I am feeling that I would like to speed up the process.  I still feel like a guy in a dress when I get dressed.  I don't feel I pass just yet, though some have said I do.  I would love to speed up my breast development, and maybe hair growth.  I'm pretty sure there is nothing I can do to speed it up any, but if anyone knows a way that I can pass on to my Endo, that would be great.

Currently I take Estradiol and Spironolactone.

I don't think you can speed up estrogen results. I think it's one of those it takes as long as it takes things. At least that's what my Dr told me once when I was being totally impatient.  And there really isn't anything that makes your hair grow faster. All you can really do is keep the ends healthy. If you have dry hair only wash it every other day. Also be careful what shampoo you wash it with. Don't wash it with body wash. Some people figure soap is soap. Not true when it comes to hair. My dad had dry scalp and itching and I found out he was washing his hair with bar soap!. He has buzzed hair so he figured he could just use regular soap. Something with a high PH is bad for your hair. Any main brand shampoo should be ok. Don't wash your hair with baby shampoo!  People think because its no tears and for babies its really gentle. Baby shampoo is made for babies. It's good for clearing out cradle cap so it has a very high PH. Its gentle to skin and went burn if it gets in your eyes but its harsh on adult hair.
Julia

Biontin is a herbal substance used to supplement hair and nail growth, I have tried it and it did work for me. It may come as a hair and nail formula or pill. Another tip...Don't wash your hair every day...I wash mine once a week and I have really strong healthy hair according to my transplant specialist

You could double check your blood levels are appropriate and make sure your doctors is doing it properly. I hear the occasional story of women wasting a year or more on far too low levels.

If you feel there is nothing happening (i.e. breast growth, facial/skin/hair changes) after a few months, I would consult with your doctor and ask for a readjustment of your HRT. Doses may be inadequate for you.

Quote from: ElizabethK on July 05, 2017, 08:08:33 AM
Biontin is a herbal substance used to supplement hair and nail growth, I have tried it and it did work for me. It may come as a hair and nail formula or pill. Another tip...Don't wash your hair every day...I wash mine once a week and I have really strong healthy hair according to my transplant specialist

This is what I was going to suggest hair wise. (Of course, if you can afford and stand to wear them a nice wig is also an option until your hair grows out.)

As for the chest....I don't think there's really much you can do. I remember when my cousin and I were young and we heard there were excises that would make your chest bigger so we started doing them....Down side is....it makes your existing breast tissue taut and perky, but it doesn't increase growth, and as a MTF, chest exercises probably would probably do more harm than good in the chesticle department for you.

Quote from: AnonyMs on July 05, 2017, 08:22:57 AM
You could double check your blood levels are appropriate and make sure your doctors is doing it properly. I hear the occasional story of women wasting a year or more on far too low levels.

^^ This is also an option.

You might try switching to injectable EV and fish oil helps promote health and fuller hair.

Yeah just talk to your doc about this.  Your levels have to be in the "Goldilocks" range for your body.  Too low and nothing will happen too high your body can't process it effectively.  You will get there. 

As far as hair there are lots of options that can help. I'm not sure what you are doing currently, but Finasteride & dutasteride can really help jumpstart hair growth. I've been in fin for 6 months now and results are becoming fantastic. You can also add in minoxidil but be aware that this is more or less a permanent move, though some have suggested that a very slow ween after allowing hair to develop for long enough of HRT might prevent a losing what you gained. There are also all kinds of supplements, vitamins, and minerals that can help. Make sure you're getting enough Omega 3s, vitamin e, folic acid, and biotin as those will help growth, color, and texture. I also take the amino acids Taurine & cysteine (ironically enough these are common ingredients in cat & dog food to help with healthy coats)

As far as your HRT regimen goes, consult with your doctor and your lab work. If your levels aren't where they need to be you may need to adjust doses or method of administration to suit you better. From personal experience, I switched to subcutaneous injections after 2 months on sublingual tablets and my progress jump-started within a week. My breasts are itchy and hurting so much that I have no choice but to wear a training bra because they are so sensitive where before they were just sort of sore all the time and a little painful to the touch.

I have a blood test this Friday.  It is supposed to check my Testosterone, Estradiol, and potassium/other kidney type elements.  This will be my first test in 10 months to check the T, and the fourth for Estradiol.  My last Estradiol test was to high, in my Endo's opinion and got my dose reduced.  It was 310 up from the 66 of the previous test.  My first Prolactin test was 30.610.

My dose for the Estradiol was reduce to 3/4 what it was.  It was doubled when the test was 66.

I am at about 10 months on HRT, and am feeling a bit bummed about the progress, which in my mind is more the lack thereof.

Fish oil?  Do you wash your hair with it, or take it as a pill?  Where would you get Biontin and what is it?  My hair started from the bald look, kept it almost completely gone.  This was because of my bald spot, that I was very self conscious about, so if it was all gone no one would notice it.  I'm happy that the bald spot is now just a thin spot.  I still need to learn how to style my hair, and maybe get it trimmed as I haven't done that since I started HRT.

Quote from: Artesia on July 05, 2017, 04:22:57 PM
Fish oil?  Do you wash your hair with it, or take it as a pill?  Where would you get Biontin and what is it?  My hair started from the bald look, kept it almost completely gone.  This was because of my bald spot, that I was very self conscious about, so if it was all gone no one would notice it.  I'm happy that the bald spot is now just a thin spot.  I still need to learn how to style my hair, and maybe get it trimmed as I haven't done that since I started HRT.

Fish oil you get in capsules from the health food store, the Biontin you can buy same as any other herbal concoction over the counter or at the supermarket. It is usually marketed as Hair and nail formula to help promote healthy growth. It really is not going to matter which brand so long as you check to see that it is Biontin  as the active ingredient ....hope that helps to explain.

Quote from: Artesia on July 05, 2017, 04:22:57 PM
I have a blood test this Friday.  It is supposed to check my Testosterone, Estradiol, and potassium/other kidney type elements.  This will be my first test in 10 months to check the T, and the fourth for Estradiol.  My last Estradiol test was to high, in my Endo's opinion and got my dose reduced.  It was 310 up from the 66 of the previous test.  My first Prolactin test was 30.610.

My dose for the Estradiol was reduce to 3/4 what it was.  It was doubled when the test was 66.

I am at about 10 months on HRT, and am feeling a bit bummed about the progress, which in my mind is more the lack thereof.

Fish oil?  Do you wash your hair with it, or take it as a pill?  Where would you get Biontin and what is it?  My hair started from the bald look, kept it almost completely gone.  This was because of my bald spot, that I was very self conscious about, so if it was all gone no one would notice it.  I'm happy that the bald spot is now just a thin spot.  I still need to learn how to style my hair, and maybe get it trimmed as I haven't done that since I started HRT.

All of the supplements I mentioned were intended to be taken orally, but some might work topically and you should be able to get the over the counter at any pharmacy. I had to go to a health food store to find the right amount acids though. I almost forgot! A high quality shampoo can really help, I've been using Revita Shampoo & conditioner and my hair feels & looks much better since starting. Its got a ton of ingredients that are supposed
to help with hair & scalp health and has no sodium laurel or laureth sulfate. I also make a point to drink a ton of water. I used to be chronically dehydrated and it can be awful for hair strength , texture, & moisture.

I'd discuss your progress with your doctor after your upcoming blood test. You might get better results switching they way you administer but it's hard to tell. Keep in mind there are a lot of extenuating factors with effectiveness of HRT like age and genetics. Are you taking Finasteride? A lot of endos say it's redundant with Spiro, but anecdotally all of the girls who seem to be seeing regrowth are on either that or dutasteride. Again, something to talk about with you doc, but I pay about $13 for a 90 day prescription and I was noticing progress before ever starting hrt. Totally worth it, IMO.

I only have the 2 meds for HRT.  I do have a couple for High blood pressure, cholesterol, and an anti-inflammatory.  Finasteride may not even be offered through the VA.

I know she is worried about my health history.  I had a stent placed in 2015.  I really abused my body, because of how much I didn't care about myself.  I ate my favorite foods, and 2-3 portions of them, daily.  Pizza, spaghetti with meat sauce, chili, fried foods of all types...... Anything that tasted good, and was high in sodium, fat, and cholesterol.  As a health care food service manager, I knew better, I just didn't care.

Now I care, and am fighting to fix it. 

Quote from: mako9802 on July 05, 2017, 02:06:20 PM
Yeah just talk to your doc about this.  Your levels have to be in the "Goldilocks" range for your body.  Too low and nothing will happen too high your body can't process it effectively.  You will get there.

Is this true?

Cisgender women have estrogen levels that vary widely on a daily basis, on a monthly basis and when they get pregnant their estrogen levels skyrocket and they can get post-pubertal increases in feminization.
And most transgender women take bio-identical estrogen nowadays so it's basically the same as what cisgender women naturally produce.

Also, there is a trend in transgender care nowadays to not even measure hormone levels and only concentrate instead on dosages that produce desired feminization results.

Quote from: Artesia on July 05, 2017, 07:37:23 PM
I only have the 2 meds for HRT.  I do have a couple for High blood pressure, cholesterol, and an anti-inflammatory.  Finasteride may not even be offered through the VA.

It certainly doesn't hurt to inquire if you're worried about your hair. Based on my own research, Finasteride should have little if any effect on cholesterol and can sometimes lower blood pressure. There could certainly be   potential interactions with your other prescriptions. I don't know enough about it from that perspective as prior to hrt I wasn't on any other meds.

Quote from: Artesia on July 05, 2017, 07:37:23 PMPizza, spaghetti with meat sauce, chili, fried foods of all types...... Anything that tasted good, and was high in sodium, fat, and cholesterol.

Notice how all these foods are high in carbs...reduce carbs and you will notice your blood pressure going down as insulin strongly stimulates sodium retention. Fat is not the problem.

There are studies where ciswomen because of their particular conditions didn't develop properly and had poor breast development/osteopenia. Upon administration of a high dose of estrogen-progestogen combo consisting of bio-identical estradiol, they not only got impressive breast development but their bone mass significantly increased. Some of these women were around 50 yrs old and despite levels in the 2,500-3,500 pg/ml range, none experienced serious side-effects. It's too bad doctors treating transgendered women aren't aware of these studies or other ones (in cismen with advanced cancer, for instance or even in transwomen) that show similar results because right now, most fear exceeding the 100-200 range and some of us just don't do well within that range, like me!

Quote from: Jane Emily on July 05, 2017, 10:36:17 PMAlso, there is a trend in transgender care nowadays to not even measure hormone levels and only concentrate instead on dosages that produce desired feminization results.

Yes. My doctors are like that. Personally, it makes the most sense to me.

Quote from: ElizabethK on July 05, 2017, 05:17:19 PM
...the Biontin you can buy same as any other herbal concoction over the counter or at the supermarket. It is usually marketed as Hair and nail formula to help promote healthy growth. It really is not going to matter which brand so long as you check to see that it is Biontin  as the active ingredient

I followed this thread and sorta got talked into considering biotin supplements. I had nearly used all my daily multi-vitamins, so when I went to get more, I looked at the biotin. I think it's the Walmart house brand, Spring Valley, had a pink splash across the bottom of the label. "♀ HAIR/SKIN/NAIL HEALTH"

Haha. The "♀" sealed the deal, and I bought a bottle.   I'll try to let y'all know in four months how well it's worked for me. fwiw, I continued buying the men's vitamin.

All the best,
--AshleyP

Quote from: AshleyP on July 07, 2017, 12:37:08 AM
I followed this thread and sorta got talked into considering biotin supplements. I had nearly used all my daily multi-vitamins, so when I went to get more, I looked at the biotin. I think it's the Walmart house brand, Spring Valley, had a pink splash across the bottom of the label. "♀ HAIR/SKIN/NAIL HEALTH"

Haha. The "♀" sealed the deal, and I bought a bottle.   I'll try to let y'all know in four months how well it's worked for me. fwiw, I continued buying the men's vitamin.

All the best,
--AshleyP

Hi Ashley
Sounds like the stuff I use...don't expect miracles overnight but my nails stopped chipping like crazy, I got far less hangnails and the grew without all the ridges...I first up took them for 60 days then stopped to see what happened and they began to break and chip, I could not get them to grow very well at all. SO I started taking it about a month ago now and the chipping has once again stopped so have the hang nails and the breaking nails. They are more flexible but also sturdy. Good Luck