Quote from: josie76 on September 24, 2017, 08:53:27 AM
I do not cycle my progesterone. There doesn't seem to be a point to it. Cis females go through an up and down cycle of estrogen and progesterone in synch with each other. Why deal with PMS if we don't have to?
Agree. E and P both increase during the latter half of the cycle to prepare for the fetus and pregnancy and only drop if egg is not fertilized. Our situation is quite different and this is not needed. PMS = yuk!
If cycle wants to be reproduced, you also need to reduce anti-androgen 14 days out of 28 as T levels increase during the first half of a cycle.
QuoteFinasteride can have some serious side effects for a small percentage. For some the effects can be permanent. It blocks the enzyme that converts basic testosterone into DHT(dihydrotestosterone). This is the hormone that builds muscle and also causes male pattern baldness.
Some studies have found that even when T cannot convert to DHT, muscle mass can still increase and that idea that DHT alone contributes has been challenged.
QuoteThat enzyme is also used in the brain, so some get depression from it. In a small number of people it changes their bodies production of the enzyme permanently even after quitting it. The side effects are mostly an issue for cismales who take it for hair loss or at higher doses for prostate enlargement and sometimes prostate cancer.
The enzyme is important for producing a host of neurosteroids that have anti-depressive/anxiolytic effects, helping us feel better. The negative effects have also been found in women taking it for hair issues. It seems rare though.
QuoteIt can still active a low amount of receptors so one common effect is to continue to deposit belly fat and reduced deposit in the female areas that estrogen encourages.
Spironolactone is a weak androgen receptor agonist, I wouldn't worry. Testosterone actually keeps belly fat away, much like estradiol and if belly fat increases in men, it's because of T levels going down, growth hormone levels also steadily dropping and excess carb intake. T and E are good to prevent belly fat. Women with higher T levels develop belly fat, not because of higher T but because of higher insulin levels which is the root cause of everything else, that overpowers T.
QuoteMicronized progesterone is both safe and smart to have with estradiol. There are more than enough medical issues linked to excess estrogen /progesterone balance in cis women that any doctor should know it should be prescribed.
Disagree. Many women actually feel much better with just E and feel worse with the P. Several studies to confirm this and E seems to have a beneficial effect on PMS whereas very few studies have found that P had any effect at all. The theory of estrogen excess seems to be fairly well-established as far as uterine/endometrium effects go but has no support insofar as other areas of the body are concerned. It is purely speculative and isn't supported by strong scientific evidence.
QuoteProgesterone is know to counteract estrogen's negative effect on thyroid gland function. Estrogen dominance is found to often exist in cis women with hypothyroidism. Progesterone also counteracts the blood clotting factor increase caused by estrogen. Several of its byproducts are used in the body as well.
Several studies would seriously challenge all these assertions. The data isn't consistent and associations alone do not prove causation.
QuoteEstrodial pills should be dissolved under the tongue or in the cheek. If you swallow them then it is absorbed through the small intestine and must pass the liver to reach the rest of the body. The liver will process much of the estradiol into estrone. This reduces the effectiveness and is also hard on the liver.
Oral bio-identical estradiol has never shown to be harmful to the liver, even in high doses. It can, however, slightly increase the risk of DVT but much less, compared to non bio-identical forms. I had better breast growth on oral E vs E taken non-orally and found no difference taking E sublingually vs. orally.
