Progesterone

[Shantel]

I'm not into pharmacology and don't care about all the mumbo jumbo as long as it isn't going to kill me, thanks though!

[KayXo]

LOL. ok...was just trying to give you peace of mind, that's all.

And here's more for anyone else who might be interested...

Climacteric. 2012 Apr;15 Suppl 1:11-7.
Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy and cardiovascular disease: the value of transdermal estradiol and micronized progesterone.

"Micronized progesterone has also been shown not to increase the risk of venous thromboembolism and further reduced the incidence of new-onset diabetes when combined with transdermal estrogen. Micronized progesterone has a neutral effect on the vasculature, including a neutral or beneficial effect on blood pressure"

Menopause. 2010 Nov-Dec;17(6):1122-7.
Activated protein C resistance among postmenopausal women using transdermal estrogens: importance of progestogen.

"recent data have shown that norpregnane derivatives but not micronized progesterone increase venous thromboembolism risk among transdermal estrogens users."

"there was no significant change in APC sensitivity among women who used transdermal estrogens combined with micronized progesterone compared with nonusers."

Clin Ther. 1999 Jan;21(1):41-60; discussion 1-2.
Oral micronized progesterone.

"This therapy is well tolerated, with the only specific side effect being mild and transient drowsiness, an effect minimized by taking the drug at bedtime."

[kira21 ♡♡♡]

Thanks kayxo.  That's really useful.

[Aquarelle]

I've read a lot of thing about every kind of progesterones and progestins used in HRT, but cannot be sure if they are doing what they claimed to do, because I don't know people, who used them, but I can speak from my own experience:

I am 33 years old, on 13 months of HRT. My breasts started growing on the 3rd week on hormones and were growing until the 5th month. Then they just stopped and that was all. After I reached 1 year of HRT, I was still unsatisfied with the feminization process - the breast, the hair, the body hair, the fat distribution, curves and so on, so I decided to start Utrogestan, which is the same as Prometrium, just a different brand.
I am taking 200 mg. per day, in divided doses - 100 at morning and 100 at evening, sublingually, right after meal. So far I am taking it for 2-3 weeks and believe it or not, I am already seeing results - my hair changed in texture - now it is more female-like, my face looks somehow softer and rounder, my body hair reduced a little bit... I see nothing about my breasts, but I am sure they will start to grow soon, because the last days I feel unusual tenderness, similar to how I felt in the beginning of HRT, when they were about to grow. I even started to lose weight, which was impossible so far, during all my HRT, because I was gaining all the time, no matter how hard I exercised and being on diets...
Also, I feel much calmer and sleep better
No side effects so far

[Jill F]

Here is a link to a recent study on this topic. Not trying to encourage or discourage anyone. Just providing info.

Julia


Clinical Review: Breast Development in Trans Women Receiving Cross-Sex Hormones
Author: Wierckx et al.
Journal: The Journal of Sexual Medicine
Published: 12 MAR 2014
Articlehttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsm.12487/abstract;jsessionid=573A14BF44369E01D839BB952F165C03.f01t02?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false

Conclusion - Our knowledge concerning the natural history and effects of different cross-sex hormone therapies on breast development in trans women is extremely sparse and based on low quality of evidence. Current evidence does not provide evidence that progestogens enhance breast development in trans women. Neither do they prove the absence of such an effect. This prevents us from drawing any firm conclusion at this moment and demonstrates the need for further research to clarify these important clinical questions.

So at the end of the day, your mileage may vary.  *facepalm*

All I know is that mah bewbs are growing a bit faster since I started taking it.  Good enough for me.

[ErinM]

Rather, mileage not well understood. That does not at all question the effects reported by everyone. Simply, research is lacking. It probably should be high in priority given the interest by everyone as well as the positive results reported here.

The said thing is who is it a high priority for that is willing to spend the money?

Big pharma is already making money off of us.

[Eva Marie]

All I know is that mah bewbs are growing a bit faster since I started taking it.  Good enough for me.

^ this

It's P time for me until the 26th. The itching and soreness arrived 4 days after I started, the same as it always does on P. And dang it i've got the munchies now too!

[Jennygirl]

^ this

It's P time for me until the 26th. The itching and soreness arrived 4 days after I started, the same as it always does on P. And dang it i've got the munchies now too!

Haha! The same thing happened to me. Actually a big part of the reason why I scaled back my progesterone dosage was because I put on almost 20lbs in 2 months due to my appetite. After that I was almost too big for my B cup bras, but it's hard to say if it was from the added weight or breast tissue... I think probably a little bit of both. I've been on a moderate dose of progesterone now for the past 7 or 8 months, and my weight has evened out as well as my mood.

I also feel more aggressive when on a high dose of progesterone, but it could have been psychosomatic. I think some of the effects are kind of similar to testosterone but that is just a hunch on how it affects me.

[kira21 ♡♡♡]

I think its a bit funny that the conclusion is...

"Current evidence does not provide evidence" -Seriously - who starts a sentence with 'the evidence does not provide evidence'? Anyway...
"Current evidence does not provide evidence that progestogens enhance breast development in trans women. Neither do they prove the absence of such an effect. This prevents us from drawing any firm conclusion at this moment."

Translation- We learnt and achieved nothing! Yay! Quick, lets publish our findings!

:-)

[KayXo]

This finding goes against what many transsexual women have experienced, against what many published reports have found in mammals (the effect of P on breast proliferation and lobulo-alveolar formation) and the findings that breast growth is more during the luteal phase of a woman's menstrual cycle when her progesterone levels are highest.

I'd be curious to read the whole study and find out what they base their statements on. One always needs to read the full study in detail...Facts often tell a whole different story and do not necessarily support statements. There is bias, money interests, etc.

[Urban Christina]

I just started taking micronized progesterone last night and it could be due to only a few hours of sleep but I'm definitely already feeling sedated. I'm taking it primarily for the boys' development, but also to see if it would make a difference for my skin. I've been on HRT for almost two years now and my skin's oil content and thickness have reduced significantly which was expected, but my face is so dry especially during winter. I read on Wikipedia that p. increases oil production in your skin and plays a role in elasticity and am hoping it's the answer I've been looking for- all transwomen seem to have moisturized and creamy skin but me! I know p. comes with many benefits, but have any of you noticed a change in your skin health since adding p. to your regimen?

[KayXo]

Some transsexual women do notice that on P, skin (and hair) becomes much less dry and its condition improves markedly (i.e. softer, younger looking). My skin and hair seem slightly less dry since starting P. It's been about a month.

What I noticed most, up to now, is increased breast volume and feeling calmer.

[anais]

I'm taking androcur, is this the same as taking progesterone? I would love to take progesterone as well but my endo is really close minded and only does what she thinks is best so she probably won't allow me to take it if I asked her.

[Jessika Lin]

I'm taking androcur, is this the same as taking progesterone? I would love to take progesterone as well but my endo is really close minded and only does what she thinks is best so she probably won't allow me to take it if I asked her.

Andro does have some progestrogenic effects but it's not the same as (bio-identical) progesterone. That said, it's better than nothing if your endo refuses to prescribe (bio-identical) progesterone. Also it's possible that your endo is thinking of the synthetic garbage (my personal opinion) called Medroxyprogesterone when you mention wanting progesterone, maybe it would help if you specify that it's bio-identical progesterone that you want?

[KayXo]

Androcur is a progestogen. It appears to induce similar changes in the breast area that progesterone does. But, other effects in the body differ greatly between both.

[ErinM]

Also it's possible that your endo is thinking of the synthetic garbage (my personal opinion) called Medroxyprogesterone when you mention wanting progesterone, maybe it would help if you specify that it's bio-identical progesterone that you want?

I am amazed how often medroxyprogesterone  an progestins are seemingly treated as the same as micronized progesterone in various articles. They are clearly not the same, and personally I would never touch the former due to its much higher occurrence of side effects.   

Prometrium®: ask for it by name.

[anais]

Thanks, I see my endo next month so I'm able to ask her but it's not really common here to have progestin added in HRT.

[Mirian]

Anais, just remind her how much synthetic stuff like CPA is harmful to the liver with respect to things like bioidentical P which every women (and even boys, to some little extent) naturally procuces !
Good luck !

[anais]

Thank you, I'll definitely tell her when I see her next time.

[teeg]

I asked my Endocrinologist about Progesterone yesterday. They cited studies and accounts from the Netherlands showing evidence that it has no effect and makes no difference. Then they mentioned studies and accounts from Boston showing evidence that it absolutely has an effect and makes a difference. Funny!