HT side effects

They very rarely talk about genital shrinkage and tend to pass over it quickly. But it can happen as I discovered although it had no noticeable  effect on my penis I have however lost about 50% of the size of my testicles.This can come as a huge shock as I was only told that shrinkage "can even be noticeable sometimes" and the Nurse I mentioned it to said I was the only one to ever mention it..Having asked on this site it would appear to be fairly common. It would have been easier to accept had I known in the first place the effect it can have. But having said that not everyone has the same side effects and to the same degree.

I wish you nothing but good luck with your treatment.  Regards Reg

Hi Delbert

Don't forget that surgery can also shorten penis length and  with surgery this will last but hopefully once HT is finished you will return to normal. I would.t go too much by the results of one friend, I have been on here for quite a time reading posts (years) and a quite a few people don't have major problems with HT side effects and even those that do find that they tend to fade away one HT is stopped, the side effects that is.

With regards to Hi Fu if the tumour or tumours are near the prostate edge and possibly about to break out then u may be better off with RT &HT.

I had RT without the HT when I had  my treatment which I think that you can only really consider with low Gleeson (6) and lowish PSA  and tumour confined to the gland . Also u would have to get the specialist to agree to this and these days they always seem to want to do HT and RT together regardless.

Regards

Steve

Hi Alan

I have had RT and I'm half way through a 2 year course of HT .

From my own personal experience I agree with your friend- my penis and testes are smaller. HT can , and did in my case, cause fatigue, lack of libido ( ie none) no stamina or strength. That said the side effects, bar libido, have eased somewhat and arent that bad. By keeping active my stamina has improved and to a degree my strength. The other side effects, as Steve has said, will clear up after the HT stops.

Regards

Stuart

Thanks Steve, 

It's all quite scary but had a good talk with the misses today and I feel fortunate in having someone who's totally on my side. Remaining optimistic regarding management of side effects etc.. we'll see.

best, A. 

Thanks Reg,

Obviously these issues are hugely important to us and I'm disappointed to see that there's no counselling following diagnosis to go through all of this, when I had a melanoma 6yrs ago, upon attending my appointment for biopsy result - positive, malignant -  I was then ushered in to a session with a cancer care nurse who took me through all the possible ramifications of the diagnosis, not that I felt I needed it ( mole on my shoulder went a bit wonky, got it cut out, no problem and clear 6 yrs later) but I certainly noticed the care and attention that was automatically given.

The prostate cancer arena surely is one of the most challenging in terms of psychological impact on men and no facility for accessing this kind of hand holding so we're largely left to get on with it as best we can.

Onwards!

A.

Hi Steve, Yes, I didn't mention that my friend is not the most upbeat of characters and so his description of the HT experience I guess should be taken with that in mind.. Looks like I'm going to begin the Bicalumatide pills tomorrow and turn up for the injections as instructed with the intention of seeing it through and toughing it out if needed.

Bottom line as discussed with the misses today, is that I'm not allowed the (attractive) option of declining treatment, I need to do what it takes to get clear of this and move on.... here goes!

Oops, Stuart!

delbert g said:

Bottom line as discussed with the misses today, is that I'm not allowed the (attractive) option of declining treatment, I need to do what it takes to get clear of this and move on.... here goes!

She's a wise woman: declining the unpleasantness is an option we all dreamt about - but PCa is a marathon, not a sprint; if you decline the treatment, it will come back and haunt you, probably sooner rather than later!

Good Luck!

delbert g said:

1. I read that HT can cause 'shrinkage of the penis and testes', without explaining why - is there a link to an explanation of this or does anyone know?

HT "feminises" you. Literally.

And women don't have penises, so your body reckons it's a waste of effort maintaining it. So it doesn't.

Some of the effects of HT are reversible, once the treatment is stopped, but important parts of the male equipment have been neglected, and to some extent, replaced with fibrous tissue, which then fails to perform to previous levels. This does vary from person to person, also with the time spent on HT, and there are ways of minimising the damage.

On the other hand, taken with RT, HT can add 20 years to your life!

This is a useful introduction from the Mayo Clinic:

Hormone therapy for prostate cancer

Hi Delbert.

Yes both my penis and testes have shrunk considerably and I have developed "Moobs" that most 14 year old girls would be proud of. I finish HT in June and am hoping that the effects will gradually wear off after that.

Be aware that long term lack of use of the penis can lead to developing Peyronie’s Disease which causes the penis to be distorted when erect. It is treatable with ultrasonics but I'm not sure whether this is available on the NHS.