#progesterone products

[socialistexan]

I'm going to reiterate what I said in the tags on that one post so more people that need to see it:

IF YOU ARE A TRANS FEMME PERSON ON HRT AND ARE UNSATISFIED WITH YOUR GROWTH AND FAT REDISTRIBUTION, PLEASE CONSIDER TRYING EATING MORE.

I know too many rail things trans women who complain that they aren't getting what they want and are too quickly jumping to surgical remedies due to it. I'm not saying top surgery shouldn't be an option or that we need to put more barriers, but I am saying it is an incredibly costly surgery that could have impacts down the road that you should consider your options before doing so.

Your body can't redistribute fat it does not have.

Genetics has a role to play, absolutely - I'm lucky that I have the kind of genetics I do - but I promise y'all it can work. After my doctor convinced me that putting on a little weight was okay and not the end of the world and would help with my results, I went up a full cup size and then some, and I have hips and an ass.

Some of that is adding on progesterone, but one of the things progesterone does is cause you to retain more fat, but that fat goes to the places you want it!

Like, I get it, everyone woman struggles with our weight and the constant inundation of 00 models and DD breasts, but that's not reality. Those women are on hyper specifics diets that are basically a full time job to achieve that look (plus some help from post production). It's not feasible to look like that.

Don't be afraid of weight gain. It's okay. You'll be okay. I was deathly afraid of it, being skinny was honestly part of my identity, I could wear children's extra large until I was 27, but even if it's not for your own health because despite popular belief skinnier is not necessarily healthier, just consider it.

[faggy--butch]

You know when it comes to trans or hrt stuff, I've never seen anyone mention Percy Lavon Julian, who was a super smart chemist. I saw a drunk history about him a long time ago and I've always thought this guy was so cool

Percy Lavon Julian (April 11, 1899 – April 19, 1975) was an American research chemist and a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants.[1] He was the first to synthesize the natural product physostigmine and was a pioneer in the industrial large-scale chemical synthesis of the human hormones progesterone and testosterone from plant sterols such as stigmasterol and sitosterol. His work laid the foundation for the steroid drug industry's production of cortisone, other corticosteroids, and birth control pills.[2][3][4] From Wikipedia

This guy found out you can synthesize testosterone and progesterone out of soy beans and we never talk about him. He fought really hard to become a chemist, even having to leave the country to finish his schooling and get a PHD he's also played by Jordan Peele in the video

[winfertility]

Collaborate with us and get to be a part of our company. Call us at +91 8699300666 or you can mail us at micropolismd@gmail.com.

[shu-edi]

[theonion]

MCLEAN, VA—Noting there would be no effect on the product’s appearance or taste, M&M’s announced Tuesday that 1 in every 100 of the company’s candies would now act as an abortion pill. “If you need to terminate a pregnancy in a state where it is legally impossible to do so, then, statistically speaking, you could just consume five or six fun-size bags of M&M’s,” said Mars CEO Poul Weihrauch, who confirmed that 1% of all of the company’s signature candy-coated chocolates contained a 200-milligram dose of progesterone-blocking mifepristone, which would cause the uterine lining of the M&M consumer to break down.

Full story.

[rapeculturerealities]

No privacy, no water: Gaza women use period-delaying pills amid Israel war | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera

Many Palestinian women have resorted to taking menstruation-delaying pills due to the desperate, unsanitary circumstances they have been forced into as a result of the continuing Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Facing displacement, overcrowded living conditions, and a lack of access to water and menstrual hygiene products such as sanitary napkins and tampons, women have been taking norethisterone tablets – ordinarily prescribed for conditions such as severe menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, and painful periods – to avoid the discomfort and pain of menstruation.

According to Dr Walid Abu Hatab, an obstetrics and gynaecology medical consultant at the Nasser Medical Complex in the southern city of Khan Younis, the tablets keep progesterone hormone levels raised to stop the uterus from shedding its lining, thus delaying a period.

[catboybiologist]

Hm, so not the same anon as last time, but im interested (for science reasons), can trans women, after some time and with appropriate hormones, produce milk eventualy? Is it the same quantitiea as cis women or not?

Yes. Even cis men, with a relatively small course of non-replacement hormones, can produce a small quantity of milk.

Iirc (which I will verify later) Progestins are upstream of the production of prolactin, which is the primary signalling molecule that signals the mammary glands to produce milk. From what I know, some milk production can theoretically be regulated by fluctuating E levels directly, but this varies a lot.

Prolactin in cis men can cause them to lactate without any other effects of estrogen and progesterone. Progesterone in trans women can absolutely stimulate lactation, but any effect of progesterone requires you to be on E for a while beforehand, since progesterone receptors are regulated by E. Mechanical stimulation also helps, but of course, this varies a LOT, even in cis women.

From what I've heard anecdotally, trans women wanting to breastfeed (or produce milk for any other reason) usually at least kickstart things with prolactin supplements, but can keep it going with mechanical stimulation. Sometimes this can happen just with progesterone or E, though, although the quantity is much, much less.

While the exact extent of the results vary, this is def very well documented, and many trans women parents participate in breastfeeding their babies.

[femmefatalevibe]

Hey there

I have pimples popping out since the past few days.And right now I’m on my period.But I didn’t used to have so many of these pimples.They’re not too big.And one has even left its mark on my cheekbone and I honestly hate it.I wonder how I can get rid of that mark and these pimples.And why I got them in the first place.

Hi love! It's really common to get more (or only get) acne during the week before or the week of your period due to the rise (Ovaluation to menstruation) or lack of progesterone (onset of your period) levels. These hormone fluctuations can increase the oil production in your skin, resulting in more clogged pores/acne.

Some of the best ways to help manage hormonal acne are through diet, skin hygiene, cardio/movement, and managing stress levels.

For diet, try to incorporate plenty of green vegetables, B vitamins, omega 3s/healthy fats, and plenty of fresh produce generally while avoiding dairy, soda, and highly processed foods.

For skincare, wash your face 2x/day, change your pillow cases weekly, towels at least weekly, wash your face and pat it dry with a disposable towel, don't touch your face without washing your hands, or consider trying retinoids.

Exercise, walks, sex, and meditation are great stress management tools. Also, for some people, birth control pills/IUDs are really helpful to control acne if you want to explore that option.

Hope this helps xx

[red-pill-to-swallow]

How to skin

Hey babes,

today I want to talk about skin. Our skin – especially the skin in our face – is one of the first things that we recognize in another person.

This is the reason why it is so important to have clean and vibrant looking skin. Your skin color doesn’t matter as long as it is healthy looking and free of pimples.

Clear skin is a universal sign for good health and it can elevate the look of a person completely.

Us humans tend to find other people more attractive if they have good skin – it’s something in our genes.

Personally, I’m blessed with good skin – I never had acne as a teenager, only some lonely pimples right before my period would start.

However, when my gynecologist put me on the pill when I was around 19 years old I suddenly developed acne and it was horrible. That’s when I started to take my skincare very serious and made a ton of research that I want to share with you.

Disclaimer: I am not a dermatologist. Those are simply my experiences and what I’ve learned over the years.

Why do we even get pimples?

A very short summary: we get pimples, because sebum is clogging our pores and bacteria starts to grow in the pore which makes it inflamed.

Is it my fault that I get pimples? Am I not clean enough?

Yes and no.

Yes – there might be people who are experiencing acne just because they don’t cleanse their face good enough. However that’s something that happens very rarely.

Most people with acne wash and clean their face more often and more thoroughly than the average person.

If you experience heavy acne, don’t try to treat it at home. Instead, seek out a dermatologist to see if the acne is fungal.

I would also recommend getting blood-work done to see if the acne is hormonal.

If you never had acne and suddenly get pimples all over your face it could also be because of your birth control, especially if your birth control is hormonal.

Like I said before, I suddenly developed acne after my gynecologist put me on the pill. The reason for that was that the pill had gestagen in it which is similar to progesterone.

Progesterone is basically stimulating the skin to produce more oils and sebum – pores get clogged more easily and pimples form.

Diet also plays a big part in acne. Personally, I don’t see a difference if I leave out dairy or gluten but some people almost see an immediate effect.

I wouldn’t recommend just stopping consuming gluten and dairy one day, please speak to your doctor beforehand.

Instead, try to limit your sugar and fat intake first before you start to take drastic actions.

My acne is neither hormonal nor fungal, what can I do?

Having a healthy skin-barrier is the key to having clean and vibrant looking skin!

Most of us fell victim to Clearasil and other harsh drugstore products in our youth. I remember slathering my face with a 3 in 1 face wash, face mask and peeling once and my skin was red for days. At that time I didn’t know that the products were simply way to harsh for the skin on my face and wondered why it didn’t work as good as in the commercials.

If you’re just starting out with your skincare journey, here are a few tips that you should consider when you pick out products and a routine:

- a healthy skin-barrier should be your first priority. Everything else can be addressed later on.

- all the products for your face should be fragrance free or contain very little fragrance.

- stick to your routine for at least one month before changing it

- introduce new products one after one and take your time to do so

How does a good basic skincare routine look like?

You don’t need thousands of products in the beginning, keep it simple and gentle.

A good routine could look like this:

am

Step 1: use a gentle cleanser to wash your face in the morning. Nothing too heavy. I like to use a foam cleanser for this.

Step 2: use a hydrating toner and apply it with your hands, so you get the most out of your product.

Step 3: while your face is still damp with the toner, apply a hyaluronic acid serum. Never put hyaluronic acid on dry skin, it won’t do anything.

Step 4: wait for the hyaluronic acid to sink into your skin and apply a hydrating face cream all over your face. Do this even if your skin is oily – it still needs moisture.

Step 5: apply sunscreen all over your face and neck. Sunscreen is essential, especially if you use exfoliants.

pm

Step 1: use a cleansing oil or cleansing balm in the evening. This is to remove your makeup and sunscreen from your face.

Step 2: use a gel cleanser and massage your skin for at least one minute. It’s important that you cleanse every small part of your face. Especially tricky is the skin around your nostrils and on your chin.

Step 3: again, use a hydrating toner and apply it with your hands.

Step 4: apply a thick face cream all over your face, best is something with panthenol.

What are the things that I should avoid?

- touching your face with dirty hands. Always wash your hands before you cleanse in the morning and in the evening. Avoid touching your face with your hands during the day.

- stop picking at pimples. I know – it’s frustrating, but the more you pick on your spots, the more inflamed they get. There also is a danger of you spreading around all that bacteria with your hands and possibly getting scars.

- Never ever use physical exfoliators in the face. They damage your skin with micro cuts that you can’t see with your eyes and damage more than they help. Always look for chemical exfoliators!

See you soon!

[bonefall]

Could anything be done if a younger, orphaned kit was brought to camp, but there were no currently nursing queens at the time? I’m asking because I’m revamping an old oc story I made when I was like 10, and this type of situation happens in it. In the og story I just made up a magic milk herb that the kit could eat instead, but that’s insane and I’m trying to be a TAD more realistic about plant life this time around lol. I love your au and you’ve clearly done a LOT of cat biology research so I was just wondering if you had any ideas. Thanks in advance!

I have heard stories of cats who had not given birth starting to spontaneously lactate for an adopted kitten, especially if they had kittens in the past, but I wasn't able to find any studies on it to tell you exactly how it happens.

BUT I do know a good bit about how humans induce lactation, I'll give you two options and you can adjust it to what fits your story best. First is inducing lactation, and the second is a shoddy formula recipe.

OPTION 1: INDUCING LACTATION

This is going to work best on a cat who has previously given birth, but anyone who has mammary glands is going to be able to do this.

But, this is going to take some time. As soon as that kitten is discovered, someone's gotta volunteer and get ready. In humans, we start about 2 months before a baby's expected to give it time to come in, but every second counts in this situation.

In humans we use a mix of estrogen and progesterone, and stimulate the teats regularly with a breast pump. The stimulation makes the body release prolactin.

The hardest part of this is finding progesterone naturally. The best source of it is a type of yam that grows wild in Mexico, but my guides are based off England... so, we'll need to find something to help the body increase production naturally.

So, as soon as possible, give the warrior a controlled mix of Fennel (for estrogen), and start putting fish and strawberries into their diet. The pump won't be needed if there's a kitten actively trying to suckle; that's more than enough stimulation.

OPTION 2: FORMULA

The hardest part of this is going to be the fact that Clan cats have no access to milk. In SkyClan, they might make a special mission to try and acquire some from humans. Or, since they're so smart, they may even recognize that they could target unflavored yogurt.

But anyway, the best thing you can get instead is eggs. Crack them, mix them up, and add just a couple drops of flax oil (if the kitten becomes constipated.) Ideally, the milk/yogurt would be added to this poultice.

But, in conclusion... it's difficult. There's a lot in this process. The best thing that could happen is that someone has milk to spare, or the kitten's a little older and could start being weaned.

[onepinkline]

✨exciting news✨

Letrozole cycle April 2024 is happening!

I have so much hope for this cycle, everything feels like it’s lining up perfectly and I cannot wait to share every detail of what’s to come 🩷

We’re following a really strict diet/exercise/supplement regime this time around and I’ve been carefully reviewing all of my products for hormone imbalancing chemicals and replacing things as needed. I plan on doing a total detox before we start progesterone.

Good vibes, I feel it!

[mariacallous]

This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español, and has been translated from Spanish.

At 6 pm, after a long day at work and with her children out of the house, Tania (not her real name) takes four pills and waits for them to melt under her tongue. Six hours later, the pills having dissolved and dispersed through her body, she begins to expel blood clots that she doesn’t look at. She bleeds, but she was told that this could be normal; her belly is in great pain, but she was also told that this would be normal. She cries in the darkness of her room in San Diego. She is afraid to be alone.

The pills that Tania took traveled amid the more than 90,000 people who cross the border every day between Tijuana, in Mexico, and San Diego. At the world’s busiest border crossing, the lines can stretch for blocks. People pass by hostile immigration officers searching for “illegals” among the thousands making the journey. Hidden in a suitcase are boxes of mifepristone and misoprostol, two abortifacients used in conjunction with one another. When Tania took them, she put them under her tongue to speed up the effect, as she was instructed. Mifepristone stops the production of progesterone, while misoprostol, which was originally indicated to treat ulcers, causes contractions and bleeding similar to a miscarriage.

“I called a friend who lives in Tijuana. I was desperate, and she put me in touch with an organization there. Within 24 hours I had the pills in my hands. They brought them to San Diego, and since I was scared because I had never been through anything like that, they followed up and were with me through the entire process.”

Tania had an abortion in April 2022, two months before the US Supreme Court handed down the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and returned the power to regulate abortion to state governments. She found out she was pregnant thanks to a home test. The father was her ex-boyfriend, a drug trafficker from the Nueva Italia cartel in Michoacán, with whom she had been in a relationship for a little over a year. She immediately knew she would not be able to carry the pregnancy to term. “I had found out that he was involved [with the cartels] shortly before the pregnancy—not because he told me, but because one day the DEA came to our house. I made the decision because things weren’t going well with him, and why would I bring a child into the world to live a life of deprivation and suffering?”

Her relationship wasn’t the only thing holding her back from becoming a parent. Tania moved to San Diego from Mexico in 2017. She was 32 years old and already had three children. Her long days started at 4 am and were split between two restaurants where she worked as a waitress while also having all the responsibilities of being a single mother. In the two clinics she attended, she encountered barriers when she attempted to pursue an abortion. The first, a Catholic clinic, gave her an unsurprising answer: “They told me that I was too old and that since I had already had three children, I could have another one.” The second, the Family Health Center in San Diego, asked her to come back in four weeks. At that point she would be 13 weeks pregnant and she feared that, by then, the procedure would be more complicated.

Looking for Help Beyond the Border

When Tania started to search for other options, she found Las Bloodys, one of 17 Mexican feminist organizations that are part of a cross-border network assisting women in the United States who need an abortion. The network was established by Veronica Cruz, founder of Las Libres, another feminist organization that was created in 2000 in response to a law restricting abortion that was passed in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. It prohibited abortion in all cases, regardless of the circumstances of the pregnancy.

Cruz has long been focused on preparing for the possibility that Roe v. Wade might be overturned. The landmark US Supreme Court ruling in 1973 in favor of plaintiff Norma McCorvey (using the pseudonym Jane Roe) recognized a woman’s constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy in the United States.

Cruz is a veteran abortion escort, as the people who help others navigate the abortion process are called. The job of an escort is to assure that patients have access to abortion services while also providing emotional support and a calming reassurance during a difficult moment.

“From my perspective, Guanajuato was worse than Texas,” Cruz says. She is a serious woman with a strong character who has dedicated more than two decades of her life to challenging laws promulgated by Mexico’s conservative right.

At the same time that the US Supreme Court was making it easier for states to limit abortion rights, Mexico has been expanding reproductive rights. In 2021, the country’s supreme court abolished criminal penalties against women who receive abortions. Two years later, abortion was decriminalized in Mexico at the federal level. The country now offers an alternative for women in the United States unable to seek an abortion at home.Cruz's idea was to prepare for the growing rumors about the cancellation of the jurisprudential effect of Roe v. Wade. This is the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of Norma McCorvey (under the pseudonym Jane Roe), which recognized, in 1973, a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy in the United States.

The annulment of the Roe v. Wade case in the United States, in 2022, coincided with the progress Mexico was making in terms of reproductive rights. In the latter country, in 2021, it had been determined that no woman could go to jail for having an abortion. But it was in September 2023, when the Supreme Court decriminalized abortion at the federal level, that the country became the hope for women seeking to escape a judicial decision that had made abortions in the United States unprotected.

Data from Customs and Border Protection reportedly indicate that, since September 2023, the number of women traveling to Mexico for abortions has increased by 42 percent. At the same time, according to a study conducted by Planned Parenthood and Resound Research for Reproductive Health, more than 64,000 pregnancies have occurred in states that have passed total bans.

Mexican Organizations Focused on Women Everywhere

In the months prior to Dobbs, Las Libres began to ship abortion drugs across the border. Initially they thought they would only work with women in Texas, a border state with a huge Hispanic population. But gradually requests began to come in from other states—Oklahoma, Ohio, Florida and elsewhere. By the time the 2022 decision was announced, the Cross Border Network was already in place and was moving abortion drugs across the border with ease.

From June to December 2023, Las Libres delivered more than 1,700 abortion medication kits to women in the United States. These kits include mifepristone, misoprostol, sanitary pads, ibuprofen, tea, and anti-nausea medication. In total, Las Libres has assisted more than 10,000 women thanks to more than 300 volunteers who help to distribute the kits.

“Most of the women are Latin American or African American. We have seen many who are Dreamers or the daughters of Dreamers and some who are undocumented. We have also worked with trans men,” says Paola Fernandez, a member of Las Libres, discussing the demographics of the community they serve.

Las Libres is the not the only organization that has seen an increase in the number of women from the United States seeking help to get an abortion. Necesito Abortar, founded by Sandra Cardona, has become one of the best known networks for abortions in Mexico, especially for women coming from abroad.

The name of the network (which translates as “I need an abortion”) was inspired by a Google search strategy. “What would a woman search for on Google if she needs an abortion?” they asked themselves. And the idea worked. It is one of the first results returned by the search engine.

“The first year we changed the name to Necesito Abortar, Mexico because we were receiving inquiries from as far away as Angola,” Cardona says jokingly, although it isn’t entirely an exaggeration. She shares that La Abortería, the name both for the organization’s online activities providing abortion information and a physical clinic in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo León that provides abortion services, has helped women from around the world who are seeking to terminate pregnancies.

Since its founding in December 2016, La Abortería assists any woman who requests help. It has one rule: no questions asked. Initially most of their cases were either from Monterrey (in northern Mexico) or Central American migrants, many of them women who had been raped at the border. Over time women from all over the world began to arrive. And among them some from the United States. Las Libres have not been the only ones who have seen an increase in the number of abortion cases they attend from the United States. "La Abortería", the physical space of the "Necesito Abortar" network, founded by Sandra Cardona, has become one of the best known networks for abortions in Mexico, especially for women coming from abroad.

“We have been helping women from the United States for more than two years. The 21 escorts in the network receive up to 600 women a month, 40 percent of whom are migrants. After Roe v. Wade was overturned, I believe we have been serving 1,000 women a month," she says. By the end of 2023, approximately 400 women per month were coming from the United States alone.

During the hour and a half that the interview lasted, the screen of Cardona’s smartwatch kept flashing almost endlessly with messenger notifications. All were asking, in different variations, the same question, “How can I get an abortion?” In another room at La Abortería, a woman was having an abortion as we talked.

The Fight North of the Border

Anna Hochkammer is clear about her goal: to decriminalize abortion in Florida. It sounds like an impossible challenge. Florida has emerged as a Republican stronghold and increasingly one of the most conservative states in the country. Hochkammer is a councilmember in the village of Pinecrest, an upper-middle-class community south of Miami with a population of 18,000 people. She is also executive director of Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition and she believes that there are good odds that abortion rights will be reinstated in Florida. It is a cause that she sees uniting many Republicans and Democrats.

Together with Floridians Protecting Freedom, Hochkammer and her team are calling for an amendment that would make it unconstitutional to pass legislation limiting access to abortion prior to viability or when necessary for a patient’s health. A total of 890,000 signatures are needed to get this initiative on the November 2024 general election ballot.

“The initiative we’ve proposed is supported by 70 percent of Floridians and more than 60 percent of Republicans support it; even 57 percent of people who self-identify as Trump supporters agree with what the initiative’s language,” she explains. These numbers are consistent with polls that say more than half of Americans approve of access to abortion in all or most cases.

Florida, which has banned abortions after 15 weeks, is one of 21 states that have introduced restrictions on abortion rights since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Some of Florida’s neighbors have gone even further: In Mississippi and Alabama, abortion has been banned almost completely, and in Georgia, women can only get abortions during the first six weeks of pregnancy.

Other organizations, however, are more pessimistic about abortion rights in Florida and expect that they will soon be even further limited. In April 2023 Governor Ron DeSantis signed a six-week ban that had been passed by the state legislature. (That legislation is on hold pending a legal challenge to the state’s current 15-week ban that is before the Florida supreme court.)

Since Dobbs, pro-choice organizations have been leading efforts around abortion access. Kamila Przytuła is the director of Women Emergency Network (WEN), which has, since 1989, been providing support for women seeking abortions through private donations.

“An abortion can cost between $500 to $1,000 if performed out of state. For some women, that can mean having to choose whether to pay their utilities or buy food,” explains Przytuła. WEN works in conjunction with other organizations that receive cases from clinics and collectively cover a portion of the abortion costs. “That has allowed us to be able to help every person who has approached us seeking assistance,” she says.

According to statistics published by the Guttmacher Institute, nearly one in five abortion patients in the United States traveled to another state to access an abortion during the first half of 2023. That figure is double what it was in 2020.

Abortion bans especially impact young, Black, and migrant women—the main populations that contact WEN. Przytuła recalls once case among the many she has been involved with: a Central American woman, who is illiterate and HIV positive. WEN provided financial support for an abortion.

“She was in a very vulnerable situation, we learned about her case through the clinic that was treating her. A few months earlier she had migrated north to Miami with her uncle, who could not have known she was pregnant.” She was transported and treated at a clinic in Miami.

She is one of 600 Florida women who the organization has helped to get abortions, one of the millions of women in the state who face some of America’s most extreme abortion restrictions forcing many into secrecy.

This story was produced with the support of the International Women's Media Foundation as part of its Reproductive Health, Reproductive Rights, and Justice in the Americas initiative. It originally appeared on WIRED en Español. It was translated by John Newton.

[soon-th1n-king]

hydration during fasts

I was reading this on my fasting app (zero), I'll recap it here

fasting and hydration

20% of our water-intake (normally) comes from food.

we store carbohydrates (as glycogen) attached to water, therefore when you fast or do a keto diet (or otherwise reduce carbs) you will temporarily have a lower bodyweight (specifically waterweight) and it will make it easier to become dehydrated

it's recommended to drink 30-35 mL (AKA 0,3 -0,35 dL or 0,03-0,035 L or 1-1,2 fl oz ) water per kg (ca 2,2 lbs) bodyweight during a fast. (for healthy adults)

electrolytes

you should get them through whole foods, preferably not supplements (unless you're doing prolonged fasts or are prescriped them)

electrolytes include: sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc and calcium. you should look up recommend amounts, especially if you have other health concerns

symptoms of a deficiency include: headaches, heart palpitations, lightheadedness, muscle cramps, and fatigue. but there are more.

description of the electrolytes:

too little sodium causes headaches and muscle spasms. with prolonged fasts (3+ days) you should increase intake of sodium

potassium regulates fluid in muscles. it's important for nerves and too little can lead to leg spasms.

magnesium is also important for muscles and nerves. with prolonged fasts (3+ days) you should increase your intake of it.

zinc is important for nerves and testosterone production. (not from this article, but I've read it can regulate progesterone, reducing PMS and PMDD symptoms for anyone struggling with that). upper intake limit is 40 mg for adults, you get bad symptoms if you exceed it

calcium is important for muscles and bones. it helps blood function (heart, clotting). you'll probably be fine with getting it from food.

[bolshefem]

Biology students, help me out.

I was reading this article about males on hormone therapy having cycles resembling menstrual ones, trying to see if I could critically evaluate the claims made, and I noticed something really confounding and potentially reaching unprecedented levels of academic dishonesty. The argument basically hinges on the idea that males on HRT have "estrogen dominant" hypothalamaic function, and thus their levels of luteinizing hormone and follicular stimulating hormone cycle* cycle accordingly.

"In short, the hypothalamus has two modes, T dominant and E dominant. If you’re running on estrogen, your genes tells the hypothalamus to cycle your hormone levels, regardless of if you actually have ovaries. The hypothalamus doesn’t know there’s nothing there to listen to those signals, it just knows how much estrogen it expects to be in the blood stream, and it responds accordingly with regulation of GnRH output."

Yet when I check the sources for this idea, they both seem to be studies performed *exclusively* on female mice. This seems almost like blatant lying, taking advantage of the inaccessibility of scientific literature and people's propensity to believe what they want to manipulate and obfuscate. Am I missing something, or did the author of this piece make a claim on how male endocrine systems respond to estrogen based on a study of female endocrine systems? I would love it if someone more educated on the topic could help me out here and give this article a read.

*this ignores the fact that virtually 100% of symptoms are thought to either be generated by drops in estrogen + progesterone or the uterus' production of prostaglandins. It's my understanding that LH and FSH do not cause symptoms, they regulate hormones that cause symptoms. In men, LH and FSH cause the testicles to produce testosterone in women, estrogen production in the ovaries. This is not at all convincing as a premise even were it true, it is absurd to me that that would cause menstrual/pre-menstrual symptoms in people with male reproductive systems.

[ovaruling]

crazy to think that humans daily consume many many many servings of breast milk comprised of hormones (like prolactin and steroids including estrogens, progesterone, corticoids and androgens, and local hormones like prostaglandins) and bioactive components meant to influence the growth of a newborn calf into a 1,500 pound cow

crazier still to think that we know that all body tissues respond in some way to estrogens, and that the most sensitive of the human population to estrogens are infants and children passing the prepubertal period…..especially when you factor in commonly used veterinary drugs like growth promoting hormones to increase milk production……

anyway. how about that super bowl

[julietianboy]

I saw your intersex related post, and I don't know if you've tested other androgens since you only mentioned testosterone, but they exist, like DHEA & androstenedione. Since they're weak androgens, people typically just ignore them, but they are still androgens, so it's possible to have masculizing effects from them. There's also DHT, which could be worth testing in your case.

Both common people and doctors just acknowledge testosterone and estradiol and ignore everything else, even though they're important too, so I'm not saying it's your fault or anything if you haven't considered it, I just wanted to mention they exist.

Also even if all the levels are normal, hormonal activity is determined not just by circulating levels, but local production too. A lot of the tissue people think of as being involved in androgenic/masculizing and estrogenic/femininzing activity has enzymes to make/convert their own androgens and estrogens. So like just because your blood levels are normal, you could still have high levels locally from enzyme differences. The fact that these enzymes exist seems understood, but doctors/people seem to ignore them again for some reason.

Or I guess there's also the receptors. Maybe you're just more sensitive to androgens in general, and it's not a matter of quantity, but how you're reacting to it.

I'm not sure how enzymes and receptors would be tested, but I just wanted to mention they exist I guess.

I hope I didn't come off as weird or anything with all this, I just have a interest in this stuff, so whenever I see questions asked I just get inspired to write a lot. I think you should try to research more about it, and be prepared to try to come up with your own understanding, because I mean even when other people and doctors are well meaning, a lot of the details on how hormones work are just kind of forgotten/ignored, odd, but I guess it's just a general/society wide issue.

This isn't weird at all, thank you very much for the ask! I don't know exactly which hormones were tested, because i know progesterone was also tested alongside testosterone, and that came out high, somehow. I also did an exam on an organ that I... forgot? Which deals with hormone production but my doctor never talked about it so I'll have to check it out on my own I guess... I didn't know about all of those hormones and enzymes tho, super cool!