Low dose oestrogen - What to expect?

[Martyn]

Hi All, I’ve reached the stage where I feel the need to progress to the next stage since being on anti-androgen and finasteride for a fair amount of time, I’m pleased with the body hair reduction that has been achieved so far but the biggest problem is having hot flashes at night, it’s making life very uncomfortable and putting strain on us a a married couple, we can’t even cuddle at night as I get like a furnace :0(

Mainly due to these symptoms I’m considering going on a low dose of oestrogen to overcome the problem, I would certainly like more feminised skin that hopefully evolve as a consequence but I don’t want further Brest growth. Currently I feel the only option would be to wait for them to develop and have a breast reduction op latter down the line.

So my question is apart from breast growth and better skin what other side effects might I expect from taking a low dose? 

[Terry]

Hi Martyn, this is interesting for me too. I don't know the answer, but I see myself going down that route too at some point.

 

What I'm guessing is that there are three possibilities:

1. same effect as higher dose - the level is not very important

2. everything is less pronounced

3. same end result, but it takes longer to get there

 

I would expect (and hope) it's number 2., but as it is a complicated biological system, I might be totally wrong.

[Jani]

Martyn you cannot select the changes, you get what you get.  Some only see emotional quietness with low dose while others start to see body changes too.  Libido will take a hit if that is something that concerns you.  

You might try a low dose for a number of months to see where it takes you.  

 

Jani

[VickySGV]

My PRESCRIBED estrogen has been the lowest available dose for nine years.  I have had the FULL RANGE of feminization including mood swings and hyper emotionalism.  Your libido will crash even further than it has on the anti-androgens, but you will find that other body areas become very sensitive to touch, including your breast area which will develop to the general size of the average woman in your family.  It is not so much the dose size that matters in how you develop, it is how your body uses the estrogen available to it.  It will act differently in every person, but even my blood levels have gotten into ranges that are considered extremely and almost dangerously high.  Thus it is imperative that your doctor monitor it very regularly.  It can, and in my case probably had something to do with s blood clot in my right leg that is very dangerous since it could have traveled to my heart, lungs or brain had I not been lucky.  I recently broke my arm and as soon as the bone was set and  placed in a cast, I was taken in for a special X-ray scan of my bone density since the E can cause loss of bone structure if I do  not take prescribed vitamins or monitor my diet for certain substances.  As with the blood clot, I have been lucky that I followed my doctors care instructions.      

[Kirsten]

Before I started my current prescribed hrt regimen I was using birth control. Birth control had like less than 5% estrogen dosage that I’m on now. And I was seeing all the same changes. They took a similar amount of time to start. They changed the same things as well. I had less mental changes I’d say with that incredibly low dose. But the physical stuff was coming whether I wanted it or not. 

As Vicky said it’s how your body uses it. Everyone is different. Lower doses could give you less changes. But it may not either. And you can always stop if you needed to. With the help of your dr not just cold turkey. Like my dr told me, before you start any level of hrt you need to be okay with what MAY happen. Not with what you think or want to happen. Cause nobody knows. 

Kirsten

[Martyn]

18 hours ago, Terry said:

Hi Martyn, this is interesting for me too. I don't know the answer, but I see myself going down that route too at some point.

 

What I'm guessing is that there are three possibilities:

1. same effect as higher dose - the level is not very important

2. everything is less pronounced

3. same end result, but it takes longer to get there

 

I would expect (and hope) it's number 2., but as it is a complicated biological system, I might be totally wrong.

Hi Terry, it’s good to see I’m not alone in this dilemma - My situation is that having from gender counselling I’ve confirmed that I’m non-binary, happy being a male but prefer smooth feminine skin, enjoy wearing feminine tops and many other feminine traits, but I don’t want to be female as such, so having larger breasts is my biggest fear and is what is holding me back most of all. The issue with the hot flashes has I feel brought things to a head, which I’m now trying to deal with.

Much like you I’d prefer your option 2, it would certainly help the situation.

Good luck with your decision making when the time comes for you too. Martyn

[Martyn]

17 hours ago, Jani said:

Martyn you cannot select the changes, you get what you get

 

Libido will take a hit if that is something that concerns you.  

Jani

Hi Jani, Thanks for your thoughts, if we could choose wouldn’t that be just wonderful eh :0)

Yes my libido has already been deminished, trying to keep my marriage alive in that aspect is already proving a huge problem, though until recently I have been using Caverject injections which did enable intercourse but that’s all on the back burner at the moment until I / we are more stable, these past few months have been testing to say the least. Martyn 

[Martyn]

20 hours ago, VickySGV said:

 It is not so much the dose size that matters in how you develop, it is how your body uses the estrogen available to it.  It will act differently in every person

Hi Vicky, thank you for your comments, yes I can see as you say the dose amount itself is not really the issue - I’m starting to realise the enormity of what I’m about to embark on, scared is how I’m feeling right now if I’m honest :0(

[Martyn]

19 hours ago, Kirsten said:

Like my dr told me, before you start any level of hrt you need to be okay with what MAY happen. Not with what you think or want to happen. Cause nobody knows. 

Kirsten

Hi Kirsten, thank you for your input, yes you’re quite right being ‘okay’ with what might happen must be clear in your mind to start with, from reading and digesting everyone’s comments the enormity of what I’m about to do is just dawning on me, it’s a lot to accept.

[Kirsten]

It is a lot. But it is also amazing! I’ve gone from actively trying to hurt myself in very bad ways and a borderline introvert to advocating for the lbgtq community and loving life! 

Not all the side effects are wanted, but so many you don’t even realize will occur are so positive and wonderful! 

Take your time. Be sure of your actions. Prepare yourself well. And then move forward. There are no rules on what you have to do. Just find your path and walk it as well as you can. ?

Kirsten. 

[Martyn]

Just now, Kirsten said:

 

Not all the side effects are wanted, but so many you don’t even realize will occur are so positive and wonderful! 

 

Kirsten. 

Yes, it’s the non wanted ones that I’m battling with mentally, emotions are raw and my direction unknown but I’ll keep going, one step at a time - thank you Kirsten