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submitted 9 hours ago by FermiComics to c/mtf

One of the most basic facts about biology we have known for decades is that a woman's estrogen levels are supposed to go up and down quite significantly during the course of her cycle. A cycle that starts around the same time as Puberty and which ends during menopause.

It makes no sense to me that in spite this being common knowledge doctors and even fellow trans people will parrot the idea that you can just average a woman's cycle out and as long as you stay around that average (often far below average) you'll be fine.

To me this comes from the transphobic idea that trans women and cis women are these fundamentally different creatures who respond to estrogen very definitely.

I didn't test this intentional at first but "luckily" Hrt isnt a thing in my country (trans people as far as the medical system is concerned don't exist) so I've been forced to DIY. As a result of fumbling around trying to figure out my doses without really checking levels I came to realize multiple things.

My sex drive changes depending on my dose. High doses meant for the week my libido would be very high low doses meant the opposite.

Where I felt changes (my skin stretching from fat redistribution) changed depending on dosage. Typically a lower dose meant more chest development while a higher dose meant I felt more stretching in my hips)

Emotional changes where either more present or less present depending levels

After doing a bit o research I found that all these things are natural things the majority of women go through during their cycle.

The trans people who completely lose their ability to have a libido are likely just on a dose which represents a low for them and since they constantly stay at a low they don't experience what their natural libido is supposed to be.

And on the flip side the trans people who become hyper sexual have the reverse issue. They are constantly at a level which represents a "high" for them meaning they never get a break from it and are also robbed of what a natural libido is supposed to feel like.

I'm tired of people trying to claim at x dose you should experience changes as if looking feminine is the only function of estrogen in the human body and as if "average levels" Don't already look way different from person to person.

Trans women are normal women and shouldn't be robbed of as natural of a hormone system as possible. Our current system is working backwards from the idea that trans women are just men who "want" To look like women when that's not true.

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[-] gandalf_der_12te 4 points 6 hours ago

uhm so first of all, the medical doses that doctors prescribe you are set to avoid getting sued. if you take high / low levels, something might happen to your body that is outside the range that was tested. so the doctor can not take responsibility for that. this is why they don't recommend it. however, that doesn't mean that you can't do it. the pills are in your hand, you can take as many/little as you like and nobody can stop you.

that being said, i really don't like the idea of recommending people to experiment around with medical doses on their own. things can go wrong when people accidentally overdose. if you want to experiment, you need to listen to the feedback of your body closely. if you can't do that, because you don't feel your own body, then better not experiment.

[-] Nouvellalia@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

How much E do you have to take for an "accidental overdose"? Who slips up and injects themselves with a liter of EEn?

[-] gandalf_der_12te 5 points 6 hours ago

also when you write

And on the flip side the trans people who become hyper sexual have the reverse issue. They are constantly at a level which represents a “high” for them meaning they never get a break from it and are also robbed of what a natural libido is supposed to feel like.

I really don't like the idea of a "normal libido" is supposed to feel like. like, this sounds a whole lot like "there should be a normal amount of horniness that you should experience and any more or less than that is a deviation from the norm". medicine is not supposed to make you normal. it is supposed to make you healthy, which are very different things. and health includes well-being, which is different levels for everyone.

[-] gandalf_der_12te 3 points 6 hours ago

on top of that, when you write

My sex drive changes depending on my dose. High doses meant for the week my libido would be very high low doses meant the opposite.

that is your experience. mine is very different. i don't take estrogen, but my sex drive is highest when i take t blockers, so when i have the least amount of sex hormones in my brain, ironically.

this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2026
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