Hrt effects on cis female partner

[TerriT]

My SO has been having differences in her periods. Lateness, skipping, etc. I am on a climera patch. Is this a side effect or in any way related? We got into a little fight over this. Any insight would be helpful. I'll talk with my endo next week. Am I messing with her hormones too?

[Flan]

There shouldn't be transfer with patch unless a lot of sweat or the patch is defective and allowing to transfer to clothing (which isn't likely).

[Cindy]

IF it is hormonal it is more likely an emotional effect of her reacting to your changes. (JMO)

[TerriT]

There shouldn't be transfer with patch unless a lot of sweat or the patch is defective and allowing to transfer to clothing (which isn't likely).

She is concerned about body contact during sex. I wear it on my hip. Sex is sweaty. Could it be getting into her??? If it is, what would be her reactions? Am I affecting her?

[LordKAT]

Patches don't usually transfer to a partner. You would have to sweat enough to loosen the patch or have it fall off to make any difference at all.

[Jenna Marie]

The patch transfers estrogen *through* the adhesive - the adhesive actually is doing double duty as the suspension medium for the medication. What that means, basically, is that there is no way for estrogen to be administered from the top/non-sticky part of the patch, and furthermore that if you were sweating enough to actually share any estrogen with her you'd also have sweated enough to make the patch fall off completely.

With that said, my wife had issues with her period getting wonky when I went off my HRT for surgery, and at that point obviously there was nothing at work but my native hormones. Her best guess is that it's the same mechanism that allows women to "sync up" when they live together; whether that's pheromones or what, it's a documented phenomenon and it makes sense that it'd be possible to be caused by trans women who are living with estrogen-dominant systems as well.

Or it could be coincidence. Periods are weird, and it's tempting to blame something for them going wrong.

[TerriT]

Thanks everyone. That all sounds about right.

[Shantel]

The patch transfers estrogen *through* the adhesive - the adhesive actually is doing double duty as the suspension medium for the medication. What that means, basically, is that there is no way for estrogen to be administered from the top/non-sticky part of the patch, and furthermore that if you were sweating enough to actually share any estrogen with her you'd also have sweated enough to make the patch fall off completely.

With that said, my wife had issues with her period getting wonky when I went off my HRT for surgery, and at that point obviously there was nothing at work but my native hormones. Her best guess is that it's the same mechanism that allows women to "sync up" when they live together; whether that's pheromones or what, it's a documented phenomenon and it makes sense that it'd be possible to be caused by trans women who are living with estrogen-dominant systems as well.

Or it could be coincidence. Periods are weird, and it's tempting to blame something for them going wrong.

Jenna Marie has a good point Tiffany, although I doubt that's the case otherwise my spouse would be affected similarly as we engage in sexual activity on at least a weekly basis, I'm on the same patch as you are and she hasn't experienced any such changes involving an increase in her estrogen levels. I don't know your spouse's age, but it's altogether possible that she is peri-menopausal, it can happen in cis women as early as mid-thirties which means that her ovaries are beginning to shrink a bit and not perform optimally. She should make an appointment to get her own hormonal levels checked, she may need a little HRT boost herself.

[Ltl89]

I can't claim to have any expertise on this, but it sounds very strange that she would react in anyway to it.  Then again, my female family members tended to have similar cycles when living together.   Perhaps there is some truth to it.

[Shantel]

I can't claim to have any expertise on this, but it sounds very strange that she would react in anyway to it.  Then again, my female family members tended to have similar cycles when living together.   Perhaps there is some truth to it.

I know that several girls living under the same roof will often times cycle at the same tie although some of that is partially in tune with the lunar cycle. We don't menstruate so other than having a female scent ourselves due to time on HRT I can't imagine any other possible reason why Tiffany's spouse would be missing periods other than what I said earlier.

[TerriT]

I know that several girls living under the same roof will often times cycle at the same tie although some of that is partially in tune with the lunar cycle. We don't menstruate so other than having a female scent ourselves due to time on HRT I can't imagine any other possible reason why Tiffany's spouse would be missing periods other than what I said earlier.

The main reason is she wanted to start an argument about her late period and came up with some reason why it's my fault because I'm secreting extra hormones all over the place. She is normally pretty supportive, but she can still freak out with the best of them. Of course, I'm assuming I'm not fertile enough to get her knocked up either...

You are right though, I do suspect she should talk to her doc about her own hormone levels and where she is on that, since she is a bit ore grown up than me. It is, to say the least, a rather sensitive topic these days. 

[Shantel]

Just a thought, it may be not what's new but rather what's missing.

Sort of anecdotal analogy but my folks were farmers in their youth.  I heard them talk about how the hens wouldn't lay eggs if there were no roosters around.  That may just be a second hand myth.  I doubt if we humans are quite as primitive in our functions as chickens are, but there might be a soft link of sorts.  If so, likely it will correct itself in time.

Not to change the subject, but I would say it is myth. I had ten Rhode Island Reds at one time and no rooster, we had plenty of nice brown shelled eggs!

Getting back on track here, it may be that Tiffany's sweetheart is just venting in her own way about Tiff's transition. As we know a cis woman's motives can sometimes be difficult to fathom, and what seems really isn't and what isn't is really the point. It's always best to talk it through logically and avoid getting shrill. My best to you Tiffany, hope it pans out and you both resolve whatever it really is in a logical and amicable manner.

[anjaq]

I heard a couple of times that it happens that women will have their period at the same time within a group. There is sort of a sync happening. If you are really close this may be the case? Her body would try to sync to your HT which is not following a regular cycle? Its just an idea...

[Jill F]

My wife got her period early this time, right after I cycled off of progesterone.   She does tend to sync up with women when she works closely with them for several weeks, so I do suspect a pheromonal interaction is in play.

[Robin Mack]

My SO has been having differences in her periods. Lateness, skipping, etc. I am on a climera patch. Is this a side effect or in any way related? We got into a little fight over this. Any insight would be helpful. I'll talk with my endo next week. Am I messing with her hormones too?

This is most likely, in my opinion.  I had two teenagers and my (now ex) wife under the same roof... as the girls hit puberty, my ex had huge fluctuations in her periods.  There has been some research on this, some believe it may have something to do with women's fertility adjusting to perceived competition as signaled by pheromones.  Since we are given high levels of E during HRT in order to induce puberty, it wouldn't be surprising if this effect were enhanced.

I'd say give it a month or two and things will even out to a new normal.  *hug*  Of course, if it gets serious she should certainly see her doctor.  I can't imagine she's getting extra estrogen from *you*, but she is likely adjusting her hormone levels because of the chemical signals your body is giving off. 

[Shantel]

Robin and Jill, I think you're both hitting on something because come to think of it I had heard that cis women are a lot more sensitive to pheromones then males.

[Joelene9]

  Smell triggers are one of the most potent triggers when it comes to memory.  A certain kind of smell to as person will conjure memories that the person thought may have been forgotten.  It is also suggested by studies that that smells do cause physiological changes such as 4 women in a dorm room synchronizing menstral periods.  These smells are odorless, but your nose picks them up and the brain registers those inputs other than in the smell center of the brain. 
  This case it could be both the smell trigger and your wife's emotions. 

  Joelene

[ToxicFox]

The main reason is she wanted to start an argument about her late period and came up with some reason why it's my fault because I'm secreting extra hormones all over the place. She is normally pretty supportive, but she can still freak out with the best of them. Of course, I'm assuming I'm not fertile enough to get her knocked up either...

You are right though, I do suspect she should talk to her doc about her own hormone levels and where she is on that, since she is a bit ore grown up than me. It is, to say the least, a rather sensitive topic these days. 

I wouldn't assume it's impossible to get her pregnant while on HRT. From what I understand it takes a while before your sperm decreases enough to be infertile. So there may be a small chance of pregnancy if you aren't using another method of birth control.

Odds are it's stress combined with the pheromones of another female in the house though. You can consider moving the patch so it has less chance of coming into contact with her during sex if you want just so she is more comfortable.

[RavenMoon]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_synchrony

Menstrual synchrony is a process in which women who begin living together in close proximity experience their menstrual cycle onsets (i.e., the onset of menstruation or menses) becoming closer together in time than previously. "For example, the distribution of onsets of seven female lifeguards was scattered at the beginning of the summer, but after 3 months spent together, the onset of all seven cycles fell within a 4-day period."