MtF hormones and diabetes?

[Anonymous]

Hi Robyn,

I’m a Registered Nurse and used to relieve the Diabetic Educator in a major teaching hospital before I moved to Community Nursing

You father having Type II Diabetes places you at significant risk of developing this also

You say you are overweight. Moreso, this is increasing the risk you have of developing Type II Diabetes

It has now been realised if your waist is greater than 100cm, for have a marked increased risk of developing Type II Diabetes, Heart disease and stroke.

I am not aware of any risk of developing Type II Diabetes because you are taking HRT. It is important that you have a healthy liver to properly metabilise oestrogen, so minimise alcohol intake.

A balanced diet, and a sensible weight reduction exercise programme will reduce your risk of developing Diabetes, heart disease and stroke. You need to discuss these issues with your GP first, and possible see a Dietitian

Take Care
Christina

WARNING
TgR is not a medical forum and any comments you may read in TgR forums are only the opinions of the member posting. You should not assume that a posting on TgR implies any verification or independent review and whilst the advice is honestly offered it is made without knowledge of your particular medical conditions. You should always seek professional medical advice before taking any action that might affect your health.

[Anonymous]

That was interesting but what when you already have type one diabetes.

What happens with hormones? I have not started yet and may not if my partner stays but if she goes then I most likely will. Does diabetes impact hormones in effects and side effects. I have type one for only the last 15 years.

Thanks in advance.

Fran.

[Anonymous]

I cant say all that much about estrogen and its effects on developing or advancing Type 1 or 2 Diabetes but over the past year or so I have learnt a lot about testosterone and diabetes.Two years or so back “they ” thought Diabetes brought on low to very low levels of the hormone .Now its thought that diabetes in some males is brought on by low to very low levels of testosterone.I have copies of research papers that say that 40 to 60% of males with Type 2 have low to very low levels of the T stuff .Im told by my current endo and my previouis endo that diabetes follows low T levels and not vice versa. In my case I was diagnosed with a low level of T some 4 yrs back well before my diabetes 2 arrived. I had Testosterone prescribed for me to take orally via troche, but stopped taking it after 3 or so months – on th hysterical advice of my then GP and friends in the medical proffession who predicted the onset of prostate cancer ,roid rage and all the side effects of steroid abuse.I originally had the test on advice from a muscleo skeletal doctor who had been treating variuos joint injuries.Her advice was that low T levels hindered recovery from injury , hence I should have a blood test to see where I was in the male world
At this time no one seemed to know about a link between T and diabetes – well not the doctors I knew …. It was only by accident I saw a short article about the link in a email health bulletin I receive regularly.I googled it thoroughly and found around 20 articles on the topic – brought it to the attention of my GP (who had never heard of such) then to all my other ‘expert ‘ friends ( who were likewise uninformed ) I went immediately back onto T trouches Seeing my second endo I asked about the link , to be told “yes this is the case “, since then Ive been pumped full of testosterone via injection and it has certainly made a difference to me !
To give some idea of the levels I had ,I stopped taking T orally ( I had started taking T again on advice before I found out about this link ) for 6 weeks then had a test .Using the Roche method for total T I had 1.7 on a scale 1 to 48 where males, depending on age , show 10 to 48 .
My endo concluded I wasnt producing any T as this was a drop from 5.3 before I stopped taking oral T
Now some 6 months later my level has gone to 46.6 and I feel so much better for it
As far as Im aware having low levels of T will produce moderate to severe depression and lethargy similar to chronic fatigue syndrome, as well as a host of other problems – such as cardiac disease and osteoporosis to name two …
As for HRT and diabetes well you are reducing T by taking blocking agents but your replacing one major hormone ( T ) with two others (estrogen and progesterone ) BUT I would have thought you would ask your endo this question .My GP was of th opinion that reduction of T to low levels then supplementation with female hormones would reduce the risk of diabetes occurring … Just reducing T is a dangerous route to take …
Hope this is of help
Hugs
Suzz

WARNING
TgR is not a medical forum and any comments you may read in TgR forums are only the opinions of the member posting. You should not assume that a posting on TgR implies any verification or independent review and whilst the advice is honestly offered it is made without knowledge of your particular medical conditions. You should always seek professional medical advice before taking any action that might affect your health.

[Anonymous]

I got my first course of Progynova tablets today. Quite simply, the instruction leaflet said that if you are suffering from Diabetes or overweight amongst other things, you need to talk with your doctor first. In any case, the best thing to do is talk with your doctor anyway, while some of us here ARE more knowledgeable than others, your doctor/endo. is the best person to talk with I feel as they are the ones who are going to prescribe it to you. Ask advice here for sure, but don’t take it as the “be all and end all”, every human being is different and what works with some may not work with others.

Peta A.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Suzzanne, very helpful.

I just found out that my T level is quite low, about 5, with no HRT (all my other hormones are at typical male levels). It’s not great, I guess it’s probably the cause of this chronic fatigue kinda deal I’ve had for the last year and a half.

I’d really rather avoid taking T if I can help it… since I’ve been trying to convince doctors to give me estrogen for a while now!

Hopefully I can convince my new doctor that giving me female hormones is better than leaving me with barely any hormones at all.

Quote:

I cant say all that much about estrogen and its effects on developing or advancing Type 1 or 2 Diabetes but over the past year or so I have learnt a lot about testosterone and diabetes.Two years or so back “they ” thought Diabetes brought on low to very low levels of the hormone .Now its thought that diabetes in some males is brought on by low to very low levels of testosterone.I have copies of research papers that say that 40 to 60% of males with Type 2 have low to very low levels of the T stuff .Im told by my current endo and my previouis endo that diabetes follows low T levels and not vice versa. In my case I was diagnosed with a low level of T some 4 yrs back well before my diabetes 2 arrived. I had Testosterone prescribed for me to take orally via troche, but stopped taking it after 3 or so months – on th hysterical advice of my then GP and friends in the medical proffession who predicted the onset of prostate cancer ,roid rage and all the side effects of steroid abuse.I originally had the test on advice from a muscleo skeletal doctor who had been treating variuos joint injuries.Her advice was that low T levels hindered recovery from injury , hence I should have a blood test to see where I was in the male world
At this time no one seemed to know about a link between T and diabetes – well not the doctors I knew …. It was only by accident I saw a short article about the link in a email health bulletin I receive regularly.I googled it thoroughly and found around 20 articles on the topic – brought it to the attention of my GP (who had never heard of such) then to all my other ‘expert ‘ friends ( who were likewise uninformed ) I went immediately back onto T trouches Seeing my second endo I asked about the link , to be told “yes this is the case “, since then Ive been pumped full of testosterone via injection and it has certainly made a difference to me !
To give some idea of the levels I had ,I stopped taking T orally ( I had started taking T again on advice before I found out about this link ) for 6 weeks then had a test .Using the Roche method for total T I had 1.7 on a scale 1 to 48 where males, depending on age , show 10 to 48 .
My endo concluded I wasnt producing any T as this was a drop from 5.3 before I stopped taking oral T
Now some 6 months later my level has gone to 46.6 and I feel so much better for it
As far as Im aware having low levels of T will produce moderate to severe depression and lethargy similar to chronic fatigue syndrome, as well as a host of other problems – such as cardiac disease and osteoporosis to name two …
As for HRT and diabetes well you are reducing T by taking blocking agents but your replacing one major hormone ( T ) with two others (estrogen and progesterone ) BUT I would have thought you would ask your endo this question .My GP was of th opinion that reduction of T to low levels then supplementation with female hormones would reduce the risk of diabetes occurring … Just reducing T is a dangerous route to take …
Hope this is of help
Hugs
Suzz

[Anonymous]

I don’t know about diabetes, but all the research I found indicated that low levels of either male or female hormones is not good for you. You need one or the other to be in the normal range or you increase the risk of osteoporosis, and from experience I can tell you you will be fatigued.

Be aware though, Estrogen increases the risk of stroke, especially if you’re a smoker (which also increases the risk).

Neither supplementary doses of estrogen or testosterone have been proven to cause cancer, however there is speculation and non clinical trials that suggest there is slightly more risk of cancer when taking additional hormones.

Most of these facts can be found on the information sheets for Ralovera, Progynova and other drugs associated with HRT. Read the sheet properly before your start taking any medication and ensure your loved ones know what to look for if you have a negative reaction to the drug.

Take care,

Shells

[Anonymous]

Hi Everyone,

Quote:

I got my first course of Progynova tablets today. Quite simply, the instruction leaflet said that if you are suffering from Diabetes or overweight amongst other things, you need to talk with your doctor first. In any case, the best thing to do is talk with your doctor anyway, while some of us here ARE more knowledgeable than others, your doctor/endo. is the best person to talk with I feel as they are the ones who are going to prescribe it to you. Ask advice here for sure, but don’t take it as the “be all and end all”, every human being is different and what works with some may not work with others.
.

One other thing to be very aware of if you are a type 1 Diabetic. If you have had the disease for a extended period and not all that well controlled it will no doubt had a deteremental effect on your kidneys. Along with just about every other organ. Something to be very aware of and as stated by other people whom are more familiar with HRT than i am the importance of speaking to a endo/Doctor. This would probably go the same for long term type 2 also.

[Anonymous]

Yes Girls I agree with what has been said :
Low T can definitely bring on type 2
Some believe diabetes will lower T further
There has to be a ‘dominant ‘ hormone ,so if you T is low estrogen has to be upped or t upped to protect you
Low T will lead to depression and lethargy as minimum effects with osteo porosis and kidney ,cardiac damage possible .Replacing Low T with estrogen is suposed to be effective and this is why endos put you on estro asap after T blockers have been taken
I think that the idea that obesity alone causes type 2 is now a bit dated and from what ive read and been told by my endo , low t can well cause diabetes as a prime cause with obesity a side effect of low T … I know when I went on big doses of T to get my levels up past what is ‘normal’ for my age ,my stomach fat dissapeared , to be replaced by muscle …but this is not what you girls would want .So my advice is to get estrogen into you asap if you are going on T blockers Its a shame really that I dont want to trans as my body just doesnt produce T so hormonally I could go to a female state easily …. Such is life !
My other advice is to ignore the experts out there who want to tell you that taking T or estrogen will cause cancer or other bad effects .Under proper medical supervsion hormones should be safe
hugs
SUzz

WARNING
TgR is not a medical forum and any comments you may read in TgR forums are only the opinions of the member posting. You should not assume that a posting on TgR implies any verification or independent review and whilst the advice is honestly offered it is made without knowledge of your particular medical conditions. You should always seek professional medical advice before taking any action that might affect your health.

[Anonymous]

Insulin May Not Even Be The Most Important Hormone In Diabetes Or Other Chronic Diseases Of Aging.

That honor likely goes to leptin.

It appears that the hormone leptin is largely responsible for the accuracy of insulin signaling and whether one becomes insulin resistant or not.

Leptin, a relatively recently discovered hormone produced by fat, tells the body and brain how much energy it has, whether it needs more (saying “be hungry”), whether it should get rid of some (and stop being hungry) and importantly what to do with the energy it has (reproduce, upregulate cellular repair, or not).

Recent compelling research reveals that the two most important organs that will determine whether one becomes (type 2, insulin resistant) diabetic or not are the liver and the brain and it is their ability to listen to leptin that will determine this.

Leptin largely influences, if not controls, the manifest functions of the hypothalamus in the brain, including:

•Reproduction,
•Thyroid function,
•Adrenal function and the
•Sympathetic nervous system.
Fat, and leptin, strongly influences chronic inflammation and therefore diseases associated with this including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. It appears now that rather than your brain being in control of your body, fat, by way of leptin, is really in the driver’s seat.

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What I have not been able to determined at this sage is a link on how Estrogen in the male body influences Leptin as we are deleting Testosterone signals for Estrogen signals when on hormone replacement. The cross-talk between estrogen and leptin signaling in the hypothalamus

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I can come up with many questions myself. I am just giving direction so in case someone wants to do more research in the leptin-estrodoil cross over effects and slowly get a picture between Diabetes and HRT in transgenders.
Also answering the GG version and what happens to male body signals with HRT and leptin

---

I will say this. Virtually all medical problems are associated with bad communication within the human body. Enzymes to little or to much, damaged DNA RNA by artificial and enviorment, aging and heaps more.
A mainly unprocessed diet will minimise a lot of risks. The body will cope a lot better on a healthy diet on a deliberate risk of exchanging estrogen for testosterone.

Georgette

WARNING
TgR is not a medical forum and any comments you may read in TgR forums are only the opinions of the member posting. You should not assume that a posting on TgR implies any verification or independent review and whilst the advice is honestly offered it is made without knowledge of your particular medical conditions. You should always seek professional medical advice before taking any action that might affect your health.

[Anonymous]

The hormone leptin is a signal to the brain that the body has enough to eat,
ie: blood sugar is sufficient so eating is not requires for a while.

The sugar fructose appears to block the action of leptin. Table sugar is 50% fructose amd 50% sucrose, The body converts sucrose to glucose to use it, in the process I believe it also fructose is made.

Some recent research has highlighted the danger of this sugar fructose. It has been added to many food products including soft drinks.

Diabetes may also be affected by the level of omega 3 fats in the body. Or more likely the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3, the high ratio looks a problem.

On the other side heart disease over the years more closely tracks sugar than fat.

The average fast food diet floods the body with sugar, saturated fat, fructose, omega 6 with almost no omega 3. The hormone leptin is blocked, the brain thinks the body is starving and sends signals to conserve energy and eat more. No wonder obesity is a problem and the perfect recipe for diabetes.

The current advice for avoiding heart disease may be quite off the mark.

Vicki

[Anonymous]

Quote:

The sugar fructose appears to block the action of leptin. Table sugar is 50% fructose amd 50% sucrose, The body converts sucrose to glucose to use it, in the process I believe it also fructose is made.

Some recent research has highlighted the danger of this sugar fructose. It has been added to many food products including soft drinks.

Ooh, I know this one!

Table sugar is 100% sucrose. There’s an enzyme in your gut that splits the sucrose molecule in half, turning it into one molecule of fructose and one molecule of glucose. Like all sugars that you can metabolise, fructose gets converted into glucose by your metabolism later (slow enough that it doesn’t spike your blood sugar level as sharply as glucose does, which is good if you’re trying to keep your blood sugar level steady).

Soft drinks and processed foods in Australia generally contain sucrose, because our huge cane fields make it the cheapest sugar here.

Soft drinks and processed foods in the USA generally contain HFCS, which is a mixture of fructose and glucose made from corn, typically 55% fructose and 45% glucose. (This is why some Americans think Mexican Coca-Cola tastes better than American Coca-Cola). There are a lot of people in a panic about HFCS, but then again there are a lot of people who think that fluoridated water is a Communist mind-control plot, and as far as I can tell the scientific jury is still out re: the relative health benefits of sucrose vs HFCS.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Georgette, Vicki & Robin for this information
Meanwhile I should add that raising my levels of T ,both free and total T ( now over 20 times what they were ) has certainly had a good effect in that it has raised my insulin sensitivity so that I have been able to drop my insulin intake by around 35 % .So my advice to those who are thinking of taking estrogen while having type 1 or 2 diabetes is ask your endo about its desirably .
By the way none of the gps I know knew any thing about the link between T and diabetes until I produced some articles on it …. So much for being ablle to ALWAYS rely on your docs advice
Hugs
Suzz

[Anonymous]

Doctors advice, Be carefull, very carefull with doctors. I am not saying, don’t go to them. Just go there with background knowledge you can accumulate on the net and give them heaps of questions.
I have challanged a few and a few have failed my test and I felt like walking out, but some come thru and when they do they earn my respect.

As for advice. There is a book on http://www.lef.org on what your doctor does not tell you about diabetes. Go the the site type in “diabetes’ and scroll down. It is about $US11. It is from the worlds number 1 trusted site.

I usually get a few books like that and distribute them on loan to people/customers who have certrain diseases and then go on to others to make people aware that they need to take their own actions to save their own lives.
I don’t have the book mentioned but I will be placing a order for at least 6 soon.

The vast majority of the population, particularly US, take generalised advice from doctors and one sided scientific advice. It is the USA with all it’s fancy weight loss foods that have the highest obesity and diabetes. It is the comercial sector that capitalises on incorrect information for their product sales. Deep down they do not care about you.

That is why I do research, lots of it, but there is so much to learn. So many goats to seperate.

I am glad some of the girls here have had a look beyond the comercial brick fence.

I stress that those who embark on HRT be as healhy as possible so the body can cope with these new changes. If the body is unwell, HRT will stress the body further and diseases can develop more easily. If those who have conditions like diabetes are able to somewhat reverse diabetes with their own research via a qualified practioner their bodies will have greater capabilites to cope with HRT and extension of life and hence, girly enjoyment.
Extended health and reversal of ageing is real and is available now, today.
I am proof and every month it gets better and better. I am not finished yet by far.
Those girls who are going into the forties when oldness starts catching up. Look further into the information I have already supplied. You can’t stop ageing but you can reduce oldness and the oldness diseases like diabetes.
With that in mind considerations like diabetes and HRT can be delayed for a few decades.

Georgette
WARNING
TgR is not a medical forum and any comments you may read in TgR forums are only the opinions of the member posting. You should not assume that a posting on TgR implies any verification or independent review and whilst the advice is honestly offered it is made without knowledge of your particular medical conditions. You should always seek professional medical advice before taking any action that might affect your health.

[Anonymous]

Actuallly , I feel enviuos of those girls who, if they found themselves in my situation of having negligible T would go on and take estrogen instead of T …
But in my situation it became a urgent health issue as well as me really not wanting to transition or partly transition at this time in my life – but if I change my mind it will be easy to go on the big E .All i have to do is stop taking T then take E … butt id have to be really certain that I wouldnt get back any on th effects of ultra low T – a bit of a night mare to say the least
Hugs
Suzz

[Anonymous]

Hello All,

Quote:

Meanwhile I should add that raising my levels of T ,both free and total T ( now over 20 times what they were ) has certainly had a good effect in that it has raised my insulin sensitivity so that I have been able to drop my insulin intake by around 35 %

I read the above, and indeed all the posts on this topiic with interest. I am on no form of HRT as i have no intention of transition but i am on a high dose of insulin, >160U / Day. I did have a T test done a few years back and was just inside the normal range for a male of my age. After having read the above posts i went and again seen my GP and asked him for another test to be done. Yet to receive the results but wondering if this could be the reason my need for insulin has almost doubled over the last 2 years. He also didnt know what i was talking about re the relationship between Diabetes and T as discussed here. Thank you all for this information. Will be interesting to see where im at.
Beth.