Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Okay so today and yesterday I started having a bit of a sore feeling like sensitive feeling on my nipples. It's a bit more noticeable today. Ive been taking this hair medicine for a year and a half but started taking a slightly higher dose recently. Is this a sign of breast growth? I tried to look it up but all I see is about it budding or something. Is that what's happening possibly?

I would be fine with having some breast growth as long as It's not noticeable by others. It would be something atleast. It feels a bit like a seed is trying to sprout if you get what I mean. It's a weird feeling. I just started to take a higher dose a few weeks ago.

Breast pain can be a sign of breast growth.  Or it can just be breast pain.

Ive noticed the right side, that the nipple the tip appears very slightly bigger than the left. Ive noticed soreness in my left nipple but just not as much. Is it strange that one side is more sore than the other? I dont know this stuff and can't just go asking people.

I was on HRT for about 30 years with what I know now to be a ridiculously low dosage and I didn't experience any breast pain but I grew to about an A cup in size. I started with my current treatment about 9 months ago and my dosage is a conservative half transition dosage. About a month in, I started feeling achy breasts in the afternoon. I take my pill in the morning so the timing is about right. I have switched from swallowing to dissolving it in my cheek and now my breast ache most of the day. I have regained what I lost while I was off HRT and am now a B cup. I suspect there is more in store for me though my desire is facial changes and not breast growth. In short, I think the booby fairy is paying you a visit.

As for the different size, others on the site have reported that breast don't always grow at the same rate so it's possible to have one bigger that the other. They tend to be more or less the same size in the end but the human body is not a carbon copy from side to side. That's why when you buy shoes you always try both of them on. One foot often is a bit bigger than the other. In my case, it's more extreme because I have one brown eye and one blue eyes. Dad had baby blues and mom was brown.

Hi Dena, very interesting what you said. I do not remember having breast pain, but after ten years of hrt, I am an A cup I think but my breasts grew but with no pain, really strange!!! How do you take your estradiol pills in the cheek? Do you use that method for a better absorption? I tried once putting the pill between my lower lip and gum, but it took me hours and hours to dissolve the pill, maybe the transbuccal method if I am correct? Thanks!!!

I take the cheap generic estradiol tablet and I put it between my upper jaw and my cheek. Sometimes it can take up to half an hour to really dissolved so I put it there after I finish breakfast and leave it there while I clean up the kitchen. I was swallowing the tablet before but my estrone levels were sky high and my estradiol levels were rock bottom because my liver was very healthy and converting almost all the tablet to estrone. Bypassing the first pass through the liver should up my estradiol levels and drop my estrone levels but it will be about 5 months before my next blood test. Without the blood test, it feels like something has change as sometimes my breast really ache.

Estrone is about a tenth as potent as estradiol so it's desirable to have less estrone and more estradiol as for the most part, estrone is pretty useless.

I discussed all of this with my Nurse practitioner before I started as she wanted to get my total estrogen levels down. I suspect this will help and I would prefer it to a dosage reduction as I am at half a transition dosage and I don't want to reduce it further.

I've been on HRT for 19 months now and around 6 weeks I remember my breasts hurting, but since then...nothing. 

My breasts were mainly hurting in the earlier growth stages. I have more of a soreness and sensitiveness these days than pain. It differs from person to person along with the HRT mix and type they are on along with your own body. Hugs
Mariah

I take find, spiro and e all at pretty low doses.  My breasts has been hurting in varying degrees since I started, but it's not a question.  There have been times they are just sensitive, but when they hurt, they HURT.  :-)

They will hurt soon after I take progesterone and then the pain gradually diminishes. In my 12th yr of HRT.

One day I hope to be able to lay on my chest again to relax without having to immediately jump up in pain with my nipples yelling at me saying "How could you be so mean and inconsiderate to us girl? one day.... haha

I've been on a transitional dose with transitional numbers for about 6 months. Nipples starting itching and feeling bruised about 1 month in and have remained that way since. Growth? Not so you'd notice. A little bit of disappointing puffiness, that's it. Looks like a big fat BA for me in the future....."sigh" :(

Quote from: jentay1367 on November 23, 2016, 02:12:28 PM
I've been on a transitional dose with transitional numbers for about 6 months. Nipples starting itching and feeling bruised about 1 month in and have remained that way since. Growth? Not so you'd notice. A little bit of disappointing puffiness, that's it. Looks like a big fat BA for me in the future....."sigh" :(

I've been taking Progesterone since June and I feel nothing.  No itching.  They look swollen but according to my wife, she still think they look like moobs.   Had a consult with a Plastic Surgeon and he says I have enough breast tissue to hold 800cc implants.   It looks like I'm going that route.

If you are not seeing development, the next question is what are your estradiol levels. Be careful if the doctor starts talking estrogen because that number is only useful if you know the estradiol levels. I intentionally make sure my test check estradiol even thought the tests would normally be run without it.

Quote from: Dena on November 23, 2016, 07:31:13 PM
If you are not seeing development, the next question is what are your estradiol levels. Be careful if the doctor starts talking estrogen because that number is only useful if you know the estradiol levels. I intentionally make sure my test check estradiol even thought the tests would normally be run without it.

Not sure I understand Dena. Could you elaborate? I was told my levels of E was 305 pg/ml and was told these were ovulating levels. Told my T was 30 pg/ml. Is there something additional I should be asking????? Thanks for the advice in advance!

Total estrogen is estrone and estradiol. Estradiol is a strong feminizing hormone and desirable to have. Transition dosages of it are normally around 200 pg/ml. Estrone is made from estradiol but will convert back to estradiol if the body determines it needs it. I have seen two number as far as the feminizing power of estrone which are 10% or 4% the power of estradiol.

In my case, I am taking pure estradiol in pill form and almost all of it converts to estrone. My total estrogen levels are about 730 and my estradiol is at 51. Working out the numbers, the feminizing power at best is about 110 when I swallow the pill. Taking it the way I do now, I hope to lower the estrone and raise the estradiol. The following chart may be helpful as well.


ESTRADIOL LEVELS
SEX                     pg/ml
Women (> 18 years old)   
      Follicular Phase  30-120
      Ovulatory Peak   130-370
      Luteal Phase      70-250
      Post-Menopausal   15-60
Male                    15-60

TOTAL TESTOSTERONE LEVELS
SEX      ng/dl        ng/ml
Females  6 - 86     0.1 - 1.2
Males  270 - 1100   2.4 - 12
Conversion factor: 1 ng/ml = 3.47 nmol/l

Quote from: Dena on November 23, 2016, 09:43:36 PM
Total estrogen is estrone and estradiol. Estradiol is a strong feminizing hormone and desirable to have. Transition dosages of it are normally around 200 pg/ml. Estrone is made from estradiol but will convert back to estradiol if the body determines it needs it. I have seen two number as far as the feminizing power of estrone which are 10% or 4% the power of estradiol.

In my case, I am taking pure estradiol in pill form and almost all of it converts to estrone. My total estrogen levels are about 730 and my estradiol is at 51. Working out the numbers, the feminizing power at best is about 110 when I swallow the pill. Taking it the way I do now, I hope to lower the estrone and raise the estradiol. The following chart may be helpful as well.


ESTRADIOL LEVELS
SEX                     pg/ml
Women (> 18 years old)   
      Follicular Phase  30-120
      Ovulatory Peak   130-370
      Luteal Phase      70-250
      Post-Menopausal   15-60
Male                    15-60

TOTAL TESTOSTERONE LEVELS
SEX      ng/dl        ng/ml
Females  6 - 86     0.1 - 1.2
Males  270 - 1100   2.4 - 12
Conversion factor: 1 ng/ml = 3.47 nmol/l

Thanks for the detailed info Dena....that was kind of you. Looks like were on the same page. I take mine intramuscularly. I didn't figure I'd get huge breasts.  My mother was rather petite.  Thanks again!

Lab ranges vary so that looking at another lab's ranges, one can see levels are much higher at ovulation.

http://www.ilexmedical.com/files/PDF/Estradiol_ARC.pdf

"Normal estradiol levels are lowest at menses and into the early follicular  phase (25-75 pg/mL) and then rise in the late follicular phase to a peak of 200-600 pg/mL just before the LH surge, which is normally followed immediately by ovulation. As LH peaks, estradiol begins to decrease before rising again during the luteal phase (100-300 pg/mL)."

http://www.pathology.uci.edu/psm_public/FormView.aspx?descid=461&alpha=&opt=1&ans

Follicular: 23 – 145 pg/mL
Midcycle: 112 – 443 pg/mL
Luteal: 48 – 241 pg/mL

Maturitas. 2005 Apr 11;50(4):266-74.

"Normal concentrations obtained via a fluorometric method, vary with the phase of the woman's menstrual cycle. During the follicular phase, they range from 35 to 184 pg/mL; during the ovulatory phase, from 191 to 540 pg/mL; and during the luteal phase, from 40 to 228 pg/mL; at menopause, the 17β-estradiol level decreases to about 35 pg/mL. »

Am J Med. 1995 Aug;99(2):119-22.

"normal postmenopausal plasma concentration less than 200 pmol/L (less than 54 pg/ml); normal premenopausal physiologic ranges: luteal 368  to 1,100 pmol/L (100 – 300 pg/ml), midcycle 785 to 1,840 pmol/L (214 – 501 pg/ml), follicular 74 to 368 pmol/L (20 – 100 pg/ml) for estradiol"

http://www.specialtylabs.com/clients/outreach/web/site/details.asp?tid=44312&cid=301&keyword

Female normal by day of the week relative to LH peak:
Follicular: 21 - 251 pg/mL
Mid Cycle: 38 - 649 pg/mL
Luteal: 21 - 312 pg/mL

The right estradiol levels for a person cannot be determined in advance. There are so many factors to account for, like genetic predisposition (and sensitivity), metabolism, etc. Estradiol levels also fluctuate in time.