I have been on Spironolactone 2x daily and Estradiol 2x daily for 6 months and I am seeing hardly any change. The change I DO see is:
Walnut sized lumps under nipple area of breasts
Zero erections
Softer skin

I see no changes like I see in the time lines on YouTube and I am getting discouraged. Does anyone know what can be added to my HRT to help me out..this feels like a baseline combination. Please help

Mod Edit:Dosage

Time.

6 Months is NOTHING. Wait it out, you'll only tire yourself out more.

Welcome to Susan's Place. The problem with comparing your development to others is nobody develops at the same rate. It can take 2-3 year for significant development and up to 8 year to reach full maturity. Others may see development in a far shorter period of time. In my case, at the end of 5 years I was still a AA cup. Blood test results would be more informative but normally higher dosages will not result in faster development.
My advice to you is to relax and enjoy the ride because you are seeing results and over the next year should see more.

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You may edit out doses...
blood levels and medication are ok ..

Concerning levels of estrogen you might talk to them to stay away from menopausal levels.
Menopausal levels are 60-80 pg/ml. It might be connected with risk to bone density, low libido and low level of activity. Menopausal people usually don't have a youthful level of activity.

A doctor/endo should know this.
Usually they may be afraid of higher estrogen levels because:
-some non bioidentical forms of estrogen may be dangerous with higher levels.
This can be avoided if bioidentical estrogen is applied. Cis people have high leves naturally for example during pegnancy without adverse effects.
Second there may be blood clotting if estrogen is taken orally.
The liver has estrogen sensors in the arteries from the digestive tract and then raises clotting factors if estrogen is swallowed.
This can be avoided with sublingual intake, and with other forms of intake, like gels, patches, implants or injections.

Many endos strive for levels of estro of 180-200 pg/ml or above.
I would see no reason for them not to, and to keep people well away from any menopausal levels.
But decisive is also how people feel. But imo levels below 150 pg/ml should be avoided.
Some people feel well then and have good feminization, some people fell well with higher levels still from injections and implants, where levels can be much higher.

If levels are not high enough it might be tried to raise estrogen levels first.
Possibilities could be as said sublingual bioidentical estrogen, patches, gel, implants or injections.

With sublingual intake levels rise fast and then drop hours later. So spreading the daily dose throughout the day in a few small doses may help keep levels more steady, which might affect mood.
Patches make for more steady levels, there is a difference in effectivity because peoples skins are different.
Its also possible to use one patch for stable levels and sublingual pills for higher levels.

Adding bioidentical progesterone might help also. There are studies showing for fully developed breast tissue it may be necessary. It may also help with mood. It can be cycled, for 10,14 or 20 days a month for example. Watch for mood then.

You may discuss all of this with them ... maybe print and discuss ...


hugs

I hope you get more results from HRT, and it's highly likely you will over the next 18 months. But please keep in mind that plenty of genetic women only have very small breasts even after years of puberty. It's the genetic lottery that can leave you short changed, not the dose or type of hormones.

HRT takes time and there is big YMMV factor. However, at 6 months I hope you've had some blood tests that are letting the doctor/endo know how well your levels of E & T are.

And then... there is no no uniform standard for the various results or target values. Each doc has her/his preference

Breasts are slowly developing, skin is softer, what else is missing? What about body hair growth, fat distribution, how you feel, facial changes? How are others identifying you? Have you compared a pic now to before hormones?

******UPDATE******

Just to give a little bit more info before i give yall my update..

As of March 31, 2016 (which was the last time that I had any bloodwork done) these were my levels..

Testosterone 345 ng/dL

Estradiol 215.4 pg/mL

these levels were achieved after starting on HRT on November 19,2015...so a little over 4 months.

As for the update, I have an appointment with a highly respected endocrinologist on October 31st...FINALLY!!! I have gotten my Medicaid taken care of and is in effect. I will have labs done on this day..i am going to fast without being told that I have to cus we all know the drill LOL. I dont want anything stopping these labs from being done. Also, I am aiming to have my Spironolactone doubled so that my testosterone will be more suppressed, because as you can see, it was still very high on last tests. On the other hand, I am already at pre-menopausal female hormone levels. My original doctor, who I love dearly, recommended a testosterone level of less than 32 ng/L. Feminization is still being suppressed/blocked because my testosterone levels are still too high. ALTHOUGH...oh my gosh ladies and gentlemen..my boobs have grown sooo much. They are visually bigger. WAY bigger. Not too sure what my cup size is at the moment as I am not wearing bras because I am not presenting as female at the moment anymore. My living arrangements do not allow me to, unfortunately. Anyways..facial feminization is very very very slow and it is killing me. Only tons of makeup and countouring and highlighting can do the trick...but NATURAL facial feminization..not so much. Yes, others see a difference but not as much as I would like. I have gained weight but in all the right places LOL. My body hair and facial hair grows back at a much slower rate which I absolutely adore. I used to have to shave my face EVERY morning. Now, I can get away with every other morning. I have now been on HRT for 11 months, but I feel as though I was robbed of the amount of feminization I could have received if I would have had adequate medical care..but that is another story in itself.
I will update again about all of this after my doctor's appointment.
Thanks for listening and all of the feedback...
HUGS ALL AROUND!

Thats really good. I feel like i have the same situation. My E was 120 i think but my T was at 0.130 after 19 months.

Quote from: Josie_P on May 22, 2016, 04:55:42 PM
I see no changes like I see in the time lines on YouTube and I am getting discouraged.
Mod Edit:Dosage

What quite a few of those YouTube timeliness fail to mention is that many of them have undergone facial feminization surgery, breast augmentation, and everything else under the sun. I wouldn't fret about it too much. It's a long waiting game. Focus on other facets of pleasure in your life and the time will pass more quickly.