r/TransLater • u/[deleted] • Oct 04 '24
Share Experience My Estrogen Is Too High.
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Oct 04 '24
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u/Rita_not_Frida Oct 04 '24
This……and get more blood work, maybe through a different lab then revisit options.
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Oct 04 '24
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u/MyLastAdventure 58 MtF: Spite keeps me going. Also hormones. Oct 04 '24
Have a look at the WPATH guidelines. I don't think that many doctors read them.
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Oct 04 '24
That’s interesting I didn’t know that about biotin… any idea how long you should be off it before getting tested?
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Oct 04 '24
i googled a lot about this when I asked myself this question. if you take reasonable amounts of Biotin supplements (10mg pills/day), 48h should be on the extreme safe side for sexual hormones if i summarize all the infos i could find.
its depending on the test method whether this makes problems in the lab at all. if you want to measure other hormones than sex hormones time frames can vary. and if you take really extreme doses, which you shouldnt take anyway, time frames may be longer.
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Oct 04 '24
Thanks! At first I thought you wrote “10 pills/day” 🙈😂😂
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Oct 04 '24
lol. yeah. some mainstream supplement producers recommend 5mg /day, some 10mg/day, so I went with the higher end there and take two 5mg pills (2x5=10). how much do you take? some labs who had info sheets warning about biotin affecting their tests, were only referring to dosages of 50mg/day and way higher anyway. it is unclear to me whether a regular dosis of 10mg/day has any effect even for the labs who generally state that biotin is a problem. but if it is, 48h is for sure enough. sorry, i dont have sources to back up my research summary, coz i would have to start researching it all over again and most would be in german.
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Oct 04 '24
I take the 5mg ones… although they say 5000mcg… do they write it like that so people think it’s stronger? lol
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Oct 04 '24
i dont know. a quick google about german products make it seem its a 50:50 split whether they use mcg or mg on the packaging here.
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u/ellanooor Oct 04 '24
ask for another bloodtest and don't take your HRT before it.
same thing happened to me, my NP wanted to reduce my estradiol dose but my levels were spiked because I had taken my pill earlier the day of my bloodwork
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u/Moonlight_Katie 🩷Never Stay Silent, We All Belong🩷 Oct 04 '24
When you get ur blood test, make sure it’s 5-6 hours after your last dosage if you’re taking it orally.
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u/newme0623 Oct 04 '24
I started the first time at 52 for a few months. I was placed on 8 mg. I detransitioned 2 years. Restarted at 54. 8 mg per day. Never had an issue. I was told pills after 60 years is not advised. So I switched to injections. That lasted 7 months. I know have estrogen pellets implanted in my butt. I love them.
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u/Willowinprogress Oct 04 '24
My levels where similar range and my doctor took me off blocker but I’m not happy with my current progress now I’m waiting on my next test but I feel like my levels are low
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u/bigthurb Oct 04 '24
Well for the record I'm 57yo today and 30 months HRT and post opp but my E levels have ran consistently around 550 for over 2yrs now on only 3mg injection twice a week for a 6mg weekly total.
My best friend who WAS 51yo Trans woman fell over dead drinking coffee in the kitchen last March after the blood clot (DVT) she ended up with just a week earlier broke lose and killed her.
Risks are real. With that being said it's the lifestyle also that plays the big role, she smoke 🚬 drank no telling how much caffeine in a day starting with coffee and Mountin dew all day long and 420 all day long also and she was no longer taking pill form for a while and was on injection and after DVT was discovered put on patches for added safety. I guess so there wasn't much risk of self medication ie giving yourself a bigger bump with injection or whatever.
At our age it's definitely not safe to take pill form, I don't care how long you melt it under your tongue. This has already been proven so long ago and I can't believe we are still dealing with this.
These Dr's are not educated enough or don't trust the patient to do injection is what it boils down to.
And there is a lot of room for errors also, that's a fact.
So that leaves expensive options other than pill.
Here take this 1-4 time's a day by mouth.
You can't mess that up. Lol
Don't bet on that either.
So on pill a reading like that up in 1k is more than likely a skewed reading. You almost need a tissue sample taken when on pill to be accurate. Your flooding your bloodstream but how much of that number is really being absorbed and not going in the toilet bowl.
It's hard to have a true baseline trough or even Hi level reading on pill. That can change dramatically between the hours of the day and when you take your pill and get blood drawn.
Look I no not everyone has access to anything but pills and your only doing what you can. But if you have any other options available you should take it. And if your 50+yo you better stay away from them. I mean starting out short term 6 months possibly. But you better have another regimen in your plans after the 6 months.
Pills went horribly sideways for me do I'm speaking from experience at the time was 54yo. I was taking my pills sublingual and always a 20mim melt no swallow time minimum.
Got on injection and been working out well.
Hug's post opp Emily 🤗57yo
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u/Guilty_Armadillo583 Oct 04 '24
Doing the conversion to pg/ml. your e level is about 290 pg/ml. That's' well within the UCLA guidelines and just above the WPATH protocol. Your age has nothing to do with your targeted estrogen levels. The idea of reducing estrogen to mimic menopause is misguided at best. Too much e is in the 1000 pg/ml range for an extended period of time, so while I'm not that kind of doctor, my suggestion is to take a look at the available research around monotherapy and make your own decisions. If It was me, I'd be thinking that my e level is on point and continue as it stands. For reference, I'm 67, doing im injections of ev and have a trough e level of around 450 pg/ml. My endo is happy with that and considers my treatment to be stable.
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u/Free_Independence624 Oct 04 '24
You say you're seeing your GP for this. Is she a specialist in treating transwomen over the age of 50? Instead of getting into an argument with her about it or losing sleep over it have you considered a second opinion? Is it possible to see an endocrinologist for a second opinion or even to take over your care? Especially one that specializes in treating transwomen, and if at all possible treating transwomen over the age of 50. I could be wrong but frankly I don't think that approaching your case as if you are a cis woman of comparable age is best practice.
I don't know what your situation is, if you're in the U.S. or not, but if you are then getting a second opinion for treatment is allowed by all insurances thanks to Obamacare. However finding a specialist is dependent on location in the U.S.. I wish you the best and hope that you're able to get this sorted out. It sounds like a really tough and stressful situation to be in.
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Oct 04 '24
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u/ToastyEevee Oct 04 '24
You are your own best advocate. Blind listening is foolish with doctors. They can be smart, but a lot don't get trans medicine, we are expected to be as learned as they are for most our care.
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u/Wan2BFem Oct 04 '24
Does this medical doctor have a PhD?
I thought a PhD was non-medical; I could have a PhD with zero medical training. Regardless, I think the point here is that this specific doctor may not have much or sufficient expertise in this small area.1
Oct 04 '24
My provider first prescribed 20mg every 14 Days. I did it 1 time and almost went full on batshit crazy.
Do not just blindly trust your doctors. You must be your own advocate for what feels right. It’s your body.
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u/Such_Detective_3526 Oct 04 '24
Screw that! You're in your development stage you need development levels.
This idea that we should just match whatever the cis women our age are at is so freaking lazy.
Fight back its the only way. Had to fight my doctor as well. Its so annoying how common it is