2nd growth spurt question about hormones.

[Christina87]

HI ladies,

 

I have been on hormones for about 10 years. (Pre op transitioned)

A couple of years ago I found myself in a toxic living situation and was drinking daily and reduced my hormones for various reasons including money and wasn't caring for myself. I noticed I lost a lot of weight and because of all this was slightly less passable. (Always had been passable since transition.)

Anyhow, I have since gone to rehab and got my life back in order. I'm no longer drinking and smoking or doing drugs. I'm completely rehabilitated. I'm eating right again also. Self care back to normal. And with all this I've upped my hormones again to how they used to be. I'm doing it more carefully this time. It's been about 6-8 weeks back on a higher dose of hormones (including transdermal gels Sandrena). Not sure if I'm looking more passable again yet but I've noticed my breasts are tender, a little swollen and itchy. I think my breasts are re-growing. I have smallish breasts about an A cup. My skin feels a bit smoother again.

My question is:

Am I going to be ok and is it possible, has anyone ever heard of trans people stoping/starting hormones after years on them to find when they re start their body kicks into gear mode and they have a second growth spurt. I'm really surprised with my breast growth. Is it still possible to have another spurt like this after about a decade later and how much longer would it take to be as passable as I once was. I'm relatively young still in the 30s now.

Any info on this sort of thing would be much appreciated.

 

Kind regards 

 

 

[KathyLauren]

First of all, congratulation on getting clean and dry!

 

I have never heard of a second growth spurt.  However, my understanding is that, in the absence of weight gain or loss, breasts grow until they reach a genetically-programmed size.  So if yours had not finished growing the first time around, they might just be catching up to where they would have ended up anyway.

 

I am happy for you that your transition is back on track.

[AllieJ]

Christina, Congratulations on getting your life back together, the stresses of being trans cause many to fall off the path, and not all make their way back! Transgender hormone therapy is still poorly understood by the medical fraternity, so it is difficult to get reliable answers. To complicate this is that everybody is so different! 

 

The things I have learned are that over time, our uptake of hormones can reduce due to receptors not working so well. To overcome this, some people change their hormone program by using a different method, or going onto pills as a supplement for a couple of moths. Orals increase Estrone, a hormone which doesn’t promote feminisation, but it can have the effect of ‘waking up’ receptors, so that they will accept estradiol much better. You have obviously made significant changes to your HRT, and your body is adjusting. You are likely having some fat distribution changes, and skin changes. I have read some reports of long term HRT patients having periods of development after many years of no development. 

 

Sore and sensitive breasts are usually associated with growth, but it is not always the case, so don’t get your hopes too high! There is a lot of discussion about levels, but I believe this is a very individual thing and something your doctor should tailor to your specific needs.

 

Hugs,

 

Allie 

[Charlize]

Welcome Christina.  As an alcoholic in recovery i will also add congratulations.  Every sober day is a blessing.  

That being said i have not stopped HRT for any prolonged periods since i started.  I can't remember the last "growth spurt" but there does seem to be a fluctuation due to weight  changes.  That may well be what you are experiencing.  Whether that could create those growing pains i remember quite well i can't say.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Tilly]

On 7/9/2023 at 10:58 PM, Christina87 said:

HI ladies,

 

I have been on hormones for about 10 years. (Pre op transitioned)

A couple of years ago I found myself in a toxic living situation and was drinking daily and reduced my hormones for various reasons including money and wasn't caring for myself. I noticed I lost a lot of weight and because of all this was slightly less passable. (Always had been passable since transition.)

Anyhow, I have since gone to rehab and got my life back in order. I'm no longer drinking and smoking or doing drugs. I'm completely rehabilitated. I'm eating right again also. Self care back to normal. And with all this I've upped my hormones again to how they used to be. I'm doing it more carefully this time. It's been about 6-8 weeks back on a higher dose of hormones (including transdermal gels Sandrena). Not sure if I'm looking more passable again yet but I've noticed my breasts are tender, a little swollen and itchy. I think my breasts are re-growing. I have smallish breasts about an A cup. My skin feels a bit smoother again.

My question is:

Am I going to be ok and is it possible, has anyone ever heard of trans people stoping/starting hormones after years on them to find when they re start their body kicks into gear mode and they have a second growth spurt. I'm really surprised with my breast growth. Is it still possible to have another spurt like this after about a decade later and how much longer would it take to be as passable as I once was. I'm relatively young still in the 30s now.

Any info on this sort of thing would be much appreciated.

 

Kind regards 

 

 

Hi Christina,

 

Thank you so much for sharing about yourself and this is to add my congratulations. I wasn't an alcoholic (I don't think) but finally gave up all alcohol five years ago and feel so much better for it. You've done awesomely well.

 

I wanted to respond about the second growth spurt idea. I have read previously a report, or several, stating just this. That there is evidence that taking a break and resuming can result in greater estrogen uptake. I would have to trawl the internet to find this as it was about 8 years ago when I read it but I'm not imagining that I did. Whether it's based in science I don't know but Allie's explanation about the variability of estrogen receptors does make a lot of sense.

 

I wonder if, like many other drugs, we who take hormones are also susceptible to drug tolerance aka. drug insensitivity? Have there been studies on this in our communities I wonder? 

 

As an aside, is there anywhere on the forum where people post up blood test results? Or is that not really done?

[Birdie]

I'm not on HRT, but I do have breasts. They of course grew because of hormones (DD's).

 

I have had 4 growth spurts in my life. 

1st one was at puberty, or 12ish. 

2nd one was about the time I graduated where I hit a B cup. 

3rd time started about my 30's where I hit a C cup. 

4th one started about a year ago (58 years old), and is still continuing. I am now a DD in some bras or DDD in others. 

 

Our breasts change and will continue to change throughout our lives, that is why they suggested a measuring every year. 

 

Hormone balances I believe are much to blame in growth spurts, as well as weigh and other factors as well. There are just took many variables to really phantom. 

 

I would simply embrace the new added growth with open arms.