#instead of having more progesterone than estrogen you have more estrogen than progesterone

[pokichusramblings]

I love saying that I take HRT out of context. Because I do take HRT… for my PCOS. It’s still HRT even if it’s not used for a gender transition and people forget that sometimes. Which I find quite funny.

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[bonefall]

Could anything be done if a younger, orphaned kit was brought to camp, but there were no currently nursing queens at the time? I’m asking because I’m revamping an old oc story I made when I was like 10, and this type of situation happens in it. In the og story I just made up a magic milk herb that the kit could eat instead, but that’s insane and I’m trying to be a TAD more realistic about plant life this time around lol. I love your au and you’ve clearly done a LOT of cat biology research so I was just wondering if you had any ideas. Thanks in advance!

I have heard stories of cats who had not given birth starting to spontaneously lactate for an adopted kitten, especially if they had kittens in the past, but I wasn't able to find any studies on it to tell you exactly how it happens.

BUT I do know a good bit about how humans induce lactation, I'll give you two options and you can adjust it to what fits your story best. First is inducing lactation, and the second is a shoddy formula recipe.

OPTION 1: INDUCING LACTATION

This is going to work best on a cat who has previously given birth, but anyone who has mammary glands is going to be able to do this.

But, this is going to take some time. As soon as that kitten is discovered, someone's gotta volunteer and get ready. In humans, we start about 2 months before a baby's expected to give it time to come in, but every second counts in this situation.

In humans we use a mix of estrogen and progesterone, and stimulate the teats regularly with a breast pump. The stimulation makes the body release prolactin.

The hardest part of this is finding progesterone naturally. The best source of it is a type of yam that grows wild in Mexico, but my guides are based off England... so, we'll need to find something to help the body increase production naturally.

So, as soon as possible, give the warrior a controlled mix of Fennel (for estrogen), and start putting fish and strawberries into their diet. The pump won't be needed if there's a kitten actively trying to suckle; that's more than enough stimulation.

OPTION 2: FORMULA

The hardest part of this is going to be the fact that Clan cats have no access to milk. In SkyClan, they might make a special mission to try and acquire some from humans. Or, since they're so smart, they may even recognize that they could target unflavored yogurt.

But anyway, the best thing you can get instead is eggs. Crack them, mix them up, and add just a couple drops of flax oil (if the kitten becomes constipated.) Ideally, the milk/yogurt would be added to this poultice.

But, in conclusion... it's difficult. There's a lot in this process. The best thing that could happen is that someone has milk to spare, or the kitten's a little older and could start being weaned.

[polyamorouspunk]

Hey I’m here for sleepover Friday can i ask if its still a mood disorder if its hormonal and also can i enter your house to take a nap?

So mood disorders are a classification within the DSM-5 that include disorder categories like anxiety disorders and depressive disorders. (Note, BPD is not a mood disorder and is actually a personality disorder).

So if you fit a certain amount of criteria for a certain disorder under the mood disorder category, then in theory you have that disorder. A lot of the criteria is based on how much it affects your day-to-day life.

Medical professionals, for the most part, would prefer to give people an “official” diagnosis of these disorders, instead of having a patient look at the DSM-5 and decide whether or not a person fits a disorder. This has it’s flaws, including but not limited to biases like race, gender, sexuality, and culture; a patient not always disclosing all relevant information; medical professionals disagreeing on diagnosis’s; the monetary barrier to get official diagnosis’s and what that could mean if you DO get one.

There is a link to hormonal levels and disorders. That’s why SSRIs are a common prescription for people with anxiety disorders, depression disorders, and more.

When I was doing research into pedophilia, part of my research showed that there was a commonality in patient’s levels of testosterone (can’t remember if it was higher or lower).

There are mood disorders that specifically have to do with estrogen and progesterone levels after a woman gives birth (Postpartum Depression Disorder).

So yes, there is 100% a link between not only hormonal levels and mental illness, but many other physical symptoms and mental illness. Physical and mental health are intrinsically linked, which is why learning about the human body is important when dealing with mental health studies, and is why I’ve taken a number of anatomy, biology, and physiology courses my pursuit of my psychology degree.

Also yes, you are more than welcome to come and take a nap. My home is open to all well-meaning friends, and we have a guest room that’s full of plants right now during the winter, so it’s rather cheery. We have plenty of pets to keep you company and plenty of good food. There are fun activities abound.

[pornoes]

what really gets me is that no doctor is gonna believe me. what are the odds that every birth control is either harmful or ineffective for someone?

My first gyno, the one who asked if my husband gave me permission to have tattoos, prescribed me the birth control pill. I took that for a couple years until I stopped seeing that gyno after her and her staff repeatedly shamed me for my body count. The next gyno I saw had me stop the birth control pill asap because it puts me at risk for a stroke, something the last gyno would have known but didn’t tell me.

I moved shortly after and had to find a new doctor, and I had to start telling them I couldn’t take estrogen (migraines with aura) and couldn’t use condoms (latex allergy). once I shared those tidbits then the quality of care that i received tanked. appointments were cut short, my concerns were ignored, i was told to “google it” when I asked questions. I tried a few different doctors and it all went that way - They start off super cheerful, super helpful, super eager. Then they offer to put me on the pill and I tell them, “nope, sorry, that’ll kill me.” and BAM– they wrap the appointment up and get me out of there.

It’s important to note that while all of this is going on, I am also having pain in my ovaries thats only getting more regular and more intense, and I brought this up at every appointment. As of today I’ve had this pain for 8 years. But doctors wouldn’t help me with it once they found out I couldn’t go on birth control.

The pain was so excruciating that eventually, in hopes of finally getting treatment for it, I gave in and got the IUD. That was something I never wanted and was honestly quite afraid of. That didn’t do shit either. It gave me 8/10 pain level cramps 24/7 plus an infection. I saw a doctor, he laughed at me when I said “pull out” instead of “withdrawal” while I sat naked on the exam table and gave me antibiotics, and advised me not to eat after taking the meds.

So I did that, I was diligent and trying my best. But the antibiotics made me so sick I couldn’t get up and I found myself laying on the floor, reluctantly eating saltines after vomiting over and over. I went back to the doctor, still in pain, and asked to have the IUD removed. He saw there was still an infection and asked if I ate, so i told him I had saltines because I couldn’t stop vomiting. He shook his head and said “I told you not to eat”.

I got the IUD removed. Turns out it had rotated and lowered and was stabbing into my uterus. After explaining this, the doctor immediately said “okay let’s put this back in!” which I refused. I mean I just got the horrible thing out, why would I want to put it back?? And right away, too! The doctor did not like this. While I laid there naked on the exam table except for that little robe… He shook his head again, laughed, and said “well don’t come crying to me when you’re another statistic” and gave me the silent treatment for the rest of the appointment. No, really. He said to his tech stuff like, “tell the patient that she’s going to feel some pain for the next few days” until he left the room.

I avoided the gyno for 3 years after that. Fast forward to this year and the pain in my ovaries/ uterus is nearly constant. Just moving around and stretching hurt. Peeing hurt! and not in the UTI way; in a way that feels like my bladder is being torn in half. So I brace myself and go to a new gyno.

It went just about as good as I could ever hope for at this point. Meaning she was brief with me and wouldnt answer any follow up questions, but she didn’t mock me, and most importantly, she didn’t try to tell me the pain was imagined.

But there wasn’t really anything she could really do. Like I did with all the other doctors, I told her my family history of endometriosis. She was more taken back by this than any of the others though. She told me I couldn’t take estrogen, but I could take progesterone and that would be a birth control AND help with the pain. She wrote me a script, told me to google dosage/administration, and was gone

So we’re up to present day now. I take the mini pill every day at 5pm and have been taking it since March. And my period is now a full week late. Of fucking course.

[starrynyxa]

this might be kind of an insane question but i’m re-reading the fobmegaverse (again lol) and kinda wonderd if there’s like, hrt but make it a/b/o (???) in your universe/version? like, would it be possible to change your natural scent with hormones or some shit?? and would it get rid of an alpha’s (transomega’s????) knot?

i have so many thoughts about this and it’s all whirring around up in here lmao

Not an insane question! My answer, however, will be extremely insane. So the short answer is that yes, medical transition is possible in the omegaverse!

Long answer (now bear with me here, and also take what im saying with a grain of salt because im not an expert and barely have any idea what im talking about)

The thing that the omegaverse usually ignores/overlooks is that (irl) the hormones driving "secondary sex" (A/B/O) things like ruts/heats are the same hormones involved in "primary sex" (those being progesterone/estrogen + testosterone). And estrous (heat) cycles in mammals don't co-exist with menstrual cycles. So this throws a wrench in verses where you have both primary/secondary sex characteristics. It complicates things like male omegas / female alphas and HRT isn't as simple as giving someone the hormone they're lacking in.

Anyways this is my insanely unresearched fix that has zero basis in any actual study but what I've come up with is that secondary sex characteristics are instead driven by regulatory proteins that activate/inhibit DNA transcription. For the purposes of this I've just called them TF(A), TF(B), and TF(O) [TF standing for transcription factor] - and they begin to be produced when a person presents as alpha/beta/omega.

In the case of scent: The TFs act as activators for the expression of genes that [1] increase the number of olfactory receptors (allowing for people to be able to smell Scent) and [2] activate the secretion of pheromones by scent glands. I'm imagining this happens through some sort of signal cascade that's affected by other factors like the integration of neural signalling or whatever idk. TF(A) and TF(O) will be stronger activators than TF(B) in [2], but the reverse is true for [1] (Alphas + Omegas produce more scent than Betas, while Betas are better at detecting scent).

In the case of heats/ruts/genitalia: I started going into the specifics of this but ive actually decided that if i try to work it all out it would make me go crazy. So please just use your imagination, possibly involving such things like co-activators/repressors + allosteric regulation + the levels of primary sex hormones affecting how the regulatory A/B/O proteins bind/result in different changes in the body 😭 This interaction btwn the A/B/O proteins + testosterone/estrogen/progesterone is what causes in the differences we see btwn male omegas/alphas/betas + female omegas/alphas/betas.

ANYWAYS. As far as medical transition goes. The speculative grasp i have on this right now I guess just says that, as of right now in fobmegaverse canon, the field of secondary gender affirming care is still being researched LMAO. But these are my proposals for possible routes of study based on whatever the fuck I said above.

Scent Blockers/Suppressants: these probably intercept the scent gland signalling cascade at some point which prevents the secretion of pheromones, but still allows for the person to smell scent + this wouldn't affect heats/ruts. (In Patrick's case, the very flimsy reason I have as to why he never rutted is possibly due to an initial feedback loop, where scent is some sort of stimulus that "kickstarts" rut + since he started taking them prior to his first rut, he just never did. IDK i never put that much thought into it. Use your imagination here too).

Rut/Heat Suppressants: This would be the same as the scent blockers where you have to fuck around with protein binding and maybe hormone levels. I think possibilities for this include: allosteric inhibition so that TFs arent binding to whatever, or a molecule that binds to the receptor site on DNA + inhibits the binding of TFs that way. <- this way would potentially affect scent, with scent also being activated by the binding of TFs. Or otherwise, you could possibly target other molecules in the pathway.

Changing natural scent: Honestly I'm not too sure about this one. Logically I think that this is possible because scent glands essentially just work by secreting chemical signals. (Sidebar: i've nearly failed every single chemistry class I've ever taken). So hypothetically, to change a scent, we'd have to change the chemical compound that gets secreted and I'm not too sure how to do that LOL. I think there is potential for HRT as in like increasing your levels of the A/B/O proteins, in the case that these proteins are inhibitory towards each other (which would consequently affect rut/heats/etc) but I don't know how this would specifically affect scent. I would prob need to think more about how a person's specific scent is produced (in regards to: personal scent, hereditary scent, environmental factors, how we specifically ID someone as an alpha/beta/omega, etc). I also think the transplant of scent glands may also be something that could be looked into.

Knots: Tbh you probably just have surgery to remove the excess tissue that forms the knot. Tissues can probably similarly be transplanted on or something (and, similarly, you could maybe transplant epithelial tissues [or maybe epithelial stem cells?] that would produce slick.)

^ Literally do not trust me on anything that I just said here. I never know what I am saying ever, and science is not real to me.

[your-god-empress-lavender]

A (probably) new method of taking estrogen

Okay, so, this will probably also work for pretty much anything that's not super heat or water sensitive and doesn't have a carboxylic acid on it (eg. testosterone, progesterone, other things that I won't talk about here so that my post doesn't get taken down), but I'm personally just trying to deal with estradiol because somehow I've become the biggest non-prescription E distributor in my city. Instead of using a tablet press or buying gel capsules, you can make starch chips. Essentially, you mix starch, sugar (not essential, but I like the sweet), any other flavors you want (don't use a lot because it will be concentrated), and your active ingredient to the desired dose (how to find this will be explained later). Once everything is very well mixed together, you take 1 unit (by volume) of the mix and add 3 volumes water (this is about the maximum and makes it easier to handle as a fluid, but if you want more precision, use less water, down to 2 volumes where it will be very stiff and just barely fluid).

Now, while this whole thing is fairly precise, for the next bit it's more like baking than pill making. What you need to do is take about 1 mL of the mix into a syringe (no needle), pipette, or other precise measuring device, and drop it onto a baking sheet. You make as many drops as you need to use up all of the mix, being sure not to let the drops touch. At this point, count the number of drops on the pan to make sure that the mix is divided exactly into the number you had planned. If there are too many drops, the estradiol will be more dilute than intended, if there are too few, your estradiol will be more concentrated than intended. Put the sheet in the oven for 10 minutes at 325, lower temp can be used, but will need more time to dehydrate. The actual cooking time is not super important and you can go almost 5 minutes over without consequences, but more than that and it may burn. When they're done, you should be able to easily scrape the little starch chips off the sheet. If they are sticking, try using parchment paper, using less water, or cooking them a little longer. The starch things can be dissolved sublingually or swallowed.

In order to calculate the amount in each one, you take number of chips you expect to make and multiply by the dose you want per chip (eg. you use 100mls of dry mix and 250 mls of water, and want a chip that uses 1.5 mls of wet mix, so you have 350/1.5 which gives you 233 chips. If you want 4mg per chip, that means that the dry mix will need 933mg of estradiol in total. So, this means that you take 933mg of estradiol, add starch (and other ingredients if you want) up to 100mls, add water, make precisely 233 drops, and that's it).

I was rushed when I wrote this, but IMO it's pretty cool and I hope it helps someone. If anything needs clarification, just ask and I'll be happy to clarify

[discyours]

Do you/did you use some form of birth control? Is there any method thats actually good effective and most importantly safe

I've more or less been on hormonal birth control (the pill) since I was 14. For a big portion of that I was not actually sexually active, or wasn't sexually active with men, but I was using the pill to make my periods less painful and later on also to skip them (I usually take the pill for 9 weeks at a time before stopping to have a period, instead of the standard 3). I briefly switched to a progesterone only pill when I was I think 17, because I'd read that estrogen based birth control could cause mental health issues in trans men and I was hoping stopping would just insta-cure my depression. The progesterone only pill gave me unbearable joint pain and made me bleed for a month straight, so that didn't last long. I tried a little bit with no birth control at all but as far as I can tell I genuinely have 0 side effects, for which I recognize I am in the minority. I am sexually active now so not being able to get pregnant while taking a medication I happened to already be on is kind of just a lucky bonus. I don't like relying on a single form of birth control so we also use either condoms or the withdrawl (pullout) method. I intend to keep taking hormonal birth control until I'm 35, at which point I'll either get a copper IUD or look into sterilisation.

Most birth control methods are incredibly safe, please don't buy into the appeal-to-nature propaganda online that teaches you it's all toxic. If you do have unpleasant side effects from hormonal birth control, copper IUDS are a highly effective option. That being said none of it is 100% effective, and even if you get your tubes tied there's a small chance of an ectopic pregnancy. If you're in a position where you wouldn't be able to take care of an unwanted pregnancy, abstaining from PIV sex may be worth considering.

Here's a good overview of different types of birth control methods. I personally would not even consider relying on anything less than 90% effective, and again am not comfortable relying on the pill by itself despite it being 93%. Stacking methods is best, you just have to make sure they're compatible with each other.

[la-principessa-nuova]

I don’t get why the responses here to this video are so hostile given how little they got wrong as far as I can tell. Like obviously they should have had someone taking feminizing HRT involved in writing the bits about it, but unless I’m missing something, none of the misinformation is that bad? Like it’s no worse than what’s on the informed consent forms.

The things I’ve seen pointed out or noticed:

They said “Providers will usually add an androgen blocker”, and that estrogen, “won’t take [testosterone levels] all the way down to where a cis woman would be.” The mistake here is that at higher doses, estrogen can take testosterone down that much. They should have said something like “estrogen might not take testosterone levels all the way down to where a cis woman would be, depending on the dose prescribed and how the patient’s body processes it” or something like that.

When speaking about androgen blockers, they said, “The most commonly used option is Spironolactone, though providers may also recommend Finasteride or Dutasteride.” This is actually true (some people have expressed surprise at this being called out since that’s what they were prescribed), because some providers do prescribe those instead of spiro, even though they don’t technically block testosterone, just conversion into DHT. But they probably should have mentioned this common misconception and it was implied that they are antiandrogens by where it was said in the video.

One of the decorative diagrams was for the wrong form of the drug. Nobody got misinformation from that who didn’t already know what the drug was, and it was decorative, so that’s not a big deal.

There were a couple things like progesterone’s effect on breast growth where they said the evidence was “not great” which made it maybe sound like evidence points against it, when really it’s all just very under-researched since most research focuses on issues HRT can cause rather than on getting the best results. And in the case of breast growth on progesterone, somebody said in the comments that a lot of the anecdotal evidence suggests that it helps with breast rounding, whereas the research used band measurement, as an example of how this might be less disproven than they make it sound.

I noticed that they say bone changes are a myth, whereas no research has been done on a long enough time scale to say that, and I remember hearing things about slight changes to bones over the change of many, many years. So I get the point they’re trying to make, but they shouldn’t have said it’s a myth, because that implies that it has been proven 100% false.

They quote a source that says that you can use androgen blockers without estrogen. This is probably the most possibly problematic thing because someone who gets ahold of an anti androgen without E could cause some serious issues. But also people do actually do that. So it really is an example of something that people do who want some effects but not others, especially if they’re just lowering their testosterone somewhat. They should have explained this further to make it clear that completely removing testosterone and not introducing estrogen can cause major problems.

I’m sure there’s more, but I feel like I feel like I must be missing the main thing they got wrong that everybody’s so worked up about?

To speak to the criticism of no trans women being involved, it sounds like it was written by one transmasc person, Alex, which is a bit different than if we assume a team of 30 writers has no trans women on it. I’d really only expect maybe someone to be consulted about it rather than be brought in as a cowriter (although I think that would be nice for this video in particular). And we don’t really know who Alex reached out to so it could just be that the trans women they talked to didn’t know these things rather than not reaching out.

According to the credits, there was one fact checker involved, Courtney, who doesn’t seem to be a public-facing team member, so I have no information about their gender, pronouns, or experience with HRT, beyond their name being Courtney which is typically a woman’s name. So maybe the fact checker is on feminizing HRT, maybe not.

But also all the misconceptions are things that are well-known to be false within our community but the scientific literature says otherwise or has no information on it, and their internal processes are going to rely on fact checking against published research rather than against anecdotal sources. The problem here is how bad the published research on this topic is.

But, like, I think what really happened here is that we know a lot about something, so collectively we find a bunch of problems, just like anyone does when they watch a YouTube video about something they know a lot about, and in this case it was a much less overall experienced team since they wanted everyone involved to be trans. (For instance, the writer of the video, Alex, I see is listed as a Script Editor on Complexly’s website, rather than as a writer, implying this was probably their first time as the main writer on a script, or at least they don’t have a ton of scripts under their belt).

So like, I think that a small team of trans people just tried to make a video about HRT and made a couple minor mistakes but otherwise did fine?

And a bunch of people read a post on Tumblr about it and assumed the worst without putting any effort into confirming it. Like there’s people on here saying stuff like, “and it was probably written by AI”. How many of the people responding actually would have done better if they wrote this video? At some point it stops being about holding SciShow accountable for not getting more input from people taking feminizing HRT on this and just becomes bullying the one trans person who wrote this.

Either way, what I’ve found so far is that the video set out to describe what HRT currently looks like and successfully did so, but they did not call out a couple things where doctors are currently doing things wrong.

well this is either going to be good or bad

[cystercarepcos]

WHY YOU MIGHT HAVE IRREGULAR PERIODS?

Having irregular periods is fairly common. But if someone often has very long or short menstrual cycles, cycles that change from month to month, or missed periods, this can be due to an underlying health issue.

What does it mean when your menstrual cycle is irregular?

Your menstrual cycle is counted from the first day of your last period to the start of your next period. Your period is considered irregular if it’s longer than 38 days or lesser than 21 days. Irregular periods can have several causes, from hormonal imbalances to other underlying conditions, and should be evaluated by the doctor.

What causes menstrual irregularities?

Menstrual irregularities can have a variety of causes including pregnancy, hormonal imbalances, infections, diseases, trauma, and certain medications.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS):

PCOS is a hormonal condition that affects women of reproductive age and causes a range of symptoms. Women with PCOS usually have at least two of the following three conditions:

Absence of ovulation, leading to irregular menstrual periods or no periods at all

High levels of androgens (a type of hormone) or signs of high androgens, such as having excess body or facial hair

Cysts (fluid-filled sacs) on one or both ovaries—"polycystic" literally means "having many cysts"

Some women diagnosed with PCOS have the first two conditions listed above as well as other symptoms of PCOS but do not have cysts on their ovaries.

Uterine Fibroid

Uterine fibroids, or leiomyomas, are tumors or growths made of smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and other material that grow in or on the wall of the uterus or womb. They are the most common non-cancerous tumors in women of childbearing age. Fibroids can cause excessive bleeding and reproduction problems.

Perimenopause- Generally in the late 40s and early 50s

Menopause refers to the time in a woman’s life when she stops having a menstrual period and is no longer fertile. The time leading up to menopause is called the menopausal transition, or perimenopause.

During perimenopause, a woman’s ovaries start to produce less estrogen and progesterone. Changes in these hormones cause symptoms of menopause. Periods occur less often and eventually stop. Although this typically is a gradual process that happens over time, in some cases, a woman’s periods will stop suddenly. Throughout perimenopause, ovulation—the release of eggs from the ovaries—also occurs less and less frequently.

Thyroid dysfunction

Imbalance in thyroid hormones can make your periods very light, heavy, or irregular. Thyroid disease also can cause your periods to stop for several months or longer, a condition called amenorrhea. If your body’s immune system causes thyroid disease, other glands, including your ovaries, may be involved.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of it, often causing painful periods, chronic pelvic pain, pain during intercourse, and infertility. This misplaced tissue responds to hormonal changes and bleeds during menstruation, causing inflammation, scarring, and adhesions in the surrounding organs. It can cause fertility issues and can lead to structural abnormalities in the reproductive organs.

Excessive physical activity

Exercising too much can cause missed menstrual periods or make your periods stop entirely. Irregular or missed periods are more common in athletes and other women who train hard regularly. But if you haven’t worked out in a long time and suddenly start a vigorous fitness routine, your period could stop or become irregular.

The connection between PCOS and irregular periods:

High levels of circulating androgens, such as testosterone, interfere with the menstrual cycle and can prevent ovulation.

Because of the hormonal imbalance of PCOS, the follicle doesn’t mature or get released.

Instead of being released, the follicle (often miscalled a cyst) stays in the ovaries, where it can be seen on an ultrasound.

Without ovulation and the hormonal events that lead up to it, the uterus does not have the stimulation it needs to shed its lining (have a regular period).

What can we do ?

To combat PCOS is quite tough because it’s a lifestyle disorder but that doesn’t make it impossible to combat it. What we can do is manage the symptoms of PCOS – along with menstrual dysfunction PCOS has a series of other symptoms like facial hairs, hair loss, acne. Addressing the symptoms and understanding the root cause helps to combat the disorder in a better way.

For additional information, visit,

Having irregular periods is fairly common. But if someone often has very long or short menstrual cycles, cycles that change from month to month, or missed periods, this can be due to an underlying health issue.

What does it mean when your menstrual cycle is irregular?

Your menstrual cycle is counted from the first day of your last period to the start of your next period. Your period is considered irregular if it’s longer than 38 days or lesser than 21 days. Irregular periods can have several causes, from hormonal imbalances to other underlying conditions, and should be evaluated by the doctor.

What causes menstrual irregularities?

Menstrual irregularities can have a variety of causes including pregnancy, hormonal imbalances, infections, diseases, trauma, and certain medications.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS):

PCOS is a hormonal condition that affects women of reproductive age and causes a range of symptoms. Women with PCOS usually have at least two of the following three conditions:

Absence of ovulation, leading to irregular menstrual periods or no periods at all

High levels of androgens (a type of hormone) or signs of high androgens, such as having excess body or facial hair

Cysts (fluid-filled sacs) on one or both ovaries—"polycystic" literally means "having many cysts"

Some women diagnosed with PCOS have the first two conditions listed above as well as other symptoms of PCOS but do not have cysts on their ovaries.

Uterine Fibroid

Uterine fibroids, or leiomyomas, are tumors or growths made of smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and other material that grow in or on the wall of the uterus or womb. They are the most common non-cancerous tumors in women of childbearing age. Fibroids can cause excessive bleeding and reproduction problems.

Perimenopause- Generally in the late 40s and early 50s

Menopause refers to the time in a woman’s life when she stops having a menstrual period and is no longer fertile. The time leading up to menopause is called the menopausal transition, or perimenopause.

During perimenopause, a woman’s ovaries start to produce less estrogen and progesterone. Changes in these hormones cause symptoms of menopause. Periods occur less often and eventually stop. Although this typically is a gradual process that happens over time, in some cases, a woman’s periods will stop suddenly. Throughout perimenopause, ovulation—the release of eggs from the ovaries—also occurs less and less frequently.

Thyroid dysfunction

Imbalance in thyroid hormones can make your periods very light, heavy, or irregular. Thyroid disease also can cause your periods to stop for several months or longer, a condition called amenorrhea. If your body’s immune system causes thyroid disease, other glands, including your ovaries, may be involved.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of it, often causing painful periods, chronic pelvic pain, pain during intercourse, and infertility. This misplaced tissue responds to hormonal changes and bleeds during menstruation, causing inflammation, scarring, and adhesions in the surrounding organs. It can cause fertility issues and can lead to structural abnormalities in the reproductive organs.

Excessive physical activity

Exercising too much can cause missed menstrual periods or make your periods stop entirely. Irregular or missed periods are more common in athletes and other women who train hard regularly. But if you haven’t worked out in a long time and suddenly start a vigorous fitness routine, your period could stop or become irregular.

The connection between PCOS and irregular periods:

High levels of circulating androgens, such as testosterone, interfere with the menstrual cycle and can prevent ovulation.

Because of the hormonal imbalance of PCOS, the follicle doesn’t mature or get released.

Instead of being released, the follicle (often miscalled a cyst) stays in the ovaries, where it can be seen on an ultrasound.

Without ovulation and the hormonal events that lead up to it, the uterus does not have the stimulation it needs to shed its lining (have a regular period).

What can we do ?

To combat PCOS is quite tough because it’s a lifestyle disorder but that doesn’t make it impossible to combat it. What we can do is manage the symptoms of PCOS – along with menstrual dysfunction PCOS has a series of other symptoms like facial hairs, hair loss, acne. Addressing the symptoms and understanding the root cause helps to combat the disorder in a better way.

For additional information, visit,

[funkforbreakfast]

Rainbow Pickles

During Superbowl weekend, I opened my fridge to discover a bag of rainbow carrots and Persian cucumbers that were going bad — quickly. Food waste is a big source of guilt for me, so when I am faced with the loss of perishables… well, I try to make them less perishable. For these, I submerged them in an at home mystery brine and hoped for the best.

They definitely did not mold (yay!) but the result was a tart and salty snack. I refused to add dill due to my own aversion to the taste, so these julienned slices were a great veggie topping for most meals (very similar to the ones I prepared for my vegetarian bibimbap). 

The rainbow color of the carrots leached into the juice and stained it a gorgeous pink. I was starstruck at how beautiful these carrots were!

That was, until they sat in my fridge for a month.

People with PCOS often take hormonal medications to manage their symptoms (cough cough, birth control). The way that birth control works is by introducing your body to hormones, which will stop the system from producing their own. This is great when your body is bad at regulating hormones on its own — which is the case for people with PCOS. By taking birth control, my menstrual cycle, emotions, acne, and many many other things are kept in check — which is perfect as unmedicated PCOS often makes me feel so disconnected from my body. Like I am stuck in a vessel that is constantly hurting itself. Most of this can be remedied with a daily dose of progesterone. With the recent talk about birth control in the United States, it is important to note that these pills are life changing for so many people who take them — whether that be mitigating the symptoms of a chronic health issue or by allowing them to continue living their life according to their own goals (either with or without a baby). 

This past January, I started birth control again — this was actually the fifth or sixth time I had started taking the pill; however, this dose was a little different — it was an entirely progesterone pill. This came about after this ad libbed interaction (but the doctor did mention strokes with a lot of fear):

Doctor: So it says on here that you have a history of migraines, right?

Me: Yep, they run in my family

Doctor: And you’ve taken estrogen birth control pills since you were fourteen — even when experiencing migraines

Me: Yeah, and they got worse during that period but they said it was probably stress

Doctor (face of shock): You could have had a stroke.

Not sure how estrogen and migraines mix, but apparently they don’t mix at all! So instead, my doctor put me onto progesterone, which is not much different except my body will not absorb it unless taken almost exactly at the same time every day  — which is very difficult for anyone, let alone a college student. I’ve noticed little to no side effects, except a pretty intense food aversion during my period. Which means food grosses me out, as in the smell of any food will make me nauseous. Which is not fun.

Shortly after making rainbow pickles, I was hit with this huge wave of nausea for a week. All I ate was banana chocolate protein shakes and goghurts — notably not the pickled carrots. And I let them sit in their tub for days and days and weeks and weeks, until I was clearing out the fridge a while later. They looked beautiful in their pink brine, a gorgeous hue for the kitchen. But their time had passed, and they reminded me of my stomach qualms more than anything else. So I chucked them. 

Pickles at Home

I definitely do not eat enough veggies, but have found pickling an amazing solution to add vinegary toppings to most meals. This brine

Prep: 30 min Brine time: 3 hours to a few days Yields: many servings

Allergens/restrictions

Alium

Ingredients:

½ cup water

½ cup rice vinegar

1 ½ tbsp sugar

1 ½ tsp table salt

1 tbsp minced garlic

What I put into my brine:

Julienned rainbow carrots

Thin cucumber slices

Instructions

Measure liquids into a quart containers and mix. Add subjects of your brining. Leave for at least an hour but up to several weeks.

[usfreehealthcare]

What is the sign of sweating a lot in sleep?

Sweating is normal and an important part of the thermoregulatory process. For example, working out in a sauna or gym will make you sweat a lot, but waking up in the middle of the night and sweating is another matter. Night sweats can be defined as sweating more than the body needs to regulate body temperature. Night sweats can occur during sleep and without physical activity. Not because of heavy blankets or warm bedrooms. Instead, some underlying disease may be responsible for these significant periods of sweating during sleep. Sweating during sleep can reduce sleep quality, disturb bed partners, and cause significant discomfort to a person. Therefore, we recommend that you learn more about the cause of this problem and how to fix it.

What are night sweats?

As the name suggests, night sweats are excessive sweating during sleep, sometimes intense enough to require a change of sheets or clothing. This is different from simply feeling overheated due to environmental factors such as a thick blanket or a high temperature in the bedroom.  

What is the difference between night sweats and hot flashes?

A hot flush is a sudden feeling of heat in the body. Hot flashes can occur at any time of the day or night and are classified as night sweats when they occur at night and cause profuse sweating, and some sources also call them hot flashes, but they are different. Redness - reddening of the skin due to increased blood circulation. Night sweats can occur during hot flashes, but hot flashes do not cause heavy sweating.

How common is sweating during sleep?

It is difficult to accurately estimate the number of infected people. According to a survey of more than 2,000 general practice patients, 41% of them reported having cold sweats in the past month. In this study, night sweats were more common in people aged 41 to 55 years. 4 common causes of night sweats Because the body's thermoregulatory system is complex and influenced by many factors, it is difficult to identify the cause of night sweats in some cases. However, the four most common causes identified in research are menopause, medications, infections and hormonal problems. menopause Menopause is the cessation of a woman's menstrual cycle. During this time, your body undergoes significant changes in its production of estrogen and progesterone, hormones that appear to be a major factor in hot flashes. Hot flashes are one of the symptoms of menopause. In most cases, hot flashes actually begin during what is known as "pre-menopause" and may continue after menopause. Menopausal hot flashes usually last a few minutes and can occur several times a day, including at night, and can lead to sweating during sleep. Hot flashes usually last for several years, with some women experiencing them for 20 years or more. So it's no surprise that many women report increased sleep problems and insomnia during menopause and perimenopause. It is not the only cause of sleep problems, but it can cause sleep problems, especially if it is severe and frequent. approximate Some medications are linked to night sweats. These medications include certain antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, steroids, and antipyretics such as aspirin or acetaminophen, which can cause paradoxical sweating. Caffeine consumption can cause general sweating. infection Many infections are associated with night sweats, as infections can cause fever and heatstroke. Tuberculosis, bacterial and fungal infections, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are some examples of infections for which cold sweats are the main symptom. hormonal disorders Changes in the endocrine system, which regulates the level of hormones in the body, can cause cold sweats. Examples of hormonal problems associated with night sweats include hyperthyroidism (hyperthyroidism), diabetes and high blood sugar, and abnormal sex hormone levels. The part of the brain that regulates body temperature is called the hypothalamus and is also involved in the endocrine system. Dysfunction of the hypothalamus can also be one of the main causes of hormonal imbalance and night sweats. Other factors affecting the endocrine system, such as pheochromocytoma (a tumor of the adrenal gland) and carcinoid syndrome (caused by a hormone-secreting tumor) may be linked to night sweats. other reasons In addition to these four common causes, there are other causes of night sweats. Hot flashes can be common during pregnancy and postpartum. Anxiety and panic attacks have been linked to night sweats. Hyperhidrosis, a condition that causes excessive sweating, can affect people both day and night. Some studies have indicated it as a possible cause of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Night sweats can be a symptom of some types of cancer or a side effect of cancer treatment. People with lymphoma may experience hot flashes. It is usually caused by hormone therapy in women with breast cancer and men with prostate cancer. Surgery, radiation therapy, and cancer chemotherapy can also cause night sweats. Solutions to reduce cold sweats Night sweats can be frightening and distressing and are often associated with severe sleep disturbances. So it's only natural that someone affected by it would want to know how to avoid it and sleep better. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to prevent this as there are many possible causes, but the following solutions may help some people. Sleep in a cool bedroom: The temperature in your bedroom is not the main cause of sweating, but it can promote or trigger it. Keeping the temperature low and using light bedding can help prevent overheating at night. Wear cool, breathable clothing: Tight clothing traps heat, so it's best to wear loose, loose, breathable clothing. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and spicy foods. All of these foods can raise your body temperature and cause sweating. Avoiding it, especially in the evening, can help reduce night sweats. Drink cold water: Having some cold water by the bed can help some people sweat at night to maintain a comfortable temperature. Maintain a healthy weight: Some studies have shown a link between being overweight and sweating. Being overweight or obese can cause other health problems, including problems that affect sleep, such as sleep apnea. Use relaxation techniques: Finding ways to relax can make it easier to fall asleep. Studies have shown that techniques such as "controlled breathing" can help significantly reduce hot flashes. Many of these tips overlap with common healthy sleep strategies that can be used together so that good sleep habits gradually lead to consistent, high-quality sleep. psychotherapy Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy often used for health problems such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia. This method is usually conducted face-to-face by a psychiatrist or counselor, but there are also self-directed programs. Studies have shown that implementing cognitive behavioral therapy for hot flashes and night sweats can reduce these symptoms and improve mood and quality of life in postmenopausal women. If a medication causes night sweats, changing the medication, dose, or timing may resolve the problem, or medications may help if it is caused by an infection or hormonal problem. In postmenopausal women, medications may be prescribed if behavioral therapy is not effective. Some drugs, especially hormone therapy, can reduce night sweats, but these drugs can have many side effects and should only be prescribed on the advice of a doctor. see a doctor If you have cold sweats, you should see your doctor if: frequent or persistent night sweats sleep problems It affects a person's work throughout the day. A person has various symptoms of a major illness. Read the full article

[mytruthandbeauty]

29 May 2023

I look at the US on news reports from legitimate news outlets on YouTube and I am appalled and disgusted, but not shocked or surprised. More and more of these stories are of the right wing in the states and it’s attack on the transgender community and it seems they are either trying to force transgender people back into the closet or out of existent entirely. Most of my news I get from DW News Live a German based news agency and I can only imagine what they must be thinking about the states right now.

As I’ve stated before here in Mexico I get my life saving hormones, estrogen and progesterone, over the counter with no prescription required. I am not quizzed by the pharmacist as to my identity, where I live or why I am purchasing these medications they simply ask me how many do I want and then ring me up. I pay and I’m done it’s as simple as that. I’ve been doing this for almost three years and the process has always been the same.

I’ve seen I think six different doctors for different things and not once have I been denied help because of the doctor’s religious beliefs nor have I been misgendered by any either. This has been my experience in Ecuador as well. These people are predominantly catholic and many of the apartments I’ve rented have religious symbols on display within them, but I have encountered no religious bigotry, no prejudice or transphobic hate of any kind instead I’ve been greeted by warm friendly hospitable people who have always extended kindness.

I was shopping once at a local mini-market near my house and as I was checking out I found that I was short and the lady said they only took cash. As I decided what I should put back a middle-aged gentleman behind me asked the cashier how much short was I and he voluntarily paid the difference on what I owed. I was dumbfounded and didn’t know what to say other than thank you. As I was leaving the store I turned to see if I could find the man and come to a way I could repay him, but I couldn’t see him. I didn’t know where he had gone, but he seemed to have vanished. I’m not making this up, it actually happened. The humanity of most of the people here continues to amaze me and by comparison it makes me wonder has the US lost its humanity or did it never really have any?

I don’t want to make this just a rant against the US, that’s very easy to do and honestly it gets boring after a short while. What I want to do is plead with my transgender sisters and brothers who are sick of the fighting, who have the financial means, who have the emotional fortitude and the desire to have a better life now, not somewhere in some unknowable future, but now to take that step onto the path of access to affordable healthcare, safety while simply living your life, peace of mind and a stress free life. I don’t know to what country that path will lead you, but if it’s not the US then where?

[onlinetrtclinic]

Foods Responsible for Lower Testosterone Levels 

Testosterone is a sex hormone that can boost libido, regulates fertility, increase muscle mass, and boost memory, sharpen memory. Often considered the primary sex hormone associated with those assigned males at birth, the levels of testosterone tend to drop as men age. Aging, obesity, metabolic syndrome, use of certain medications, HIV & AIDS can reduce the sperm count, keep making less testosterone than normal & lead to lower testosterone levels. Apart from this, certain foods are also responsible for lower testosterone levels, which are discussed here.

Stay tuned with Testosterone Therapy Near me or Online TRT Clinic. 

·       Sugar 

Excess sugar is the leading cause of several health problems, & testosterone deficiency is no exception. Apart from weakening the immune system, sugar intake can directly affect testosterone levels as the levels dramatically reduce almost immediately after sugar consumption due to the rapid release of insulin in the body. A study conducted on 74 men, ages 19-74, experienced reduced testosterone levels after sugar intake. To prevent the adverse effects of sugar, try cutting out soft drinks, soda drinks & energy drinks. 

Alcohol

Studies found that excess consumption of alcohol results in low testosterone in men. Alcohol consumption can cause both short & long-term impairments in testosterone release by negatively affecting your hypothalamus & pituitary gland. 

Vegetable Oils

Are you aware that vegetable oils are more harmful to you than sugar? Indeed, studies conducted in the last few decades have demonstrated that testosterone levels and testicular health might be severely impacted by regular consumption of vegetable oils. Be cautious when using vegetable oils including sunflower, canola, soybean, corn, peanut, sesame, corn, cottonseed, and safflower; instead, think about using olive or coconut oil in your cooking.

Dairy Products

Dairy products are also responsible for reducing testosterone levels in men even a study conducted in 2010 discovered that men who drank whole milk saw a decrease in their testosterone levels. A huge amount of dairy products comes from pregnant cows with increased estrogen & progesterone levels that have an adverse effect on the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in men, making them unable to the necessary hormones for the tests to synthesize testosterone. 

Sneaky Ingredient - Soy

Soy is used to increasing protein consumption, is found in a variety of foods, & serves as an alternative for those preferring a vegan diet. This sneaky ingredient soy contains phytoestrogen compounds that mimic estrogen, alter hormone levels in men's body & activate the estrogen receptors. Therefore, try to avoid consuming soy or food rich in phytoestrogens, otherwise, you may experience alter hormone levels in your body. 

Book Your Online Consultation - Online TRT Clinic 

Diet plays a crucial role in your overall health, and testosterone levels, along with diet, consider the expert consultancy of Online TRT Clinic. Testosterone Replacement Therapy Online helps you regain your energy to balance testosterone levels that are essential for muscle mass, bone health, energy levels, sex drive, sperm production, mood, focus & motivation. Online TRT Clinic is the largest provider of low-T solutions in the United States, having the best doctors, the best prices & the fastest services. 

[iamyelling]

@krisiverse replied to your post “i’m mad that they MULTIPLE TIMES recommended...”:

i mean i could be wrong but from personal experience being on hormonal birth control for years, & according to every single doctor i've spoken to on the matter (transition related or otherwise), hbc doesn't have any feminizing effects at all? in fact a lot of transmasc people take it to stop periods myself includes

curious do you have sources of ppl saying this has happened to them on hbc?

wrote this in replies and realized this would be better as a proper reblog so -

i was on an estradiol pill for several years (maybe 4 or 5 or 6?? idk i wasn’t keeping track) and it definitely had feminizing effects on me. bigger tits and more hip. i was on it for the purposes of making my period stop and reducing what i called the “pre period crazies” (pmdd basically i think. idk). i stopped it and immediately began T one day and the next. but it DEFINITELY gave me fat tiddies and made me more “woman shaped” (my term) which i was uncomfortable with.

like, i was still wearing bras back then and i went up a size or two and had to buy at least one new bra. it was a big noticeable difference, my partners noticed it.

like you’re literally increasing your estrogen and/or progesterone .. how is it surprising that it can make someone dysphoric.

but yeah let’s cite random doctors.. famously known for being knowledgeable on hbc and hormones in general ! birth control is so well researched and understood!

just bc trans masculine people take it doesn’t mean it doesn’t have feminizing effects.. like, i took it too… idk what to tell you. it did for me!

also also you can see cis women talk about the effects all the time. reduced muscle tone, generally physically weaker / less strong is one i hear a lot. hello dysphoria inducing! also significantly reduced sex drive. super fun!

i’m just saying that if someone knows they’re trans masculine in some form, and wants their period to stop, they should consider T just as much as E(+ progestin maybe). for transmasculine gender diverse folks specifically. if you're gonna change your hormonal balance in some way, why not the one that is more aligned with your gender instead of further from it? it is wild - and in my opinion unethical - to recommend hbc as if it has no other effects than the possibility of stopping menstruation. plus! it can be HORRIBLE for people with uterus or ovary issues like cysts, fibroids, or endometriosis. which - fun - are often gone undiagnosed. and - extra fun - even more so for people with gender stuff going on.

either option can work for someone. and bc worked for me for many years! but i got tired of it and i wish i had known more and had considered other options sooner. it sucked being in a body that felt like i was making a shitty compromise, and now i'm in this dope body that feels like i'm me again/finally.

i’m mad that they MULTIPLE TIMES recommended hormonal birth control for trans masculine people. buddy my dude. that’s estrogen. that will mage you MORE woman-shaped. ! it made me more dysphoric! wtf!! feels unethical to recommend it multiple times in a supposedly HRT educational video.

this is re that fucking scishow hrt video that came out recently.

(obviously this is among many issues with the video)

[michelle-is-writing]

Possibilities, Spencer Reid

Spencer Reid x pregnant! Reader

Word count: 630~ just a small one :)

I didn't think I'd ever be sitting on my bathroom floor, waiting two minutes for the test results of four pregnancy tests while my boyfriend is freaking out more than I am. Granted, I always wanted it to happen, but I just never knew when it might happen.

"During the first four months of pregnancy, women experience the highest hormone levels with human chorionic gonadotropin being the highest between the eighth and twelfth week and progesterone and estrogens being higher as well," Spencer spouts as he stands by the bathroom counter, his foot repeatedly tapping against the tile of the bathroom floor.

"Also, did you know that the there is no clear answer as to why women have morning sickness? Some people speculate it's because of the raised hormones, and others think it is because the body sees the baby as foreign and sends chemicals trying to fight off the baby."

Looking up at him with furrowed eyebrows and squinted eyes, I laugh lightly. "Well, that's kind of morbid," I point out.

Smiling, Spencer shrugs before plopping down on the floor next to me and wrapping his arms around me. "The body's main way of fighting off foreign things is to get rid of them with whatever it can. Like, when you get a cut, and it gets infected; the body sends white blood cells to the inflamed area, which then die and become pus when it hits the surface."

"Oh, God, Spencer!" I say, pushing my head into his neck. "Don't make me throw up again!"

Still smiling, he moves a hand up to my upper back and kisses the top of my head. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," he apologizes. "I won't mention any more gross stuff," he promises me, only half-teasing.

Just as he stops talking, the timer for the tests goes off, causing us both to jump up and grab the rectangular sticks of white plastic, glancing over at each other one time before giving each other a small nod and turning them over. Looking over all of them, I realize they're all positive. Two have a red plus sign on them while two say "pregnant."

Tears clouding my vision, I put my hands to my face to hide my enormous smile just as Spencer wraps me in a tight hug. "I'm so happy!" He practically shouts, resting his chin on top of my head. "And excited! Oh God, we're going to be parents!" He exclaims, his happy feelings taking over every emotion in his body. Pulling back and placing his hands on my arms, Spencer grins wildly at me. "Me and you! We're going to be parents!" He repeats himself, making me laugh.

Pulling my hands away from my face, I reveal my huge smile while placing my hands on the sides of Spencer's face. Tears running freely down my face, I pull Spencer close to me and attach my lips to his in a passionate and longing kiss. As soon as I do so, one of his hands finds their way around my waist, only to go over my belly instead as his other hand wipes away my tears. Taking my lips away from his, I smile and place my hand above his on my stomach while running my thumb against the top of the pale skin of his hand.

"Our little bundle of joy is right here," I state quietly, more tears flowing, only this time, I realize Spencer is crying too. Leaning forward, I rest my head on Spence's chest before nuzzling into his neck. "I hope it's a girl," I confess with a small laugh.

Spencer smiles and kisses my head. "Me too," he admits, resting his head atop of mine. "Me too."