Guys,

Can anyone tell me if they have heard of research linking orchidetomy with depression. I had a (single) orhidectomy 5 years ago after being diagnosed with testicular cancer and have since had terible problems with anxiety and depression. (as well as low libido and a number of other things such as stomach problems)

Obviously I still have one working testicle so I think the theory is that it should take over the production of testosterone and the op should have little effect on my body. Obvioulsy all these issues may well be unrelated, but I would appreciate any experiences of similar things, particularly from people who just had a single orchidectomy.

Thanks in advance.

Adam.

It is a fact that lowering or virtually eliminating the male hormones from your body will cause depression. HOWEVER, it does not happen to everyone who gets physically castrated or otherwise suffers from decreased hormone output in his body. Everyone is different, and as we often say, your mileage may vary.

There are certainly others here who know what you are going through and will understand. Then again, there are others who have not experienced the depression side effect. It's very odd, indeed.

If your onset of depression set in after having one testicle taken out, then I'd say it's not outputting 100% of what it should. You should have a blood test done to see if you need HRT, that is, if you WANT it.

Guys,

boner (imported) wrote: Wed Feb 25, 2004 10:23 am Can anyone tell me if they have heard of research linking orchidetomy with depression. I had a (single) orhidectomy 5 years ago after being diagnosed with testicular cancer and have since had terible problems with anxiety and depression. (as well as low libido and a number of other things such as stomach problems)

Obviously I still have one working testicle so I think the theory is that it should take over the production of testosterone and the op should have little effect on my body. Obvioulsy all these issues may well be unrelated, but I would appreciate any experiences of similar things, particularly from people who just had a single orchidectomy.

Thanks in advance.

Adam.

Adam,

I lost a testicle caused by a testicular cancer scare in 1993. At the time, my doctor did not check the performance level of my remaining testicle. As it turns out, my remaining testicle was not working at normal capacity. I found out when I experienced hot flashes and asked the doctor what was going on? He performed a blood test to check my hormone level. I was quite low, you know like when you go to a service station and ask them to check your oil level. My hormone level was at about 273 or so. Much lower than the acceptable low point for men.

You should seek out answers to your questions from your doctor. We are here to help you through your difficulties but only your doctor can give you medical advice.

Let us know what you find out. We are all interested in your health and welfare. Do yourself a favor and get to the bottom of this issue before you hit rock bottom...

Happy Trails Adam,

Robby

I'm forwarding this question directly to Dr. Richard Wassersug, a professor of medicine. He has done some research on the link between depression and testosterone. He is currently on the road and it may take a while for him to respond. Keep checking back, his answer will be based on enough cases to give good information. From my conversations with him, I would say that Robby's practical experience response is very close to the scientific one.

Hello Jesus,

There is growing evidence that testosterone fights off depression, but the evidence is not uniform. For example, in very elderly men the evidence is weaker than in younger males.

It is my personal impression that a lot of MtFs stay on anti-depressant medication, even after transitioning and sexual reassignment surgery. The same with a lot of prostate cancer patients after chemcial castration.

Similarly a few of the non-tranny and non-prostate cancer eunuchs that I have communicated with seem to end up on anti-depressants, if not supplemental androgens, after castration. The simple fact is that no matter how unhappy one is with testicles, it doesn't follow that they will be happier without them.

I've pasted a couple titles and lines from the abstracts to some relevant papers published in the last six months.

Feel free to post this on the eunuch.org website.

Yours truly,

Richard Wassersug

------------------------------

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2004 Feb;61(2):162-7. Increased incidence of diagnosed depressive illness in hypogonadal older men.

Shores MM, Sloan KL, Matsumoto AM, Moceri VM, Felker B, Kivlahan DR.

Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA. molly.shores@med.va.gov

CONTEXT: Age-associated hypogonadism (testosterone deficit) occurs in 30% of men after the age of 55; it is associated with decreased muscle mass, bone mineral density, and libido, and with anorexia, fatigue, and irritability.

Although some of these symptoms overlap with those of depression, the association between the 2 disorders is unclear.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if hypogonadal men have an increased incidence of depressive illness compared with eugonadal men. DESIGN: Historical cohort study using computerized medical records, followed by a manual medical record review.

SETTING: Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System.

PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred seventy-eight men 45 years and older, without prior diagnosed depressive illness and with consistently normal or low testosterone levels (total testosterone level < or =200 ng/dL [< or =6.94 nmol/L]; or free testosterone level < or =0.9 ng/dL [< or =0.03 nmol/L]) at baseline and during a 2-year follow-up period.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of, and time to, a depression diagnosis. RESULTS: The 2-year incidence of diagnosed depressive illness was 21.7% in hypogonadal men vs 7.1% in others (chi2(1)=6.0, P=.01). A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed a significant difference between hypogonadal and eugonadal men in time to diagnosed depression (log-rank test chi2(1)=6.9, P=.008). We used Cox proportional hazards regression models to examine the association of hypogonadism and time to depression diagnosis, adjusting for age, race, number of clinic visits, alcohol use disorders, prostate cancer, and overall medical comorbidity. The unadjusted hazard ratio for depression with hypogonadism was 3.5 (95% confidence interval, 1.3-9.4) (P=.01). Controlling for all covariates, hypogonadism remained significantly associated with depression (adjusted hazard ratio, 4.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-12.0) (P=.008).

CONCLUSIONS: Hypogonadal men showed an increased incidence of depressive illness and a shorter time to diagnosis of depression. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these preliminary findings and to clarify the role of testosterone in the treatment of depressive illness in older men.

-------------------------------

AIDS Read. 2003 Dec;13(12 Suppl):S15-21. Testosterone replacement for hypogonadism: clinical findings and best practices.

Hengge UR.

Heinrich Heine University Medical School, Dusseldorf, Germany.

"In hypogonadal men with AIDS treated with testosterone replacement therapy, researchers noted a positive effect on depression scores."

Yoli here...

This thread made us curious as to whether our eunuch friend, Barry, suffered depression post-castration. I called him last night (he lives in Lubbock, visits here when he can.) and he was very open on the subject.

In a nutshell (pun intended) he claims he has NOT suffered from depression over his castration,per se, about six years ago, but he did have some problems with the idea of his mother finding out.

He slipped in the shower while visiting her a few months after castration.She heard the thump and dashed in to see what had happened. He was lying semi-coocoo in the tub and she saw that something was missing. BIG reaction. She asked a lot of questions, but somehow accepted the fact that castration was his wish AND his right to achieve same.

Still, he knows that she had hoped he would marry and there'd be the patter of little feet. He realizes her dismay over the fact that he won't father kids for her to spoil. On the bright side, his sister has since married and produced two little ones, so all is well. (His dad and mom split when Barry was a teen, and his dad has no idea that Barry is a eunuch...probably for the best.)

Barry is as happy a camper as I've ever met. He's always cheerful and ready to have fun, sexually or otherwise. Maybe that makes him a relative rarity, but that's the way it is. We do wonder if that will change in later years. If it does, we can mention it here, assuming we are still kicking and able to do so.

I hope this adds something worthwhile to this thread.

Hugs,

Yolanda (AKA Yoli)

Your Raving Reporter in San Antonio.

(Ash says "Hi" to all)

Just only a curiosity... how old is your friend Barry?

Guys,

Thanks for some excellent replies and info. It's extremely interesting to hear of people in a simlar situation and I think this has perseuded me to ask my doc for a blood test. I think the reason I'm looking into this is because this depressive patch has taken so much by surprise. I never used to let life get to me at all, then one day I couldn't cope, and I can't shake it, it's been years now.

I'm not being naive here, I'm aware that depression springs up on people like that and they mey be unrelated. But in light of your responses I'm surpised my doctor hasn't at least checked my blood testosterone levels to make sure. After all, how much effort does it take?

Thanks again, I'm glad I posted my question now, you've been a great help.

Regards, Adam.

Silenzio (imported) wrote: Fri Feb 27, 2004 12:47 pm Just only a curiosity... how old is your friend Barry?

Silenzio,

Hi.

Barry admits to "30-something". He is within a year of Ashleigh, my bigirl lover and friend (they attended Texas Tech at the same time), and she is low-to-middle "30-something". If I had to guess, I'd say Barry is 34-35, tops. BTW, does it matter?

Hope this helps.

Hugs

Yolanda (AKA Yoli)

The Crazy Texas Babe