Asides from adjusting my estrogen dose I've been thinking about adding progesterone to my hormone regimen. So far from what I've read it's supposed to work along side estrogen to enhance its effects. Also for a short update, I'm just about five months into HRT with extremely minimal effects, only a slight reduction body hair and small breast buds that refuse to grow. So with that would it be to soon to start taking progesterone is my other question?

I'd recommend it but I recommend that you only use micronized P and not medroxyprogesterone acetate (provera). I'd also recommend toing 2 weeks on and two weeks off when using it.

progesterone is good for the boobies

*thumbs up*

yes they are good for the girls from what I've been reading, hopefully with that and a higher E dose I can finally start developing, I have my doctors appointment in a month. Been a tricky year with the HRT and hopefully I'll get my body

In addition to progesterone therapy consider gaining weight, at least temporarily. Weight gain will help with the size of your breasts. However, keep in mind that too much weight isn't advised, given we're more susceptible to insulin related illness.

Good luck.

Progesterone is a very big mystery. The last time I checked, there was pretty much just as much support for all claims:

-It helps breast growth, because glandular tissue is developed better under its influence.
-It has absolutely no effect on breast growth, because girls have pretty much all of their breast growth when their blood levels of progesterone are low.
-It hinders breast growth and development in general, because progesterone acts like an androgen in several ways.

And to be honest none of the points of view managed to convince me more than the others. This is mainly because no one cares about progesterone in trans women, so most of the data available is deduced, not checked.

Quote from: A on May 27, 2013, 02:02:21 PM
-It hinders breast growth and development in general, because progesterone acts like an androgen in several ways.

This last point really scares me and is one of the main reasons I don't even want to try it. But then I hear it really enhances regular HRT effects. I know men can take P with no feminization.

Im going to have to talk about it with my doctor about the pros and cons of taking it. I might just give it ashot and see how it works out for me and hopefully thatll be really well.

Keep in mind , that most studies showing negative effects are MPA(provera) and not the same as biologic provera. It also has a way of sensitizing E receptors but may be counter productive to take a static daily dose.  My doc is MtF and she talked me into a cyclic regimen and my breasts are suddenly sore again and feeling like they are growing.

I'm hoping with adding more E and taking progesterone that I'll finally start developing my body. I think my current dose is too low unfortunately. and btw would taking my estrogens sublingually help with absorption?

There are a lot of pros and cons about MtF's using Progesterone, most of it comes from doctors and specialists who routinely prescribe HRT regimen's for MtF patients that are really designed for menopausal and post menopausal women who's body's have long since feminized during the puberty phase of a normal cis girl. This usually takes place rapidly over the course of a few years whereas the feminizing process in MtF patient's often takes much longer due to relatively few estrogen sensors and lack of sensitivity. One of the arguments against progesterone for MtF's is that there are no female internal organs that require it, however what is often overlooked is that Progesterone is one of the elements that enhances breast development in young females during puberty. I found personally that a topically applied progesterone cream or oil not only enhances breast growth but helps in the development of the internal ducts and glands that make up part of the bulk of the breast. I noticed a marked increase in the size of my nipples as far as thickness goes and my aureola diameter increased dramatically as well. I had tried the pill form of progesterone along with estradiol pills half of which benefit is lost in the liver after it goes through the gut and eventually led to DVT so I use only topically applied meds now which I have discovered are much more effective. Just my two bits worth! ~ Shan ~

Yeah i've been thinking about starting progesterone but i've heard it can convert to testosterone and make you grow body & facial hair if not watched carfeully by a doctor. The pros i've heard are that it makes your breast bigger and rounder and makes your areolas bigger. I also heard for some people it helps even out mood swings caused by estrogen dominace and helps with anxiety & depression.

Quote from: JuliaVB on May 27, 2013, 10:26:04 AM
yes they are good for the girls from what I've been reading, hopefully with that and a higher E dose I can finally start developing, I have my doctors appointment in a month. Been a tricky year with the HRT and hopefully I'll get my body

No, no, no, no! progestin are contraindicated in HRT for cis or trans folks. WPATH and the Woman's Health Initiative (one of the largest study demonstrating an association between progestin and breast cancer) do not support the use in transgender HRT

The "progesterone thread" rises its ugly head every so often at Susan's...at the end of the day people will do what ever they want, and they would believe what ever they want, but as a women of sciences I would not recommend its use.

I've been on Progesterone now for almost 3 months and I would definitely say it has helped. My boobs seem to have become fuller and more rounded, and seem to be growing much faster. I would say that I've been moodier though and much more tired during the day. This all started around the time I started progesterone so I'm going to assume it's the cause.

My endo swears by it alongside pellet implants.

I've been getting progesterone the entire time I've been on HRT, and my breast growth has been stellar for what I was expecting. My mom is a B cup, and I was already fitting into B cups after 5 months.

Keep in mind I haven't once taken any form of AA, I haven't suffered from mood swings at all, nor have I even had my levels checked (I will for the first time in about 6 weeks). I cannot think of a single negative side effect experienced.

I have also heard that with E & P it is a balancing act and achieves a better mental state than with just E alone.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/whi/estro_pro.htm

Got lots of experts out there but I use it and it works! My menopausal spouse is required to use it along with her estrogen because she still has her female organs and estrogen alone will cause endometrial or ovarian cancer, the progesterone creates a balance. In both instances we are using bio-identical plant based topically applied hormones that are made by a compounding pharmacy as opposed to chemically produced hormones that are made by Wyeth and Merck labs. Bio-identicals are much safer by far.

peky- it looks like all the studies were done with oral progestin... I'm not surprised at all that it finished with a negative outcome.

I'd be curious to see what they would find administering with injections, creams, or pellet implants. That would be a real test. As Shantel mentioned, avoiding as much of the liver interaction seems key.

I took bioidentical oral progesterone (Prometrium) in 10-14 day cycles for I think two months (maybe three?). My experience with it was that it made my boobs feel bigger while I was on it, but they would feel smaller again between cycles. The biggest issue I had with it was that I noticed that my hair had started growing faster again, probably as a result of its androgenic effects. At that point I'd been on E for about six months, and my facial/body hair had been growing very slowly, but it definitely did pick back up with the P in my system.

Quote from: peky on May 28, 2013, 07:09:49 PM
No, no, no, no! progestin are contraindicated in HRT for cis or trans folks. WPATH and the Woman's Health Initiative (one of the largest study demonstrating an association between progestin and breast cancer) do not support the use in transgender HRT

The "progesterone thread" rises its ugly head every so often at Susan's...at the end of the day people will do what ever they want, and they would believe what ever they want, but as a women of sciences I would not recommend its use.

Peky-  You are a brilliant woman and I always respect what you have to say but I must disagree. They WHI ONLY looked at synthetic progestins (MPA_Provera) in the study which is not comparable to bioidentiacal progesterone. I wouldn't advise ANYONE to take MPA(medroxyprogesterone acetate/Provera) nor would I recommend taking progesterone as a static dose. GG's only have significant levels of progesterone for about half their cycle and progesterone helps balance the negative side effects of estrogen.