Perhaps the biggest question I had while beginning my transition was: "How is switching to female hormones going to affect me, and how much how fast?" Changing your set of sex hormones is a huge deal, as I knew, and getting them from most external sources-- as opposed to glands-- carries risks.
Sex hormones are powerful, magical beasts, and switching (even partly) affects many body processes considerably. The effects of doing this are far from completely known, but there are certain more obvious effects that are desirable and therapeutic to us transsexual folks.
Estradiol isn't a miracle drug [It's close! -- Ed.], but it is a powerful steroid hormone, the most powerful of the estrogens. The other female sex hormone is progesterone.
In pre-op women, hormones are generally begun three months or longer after seeing the gender therapist for the first time. The first order of the day is usually increasing the level of estrogen in the body dramatically. It's available in pills, injections, patches, and creams.
Speed in change is desired, and the estrogen has to "fight" the remaining testosterone, which should decrease to normal female levels in a matter of months. So, typically, pre-op doses are several times (up to eight!) the standard dose. The health risk this brings is not high, but is significant. Remaining at pre-op levels for much more than 3-4 years is considered dangerous and discouraged by most physicians.
Damn, that's the most amazing thing to me. I've had crazy mood swings from the levels of hormones in birth control pills, and those are just a fraction of what is in that kind of regimen. Keeping it all together with the social pressure and the stress of change... wow. I like "powerful, magical beasts" as a description, that really captures it!
Progesterone Blues (Part I) - 04/19/06 04:13 PM
Perhaps the biggest question I had while beginning my transition was: "How is switching to female hormones going to affect me, and how much how fast?" Changing your set of sex hormones is a huge deal, as I knew, and getting them from most external sources-- as opposed to glands-- carries risks.
Sex hormones are powerful, magical beasts, and switching (even partly) affects many body processes considerably. The effects of doing this are far from completely known, but there are certain more obvious effects that are desirable and therapeutic to us transsexual folks.
Estradiol isn't a miracle drug [It's close! -- Ed.], but it is a powerful steroid hormone, the most powerful of the estrogens. The other female sex hormone is progesterone.
In pre-op women, hormones are generally begun three months or longer after seeing the gender therapist for the first time. The first order of the day is usually increasing the level of estrogen in the body dramatically. It's available in pills, injections, patches, and creams.
Speed in change is desired, and the estrogen has to "fight" the remaining testosterone, which should decrease to normal female levels in a matter of months. So, typically, pre-op doses are several times (up to eight!) the standard dose. The health risk this brings is not high, but is significant. Remaining at pre-op levels for much more than 3-4 years is considered dangerous and discouraged by most physicians.
To be continued...
Posted in hormones by Milla | Comments (2)
Damn, that's the most amazing thing to me. I've had crazy mood swings from the levels of hormones in birth control pills, and those are just a fraction of what is in that kind of regimen. Keeping it all together with the social pressure and the stress of change... wow. I like "powerful, magical beasts" as a description, that really captures it!
Posted by patita at April 20, 2006 09:05 PM
Haha, thanks!
To my experience, it's not the blood level that causes mood swings, it's the level change, up or down.
Especially down, like I feel when I cycle off my progesterone every month for a week. And *sob* over stupid crap.
Yay for pseudo-PMS. =)
Posted by Milla at April 21, 2006 02:20 AM