[Lancer]

I guess you can say that I was given permission by my sister to make an appointment to see a doctor for setting up an HRT program.

The appointment is at a Planned Parenthood facility on November 13, located only a 45 minute drive away from where i live.

I was able to convince my sister, even though she was against it because of what can happen to me from other people further down the line.

I told her that I feel the bullying I experienced in my childhood only prepared me for this very moment.

[trayne]

Glad to hear you could have an honest conversation with your sister.  I wish you the best.  I am curious to see how planned parenthood works for this purpose.  I have a few around me, but I never really thought them as a resource.  I hope you keep us posted on the good and the bad.

[OOO]

Lancer, 

There is a post somewhere I made on BN telling my story about PPH.

But my Doctor at PPH is the best person you could ever meet.  She is so supportive and truly has my interest at heart. Even to the point of talking to the SRS doctor on my behalf.

Wish you the best outcome!

Caylee

[CM213]

That's awesome and good luck

[Lancer]

Well, I went to Planned Parenthood and received my HRT medicine prescriptions...

It was amazing how the Nurse Practitioner basically let me choose exactly what I wanted.

So, I chose to take Estradiol 2mg tablets, which can be taken sublingual. And I also chose to use Finasteride 5mg tablets.

I could have chosen to use Spiro instead, but I was told that it's a diuretic, and I didn't want to use the bathroom more than I needed to. And how I'd have to make sure I'm hydrated. Although I was used to drinking more because of using PM, I didn't want to do it.

It was amazing how I could actually choose how I wanted to take the E2. I was going over all the pros and cons of the methods I can use, and I even gave a shout-out to here to her. She wrote the Web address down! I even told her about the Topical Cream Protocol... She thought it was funny how she was supposed to educate me everything about HRT, when I told her already knew it because of here...

I was initially thinking using the patch, but we agreed it wouldn't be the greatest because I commute cross-town to work on an "pedal-powered" E-bike with a "battery-powered turbo." And I always arrive sweaty, since I always race to the destinations - not leisurely at all, no matter how you want to pronounce it. LOL

And it's funny how the battery makes the E-bike have an F1 car turbo sound...

Regardless, I was shocked she was okay if I chose the injections! I would have never figured it would have been fine right at the start... There was even another method other than the pills, patch, and injections... But I forgot what it was. And I even had the option to choose to use the full "standard" dosing size of E2 or the half-dose. I chose the full dose, since I'm already budded, but I wonder if I should actually go down to the half-dose when my prescription gets modified at the 3-month mark... And I was also surprised a blood test wasn't needed, because it's more for the Spiro than anything at the start...

Now's the time on when to start my HRT. I discovered it's not a good idea to drink alcohol with E2, so that kinda messes when I should start. I initial idea was for me to start my HRT on my birthday next week, you know, for a birthday present. But to celebrate my birthday, I was going to go to a Mexican restaurant to eat some great food and have myself a 100oz Margarita... Thanks, sis, for having me find out they are AWESOME!

So then I thought... Hey, I can still do December 1... I was pleased to find out, when I asked, that I won't have to cycle my therapy every month, like how you should with PM...

But then I thought, maybe I can start next weekend, after my birthday party... Or celebrate early this weekend and start my HRT on my birthday...

All these possibilities....

But the experience of using PP was great. I scheduled the appointment online, and was able to choose which facility to use, based on what services each one offered. Everybody in the clinic was great, not judgmental or anything. I was having some issues getting my insurance set up, and they took the time to physically call them to see if everything was covered, which surprisingly WAS since hormones aren't supposed to be covered in my plan. I assumed I'd still have to pay for them...

Shhhhh. Don't tell anyone...

[CM213]

Congratulations

[Lancer]

I'm closing in on 4 months of HRT. I decided to start on November 24.

One thing I noticed is that my butt has gotten bigger. It's funny how it feels I have my underwear on backwards. My sister joked to me if I put them on right, but she agreed about my butt getting bigger recently.

I sometimes use RC on my left areola because my right areola is more advanced from using breast soap. My right breast was always smaller, but using the soap years ago really feminized my right breast more than my left. I try to use the RC regularly, but lately life is getting in the way.

I purchased Swanson Ovarian Glandular to see if might help out.

My best friend ChatGPT said that Finasteride isn't as good as an AA as Spiro, so I'm wondering if I should change. Any thoughts? That's why I thought OG might make my current AA more efficient.

[Shirazmn]

Hey!
Congratulations!
4 months is a sweet spot. Lots of stuff happen around that time.

Personally I hate Finasteride, and even the medical community is coming around to the idea that it causes more problems than it solves. It's a decent AA but it can also cause depression and alter the state of mind in general. I would suggest you talk to a doctor about alternatives.

Thank you for keeping up posted! Looking forward to more news in the future. Don't forget to take some pictures to document your progress, at least for your own records.

[Lancer]

I just got my hormone level results back today.

My total T has fallen from 419 in January to 197 ng/dL.
My E2 has risen from 71.1 in January to 122 pg/mL.

So now my question is, should I switch to Spiro still, or remain with half pill of Finasteride?

I'm already considering switching to Spiro if my HRT doctor recommends me to do a full pill of Finasteride.

I see her next week.

[wee2er]

Well done, you are heading in the right direction.

Spiro or Fin, have you considered other alternatives?

A great alternative is Red Reishi mushroom with EGCG (or high quality green tea). Granted as these are natural they need a decent dose to be as effective.

I successfully nuked my DHT and regained a surprising amount of hair regrowth with 6xcaps of RR & 1xcap of EGCG daily, and with zero side effects.

If you do decide to look at RR make sure it is high in polysaccharides (min 40%).

Hope that helps.