Can hormone levels change psychosomatically?

[Jenny94]

Hi guys. So I'm not on hormones yet, but a few months ago I checked my hormone levels, and my oestrogen is well outside the male range and in the low female range. (T, sadly, is also high.) Since then, I've been feeling a lot more of the emotional stuff associated with oestrogen: mood swings, high emotion, wanting to cry a lot at random stuff......and I wonder if my body is producing more oestrogen, somehow in response to my brain saying "We want to be a girl now"? I'm going to check my levels again in a few days, so I guess I'll know then. Could this just be a powerful placebo effect? It'd be great to hear of any similar experiences from people in either direction.

(Also, I hope I've used the ps-word in the title correctly...?)

[Deborah]

Before I started HRT my levels were like yours.  One possibility is that with higher T, some of the T is being converted to estrogen.  That is a natural process and is the reason that bodybuilders on high doses of anabolic steroids develop female nipples.


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[Kylo]

In general hormones affect mood which then positive loops back into how mood affects hormones. Mood can affect cortisol which then directly affects estrogen among other things.

I know before I began HRT, things began to change subtly for me without any external input. Not a lot, it didn't affect blood levels, but I had already started instinctively to think differently about myself and certain things. Which I know was not completely intentional.

[xAmyX]

A lot of factors tally into hormone production alterations. Something as simple as exposing your scrotum to the sun can dramatically increase testosterone levels for example. Then there's the spike of testosterone release around the seventh day after experiencing an orgasm, so long as no orgasms are experienced within that window. Our diet plays a huge factor as well. Even mood. If you can find ways to benefit from these occurrences in a way that suits your needs, you should still seek treatment from a medical professional if having ovulatory peak natal female hormone levels is what you desire to feel whole. All the black tea in the world to suppress DHT conversion, phytoestrogens from plant sources etc... will not do if you want to be endocrinologically female. There are two ways; usually, to make this happen. Informed Consent is potentially the quickest method if you're already well versed in your understanding of the WPATH - Standards of Care. The next option is to get a letter of recommendation for Hormone Therapy from a qualified Therapist. Self medicating could be an option, but has high risks associated with it, and is usually not recommended for good reasons.

[Kylo]

Yeah that's true, I found out not long ago that intermittent fasting also makes testosterone naturally shoot up (in men and women. Probably not in those on HRT who aren't producing their own but in most people)

[Dani]

....and I wonder if my body is producing more oestrogen, somehow in response to my brain saying "We want to be a girl now"? I'm going to check my levels again in a few days, so I guess I'll know then. Could this just be a powerful placebo effect?

In one word, no. Hormones will definitely affect our psyche, but not the other way around.

Many of us have wished that we would wake up one day and be our correct gender, but it did not happen for me. I had to take deliberate steps to transition into the person I am now. Once I was on Estradiol, I felt so much better about myself, that I knew my new feelings were definitely not a placebo effect, but an actual alignment of my physical body with my self identity.

[Northern Star Girl]

In one word, no. Hormones will definitely affect our psyche, but not the other way around.

Many of us have wished that we would wake up one day and be our correct gender, but it did not happen for me. I had to take deliberate steps to transition into the person I am now. Once I was on Estradiol, I felt so much better about myself, that I knew my new feelings were definitely not a placebo effect, but an actual alignment of my physical body with my self identity.

@ Dani:  I tend to agree with your reply post however the mind is a powerful thing and in double-blind drug testing sometimes results are found even with the placebo medicines.... but as you said, many of us have wished that our gender would magically changed without pharmaceutical intervention... and it never happens, at least to you and me it didn't happen.

@ Jenny94:  Your original posting is filled with your thoughts of transitioning.  You are young and your profile picture is very nice...  the clock is ticking, if you feel that you want to transition you should see a doctor and/or therapist soon so you can make an informed and intelligent decision.