Comments on castration effects? 14 January

[Andrew (imported)]

Every Eunuch will have different effects from his castration. YMWV = Your Mileage Will Vary. Those who do not choose to take Testosterone Replacement Therapy can expect the following.

Infertility, in all cases. If this could be an issue, bank some sperm beforehand.

Some (but by no means all) eunuchs develop “The Eunuch Calm”, a feeling of tranquil contentment, with reduced or eliminated thoughts of sex, aggression, and ambition. This has happened to me, but, again, YMWV.

Reduced libido, erections, and nocturnal emissions, sometimes to the point of total impotence and asexuality.

Weight gain, including subcutaneous body fat. (This thin layer of fat causes the skin to become softer and smoother.) You will need a lifetime diet and exercise program to avoid this problem.

Loss or thinning of body hair, but male pattern baldness slows down or stops. Reduced body odor. The pitch of your voice will not change.

Loss of lean muscle mass (hence muscle weakness, increased fatigue, and loss of stamina). Your shoulders will become narrower and you will lose muscle definition in your upper torso without a VIGOROUS exercise program.

Little to mild breast development (gynecomastia), and mild fat redistribution around the hips and thighs.

The penis may shrink.

Hot flushes and night sweats. Very much a YMWV happening. Some eunuchs take low levels of estrogen to counteract this. Consult your Physician.

POSSIBLE moodiness and tearfulness. Do not be surprised if you start crying far more frequently over what may seem to be trivial matters.

There MIGHT be cognitive losses, mostly in spatial orientation and short term memory.

Osteoporosis should be your #2 concern. Your chances of getting this disease are greater if you were castrated before the age of 40. Castration before age 25 MIGHT involve additional problems if your body has not yet finished its post-puberty growth. You should take at least 1,500 MG of calcium and 400 IU of Vitamin D daily. Shortly before or after castration, you should have a bone density scan, and after that a scan every two years. A proper diet and exercise program will help in the battle against osteoporosis.

DEPRESSION! This MUST be your #1 concern. Post-surgical depression is very likely as your testosterone levels crash. Chronic depression IS a major concern, and MAY require professional therapy (including antidepressants) before, during, and after the surgery. You need to consider the issue of depression BEFORE castration. If it is an issue before hand, it will almost certainly become a much larger one afterward. Castration before age 25 MIGHT increase your risk. Some eunuchs may have to take various amounts of testosterone to alleviate depression and other problems.

A Final Thought: most Physicians have no experience in caring for the hypogonadal male. Consider finding a Physician who has a thorough working knowledge on the problems and treatments of menopausal and post-menopausal women. Whilst the biology of a Eunuch and a post-menopausal woman are not identical, there is some significant overlap.

This list has been put together with the help of members of The Eunuch Archives.

http://www.eunuch.org/

@@@@@@@@

Please confine comments on this thread to ways of improving this list. Please discuss side issues elesewhere.

[An Onymus (imported)]

Welcome back, Andrew. Hope Conway and the rest of your crew didn't get cold and/or lonely while you were in OK.

The list looks quite comprehensive to me. My only real criticism is an editing one--the typo of "increases" instead of "increase" in paragraph 14.

I've read that castration tends to decrease the basal metabolism rate, but I think you'd only want to include that sort of info, in a more abstract and clinical rundown--it wouldn't really be considered an observable symptom.

The note about the tone of voice not changing is interesting--I wonder if it's true in all cases, although it seems unlikely that the voice box would change much because of a hormonal change after puberty.

[Christina (imported)]

Welcome back Andrew,

A few things I could think of that may be of interest. Head hair (excluding facial hair) may grow at a faster rate. Also, fingernails may grow faster, but may tend to be brittle (possible effect of calcium changes). I'm sure you've noticed when us girls break a nail.

[Andrew (imported)]

Welcome back Andrew,

A few things I could think of that may be of interest. Head hair (excluding facial hair) may grow at a faster rate. Also, fingernails may grow faster, but may tend to be brittle (possible effect of calcium changes). I'm sure you've noticed when us girls break a nail.

I have not noticed any increase in the rate that my head hair grows, but my facial hair comes in at about 1/5 of its former rate. And, yes, my fingernails seem to be quite brittle. Not sure if this is a result of the cstration or just getting older.

[Blaise (imported)]

Welcome back Andrew,

A few things I could think of that may be of interest. Head hair (excluding facial hair) may grow at a faster rate. Also, fingernails may grow faster, but may tend to be brittle (possible effect of calcium changes). I'm sure you've noticed when us girls break a nail.

I very much enjoy your comments and observations. They unfailing share information and light. Thank you.

[Andrew (imported)]

The list looks quite comprehensive to me. My only real criticism is an editing one--the typo of "increases" instead of "increase" in paragraph 14.

I have corrected that grammar slip, and thank you for pointing it out.