side effects that I wasn't sure it was working... After a few months of that, the doc put me on Estrogen patches (possibly the safest / lowest hassle form of E) which I will probably be on for life... (My SCI puts me at to much risk of bone health issues to ever go hormone free) I had my surgery (orchiectomy + scrotectomy) in September last year, and am very happy with the results.... I'm not happy with they amount of breast growth I've gotten on E, but from what you say, that might not be something that bothers you.

From what I've read on the topic, there is no reason not to consider the orchie, but until you decide what you want for further SRS surgeries I'd advise against removing the scrotum, as that is part of the material they use in the full SRS, especially if looking at a full depth vaginoplasty. Downside is that some here have found the empty scrotum is as much of an annoyance as the full one was...

Good luck and let us know if we can help you answer any questions on your journey...

WheelyFixed