Third Year Of HRT Changes

[Lori Dee ✅]

At the beginning of this month I was in hospital for a leg infection as well as issues from my afib, so I passed my my 4th anniversary of starting estrogen while in hospital.  Unfortunately the hospital didn't have any estrogen to give me, and I didn't have my home meds up there.  But they did have the progesterone that I'm on (plus because it's part of my heart medication I was being given spironolactone), and it feels like in the week I was off estrogen, and just on progesterone my breasts grew even more and now I'm finding that my 54B bras are tighter in the cups when I'm wearing them.  So for days I work in trying to wear all my 56C bras. 

Progesterone does promote water retention (bloating, swelling), and that could be why your breasts are bigger. It is not uncommon for healthcare providers to stop estrogen during surgery or for some other issue. The reason is that when it is metabolized in the liver, it affects blood clotting, which can be dangerous.

It is not the presence of these hormones that causes the changes. It is the fluctuation in the levels. And since they all work together, dropping one affects the ratio of the others.

If you think of a car engine, more gas makes it run faster; less makes it slower. The fuel is the same, only the amount is different.

Healthcare providers are more concerned about the risks than they are about the results. We want the effects, so we say "more gas" and "go faster," but the provider is looking at the engine overheating, wear and tear on moving parts, etc. So when your body is fighting an infection or recovering from surgery or illness, it is like having a flat tire. Faster is not safer, and the providers want you to slow down or stop.

Once you heal up and get back on your regular med cycle, things will return to normal again.

[KristaFairchild]

I have been one month on HRT. Nothing has changed, except libido 

How did your libido change? I'm on estradiol and mine is doing the opposite of what I expected. It's increasing. 

[Stottie Girl]

How did your libido change? I'm on estradiol and mine is doing the opposite of what I expected. It's increasing.

It depends on what you are taking and relative doseages Krista. Everyone is different. When I was on cyproterone my libido (and the big 'O' quality) plummeted but when I switched to Spiro my libido moved forward in leaps and bounds to the point now where I am experiencing a completely female sexual response. I'm more of a twice a month than a twice a day person now and it suits me down to the ground.

[NancyDrew1930]

So today I just got some wonderful news regarding my hormone therapy.  Back in April when I was talking to my HRT doctor, they had told me that I didn't need to take spironolactone anymore to suppress my testosterone, because my tests were showing that I wasn't even registering for testosterone.  But they left me on the Spiro because the hospital in August 2025 had switched me of Cyproterone Acetate to Spiro because of my heart, and the benefits it had for controlling blood pressure, and it would be up to my cardiologist as to whether I should stay on it. 

I saw my new cardiologist today, and he said that I didn't need the Spiro so I could go off it, so tomorrow (since I already took my Spiro this morning before my appointment) will be my first day of being on just sublingual Estrogen and oral Progesterone with no testosterone blockers. 

What did others find happened when they switched from an anti-androgen to being just mono E?

[Lori Dee ✅]

I was switched from Spiro to Leuprolide, but after a year of that, my T levels were like yours: <12 ng/dL. For reference, adult females typically range from 15 to 46 ng/dL.

Physically and emotionally, I haven't noticed any difference at all.

@Stottie Girl mentioned she was also on Spiro, then stopped, and now has some fluid retention. I will let her chime in on her experience with that.

[Stottie Girl]

@Lori Dee @NancyDrew1930

Yes I have stopped Spiro suddenly and yes I have currerntly go pretty bad fluid retention in both legs, enough that I was rushed throught he hospital system to check for DVT. This may be because of a diuretic rebound but I don't know that for certain. I am waiting for a GP appointment next Monday to try and work it about (among other things!) I will let you know the outcome.

The fluid retention loooks like angry red skin just above both ankles and up about 3.4 way up lower leg. The skin becomes very taut, rock hard and shiny. The legs feel deeply bruised and the skin feels like it's sun burnt. Lying on my back with feet up in the air against a wall relieves this. If it is diuretic rebound it should normalise in 3-4 weeks apparently.

Just check for symptoms. I had been on a high dose of spiro for over a year though.

[NancyDrew1930]

@Stottie Girl @Lori Dee I was on both Spiro and another diuretic up to late May, and I was taken off the other one back in May when I was in hospital, because they were concerned that being on them longer would maybe cause damage to my kidneys.  But even on both, people could see that I do retain fluid in my legs because of varicose veins, so my blood pools down there everyday just from gravity.  So all the doctors figure that the diuretics were doing me more harm than good.  But with the Spiro everyone was waiting for the cardiologist to see me.