Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Community Conversation => Transitioning => Hormone replacement therapy => Topic started by: katherine on September 24, 2009, 06:05:14 AM

Title: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: katherine on September 24, 2009, 06:05:14 AM
I know this topic has come up several times, and there have been mixed responses regarding its effectiveness and link to cancer...
http://ts-si.org/hormones,-meds-&-surgery/19769-progesterone-breast-effects-confirmed-cancer-risk-factors-isolated.html (http://ts-si.org/hormones,-meds-&-surgery/19769-progesterone-breast-effects-confirmed-cancer-risk-factors-isolated.html)
Title: Re: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: jesse on September 24, 2009, 06:10:20 AM
i bookmarked this link thanks katherine
Title: Re: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: Steffi on September 24, 2009, 05:57:57 PM
Hmmm    :-\   After that paper by Dr Richard Curtis, I thought I had this all squared away in my mind...... now it all seems up in the air again.

......so in summary, this gives a thumbs-up to Progesterone for trans-women and states a definite and demonstrable process of action then?
Title: Re: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: Cadence Jean on September 24, 2009, 06:58:31 PM
That was a good read.  Thanks for sharing!  My take away is that it assists with breast growth, but that it should be taken for a limited span of time.  Otherwise you increase your risk of breast cancer.
Title: Re: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: katherine on September 25, 2009, 03:29:34 AM
It appears that the risk of cancer is more associated with natal women as opposed to transexual women.  The article appears to support the use of p for breast development.  I had read similar on other non-trans medical sites, but my main concern was the cancer issue.  This seems to suggest that there is little to no risk in transsexual women, unless I'm reading it wrong...
Title: Re: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: jesse on September 25, 2009, 03:31:14 AM
i read it as no risk as well
Title: Re: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: Myself on September 25, 2009, 05:28:45 AM
I can't see why or how it refers and even tested for HRT for this kind of therapy.

There should be no difference in risk, and they say the risk is usually after menopause, the reason they will find risk difference between XX and XY is probably because the XY were given estrogen ?

Or like someone else said, progesterone might be good just for a period of time?

Trying to find the full publish, from the abstracts I can't see anything related to trans at all.. I think the editor might just have added those up.

Still, if the risk is low, it would be low for anyone.. unless something increases it, which would be probably unusual
Title: Re: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: GinaDouglas on September 25, 2009, 04:10:52 PM
There was one study from Europe, that I read maybe 6 years ago, where it said that there was no increased risk of clots or cancer for transwomen taking estrogen or progesterone.
Title: Re: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: Valerie Elizabeth on September 25, 2009, 04:27:44 PM
QuoteProgesterone exposure may also be implicated as a key factor in increasing the risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women. However, those risks do not apply to many natal females and all transsexual women.

I found this article quite interesting.  The article that was posted a few weeks ago I disagreed with, but I don't think I ever expressed my disapproval.


I have access to the full journal article if anyone wants to read all the way through it (through my school).  It's about 12 pages of reading. PM me.
Title: Re: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: Myself on September 25, 2009, 08:48:24 PM
Quote from: Valerie Elizabeth on September 25, 2009, 04:27:44 PM
I found this article quite interesting.  The article that was posted a few weeks ago I disagreed with, but I don't think I ever expressed my disapproval.


I have access to the full journal article if anyone wants to read all the way through it (through my school).  It's about 12 pages of reading. PM me.

I want.
For some reason I am having a feeling the relation to trans seems to be be a bit made up..
Title: Re: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: katherine on September 26, 2009, 10:19:11 AM
The document does appear to support the role of p in breast development, however, I don't feel any better regarding the risk of cancer that may be associated with using it.  A very technical document and certainly not in my field of expertise. Perhaps there is someone here that can sort through it all...
Title: Re: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: Cadence Jean on September 26, 2009, 12:03:38 PM
I also don't see how progesterone would have a different amount of cancer risk for an XX body vs. an XY body.
Title: Re: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: CharleneT on September 30, 2009, 04:44:07 PM
hmm.... might just show this to my doc.  He doesn't buy the advantage for me ( MTF TS).  Mainly because of the small amount of research and the contradictory results.

Thanks for putting up this link !

Title: Re: Interesting Progesterone Article
Post by: katherine on October 08, 2009, 07:47:39 AM
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15551359 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15551359)

This link is to a study indicating that micronized p is less of a threat where cancer is concerned...

Also, I've extracted this from the following link regarding p:
P competitively inhibits the action of androgen, as it is a preferred substrate to the enzyme 5{alpha}-reductase, hence preventing the conversion of testosterone into its active metabolite dihydrotestosterone "
http://humupd.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/12/2/169 (http://humupd.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/12/2/169)

I hope this information is useful...