Welcome aboard Zoe,
Sounds like you are starting out on the right foot and do your research, there is a lot of science stuff but we are here to help and support all.
Do you have an end goal, if not I'd suggest thinking about this as this really helps you along the NBE path.
I along with many others have done PM and BO and yes they can and do work but I'm now on HRT (Een injections) which are far MORE effective, but everyone needs to start somewhere.
If I knew 3-years ago what I know now I wouldn't have bothered with PM at all, just simply because its not the most effective and of course carries the potential of DVT. For me its not worth it when there are better methods that are proven to work.
If I was starting again, I wouldn't worry about loosing the 'love handles' so much, and go straight onto BO and a good topical regime, along with more legs, bums, tums, (feminisation) exercises.
BO - lots of us fantastic lot on here have had good results, OK, some haven't, but that is the rub with BO, for some people it works, others it doesn't, however, I now think that the additions can help tip the balance to working for most. Work up slowly and find what dose feels best, 1500mg/day (spread out) is generally accepted as the most optimal dose. I used to do mine rectal (dissolve two caps in 5ml of warm water) for max effect. The only downside to BO is that it gets expensive when on 6xcaps/day.
Topical - this is a new area of research that is backed up by some solid results, Lotus, Lara, Steventor, myself, just to name a few. The great potential with topical is that it is targetable, I'm done with breast growth so concentrating on my lower curves and it is making a difference, whereas others are using it for breast enlargement and/or lower half. Check out the fantastic topical thread, but essentially it is mix together:
- dry ingredients - micronised DHEA, BO
- wet ingredients - prog cream, DMSO and/or Aloe Vera gel
- Enhancers - Red clover, Cayenne extract (applied afterwards)
Feminisation exercises - do a YouTube search, there's loads of ladies on there with great workouts, try a few out as they do work. Unfortunately, I'm to inconsistent with my exercises, but hoping to change that this year.
Hope that helps, remember to listen to your body and good luck.