I have ready alot about castration and been considering it for a while. that said i would appreciate very honest answers to a few questions before i proceed further.

1: It seems like the majority of voluntary castrations have some hidden regret that they are masking. Without becoming negative, because its a choice thats already been made, would you do it again.

2: If one of the major goals is to reduce the testosterone in your system, does taking the HRT just give you a more controlled level or are you right back where you started but without the physical equipment. (plus what is the cost of HRT, is it covered by insurance.)

3: how sever is the depression associated with post castration.

4: as i mentioned in a post in a different thread. is Dr. Kimmel still in a fully fuctioning place at his age.

thanks

Dave

David - to answer your questions in the order you asked (see below):

1. I would say for every 100 things I'm happy about regarding castration I only have 1 regret, and it is usually minor.

2. My goal was never to reduce testosterone in my system. I simply did not want to have testicles. I do know that now I can moderate my level of testosterone, but it's not like flipping a switch as many fantasy people would think. You do have some level of control (especially using androgel or similar) but definitely not a light switch.

3. I only had one severe bout with depression, and that was when I was getting my hormone levels in check once I started my HRT. I did have a couple of episodes where I wanted to go stick my head in the oven, then I remembered I have an electric oven. Depression is something that a new eunuch will have to take into consideration, especially if they do not plan on HRT.

4. Since I have never met or spoken with Dr. Kimmel I will not speculate as to his condition and mental health. That is something I'll leave for those that have been to see him recently.

David you (and only you) have permission to contact me regarding your posting here.

I hope this helps.

DavidB (imported) wrote: Sun Sep 16, 2007 6:24 am I have ready alot about castration and been considering it for a while. that said i would appreciate very honest answers to a few questions before i proceed further.

1: It seems like the majority of voluntary castrations have some hidden regret that they are masking. Without becoming negative, because its a choice thats already been made, would you do it again.

2: If one of the major goals is to reduce the testosterone in your system, does taking the HRT just give you a more controlled level or are you right back where you started but without the physical equipment. (plus what is the cost of HRT, is it covered by insurance.)

3: how sever is the depression associated with post castration.

4: as i mentioned in a post in a different thread. is Dr. Kimmel still in a fully fuctioning place at his age.

thanks

Dave

DavidB I have no regrets about castration it was much needed and a great benefit to me. I do regret what might have triggered this need. I am very happy with who I am today but for years I had wished I was a normal male. It would not have mattered if I were straight or gay I was not comfortable being male. I am now a normal eunuch.

I have never used HRT so I have no knowledge of +'s or -'s.

As far as depression I have less today then when under the influence of testosterone. I do not remember any depression post castration. I was mostly glad it was done and time to get on with life.

Please share with us, if you are comfortable, your reasons for considering castration. Thanks.

i just have to say, if your not 100% confident about it, then wait till you are. I had accepted it 100% before it happened for me but now i have absolutely no regrets about loosing them...

The regrets i do have are based in my sterility, but i was that way before so its not linked to my castration.

I am on TRT and i love it, i lived 5 years with no T and feel like I'm catching up on lost time..

I was on chems before and i had lots of depression issues pre-castration, i was on small estrogen dose to mute it but that resulted in minor feminizing, not desirable to me really, but i live with it.. If i had taken a full dose of estrogen i would have wound up very feminized after the 5 years i was on chem castration, mostly depo provera and then lupron depot.. lol..

Here is my feelings. I was on androcur for over 2.5 years before my castration some 2 years ago. I was on a drug that reduced the hormone level for a few years before. The later only had a minor effect. I knew what I was getting myself into long before I was castrated. On to your questions.

1. It was a choice for me. Something that I wanted back into my early childhood. Can not really explain it. I would do it again if I had a choice. Most of the effects I knew and experienced for years before being done. So there was no real surprise. The emotional changes seem to be changing long afterwards. I am far more emotional today then 10 years ago.

2. I have not had any HRT and no desire for it. My insurance will not cover HRT.

3. I have lived with 3 guys all post castration. Each seems to be effected differently. Best way to see how you will be effected is to try chemical castration first.

4. Have not meet the doctor. It seems like some love him and others have had a real bad experience with infections and the like.

thanks to everyone who has and or will reply.

to answer why i have chosen to do this, and yes i have made the choice, i have an apt a week from Wednesday. Even though i have considered this option for a long while, as the day nears i am trying to be as prepared as i can be. thats why the questions about post depresion and if i should plan on starting with some HRT right of the bat and then go down or not.

I am very confident that this really is the right choice so here goes why:

1: I have a very strong libido that i do not like, beside becoming arroused constinently during the day, i dont like the lusting urge.

2: i am a very aggresive person and i sweat the small stuff way to much. I am a walking stroke victim if i dont get more calm and stability.

3: extreme macho aproach to things has lead me to make some very poor choices over the years.

4: i dont like the feel and look of my testicals, they arent large, there just normal, but i feel very uncomfortable almost all of the time.

5: there is alot of debate out there on if this effect is true, and i know i am probably not the only person, but i would actually like a smaller penis, so if it shrinks afterwards, i am really cool with that.

this isnt a fetish or sex driven thing for me. although i get stimulated frequently i dont have a lot of sex or masterbation. I am in a very supportive and happy 16 year relationship and he is totally cool with me doing this.

so new question sack or no sack, thats one thing i am not sure 100% about at all.

again thanks to everyone

well as for the cost of HRT, the Testrostone cyp itself costs me 25$ for 10 weeks worth at wallgreens. My Doctor orders lots of blood tests and i dont know if that would be covered under your insurance..

Free Testrostone test costs about $48 by itself though. once monthly for me.

and sack verses no sack, ive been bounceing back and forth on that, im thinking im getting prostetics soon...

I was on Androcur for greater than 3 years before the knife. I am glad that I following Bobbie's and Luvpain99's advise and did it. I have no regrets in being castrated now. I saw no difference between chemical castration and surgical castration. I am a much better man without T.

Hi, DavidB

It is so great that you are doing your research before you proceed with castration. That really is the smart thing to do.

I will answer your first set of questions, and then I will comment on your set of reasons

Questions:

1. It's kind of hard to explain, because a part of me does regret my castration, and another part of me doesn't regret it at all. But keep in mind there is a very real possibility of serious regrets, and surgical castration can never be undone once done. I also believe that chemical does permanent damage to your balls when done for a length of time.

2. You have some level of control with HRT. Some eunuchs take a full dose, others take less. Many take none. All up to you. But keep in mind that most eunuchs report that HRT is NOT like real T - very different and usually does not work as well as natural T. With insurance, the cost of HRT will depend on your policy. There is a chance it will not be covered if they discover your surgery was elective - otherwise there should be at least some degree of coverage offered. Without insurance, shots run from $70-$100 per bottle (a bottle lasts anywhere from 1-5 months depending on dose), and gels are $250-$500 per month depending on dose.

That covers T, but remember that E is an option many eunuchs choose. There are risks involved, so make sure you know and understand them Generally E will be cheaper than T, with the possible exception of injectable E. Insurance will most likely not cover E if you are in their system as male.

3. Potentially very severe. Even suicidally severe. Or you may get nothing. All depends on the person. Some studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that other areas of mental health are affected by hypogonadism as well. In my case, I have a lifelong unrelated depression, so I really couldn't tell how my surgery affected things - but I believe it didn't help.

4. It's been too long since my visit to Kimmel, so I cannot comment on his present state. When I was there, I thought he mostly seemed fine - just a few incidents of repeating himself.

Ok, now for your reasons

1. A common reason given by many eunuchs. Just be sure to ask yourself if never having any sexual desires again is what you really want - that means forever Or would you be happy with a more moderate libido?

2. That could be due to so many different things - may not be hormones at all. Losing T may do nothing in that respect if it is not related to T.

3. I do think T plays a role in risk-taking behavior, and the poor choices may decline without T. However, once again there are no guarantees it is T related or that lack of T will change it.

4. A valid reason. Many other eunuchs share it. I personally am happier without them there.

5. My penis did shrink, or at least seem to shrink, after my cut. How much of it is actual shrinkage and how much is due to not as much blood flow is what the debate is all about

About sack versus no sack, I went with sack. I think it makes it easier if you want to lie to a doctor about why it happened, among other reasons.

Sounds like you taking all the right steps. Just be sure you really want this forever, because there is no undoing it, and HRT is not the same. Best wishes