I've been feeling a little... questionable about my HRT lately. I am sure my doctor (non-biased, educated on the subject, works in a medical center build for GBLT medical care) knows what he is doing by only putting me on estrogen, but everyone keeps saying that it will take me so much longer to fully transition than it would someone who is on blockers and progesterone as well as estrogen.

It just makes me a little worried.

"It'll take you 10 years instead of 3"
"oh but your nipples won't develop the right way without progesterone"

Some of the things I've been told. I dunno if I believe it. I mean, I totally would go on them if I was positive that I would have the money to keep getting refills, but I'm just not that positive about my financial status, at least until I have student loans covering the rest of my tuition.

Plus, the nurse that works with my doctor at my last check up said I was developing very well, so I don't really know where I'm at right now. I do know that from where I was when I started 5 months ago there has been big changes, but could those changes have been even BIGGER if I was on the blockers and progesterone?

Does it really slow me down that much to not be on them?

I wouldn't worry about the slowness of transition as to more of the issue with un-inhibited estrogen, free-roaming in the blood system. Most Doctor's are brought up believe Progesterone is a "pregnancy" chemical, when in fact it's much more then that. It can effect your thyroid, blood pressure, even estrogen absorption, and sex drive. I highly recommend you insist on progesterone. As far as cost, you can actually get (if you go with synthetic) progesterone at Wal-Mart as apart of their $4.00 program. Meaning there is no excuse for not having it in your regimen. When you have the money, you can opt for the "natural" progesterone under the name "prometrium" which I tend to prefer.

Talk to your doc, Gracie. In most cases I have heard about the endos want the T-blockers in place about a month before beginning estrogen. The progesterone is thought to enhance breast development at least in some.

I'd say you should go to a health site like trans-health, follow some links and do some research and present your doc with that. They do seem to respond better to research by other docs than they do to my simply saying "I want this because someone on the net said I should have it."

Nichole

Every doctor is different. My first one just wanted cash and stuck me with a needle once every three months. No blood work, no concern about my overall health. My current doctor took things slow before she would do my scripts. And guess what? Estrogen only for the first year. After that I took control of things a bit more and when I went back to her, she followed what I had been doing and kept it up until I was about three weeks out to surgery.

So keep going, ask questions. Find out why estrogen only and if the doc plans on slowly moving you to blockers, etc. The doc may just find it easier to tell how your system adjusts to each thing that is added in. Hormones impact every aspect of your body, it is a huge deal and should not just be jumped into blindly.

Good luck.

that was my regime too
estro only for one year
then antiadrogone added
then t-blocker
then progesterone
not all at once

some docs start with antiadrogen first for about a year or less though

Quote from: Mnemosyne on August 19, 2008, 07:41:49 PM
Every doctor is different. My first one just wanted cash and stuck me with a needle once every three months. No blood work, no concern about my overall health. My current doctor took things slow before she would do my scripts. And guess what? Estrogen only for the first year. After that I took control of things a bit more and when I went back to her, she followed what I had been doing and kept it up until I was about three weeks out to surgery.

So keep going, ask questions. Find out why estrogen only and if the doc plans on slowly moving you to blockers, etc. The doc may just find it easier to tell how your system adjusts to each thing that is added in. Hormones impact every aspect of your body, it is a huge deal and should not just be jumped into blindly.

Good luck.

My doctor explained that you have to have a certain level of breast development before progesterone has something to work on.  For me it was 2 1/2 years of unopposed estrogen.

What I've always read has been to start with spiro, which does feminize to some degree, see how the body responds, and then add estrogen, gradually working up to what will be the daily dosage. The reason that spiro is used is to allow lower doses of the estrogen, estrogen being the main reason for caution due to possible  serious side effects such as blood clots.

Progesterone is something that not all doctors believe in, and apparently it sometimes helps a lot, sometimes it does nothing. More so than most things, "your mileage may vary!" Some doctors feel that it creates an undesireable increase in the risk of side effects. Some doctors introduce it in the second year of HRT. Since there is no one standard that all doctors will follow, and since we're all medically different, the doctor has to be trusted to make the appropriate decisions, with all HRT being individually tailored to each transitioner.

You, of course, have the right to ask the doctor why he doesn't use something. I would be more concerned with the safety factor than anything else.

Please talk to your doctor or get a new one if all you're on is estrogen.  This was standard back in the bad old days before anti-androgens, but not now.  The amount of estrogen you would need to counteract the testosterone still allowed to circulate in your system is too much without the benefit of anti-androgens.

Lia

I dunno.  I am on an all estradiol regimine and it appears to be working.  My testosterone level is near zero.  Breasts are developing....  And the projection is still three years, not ten.

Anti-Androgen was going to be perscribed only if my testosterone level was not near zero.  And from what I have read, anti-androgens are only for short time use.

If you have questions, talk with your physician.  Get the blood work done.  Do your homework  Then make an informed decision.

A good resource is Feminizing Hormonal Therapy for the Transgendered by Sheila Kirk, MD.  It's what i used to prepare myself for starting HRT.  If you don't want to buy it, you should be able to order it through your local library.

Like you know, transitioning is a game of patience.  The less medication we can get away with, the greater the probability we will get to the other end of the rainbow with our vital organs still in good shape.

Chaunte

I know this can be confusing because every one has a different prospective on what works best. Even the doctors administer different regimes based on what they think is best.  Your best bet is get all the info you can from here and other places like your doctor, a PDR is aways a big help. Digest all of it and find your way to what works best for you.

I personally have no use for progesterone. it has 0 Anti-Androgen  properties on its own.  If you look around enough you will start running into material that suggest to much of it will be converted into testosterone by your body. (now that will cause a sex drive) It truly is a pregnancy hormone its name says so.

Pro gest means pro gestation it is the hormone that helps the fetal egg adhere to the  wall uterine wall.

Most people swear by it, me I just like spiro and estrogen.

Good luck
Kristina

Pre-SRS, I was on a massive dose of Estradiol and Aldactone. Literally I became an estrogen rockette!  My physician (who, incidentally, has twenty years of experience with transsexual patients) never prescribed any Provera (progesterone) though, for she didn't consider it necessary for feminization.  She was correct; I did feminize quite well with the Estradiol + Aldactone alone, and within six months, I couldn't pass as a "guy" (to whatever degree that was  ) anymore. 

A combination of estrogen and anti-androgens is standard procedure in the treatment of MTF transsexuals; hence, you may want to talk to your physician and DEMAND anti-androgens as well.  If he doesn't want to prescribe them for you, you can always switch endo's, no?  I am sure he is not the only physican who can help you.  IMHO you can benefit much more seeing a physician that has experience with transsexual women.

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