It has been an interesting day. This afternoon I had my second visit with the gentle woman physician. Part of her practice is with the trans community. I had blood drawn for testing last Friday and the results were in for today's visit. My prolactin level was very slightly elevated and the doctor will do some investigating on possible causes, other than a benign pituitary tumor. My own quick research afterwards seemed to show that spironolactone taken for months can cause some elevation in prolactin but so can stress. I've been on spiro nearly 4 months now after 3 1/2on Androcur.

What I found disappointing was my total and free testosterone levels. Total T was checked in March (after 3 weeks on spiro) and came back slightly below the normal range, at about 210. Now total T is coming out as about 500, smack dab in the middle of 'normal'. Two years ago my total T was 800. It could be that the March result was still reflecting the influence of Androcur.

The doctor thinks that with continued use of spiro alone my T would go down further in the months ahead. At any rate, I did get an estrogen prescription and will be starting out at a low dose.

When I got home from work this evening, the pharmacy left me a message for me to call. They wanted to know if the 'new medicine' was really for me and did I know what it was. This doctor is a new one to prescribe for me and they wanted to be sure the prescription was actually for me and that I knew it's for estrogen. Yes, indeed, I told them!

I am leaving for the pharmacy now to pick it up. It will be interesting to see if my insurance covers it.

Tclosetgirl (imported) wrote: Sun Apr 20, 2008 10:55 am That first breast development, along with the pain/sensitivity is an awesome time - enjoy it as it is short lived!!!

I'm kind of between an AA and A cup, if I ever go the T-blocker route again I will go all out, B cup perhaps...

Another pleasure I hope you will enjoy is having some suckle on them.....that is a VERY pleasurable sensual feeling!!!!!

I wish you well with your brother too!

I desire to have a first breast development time. I hope it happens some day. I am very excited. B cup is beautiful too.

Danya (imported) wrote: Sun Apr 13, 2008 3:01 pm I'll always consider my work transition day as a second birthday, this time as being 'born' into a new gender and presenting as a woman, Me!, in all areas of my life. I'm really excited about this event and want to have a celebration of some type, probably on Sunday May 18. I've just got to come up with some good ideas for the party. I'd like to do something out of the ordinary. I've still got a little over a month to think about it and suggestions are welcome!

It seems like a whole new world is opening up for me with all kinds of possibilities. My life has become very full in the last few months and that's a really good thing. I'm meeting really terrific people, in person and virtually, on the Archive and I'm finding new friends in unexpected places elsewhere. Life is really good.

I'm going to use this thread to record my experiences with transitioning. There will be frustrations along the way and it helps if I write down both the good and the bad. I'm certain the good will far surpass the bad.

If I was working I would love to transition at work. You go girl sounds fun.

I love estrogen, you will too after the initial week or two

It's a wonderful feeling!!

Hi MrT,

Danya (imported) wrote: Thu Jun 05, 2008 6:14 pm Having seen Dr. Marci Bowers, I would say she could easily pull off looking good in a minidress. While I would certainly try a minidress in public (like in a dark bar), once maybe, I don't think I would create quite the stir she can. I most certainly look fine in many dresses, though, including a sleek black number I'll wear to a wedding reception later in the month.

I find that I am generally calm and happy much of the time now. Not the mental high happiness of much of my first week transitioning. That was wonderful and exciting but also emotionally draining.

In fact, I am feeling so calm and content I wonder what the fuss of transitioning was all about. . It seems I am able to handle much of my life, including stresses, in a more relaxed manner. I have some down times but I seem better able to cope with these.

Dr Marci is quite the dish but don't sell yourself short. A lot of it is attitude I think. I'm no shrink but I think your probably pulling the plug on a mountain of internal stress by being who you are after years of dealing with this internal gender twistage... Assuming that IS a word? I think it helps also that you have some good support for your transition. As to money Dr Bowers said that there is always a way but it might have to get a bit creative. One good thing about being poor is you really DO have to get creative and some of that can be interesting and even (dare I say it) fun? Food wise for example. We are stretching out dollars and really enjoying some of the results. And we have a hungry Dog for the failures...

Danya (imported) wrote: Sat Jun 07, 2008 6:14 pm What I found disappointing was my total and free testosterone levels. Total T was checked in March (after 3 weeks on spiro) and came back slightly below the normal range, at about 210. Now total T is coming out as about 500, smack dab in the middle of 'normal'. Two years ago my total T was 800. It could be that the March result was still reflecting the influence of Androcur.

The doctor thinks that with continued use of spiro alone my T would go down further in the months ahead. At any rate, I did get an estrogen prescription and will be starting out at a low dose.

When I got home from work this evening, the pharmacy left me a message for me to call. They wanted to know if the 'new medicine' was really for me and did I know what it was. This doctor is a new one to prescribe for me and they wanted to be sure the prescription was actually for me and that I knew it's for estrogen. Yes, indeed, I told them!

I am leaving for the pharmacy now to pick it up. It will be interesting to see if my insurance covers it.

From everything I've read your Estrogen (YEA!) will dominate Testosterone anyway.

Its a bit confusing why your Testosterone is that high. Are you taking your Spiro at the same time each day? Your not blowing off doses are you??? Has the doctor kept the Spiro at a low level for some reason?

mrt (imported) wrote: Sun Jun 08, 2008 2:12 pm From everything I've read your Estrogen (YEA!) will dominate Testosterone anyway.

Its a bit confusing why your Testosterone is that high. Are you taking your Spiro at the same time each day? Your not blowing off doses are you??? Has the doctor kept the Spiro at a low level for some reason?

Yes, MrT, the estrogen will dominate testosterone if you take enough of it. The idea is to keep the T low so you can keep the E as low as possible to get the desired effects while minimizing the potential for bad reactions.

I'm pretty good about taking the spiro regularly. I'm on 100 mg twice a day. I rarely miss a pill. The 200 mg/day I am on is considered pretty standard for TS treatment. Some online sources say you can go higher for better results, others say that won't make much difference.

Over the last few months I have experienced some breast development from the spiro, so it is having an effect. As I have time, I am investigating possibilities for why my T isn't lower on spironolactone. I am supposed to have blood work in two months to see how things are going with the estrogen treatment.

The estrogen patch I am using is the Vivelle-dot, 0.05 mg. The doctor said we can eventually work up to using a dose four times higher.

The brand I am taking is the Vivelle-dot. It's a tiny thing but I am having trouble finding the right spot to place it on my skin. The directions say to apply it to clean, hairless skin on the abdomen below the waist. My problem is finding a hairless spot. It's not that I'm excessively hairy but I'm not hair-free either. I keep this region shaved but, alas, hair grows back. The patch is left in place for about 3 days before the next one is applied to a different area. I need to go back to using an epilator on this area to keep it hair-free for extended periods.

My insurance did pay for this. The fact that my doctor listed the reason for the prescription as something like 'hormone disturbance' and not something related to transsexualism may have helped.

Hi Danya,

It has to be exciting to be on the verge of starting female hormones, but it sounds like your Spiro dosage will need to be increased to get your "T" levels down to somewhere in the range of a genetic female, which is between 20-70, according to my doctor. My current level is 21 according to my last blood test.

You're going to just love the changes the estrogen will bring about, both physically and mentally.

I sincerely hope that the results from your current test come back normal.

I'm also surprised your T levels are that high on a normal dose of Spiro, and also your levels were that high only two years ago. A level of 800 is quite high for someone your age. Have you considered taking the 200 mg dose all at once each day? Splitting the dose is not always necessary or desirable. The only time when it really is desirable is when the half-life of a medication is so short that it would make a difference in the effects you get from the medication. I know plenty of TSs who take their Spiro all at once, and it still works fine for them.

It could also be that you are developing a tolerance to Spiro. This can theoretically happen with any medication.

The E will probably help lower your T levels. But are you sure you want to go with the patch? I hated those, even Vivelle-dot. I couldn't get them to stay on at all.