How to take estrogen and progesterone?

If you’re looking to take estrogen and progesterone, fear not! You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about taking these hormone supplements.

Why Take Estrogen and Progesterone Supplements?

Before diving into how to take estrogen and progesterone, let’s first explore why someone may wish to do so. These hormone supplements can be especially helpful for:

  • Menopausal individuals: As people age, their bodies naturally produce less of certain hormones like estrogen and progesterone. This drop in production can lead to symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings, etc.
  • Transgender individuals: Some trans men might take testosterone (T) as part of their gender affirming care but need additional supplemental hormones so that they don’t get osteoporosis or have a bone density lower than an 80-year-old grandma when T is suppressing E levels too much(yikes). On the other side of things some trans women want more feminizing effects beyond what just taking spironolactone offers.
  • People with reproductive disorders: For example; endometrial hyperplasia i.e overgrowth in uterus lining

Now that we know why people might choose to supplement with these two hormones let’s look at how one goes about administering them!

Considerations Before Starting

As always it’s important before any starting a new medication routine particularly hormonal ones (emphasis added) speak with your health care provider (HCP); this way there should be no surprises later (what fun).

That being said here are a few broad strokes arguments for therapy regimens still needing some very individualised thinking:

  • Age/ Health History
  • Sexual activity & Birth Control Preferences (if people able(who isn’t?))
  • Weight/BMI changes
  • Genital Changes
  • Mental Well-being
  • Breast Health History and Cancer Risk

Different Ways You Can Take Estrogen & Progesterone

There are several methods for taking estrogen and progesterone it’s almost like lip balm flavors; everyone keeps coming up with more. And just like with lip balms some methods may work better for certain individuals than others so definitely discuss this with your own endo.

These might include:

Method Description
Pill/Tablet (Oral) The hormones are taken in tablet form by mouth once daily at the same time every day. It is highly recommended to take these medications as directed, approximately the same time every day. With progesterone pills there can be negative side effects if not taken consistently (!talk about moodiness) so it is important to remain diligent when following a medication routine.
Patch A small adhesive patch which releases hormones into your system through your skin. This option might be preferred over oral tablets because of gastrointestinal issues or simple pill fatigue!
Gel/ Creams This method involves the topical application of estrogen or progesterone compounded in different forms depending on what pharmacy you get them from. It’s also important thing to remember that all creams aren’t created equal–some need refrigeration while others do not).
Vaginal Insertion Intravaginal use of hormone pellets or suppositories can help alleviate symptoms down yonder and who wouldn’t want that?

Another route could be injections which come typically estradiol-valerate formulas given either intramuscularly (IM) (medication injected directly into muscle tissue), intravenously(IV)(medication going straight into blood via veins), pellet form(a tiny implant inserted below skin near buttocks area).

Again :on loudspeaker: chatting things through with an HCP is a super idea.

Timing of Hormone Medications

Timing is key when taking estrogen and progesterone supplements. For example, if you’re taking the pill, it’s important to take your medication at approximately the same time every day as previously mentioned; this includes skipping days marked with placebo or no active ingredients pills incorporated into lots of hormone birth control brands in order to reduce risks associated with consistent hormones…well okay really the reduction of risk (emphasis added) for certain side effects depends on how well someone can “fake out” their body by never missing any doses. Similarly, applying gel/creams should be done around similar times each day too.

Another caveat worth mentioning here is that administering different types hormonal regimen (usually from which delivery method I.e tablet vs glycol based drops ) can lead to variability/differences in levels reached so try to keep method constant throughout treatment insures more stable results (plus less um….duh moments)

Suppose the reason for supplementation comes from being menopausal then make sure both protocols are taken because combination therapy offers things like protection against endometrial lining hyperplasia/hyper-estrogen states (a mouthful but basically meaning excess estrogens lingering mixing up mischief). If from reproductive disorders ,progesterone schedules may vary depending on what problem needs fixing i.e abnormal bleeding pattern-> medroxy-prog can leveled-up dosages depending cause etc

Side Effects

Of course like any supplement or drug regime there might be some unwanted side-effects . The below tables outline some frequently experienced ones:

Estrogen Progesterone
Increased risk blood clots Increased fatigue/moodiness
Breast tissue changes/swelling/tender pain Breast Tissue Pain / Changes in menstruation flow patterns
Upsets stomach/Nausea/Vomiting/Diarrhea Weight Fluctuations/Upset Stomach
Hot flashes (irony at its finest) Dizziness / Headaches

Like with all medications, some people may experience side effects while others won’t; maintaining contact with your HCP is important when to track what is happening with the body so any change can be managed well..(particularly during menopausal transitional phases when juggling hormone balances and osteoporosis prevention)

Conclusion

Supplementing with estrogen and progesterone supplements can significantly improve individuals’ health profiles in a variety of ways. Whether you’re experiencing symptoms of menopause or need supplemental hormones for gender affirming care there are several methods available (and more emerging!) approach that works best depends on individual parameters like injection vs creams vs pills,etc … consider going over these decisions (not the reasons though-we understand)with an HCP too! So,it’s definitely worthwhile to chat up about it with them!

So folks just remember: as every hormone assistant says…..timing is key!. Ensure schedules aligned properly doing everything medicinally recommended.(SLAYER music cues)

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