Least straightforward step?

[Sabriel Facrin]

I'm really enthusiastic to take hormone replacement therapy.  My confidence is up and everything!  So, naturally I wanted to read into them.  I already heard about what the hormones generally do to change the body, and I've heard here-there that different body hormones focus on different jobs...
...But then I get into the actual HRT hormone talk and it's so many kinds of hormones being talked about that I'm not sure if some of the forum members are part-time doctors or what... ;.;
So...uhmm...what are all these different kinds?  Are they essentially brands?  Do they do different things from eachother?  Would I be ok just going for particular ones...? I'm just a little lost on it all...

[MarinaM]

Some of us do have strong backgrounds in science, to be sure. Mine is in policy and environmental biology, so the chemistry involved is fascinating and fun.

I think google will work best for you, honestly, because HRT is sloppy and powerful, meaning different things work in different ways on different people. Some of those things you may be asking about are brand names.

Estrace = Estradiol : A C18 chemical (hormone), the predominant sex hormone in women (also present in men to a small degree in part due to conversion from testosterone), this effects feminine development, sex drive, and neurology.
Propecia= finasteride=proscar ~ Spironalactone: The first three are redundant if taken together because they're the same thing, and Spiro is only a little bit different from propecia. Look them up because what they do is very complicated, these are the anti androgens.
progesterone=: A c21 chemical (hormone) that is involved in pregnancy, menstration, and gestational development. Has been shown to help breast development. This one is the topic of much debate, and people have their favorites.


sorry for the chemistry talk, but I like to rattle off this kind of stuff.

Edit: Here's a good resource
http://www.transgendercare.com/medical/hormonal/hormone-tx_assch_gooren.htm