I’ll take some of your injectable E2 please (valerate flavor cause I hate my thighs), some of your backdoor P4 for the hornies…and screw it, throw in some of your fine CPA, cause lactating sounds fun :3
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At the beginning of my DIY HRT experience, I used CPA (months 1-4), and it worked great for my needs. Now I’m on monotherapy tho, and I appreciate not having to take an anti-androgen. Since starting on progesterone, tho (16 months after starting estradiol, been on it for 4 months now), I’ve recently started being able to lactate a very small amount. Just a drop at a time, but it’s super affirming when it happens. Sometimes I just do it for fun, and my gf also likes it lol. I’ve read that’s a fairly normal thing, and I can expect it to go away in the future (sad q.q), but when I inevitably have kids, then I’m gonna be on the whole Newman-Goldfarb protocol so I can breastfeed :3
CPA works, well. It just comes with some very real side effects that shouldn’t be ignored. Monotherapy is great.
I think…maybe prog may have been the reason for my own lactation too. It’s the same as you describe, tiny little drops. And it is affirming!
I’m gonna be on the whole Newman-Goldfarb protocol so I can breastfeed :3
I’ve sooo considered that before. Mostly because breastfeeding is supposed to make your boobs bigger. And well…yeah, I need every bit of volume I can get 😭
Good luck on the breastfeeding! Good luck on the kids! I think you’re gonna be a great mom 💜
Yeah, CPA completely nuked my testosterone. On maintenance, I was on 12.5mg (a quarter of a pill) every other day. When taking such a low dose, the side effects aren’t as bad, but ofc they still exist.
For me, I’m too early in development (21 months on HRT) to consider smth like Newman-Goldfarb, nor would I do it unless I needed it (I mean, it’s so much dedication pumping 8-12 times a day, and then dealing with side effects of medication on top of that). And I’m not having kids anytime soon, that’s a long ways out, but thank u regardless! When I eventually get to that point (probably in my mid 30s if I had to guess, so a decade out), I’m sure I’ll be further along in breast development. After all, I’d ideally wanna be at Tanner stage 5 before I’d consider breastfeeding.
Yeah, CPA is strong.
That’s fair, with the development. It makes perfect sense to let them develop before literally using them for their “intended purpose”, lol. At least, that’s what I think.
I get that kids are a thing of the future for you, but it’s a massive milestone (I’d say). Even if it’s far into the future, I’m rooting for you 🩷.
You really, honestly will be a great mom 💜
And these words are almost making me cry and I don’t know why 😭Kids are a long-term goal for you, but it seems really important to you. I have my own long-term goals (mostly SRS) and I think…even despite the loooong waiting…it’ll all be worth it. We’ll both get there ♥️
hehehe
glad to see you’re back miisha ❤️
Yessss :3
Hiya! 🩷
valerate flavor cause I hate my thighs
Whosiewhatsit?
throw in some of your fine CPA, cause lactating sounds fun
Yes, yes it does. If only I knew what these things meant. I feel so stuoid sometimes 😓
Okay, let me explain…
inhalesValerate is an estradiol ester, estradiol valerate. All esters are injectable and they’re called prodrugs. It means what you’re injecting isn’t actually the drug itself (estradiol, in this case), but an ester of that drug. And that ester is then slowly converted to the target drug in your body.
How quickly or slowly it converts depends on the ester. They’re all estrogen, but they have different half lives and different curves (E2 levels in blood at certain times). If you really wanna get into that, here’s a simulator where you can play around with all major estradiol esters.
I use valerate and I joke that I hate my thighs. It’s because valerate lasts the shortest amount of time (it’s said 7 days) and I personally have to do intramuscular injections every 3 days with a big ass needle. Valerate is the most commonly prescribed ester, probably the one you’ll get if you’re going official.
DIY is usually enanthate, which actually lasts a whole week and has more stable levels (less ups and downs, less mood swings). I’m official so I just rawdog valerate, lol.CPA (cyproterone acetate) on the other hand is an anti-androgen (AA for short), a T-blocker. It blocks testosterone, duh. This AA is…special. It has side effects, but it’s also an extremely strong blocker, it nukes testosterone. The side effects are…something. For one, long-term it can cause meningiomas and prolactinomas (both types of benign brain tumors). It’s also bad for your liver.
In addition to that, it raises a hormone called prolactin, a lot. Prolactin does a whole bunch, but it’s best known for inducing lactation. High prolactin is NOT good, so if you ever start lactating for no reason, go see a freaking doctor, but that’s what I was joking about, lactation.Whew. This is my hyperfixation tbh. I…may be slightly autistic 😆
Probably not thoMy understanding is that Cyproterone is much safer if you only take a milligram or two rather than the dosage prescribed for non transfem HRT purposes (50+ mg). Transfems are prescribed unnecessary doses bc research on gender affirming care is rarely done for our sake, with most HRT medications being repurposed from other uses. It’s part of why Spironolactone is the only anti androgen Americans can really get, despite the fact that it’s garbage.
That’s correct! I was prescribed 50mg daily, it’s the standard here. When combined with any amount of E, 10mg of CPA has the maximum T-blocking effect. Since quarter of a 50mg pill is 12.5mg, that works for most people. You’re absolutely right!
I should really ask my endo to drop the cypro tho…I have ovulation E levels at trough ffs, definitely enough for mono 😭
Damn, here I am with my amateur drugs while all the trans folks taking prodrugs
Okay, hands down best joke I’ve heard in a while 😂
I needed that laugh. Thanks, funny stranger 🩷
takes note that CPA basically has no downsides /joking
That’s dangerously wrong.
- At the dosages prescribed (25-100mg), it causes brain tumors in the long run. Benign, but still, you don’t want masses in your brain.
- Bad for your liver, really bad.
- It can cause B12 deficiencies.
- I’ve heard it makes some people dangerously depressed and suicidal.
- Raises prolactin a lot. Not good for anyone
- It can actually cause too little T in your system. That can cause low energy, libido and close to no sensitivity.
- Some people report GI distress. Haven’t experienced that.
Even if you were joking…please don’t. Cypro is a powerful substance and you shouldn’t mess around with it. Please…don’t say this kind of stuff, even as a joke 🙏
Someone might not take it as a joke and that’s not worth the temporary humor, in my honest opinion.Okay, I edited my post. But I was mostly joking about the high levels of prolactin, because that sounds interesting for lactation induction.
Though I can‘t see why somebody would take it as a serious response when you had a long list of downsides including long term tumors.
Thank you.
It’s just…there are way better ways to raise prolactin than cypro. Cypro is what I’d call actually dangerous.
I think domperidone is used to induce lactation safely…definitely safer than cyproIf there was even a single person who took your comment as fact and ended up hurting themselves with cypro…I’d feel extremely bad.
It’s not your fault, sorry. Thanks for editing your comment.
it nukes testosterone.
what does this mean in terms of transition and use alongside estradiol valerate… are the mood swings that bad??
You want suppressed testosterone for a successful transition, otherwise the boobs won’t grow :3
You don’t want 0 tho, you want cis woman ranges. And I literally have zero, but I’m good 😆Specifically alongside estradiol valerate? Not much. You need at least one dominant sex hormone in your body, so you better be taking E if you’re taking a blocker.
are the mood swings that bad??
From my experience…no. I have a really short shot interval tho (3 days) and I’ve heard that people on 7 day cycles feel shitty as their levels drop in the last few days. That’s why most people go for 5 or 6 day cycles with valerate.
You had my attention at “boobs grow.” Is getting on both a common thing?
Yes. Usually blockers are used. Actually, in the majority of cases. Some people on injections are on monotherapy, meaning E levels so high they supress T on their own. I don’t wanna risk my T coming back even in the slightest, so I still take cypro and have 0 T.
You had my attention at “boobs grow.”
Dear sir or madam, would you like some tits? :3 /s
(I’m sorry, not trying to be offensive I swear)You’re not being offensive at all miss. But yes tiddies have always been a dream.
I’m starting pretty late, I’m older, so my growth will already be reduced a little from living as a man for so long.
I just want whatever works best at helping me enjoy the rest of my life as me.
This seems very important to you, so I’ll skip my usual jokes.
Please reach out to me. Here on Lemmy or on Matrix (probably better). I have information that will probably help you a bit. I’ll try to help in any way I can.
It’s never too late. You got this, girl 💜
Can confirm, feel shitty as early as Sunday and usually it gets worse until Thursday, as Wednesday is my injection day. Usually I’m in a better mood Wednesday becausd I know the good vibes (and puffier boobs, but maybe that’s imagined) are coming
Honestly if I had an excess of money or free blood tests, I’d do a blood test every day for two weeks to check my levels. I feel like I should go down to every 5 days.
Girlie, definitely go down a day or two, jeez! There’s no reason for you to go through weekly menopause, lol.
Also, you have to have really monstrous E levels for it to be a real problem, so I really don’t think going down to 5 days will cause issues…you might try it?I’ve been checking my vials for debris, discoloration, cloudineds, etc to make sure it’s still good every week, but so far I’ve managed to get an extra month out of everything. So I think I might spend a couple weeks doing every 5/6 days to see how I feel during the week. Which means tomorrow will be my next scheduled one, hopefully this Tuesday will be better than last Tuesday…
Wait this is interesting, what about spiro?
I did spray and while that felt so good, it wasn’t effective enough at all, even with 5 spritzes a day. So I shifted to pills and that has worked much better.
Downside, there is a shortage of T-blockers here which is very annoying…
Oof yeah, I’ve heard bad things about spray. Pills are alright, but I’m a huuge injections advocate, lol
Spiro is a potassium-sparing diuretic. It makes you pee (a LOT!) out all of your sodium, so you end up having lots more potassium in your blood. That means you crave salty stuff and you have to be careful with what you eat…too much potassium can be a problem…
You mention a blocker shortage. Pardon me for being blunt, but tbh, with pills and a blocker shortage, I honestly don’t believe your levels are correct. Pill monotherapy is technically possible, but for only a handful of people, while with injections, you can almost certainly skip the blockers.
Have you gotten a blood test?Aah, thanks! I def also do want injections, but in my country they’re not available with insurance, you’d have to DIY.
interesting… so spiro is a different kind of E? Or–?
I def did have a blood test, last one was a few months ago and I finally got to cis levels, and my boobs feel sore when pressing, so that’s good signs they’re finally actually growing… But that was when I had access to blockers.
Now that I’m on pills, annoyingly there’s been quite a few “shortages” with the T-blockers. Even the 4-week-dose blockers have run out, which is incredible. So I think I’ll just DIY buy them, ugh.
Ah, I see.
Spiro is a blocker. It’s weak and it makes you pee, but it’s a blocker. Originally a blood pressure medication, lol.
Huh, interesting…those are indeed “good” results, I’d say. Well, keep it up!
DIY blockers sound like a good idea. With pills…yeah, I’d do it. I recommend cypro if you can, but no more than 10mg daily! It may be expensive tho, idk. Spiro should be fine too.
Good luck! ♥️
Ohhhhhhh! You hate your thighs because you’re injecting them all the time!
I thought you meant valerate gives you small thighs and I was about to be angry. I love thiccy thighs and I want to be thiccer!
Ohhhhhhh! You hate your thighs because you’re injecting them all the time!
Yes indeed :3
I thought you meant valerate gives you small thighs and I was about to be angry
I’m sorry, this isn’t criticism I swear, but the thought of just being on valerate for years and my thighs getting smaller and smaller and spindlier and spindlier is really fucking funny for some reason 😂
All esters are estrogen, so all have the same effects. It’s just the convenience (injection interval) and stability (highs and lows, mood swings). Valerate sucks for both of these, lolAlso, are you also on valerate? OwO
Don’t worry, our thighs will only get thiccer and thiccer! Can’t wait 🩷I love thiccy thighs
Same. Want my own :3
I’m on estradiol valerate pills, and I have been for 6 years! So if I want thiccer thighs, I’m gonna need to eat more!
Pills are alright…
…but have you heard of injections? :3 /s
You’re NOT stupid sweetie! This is some advanced transfem black-magic fuckery :3
Yes pls gib nao
I actually want to be able to lactate, despite not wanting children.
I think it’s more about having the ability than actually doing it.
Totally get and respect that. When my boobs leak, I am euphoric, lmao
Please don’t take cypro tho, you don’t want brain tumors 😭We’ll see how getting progesterone works out in a few weeks, then maybe in a few months when I start popping out of my old bras I’ll consider whether risking brain tumors is worth it lmao
😭
Enough internet for today. I’ve been reminded of being flat waaaay too many times /sGirl what
I definitely remember seeing a non-flat chest in your pictures!
I’m only not-flat right now because I weigh so much… I’m within 20lbs of my lowest ever as an adult, but that was still barely considered within healthy weight range… Plus side is that now I’m getting a bit of a head start in excess adipose tissue on my chest!
I dislike almost every aspect of my body right now, but I’m trying to look at the positives like that one. (and also my hips have always been a little wider than most cis men)
I am positive we will BOTH get there!
Hopefully in a year I can give an hrt update on how things are filling in 😊
