Trans men / Trans masculine
Oestrogen Blockers
Oestrogen blockers are entirely unnecessary for all but a very few people, most notably Trans children/preteens who are using them to avoid natural puberty until they reach an appropriate age to begin taking hormones (generally 13 or 14 at the youngest). You cannot take blockers for extended periods of time as it is unsafe for your system – you need to have some sex hormones in your body if you are in your teens or older. You have no need for oestrogen blockers if you’re on testosterone – it will shut down your ovaries, and therefore your oestrogen production, as long as your testosterone levels are above a certain minimum.
See here for more thoughts on oestrogen blockers.
Testosterone
- See http://community.livejournal.com/ftm/1288249.html for an in-depth discussion of the options available to you regarding T: Injections, gel, and patches.
- See http://community.livejournal.com/ftm/2532795.html for discussion and instructions on how to self-inject in the butt, which is significantly less painful for many people than injecting in the thigh. (Many people report that injecting in the butt is completely painless.)
- See http://community.livejournal.com/ftm/tag/t-injecting for more thoughts on injecting testosterone.
- See http://community.livejournal.com/ftm/tag/t-injecting-subq for more thoughts on injecting testosterone into subcutaneous fat rather than muscle, which is much less painful and causes much less scarring over time.
- See http://community.livejournal.com/ftm/tag/t-transdermal for more thoughts on transdermal testosterone (through the skin – gel, patches, etc.).
- See http://community.livejournal.com/ftm/tag/t-buying+t for more thoughts on buying T.
- See http://community.livejournal.com/ftm/tag/t-health for more thoughts on testosterone and health.
- See http://community.livejournal.com/ftm/tag/t-supplements for discussions and advice on using herbal supplements in place of T. (Short version: This is not advisable. You are much more likely to harm your system than you are to get any major changes, and you can jeopardise not only your health, but also your likelihood of getting real testosterone from a doctor later, because you may compromise your system in such a way as to make taking proper T unsafe.)
Trans women / Trans feminine
Androgen Blockers
- See http://community.livejournal.com/transgender/tag/androgen+blockers-health for thoughts on androgen blockers and health.
- See http://community.livejournal.com/transgender/tag/androgen+blockers-miscellaneous for more thoughts on androgen blockers.
Oestrogen
Cycling Versus Regularity
There are two distinct camps when it comes to discussions on how and when to take oestrogen tablets: cycling and regularity. Each system has its advantages and disadvantages, as described below.
Cycling
The cycling technique gets its name from the way in which the dose of oestrogen and/or progesterone taken each day is changed over a set time-period before restarting. The basis of this is that a cisgender woman will find her levels of oestrogen and/or progrestrone change on a day-to-day basis and this technique attempts to replicate this hormone cycle in transwomen.
The advantages of the cycling technique are that a more female hormone cycle will be produced in the trans woman and it is also said to benefit breast growth; although no formal study has been undertaken in this.
The major disadvantage of the cycling technique is mood swings that develop due to the fluctuation in hormone levels. It can be very similar to PMT experienced by cisgender women.
Regularity
The regularity technique gets its name from the way in which a set dose of oestrogen and/or progesterone is taken at certain points during the day. The basis of this technique is that part of the daily dose will be used to combat the day’s production of testosterone while the rest will be timed to fit in with the body’s production of growth hormone, which is produced while a person is sleeping and is linked to physical development and repair.
The advantages of the regularity technique are that the main dose of HRT is taken when the body is producing growth hormone, so feminisation should be accelerated; although no formal study has been undertaken in this.
The disadvantage of the regularity technique is that a relatively high dose of oestrogen is required for it to be effective, as the bulk is taken before going to bed so if a low dose is being used there is little left to combat the effects of the day’s testosterone.
External links
- See http://community.livejournal.com/transgender/tag/oestrogen-injecting for thoughts on injecting oestrogen.
- See http://community.livejournal.com/transgender/tag/oestrogen-pills for thoughts on using oral oestrogen (pills).
- See http://community.livejournal.com/transgender/tag/oestrogen-transdermal for thoughts on using transdermal oestrogen.
- See http://community.livejournal.com/transgender/tag/oestrogen-buying+oestrogen for thoughts on buying oestrogen.
- See http://community.livejournal.com/transgender/tag/oestrogen-self-medicating for thoughts on self-medicating with oestrogen as opposed to getting it from a doctor.
- See http://community.livejournal.com/transgender/tag/oestrogen-supplements for thoughts on using herbal supplements in place of oestrogen.
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