no preview available
Bluebond doesn't have you stop hormones anymore but every surgeon is different
So this was actually what Schaff also told me in October when i had my consultation with him, but the document i received seems to have changed that. Thanks for the answer!
Dr McGinn's documentation also says to stop hormones but I was not required to. Follow what you were told at your consultation, as you may have been given patient specific instructions that were different than documentation which may not have been updated for you.
I'm on estradiol pellet implants and Dr McGinn did not require me to "be off hormones" for surgery. Also, you really can't remove pellet implants and mine lasted for 13 months the first time with a consistent estradiol level around 260 pg/ml those 13 months.
Yeah, mine was the same with implants in Australia. They can't and won't try and fish it out. And even though my surgeon requires off estrogen, I somehow got an exception.
I only got the implant due to shortages of basically all kinds of estrogen in Aus last year. So don't have to worry about that now.
Are you going to stay on implants long term?
I'm not sure. It depends on how the next few months go, but I'm considering it. Since it basically removes my need to take hrt regularly. I don't need blockers anymore since surgery sooo...
Yeah, that is the good thing about them.
I’d like to hear more about this.
What specifically would you like to hear more about?
pellet implants??? what are those
did ur insurance cover it?
No. It's considered a compounded medicine, for which insurances often doesn't cover.
i wonder if it could be argued that since it’s for transgender care then it would be covered the same way they used to not cover breast augmentation as it was considered cosmetic but now they cover it
That would be a discussion you'd have to have with your insurer. I do believe it's been covered for some people so it's not universally true that it's never covered.
Thanks.. Doesn't look like anything I could get done here.
The new version of the WPATH has a call out in it stating that it is not recommended to stop as the negative mental health issues are not worth the minimal physical risks.
Munich Bogenhausen (kinda similar technique) had me stopped 14 days prior (also injections) for the first surgery and now 2 days prior for revision
It’s probably an outdated protocol, and there seems to be a gradual shift towards not stopping. But are you going to risk getting your surgery cancelled because you didn’t stop?
https://www.reddit.com/r/TransSurgeriesWiki/wiki/srs/introduction#wiki_stopping_hrt_before_surgery
Basically i dont really know, i made this post in a rush and also wrote an email to the clinic before i made the post. So i'll figure out what Dr Schaff's recommendation is before i make any decision i guess =)
For injections no need to stop. Just stop Androcur. If you have very high levels you could consider reducing dosage. Only pills increase the risk of blood clots and androcur does a little bit too.
The real risk is from oestrogens taken by mouth. That greatly increases the risk of blood clots/thrombosis. The risk from injections, patches or gels is far less, if there is any at all.
My surgeon asks us to stop taking estrogen before surgery but I got an exception since nobody wanted to try and find it. My estrogen is in an implant, surgically implanted inside my stomach. I'm now a week and a half post op and not had any issues.
For reference, my last blood test for estrogen levels (3-4 weeks pre-op) were 700 pmol/L. Which, the target for not having surgery is upper ended at about 600 for most endos. The nurse was completely fine with that level though.
Thanks for the answers everyone:)
I was advised to stop because apparently there could be risks from an interaction with anaesthetic drugs and others they may give you as well as a possible risk of blood clots or more bleeding than usual.
I mean the Calexane should stop the clots from forming to begin with. If they use that with compression stockings, I don't really see the need to stop Mx.
I just received my pre-surgery packet Monday and it says to stop taking estrogen 2 weeks before my surgery date until 2 weeks after surgery or as otherwise directed by my surgeon post-op.
Honestly, I don't think it matters. I stopped before surgery, because my surgeon requested it. Didn't bother me too much.
all 31 comments