I can't get a straight answer regarding progesterone

[Jennygirl]

I feel like you are what you eat, and I would be more than happy if my body were more avocado shaped

[sam79]

How did you measure that effect?

When I have T in my system, I can get irritable and angry at silly things ( like traffic ).

Oh, and morning erections that I'd not had in months.

Avocados were the only thing different, started eating them for breakfast.

Have a google about their hormonal effects

[Jenna Stannis]

I feel like you are what you eat, and I would be more than happy if my body were more avocado shaped

Ardis, Esther or Edranol variety?

[Jennygirl]

When I have T in my system, I can get irritable and angry at silly things ( like traffic ).

Oh, and morning erections that I'd not had in months.

Avocados were the only thing different, started eating them for breakfast.

Have a google about their hormonal effects

Nnnnnnooooooooo!!! But I love avos! They are nature's butter! Nnnooooo.... 

Ardis, Esther or Edranol variety?

Pinkerton avocado, of course! I mean it even has "pink" in there. That's a good sign. But if I had to choose from those options, Edranol.

[Jennygirl]

http://www.livestrong.com/article/556633-avocado-progesterone/

Properties of Avocado

Avocados are considered an antiestrogenic food, which means they contain plant sterols that block estrogen receptors on cells and reduce estrogen absorption in your body, according to the book "Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy." As a consequence of blocking estrogen, progesterone levels in women and testosterone levels in men are both increased. High levels of estrogen have been linked to weight gain, but avocados can promote weight loss by balancing hormone levels despite the fact they are high in fats.

No wonder my levels seemed to balance out when I stopped taking so much Progesterone, I eat a full avocado almost every day... Sometimes more.

[sam79]

I love avocados too .

But I'm not risking more hormone imbalance like I felt. Not until the T factories are gone anyway.

[JRD]

Good, next time my dingbatter neighbor asks me to try an avocado yet again, I can tell him that it interferes with my medication instead of that they just taste nasty.

[Missy~rmdlm]

See? Clear as mud. I can only state my hard evidence that Provera-progesterone doesn't inflate T numbers. I may have had weight effects, then again I track every calorie I eat and I ate more simple as that.

[Jenna Stannis]

I love avocados too .

But I'm not risking more hormone imbalance like I felt. Not until the T factories are gone anyway.

The avocados may not necessarily be to blame. After reading some of the peer-reviewed scientific literature on avocados (and grapefruit) and hormone levels, it appears that a lot of so-called "health" and "nutrition" sites have, as usual, disseminated cherry-picked points from various research papers. The authors of these papers state that their findings require further confirmation and that nothing is conclusive.

All of the papers that I read discuss the effects of avocado (and grapefruit) on both Estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2). One of the important factors was the difference that these foods have on either endogenous (internal in origin) or oral hormones (like HRT). Effects also differ between the ingestion of whole fruits and juice or juice-based drinks. So while there is interaction between certain foods and hormones, there are a number of variables to take into consideration. In some instances these foods may not change hormone levels at all, or perhaps even elevate them.

A lot of "health and nutrition" sites are renowned for running with simplistic health narratives that are based on very complex scientific studies, just to amass traffic for their sites (and reap the advertising revenue). Just consider some of their ridiculous approaches to such things as cancer.

[Bijou]

I've been on provera for two months and I've already noticed my boobs getting fuller and are constantly sore. I couldn't get a straight answer about progesterone either, and yes I know provera is a progestin, but i decided to give it a try and haven't regretted it yet. Indie have to ask my doctor on two separate appt's though.

[Jamie D]

Nnnnnnooooooooo!!! But I love avos! They are nature's butter! Nnnooooo.... 

Pinkerton avocado, of course! I mean it even has "pink" in there. That's a good sign. But if I had to choose from those options, Edranol.

About 80% of the avocado production in the United States, and almost all the commercial production in California, is the Hass (aka Haas) variety, developed in Whittier, CA.


Hass

The Pinkerton variety (cultivar) was developed and is still grown in the Santa Paula/Saticoy/Ventura area.  It has a lovely, large, creamy fruit.  It is a relatively new variety, related to the Hass.


Pinkerton

I have a Bacon Avocado in my yard.  What I would really like to grow is the "Daily 11" variety, developed in the early 1900s.  It is now an heirloom variety.


Daily 11 denoted with "?"

I think you can ignore the so-called anti-estrogenic properties.  Plant sterols are exceedingly weak.  The oil (monunsaturated fat) is the fruit is very healthful and makes your hair naturally shiny.

Avocados also contain Vitamins C and E, as well as calcium and zinc.

[stephaniec]

wow, haven't had avocado for a while. The guys on night crew would always make fresh avocado dip to go with our chicken tacos.

[Jamie D]

Avocados have a tiny amount of stigmasterol (2 mg per 100 g serving); campesterol (5 mg per 100 g serving), and; β-sitosterol (76 mg per 100 gram serving).

These sterols have a proven effect in lowering LDL and total serum cholesterol levels.  In Europe, β-sitosterol is a popular ingredient in herbal BPH remedies.

[TessaMarie]

As far as P, don't take the advice of people on forums regarding meds. Take your docs.

I do want to go on P though for the hip and butt development as I heard it contributd to overall body feminization, so on Monday, I'm asking my doc and sking him to say it's for depression so my Medicaid covers it. They won't cover HRT in general, just methadone and suboxone, which I don't need.

Joanna, I think you are getting your HRT from the same Philly practice I go to.  My first Prometrium script is due to arrive by the end of this month.  I notice many have requested P due to high T levels.  That is not the case with me (T=c.30, E=c.135).  I requested it primarily because I am hoping it will let me lower the amount of Spiro I take (my B.P. is very low already, 100/52 last week, & I take less than half the usual starting dose of Spiro).  I admit I am hoping for the same results you mentioned, but I am a bit more concerned about my blood pressure dropping too low again. 

I will post to this thread later if I have anything to report (which means I am likely to necro it in several months  )

Tessa

[Rachel85]

I really want an avocado now! Thanks guys!

I've been on Provera for a while now, lower dose first then doubled it. I had an awful time, was moody, felt hungry more and ate heaps etc. so I went back to the original dose and had no problems again.

I then went back on the higher dose more recently and have had no issues since. My endo says he has had several clients who have used it and had good results, some who said no difference. I guess its one of those things that works for some and not for all. I agree with the OP that it can be frustrating with such little research into specific HRT regimes for trans people. We need to agree that if we become multi-millionaires, other than funding Susan's, we need to make some philanthropic donations to HRT research!

Now I am off to find something with avocado in it!

[Jenna Stannis]

Here's an optimistic Wikipedia entry...

"There is at present no clinical evidence that either progesterone or progestins enhance breast size, shape, or appearance in either trans women or cisgender women, and one study found no benefit to breast hemicircumference over estrogen alone in a small sample of trans women given both an estrogen and an oral progestogen... However, the authors of the paper state that the sample size was too small to make any definitive conclusions, and that further studies should be carried out to confirm whether progestogens do significantly affect breast size and/or shape in trans women or not. As of 2012, no additional study has looked at the issue again (italics mine)."

The study they refer to (above) was conducted in 1986, so obviously there's a real passion for this subject.

[Missadventure]

When I started HRT I asked my doc what his opinion on micronized progesterone is. His response was "You'll see a lot of stuff on the internet about it making your boobs bigger, fuller, more glandular, or whatever. It's all nonsense."

Then later in the conversation he said he'd be willing to prescribe it if I had mood swings, because he firmly believes it can level out emotions.

I dunno. The internet is awash with plenty of people on every side of that fence. Personally, I want to base my opinion on firsthand experience. So, next time I go in for bloodwork I'm going to be discussing my "mood swings" with my doc. 

[peky]

I would not take or recommend it to anyone but....

Progesterone: The risks and benefits of progesterone are not well-characterized. Some providers have found it to have positive effects on the nipple areola and libido. Mood effects may be positive or negative. Different progesterone regimens include daily 5 to 10mg medroxyprogesterone orally, 100-200mg prometrium at bedtime of oral or compounded micronized progesterone, or Depo-Provera 150mg IM every 3 months, for 2-3 years. There is a risk of significant weight gain and depression in some individuals.
As per other studies using oral progesterone in post-menopausal women (e.g., the Women's Health Initiative [WHI] study), the use of medroxyprogesterone orally may increase the risk of coronary vascular disease whereas IM injections (i.e., Depo-Provera) may minimize this additional risk.

http://transhealth.ucsf.edu/trans?page=protocol-hormones

[peky]

as far as avocados, there is not an shred of evidence that consumptions of avocados will increase your T or interfere with the effects of E...

It is like the soy! Eating soy is supposed to increase your estrogen, right? Yeah, only if you eat a bucket each day, right? the same for avocados, eat a bucket of avocados a day, and you will see where you  will end up spending your evening...LOL

SANITY CHECK FOLKS, DO NOT BELIVE ALL THE BS YOU SEE IN THE NET!

[Nicolette]

I eat avocados often and never had a problem with my HRT in the past 20 years. I love! them and would eat more if they weren't so damn expensive. They are often my hors d'oeuvre and even my desert, they are that delicious. They are very healthy too.

I've never intentionally taken progesterone, except the tiny bit contained in cyproterone acetate. I think I've done fine, 'despite'.