hormone replacement therapy.....

[mickie88]

i'm hoping to get some help on this. i recently went to see my gynecologist to begin my hrt regimen. from what i gather on here, most mtf's start out with estrogen in one form or another, and have anti-androgens to start blocking T. my gyno only prescribed me for 6 months of premarin and nothing else.

has anyone else been prescribed E by itself, or is this standard? i need help cuz i don't want to look like a damned freak, especially since this is coming out of my pocket!!

[Janet_Girl]

Many start with one or the other.  And at six months they rerun the tests, and go from there.  I started with both, but only because I had been self-medicating. 

At least you have begun.  And any results will be unnoticeable for at least six months, or at least that was my result.

Janet

[imaz]

I started many years ago with Premarin because that was what was used back then. Seem to remember the tablets were purple and maybe [...]

Never liked it much as it really messed up my stomach and gave me oral thrush.

[ilikepotatoes]

It's usually standard to take anti-androgens along with estrogen. HRT takes a looooong time to show its effects in MTFs and even longer when your body is still being allowed to get away with producing testosterone.

You should talk to your gyno and ask why you weren't proscribed an anti-androgen. Maybe your doctor wanted to start you slow to watch for health risks or doesn't know enough about HRT. Go to your doctor with some more information about HRT. You most likely aren't going to get the results you want with only estrogen.

[Alyssa M.]

I was under the impression that in the U.S., estradiol is most commonly prescribed. That's what I got, plus spiro, right away.

I'm not sure what you mean by "look like a freak," but I noticed some changed within about a month, though nothing that prevents me from presenting male. I'm getting to the point at three months that I might not want to go topless, and might soon need to start wearing a sprots bra while in guy mode, depending on my shirt, but I'm pretty sure I could go on presenting male indefinitely. But there are subtle changes that help with my female presentation.

[Sandy]

I seem to remember that it was a couple of months before my Dr. approved me for spiro.  Once he was happy with my blood work showing that my liver was in good shape, he let me go for the anti-andros.

It may be the same thing here.

I don't think you'll look like a freak, it's just that the effects of estrogen will be more subdued until the ratio of testosterone to estrodial is changed through testosterone suppression.

-Sandy

[mickie88]

I seem to remember that it was a couple of months before my Dr. approved me for spiro.  Once he was happy with my blood work showing that my liver was in good shape, he let me go for the anti-andros.

It may be the same thing here.

I don't think you'll look like a freak, it's just that the effects of estrogen will be more subdued until the ratio of testosterone to estrodial is changed through testosterone suppression.

-Sandy

Sandy,

sorry, guess i was tired or something when i typed my OP, but the doc hasn't prescribed me estradiol, cuz if he had, it sure wouldn't be costing me $60+ a month. he's only prescribed me Premarin, and i think he just wants to see if that will make me feel better mentally, cuz physically even after 6 months and no andros, i'm just going to get more masculine, and grow more facial hair i don't want. i do not believe that premarin is going to do anything for me physically and that's what i want. if i needed psycho-tropic(deragotory term I apologize) drugs, i would see my therapist and have him recommend me to a psychiatrist to prescribe these for me. sorry for the confusion.

[Miss LXC 2.0]

I suppose then the key is the right combination as spiro, progesterone, and estro as all are  prescribed to lower testosterone in males for treatment for enlarged prostate.

My dose of spiro had to be lowered from the effectiveness that the Prog and Estro were having on lowering testosterone. (jokingly I say: "One day the 'boys' had left their hammock.")

Results happening fairly quickly which definately had boosted my spirits.

Hugs~