Hi Perky,
The darkening of the perineal raphe can tell us a few things while on NBE/HRT. The reason behind the darkening is a change in androgen receptors on the underside of the penis and scrotal skin. When androgens are inhibited, aromatase becomes more apparent...even if you don't take PM, it's the fact that androgens are being inhibited. In other words, we're changing the Testosterone/Estrogen ratio.
Once T is restored to normal levels it should go back to normal, but of course it may not as everyone is different. If you see this skin darkening you know something's working... in the absence of hormone blood tests.
And this (change in color) is irrefutable evidence that phytoestrogens are subject to hormonal conditions via inhibition of testosterone receptors. (See study below):
____________________
Impairment of androgen action via hormonal “androgen blockade” or mutation or absence of the AR can lead to varying degrees of feminization of the external genitalia (ExG) (Wilson et al., 1983; Wang et al., 2004; Galani et al., 2008).
overexpression of aromatase leads to elevated serum estradiol and reduced testosterone levels in the context of normal AR, ERα, and ERβ signaling pathways (Li et al., 2001).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3709018/#!po=0.510204
The darkening of the perineal raphe can tell us a few things while on NBE/HRT. The reason behind the darkening is a change in androgen receptors on the underside of the penis and scrotal skin. When androgens are inhibited, aromatase becomes more apparent...even if you don't take PM, it's the fact that androgens are being inhibited. In other words, we're changing the Testosterone/Estrogen ratio.
Once T is restored to normal levels it should go back to normal, but of course it may not as everyone is different. If you see this skin darkening you know something's working... in the absence of hormone blood tests.
And this (change in color) is irrefutable evidence that phytoestrogens are subject to hormonal conditions via inhibition of testosterone receptors. (See study below):
____________________
Impairment of androgen action via hormonal “androgen blockade” or mutation or absence of the AR can lead to varying degrees of feminization of the external genitalia (ExG) (Wilson et al., 1983; Wang et al., 2004; Galani et al., 2008).
overexpression of aromatase leads to elevated serum estradiol and reduced testosterone levels in the context of normal AR, ERα, and ERβ signaling pathways (Li et al., 2001).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3709018/#!po=0.510204