Pure Spironolactone=Infertile/Sterile?

[Guest chibi_usa]

I had talked to my gender therapist, and she says that Spiro will not cause infertility/sterile as long as I'm not taking estro.... However I read soooo much on forums that said that it does cause sterile/infertile, even without estro, and it's making me uncomfortable.

Also does it cause infertility or sterility? Because there's a difference. (Sterile=no sperm at all, Infertile=Little sperm or low sperm function) If so, will I be able to stop for a long period and I will be fertile again?

Has there been anybody that has been sterile permanently because of just pure spironolactone?

P.S. I plan on switching my therapist.

Edited August 30, 2012 by chibi_usa
dosage values removed T&C

[Drea]

I say ask your doctor.

[Guest chibi_usa]

I say ask your doctor.

... It already said I asked my doctor... It's just that I looked it up on the internet and some people say you can be infertile.

[Guest DesiB]

The answer is "no," just as high cholesterol does not equal heart attack or stroke.

A better question would be, "Will spiro make someone more or less fertile?" To that question, the answer is clearly "less fertile."

So you need to decide if you are willing to go that direction while not knowing exactly when you'll cross the line, perhaps irreversibly. No one here can tell you when that point will come and no one here can be blamed if you take the risk and cross that line.

[VickySGV]

Not being sure what you mean by pure, does not help the problem. Spironolactone, aka Aldactone is On Lable prescribed for the treatment of high blood pressure, which was how I got started on the stuff two years before I had any intention of going on HRT. The scare sheets as I call them gave a whole list of side effects for Spiro, including the fertility issue which simply said it would POSSIBLY decrease. Another use of the Aldactone is to manage pre cancerous issues with the prostate gland, and if you are looking at cancer, your fertility is not going to be high on your mind. MtF HRT is an OFF Lable use of the drug, and your doctor will have to be the one to balance your desires with his medical expertise. If you have communicated your needs and intentions to the doctor, then he needs to manage your entire body to get the results you want. It is not an exact science measured in femtoliters per random molecule of chocolate to keep you hot and sexually arroused vs cold and limp. Only you will know when the test results show up or the lightning rod no longer tingles.

[Guest KimberlyF]

I say ask your doctor.

... It already said I asked my doctor... It's just that I looked it up on the internet and some people say you can be infertile.

The doctor who would give you the prescription, not your therapist.

[Sakura]

I know with undoubted certainty, that is can dry up the baby resevoir. i know of far tomany trans women , that admit after 1-2 years of constant hrt use ( some times just a few months ) they do not get so much as a dribble out of it, when erm stimulated properly. so it can reduce both semen and sperm productivity. so for lack of better reasoning if you are not producing baby batter. then you are likely not potent. not to say that it happens to all that take it though it is a very real possibility and seems to happen to most i have spoken too. and even so a possiblity that it may remain permanent.

but a chance one takes ?

Sakura

[Guest chibi_usa]

What I mean by "Pure" Spiro is that no use of estrogen at all. Just... pure spiro.

[Guest Leah1026]

There is no such thing as "Pure" Spiro, just different dosages. And Spiro doesn't make anyone sterile, it merely blocks testosterone from doing it's usual job, hence it being called a "blocker". Infertility, if it happens, is usually associated with prolonged use of estrogen.

And as always: Ask your doctor.

[Guest DesiB]

"Common causes for male infertility are impaired sperm production, impaired sperm delivery, and testosterone deficiency (hypogonadism).

Infertility can result from a condition that is present at birth (congenital) or can develop later (acquired)."

http://www.healthcommunities.com/male-infertility/causes.shtml

Taking spiro, thereby blocking testosterone, would fall under the category of an acquired condition that can cause male infertility. Taking estrogen would be an alternative or an additional route to a similar effect. It is a risk either way.

[Guest chibi_usa]

"Common causes for male infertility are impaired sperm production, impaired sperm delivery, and testosterone deficiency (hypogonadism).

Infertility can result from a condition that is present at birth (congenital) or can develop later (acquired)."

http://www.healthcom...ty/causes.shtml

Taking spiro, thereby blocking testosterone, would fall under the category of an acquired condition that can cause male infertility. Taking estrogen would be an alternative or an additional route to a similar effect. It is a risk either way.

Thanks. Ummm but this is reversible right?

[Guest Pammy]

I would say that it depends on the dosage. I can say that it made me infertile. But perhaps in the dosage intended by the manufacturer, it will not. I can't say for sure. The "scare sheets" (I thought I was the only one who thought of them that way ) list the side effects for the intended dosage. We usually take more. It's not really dangerous, but it's off-label from the manufacturer's intention.

Love

Pam

[Guest DesiB]

Thanks. Ummm but this is reversible right?

You will not become instantly and irreversibly sterile overnight with the slightest dosages. So sure, it's irreversible. Now that some stranger has told you that, do you feel safe to risk it?

If you were not afraid to lose your reproductive capability, I doubt if you'd be asking these questions. So assuming you do not want to lose that function, my best advice is not to do anything known to have such a risk--to any degree. How fertile are you now? Maybe you are already barely capable of producing enough quality sperm to impregnate a woman as you are? I doubt if any doctor is going to test your sperm and then say she or he can calculate the exact dosages of feminizing hormones you can tolerate without pushing you past the point of no return. And I know no one on here can tell you exactly where that line might be for you either. But fertility is a fragile thing for some people, so I do not doubt that a such line does exist. Maybe someone else is willing to tell you unconditionally that you can take one or both of the previously mentioned hormones and never become permanently sterile. I am convinced there is more than a slight risk you will. Ultimately, the choice is yours.

[Guest DesiB]

oops--I meant so say, "So sure, it's reversible." (Not: "So sure, it's irreversible.")

[Guest Mia J]

As has been said already you need to talk to your doctor about this.

No one here is qualified to give you the correct answer and we do not give out medical advice on the forums.

Your doctor is the one who knows your history and would be in a position to give you the most correct information.

Mia

[Guest Paradox]

Yes, no, maybe. Dosage and your individual blood chemistry will determine the answer. Time and dose hold the answer. Probabilities determined by same. It's serious business and we cannot choose for you or advise in the place of a doctor.

Good luck with your decisions.

[Guest chibi_usa]

My doctor said that (Can't say the number but it's a high does of spiro) Will not effect my fertility... ""... But I STILL feel unsure because of other places I read saying like blahhh no more kids. Also it's used on pplz with high blood pressure? (I think?

[Guest Mia J]

Why would anyone take the word of a non medical unprofessional on the internet over their own doctor.

If you don't trust what your doctor has said get a second opinion from another doctor.

And if you really have serious worries you might want to think over that maybe you should not be doing hormone therapy at this time.

Mia

[Guest DesiB]

Why would anyone take the word of a non medical unprofessional on the internet over their own doctor.

If you don't trust what your doctor has said get a second opinion from another doctor.

The first sentence is a straw-man argument--The straw man being the "non-medical unprofessional."

Have you ever wondered why the phrase "get a second opinion" is so well-known and commonly used?

Medical professionals often have mutually exclusive disagreements, hence they are not all correct all the time. I do not trust anyone simply because of a professional title. Nor do I trust information simply because it is published on the internet. Even trustworthy first-hand testimony is anecdotal rather than generalizable. We can never obtain absolute certainly, but we can follow the preponderance of evidence (if it has even been gathered) and logic. The bottom line is . . . well, that's where your name will be on the consent form.

One other thought: You do not have to choose between taking hormones or not based on a foreseeable risk of losing fertility, perhaps reversibly. You can use a sperm bank. Even then, there are no guarantees, but it puts a few more odds in your favor (I know, if you can afford it--transitioning is not cheap).

[Guest chibi_usa]

Why would anyone take the word of a non medical unprofessional on the internet over their own doctor.

If you don't trust what your doctor has said get a second opinion from another doctor.

And if you really have serious worries you might want to think over that maybe you should not be doing hormone therapy at this time.

Mia

I prefer a person that went through this to know. That's why I asked internet. Also that's why I did a poll. And btw I asked a gender therapist, doctor, and pharmacist.

Does spiro make me sterile?

Both my Gender therapist-No.

Doctor- I don't know.

Pharmacist- It's just for high blood pressure and it's FDA approved I doubt it.

That's why I go for the internet. So people that have went through what I did, would most likely know.

[Drea]

I prefer a person that went through this to know. That's why I asked internet. Also that's why I did a poll. And btw I asked a gender therapist, doctor, and pharmacist.

I would point out that to my knowledge, nobody responding has had the experience of being on spiro alone and then conceiving children after stopping so in that sense, you have yet to get that information.

I would tend to agree with doctor, don't know. The Pharmacist is referring to the on book usage and since off book dosage for T supression may not conform to normal use, it could be different. I suspect eradication of T probability has a good chance of causing problems in the fertility area, but stopping, if T comes back, it may be reversible.

I also tend to agree with those who suggest, if losing fertility is a concern, it probably wouldn't be good to start without banking some sperm first.