#progesterone effects

[femcelbassmentdweller]

Overview of My First Year of HRT (2021-2022)

Hi, my name is Sylvie, and I'm transfemme! I started hormone replacement therapy on September 25th, 2021 and I've been through quite a lot on my journey to a year of HRT so I'm making two separate posts: this one focusing on the medical side and physical changes, and another that will focus on the social side of transitioning. So, here we go!

I realized I was trans the last week of August 2021, then September 9th I came out publicly, September 15th I had my first appointment with Plume, and I received my first Estradiol script September 24th, but consider my official "first day" of HRT the 25th.

I started HRT on sublingual Estradiol pills, 2mg twice a day (morning and night). Psychologically, taking the first pill hit me like a psychosomatic lightning bolt, and the first meaningful change estrogen granted me was an opening of my feelings- I could suddenly experience a "true range" of emotion, I experienced ambivalence for the first time. Physically, within the first week, I was experiencing tingling in my chest/nipples and by three weeks they actively ached, and after about two months my nipples looked different (darker, larger), and my chest started to stick out (36" to 37")

At 2 months my Estradiol was increased to three times a day and Progesterone 100mg (at night) added. By two months, my body's sensitivity had reached astronomical levels, particularly in areas that weren't sensitive before: for me, this was my nipples, armpits, and butt. My skin overall became more sensitive, slight touches made me quiver and my pain tolerance dropped sharply. During my second month my body's smell changed too and my sweat production cut back.

At 3 months, Spironolactone 50mg once a day (morning) was added and during this month my nipples had noticeably expanded and become dark enough to see through shirts, and my chest had grown enough to be noticeable small mounds in a tight shirt (38"). Also by 3 months, random erections completely stopped happening, whether asleep or awake.

Between months 3 and 5 a lot of things happened in my life; the stress and inactivity caused me to lose 50 lbs. As a result, I lost a ton of muscle mass. My thighs, upper arms, and butt became soft and jiggly, I could not lift things I could before, even with great effort.

3 month bloodwork results: E @ 133 and T @ 320

At 4 months, I asked my doctor for Finasteride, which is a DHT blocker- DHT is an androgen created by testosterone and an excess of DHT is related to hair loss, as well as some research I read back then relating to DHT and thicker/darker body hair. Since starting Finasteride, I have only shaved and used Nair on my body itself and I have experienced 75%-80% body hair loss, and much of what hair remains is now vellus hair (light, short, soft).

Between months 4 and 5, I started experiencing sexual dysfunction. Even if aroused, it was a 50/50 shot of whether I could get hard or not. Likewise, I began producing much less semen. This was when I started experimenting with different forms of masturbating too (i.e. using a vibrator).

Between months 5 and 6 I started gaining weight again, and this was when my breast growth was the greatest, going from 38" to almost 41". However, in the growth it seems I lost the sensitivity I had in the early months- my nipples and armpits are still erogenous zones, but not as potent. Additionally, I noticed fat redistribution caused my hips and waist to take a more stereotypically feminine, almost hourglass appearance (and increased from 32" and 34" respectively to 35" and 38" by 10 months).

6 month bloodwork results: E @ 258 and T @ 22

Months 7, 8, and 9 saw only slight breast growth (41 1/2") due to losing weight again from stress, but at this point I have very little body hair left, and even areas which were full before (armpits, groin) thinned out significantly over time- the most astounding of all being my butt, which the cheek hair just disappeared without me doing anything, like the hair just fell off.

Somewhere during months 8 and 9, I completely lost the ability to become erect without medication (doctor prescribed me Sildenafil, aka viagra) and no more ejaculating. Reaching orgasm became a concentrated effort instead of something that came easily, and very little clear liquid would come out during.

9 month bloodwork results: E @ 57 and T @ 28

For some reason my levels dropped between 6 and 9 months, and during that time I became very mentally and emotionally unwell due to the hormone imbalances. My doctor suggested a few things: me not waiting/letting the pill dissolve long enough in my mouth or the pill just not having the same potency on me anymore. So...

At month 10 I started injections and almost immediately started feeling much better. There is a hormonal low day for me every week, the day before I do my injection again, but it's not hard to deal with. I feel like myself!

Now months 11 and 12, nothing really noteworthy to update except I'm desperately trying to eat more so I can gain weight to grow my boobs. Just stopped taking Spiro though, but I use Tgel to maintain my girldick because I'm a Switch.

Lastly, I'd like to say I'm open to any questions anyone might have, and I'll do my best to answer them. You can DM me, email me secretly from a fake account (bellatrixnovus@gmail.com is my email), whatever! I just hope this information is of some value to someone out there!

[silversoulstardust]

week 7 of menstruating and I am so so tired

[kittenquasar]

Tmi question about progesterone below the cut

K so I'm just going to say it im worried about the effect of putting prog up my butt. I love prog, don't get me wrong it's been life changing for me. However I ran out and didn't get more for a few days and my lower gut has just been feeling strange and unhappy ever since. I haven't changed anything else or eaten anything unusual.

Has anyone else experienced issues with their movements related to taking a break from rectal prog? My gp just said take it once a day and didn't want to tell me how to take it terms of roa so I don't know if this is unsafe or not. Thanks for reading love you all 💜

[wineanddineloseyourmind]

out of HRT

[ieatwormsandtheytasteverygood]

Guess which bitch now has room on its phone for instagram for the first time in like 3 years. This is only good bc now we can post art there again.

Not that instagram is nice to artists or anything. Just that our art tumblr is so very tiny and unused. Gonna probably have to clear it out somewhat when I finally get around to posting art.

[chaos-has-theories]

Today I dreamed I was visiting my parents and they had friends over and those friends owned TWO PET PANTHERS.

Nobody warned me that there were going to be pet panthers. I was just walking outside with my sibling when the GROWL FROM HELL sent my prey animal senses on high alert even before I saw that creature.

(I woke myself up from screaming at my dad to just like, send me a message before he invites two people and their panthers to stay in my room overnight.)

Then I dreamed I was looking out an attic window, throwing out nuts for birds to eat. Instead there was BROWN BEAR CLIMBING A TREE who caught the nuts and daintily ate them.

I was briefly worried that the bear would somehow climb up the house and I would get the bejeezus frightened out of me again, but the bear fell down the tree, rolled at least twenty meters, and hit another tree, and stayed there looking dazed and sad.

(There were also spiders trying to cajole their way into joining the nintendo game i was playing. This did not go well.)

Then I dreamed that Rarity My Little Pony was giving classes about the elements of harmony and Equestrian history, which quickly devolved into a political rally trying to stop the rising fascist government from taking over even more religious institutions through bribery and lies.

(there was a little pegasus called Dark Sparkle who was clearly emo bext gen Twilight Sparkle, who came from a territory where everyone was bigoted against pegasi, for some reason)

Which is to say. Which is to SAY. what the fuck

[thewizardtower]

Personal/health related:

Why does taking Spironolactone make me feel like I'm dying inside? 🧍 Does anyone else feel like this? I feel like my memory is worse, I feel physically weaker and my mental health absolutely tanks whenever I'm on it. I stopped taking it a few weeks ago and suddenly I'm able to weight train without pain again, I have less brain fog, and I no longer want to off myself. Yeah my beard is coming in thicker, and male pattern baldness is a looming threat, but otherwise I feel physically better???

Figured I'd make a post and see if anyone else had these side effects from that medication. For context, it's used as a T-blocker.

[in-yr-dreams]

low res poorly lit titties forever

[transmalewife]

whenever people say ‘how dare my doctor not have told me about this side effect!’ i’m just like… are your visits seven hours long that your doctor had time to explain every side effect of every medication they prescribe? read the fucking pamphlet

[unholydivers]

sorry to everyone following me but i’m going to be losing my mind about johnny in strive for the next. however long it takes for me to become a gear i guess

[whentherewerebicycles]

wedding was wonderful but I’m very happy to be curled up in bed with the dogs now listening to the rain and finishing a novel. I give myself full permission to be a hermit all afternoon and then I think I’ll hang out and cook with my sister tonight. tomorrow I get bloodwork done in the morning and then will probably have a busy social day with liz + sam which is good as it’ll prevent me from being glued to my phone waiting for the results. at this point I don’t even know how to feel. I’ve read enough journal articles and forum posts to know that the odds are against me but that there is a small chance I’ll be one of the lucky ones whose body just follows a different course than your average pregnancy. I’m expecting to learn that I’m going to miscarry but obviously hoping against hope that I don’t… and also hoping, in a more clear-eyed realist sort of way, that if it has to happen it’s via miscarriage rather than an ectopic pregnancy, and that the process itself doesn’t take too long (so I can start again this summer instead of having to wait weeks or months). but ah well—I need to settle back into waiting mode, as I probably won’t get the test results back until tuesday morning and can’t change anything or make anything happen by obsessively googling in the meantime.

[arsenickittycat]

never leave an anxious bitch alone with contraceptives he didnt know he had to take

[dr-piss-thief-phd]

I’ve been non stop on my period since the middle of august (after already having a month long period across June/july) and it’s just got heavier again and I think I should be allowed to commit a small crime or be given a million pounds compensation

[honouredsnakeprincess]

the one downside of the japanese class, of course, is the video and audio submissions i have to make periodically. i do not like recordings of my voice. i especially do not like recordings of my face.

i don't know how the prof found my name was 'roxy' and concluded that the most likely pronouns for me to use were 'he/him', but it bums me out and i refuse to make myself the bad guy by correcting her.

that is to say, of late i have been very aware of how everyone around me perceives me as a man, even when i go just short of directly saying i'm not.

[queeranarchism]

Heya my DIY friends: You do not transition faster or get more manly/feminine by using more than your effective dose of HRT. It's an 'on' switch on puberty, not a speed dial. A lower dose will slow it down (kinda) but you can not make a puberty go faster or further by taking more and more. It has an unmovable maximum speed.

Folks on estrogen: if you're not getting all the results you want, consider whether adding progesterone and/or testosterone-blockers are right for you. Combi therapy might take you further than constantly upping the E dose. Each medication has its own risks and side effects so read up before you start.

Folks on testosterone: taking too much actually makes you transition slower 'cause your body converts excess T back into E. The only thing you might speed up that way is balding. Sorry guys, dial it back a bit and you might actually see more results.

[bedlam-moon]

getting plastered off progesterone: a guide for fun and profit

1: take progesterone

2: ???

3: fun!

4: profit!