http://www.myevanesce.com/

Anyone looking into herbal estrogen and testosterone blockers should read some of the discussions in the forums there, it's far more informative on the subject that some people in the medical profession when it comes to supporting our community.

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Here's a cut/paste FAQ bit from a post there by Dianna:

Many/most people with the TG/TS communities are working from a flawed paradigm of how the human body works,
and specifically of how the male human body feminizes.

There are hundreds of different hormones in the human body, each designed to do specific functions.
For example, Leptin is the hormone which tells the body "that is enough food, I'm full"
Insulin is the hormone that works to convert sugar in the body, into glucose,
which is the nutrient that cells need in order to function, to live.

But for this discussion, we need to focus on the three primary 'sex" hormones:
Testosterone, estrogen, progesterone.

The hormone Estrogen is what feminizes a human body, female or male.

The question then is: "Where does this estrogen come from?".

For a human body with ovaries and uterus, etc., those organs produce estrogen.
For a human body with testes, those organs produce testosterone.

In order to feminize a male body, it is necessary to reduce testosterone, and to increase estrogen.

The quickest way to reduce testosterone is to get rid of the testes.
This is of course not a good solution for most people wanting to feminize.

So it is the challenge of increasing estrogen levels, that I will write to, here:

Your body needs estrogen in order to grow breasts.
The question then is, "where will this extra, new, estrogen come from?"

Herbs themselves do not directly grow breasts, nor do herbs do any other direct feminization.

Any and all foods which we eat, are converted by our body,
into the things -- molecules -- we do need, in order for our body to survive and to function.

For example, when we eat red meat, our body converts much of the meat molecules, into cholesterol molecules.
A portion of the cholesterol molecules are then converted into the hormone molecule called pregnenolone,
Pregnenolone molecules are then converted into DHEA molecules.
DHEA is a foundational hormone molecule which is then modified into the other hormone molecules our body needs in order to function, to stay alive.
In the male body, much of the cholesterol-based DHEA molecules are further converted into testosterone molecules, through several intermediate steps/conversions.

Fruits, plants, and other leafy things like lettuce, spinach, etc., also are converted by our body into hormone molecules
and other substances our body needs -- spinach for example helps our body to have things like iron...

There is a category of fruits and plants which the human body will specifically convert into estrogen molecules.
This category of fruits and plants is referred to as phyto-estrogenic,
and are not to be confused with xeno-estrogens,
which are chemical pollution estrogen mimics which screw up the human body, badly.

So this is not about herbs themselves feminizing the human male body,
but rather it is about increasing the estrogen molecule supplies WITHIN the human body,
which will then cause feminization.

Eating/Ingesting phyto-estrogenic herbs, can provide this additional estrogen supply,
IF it is done properly,
and in sufficient quantities,
and taken consistently every day.

And, in order for the human male body to make space, room, for the new additional estrogen molecule supplies,
that body has to reduce its supply of testosterone molecules, first.
Or else, no useful amount of estrogen will be created from anything a person eats/ingests,
because there will not be room for those increased estrogen supplies.

So, you see, it is not the herbs specifically which feminize a human male body,
it is the hormones -- the estrogen -- which the herbs must be converted into,
which will feminize the human male body.

And this is why just taking some random menopausal herbal formulation,
will not feminize a male human body.

Most brands of PMS and menopausal herbal formulations, contain quantities -- or high quantities -- of Saw Palmetto.
While this herb might be beneficial to a born-female body in many good ways,
in the male body, Saw Palmetto increases testosterone levels,
which is the opposite of what needs to happen in order to feminize..

My goal has been to feminize so that I can be more passable when I dress and feel more feminine,
and yet still I'd like to be able to live as a man. - It's a fine line, I know.

It is an extremely fine line, yes.

In order to safely feminize a male body, you need to be using an herbal formulation which will reduce testosterone levels and production.
Evanesce plus AndroEase & CalmCompanion, does exactly that,
which is why THESE particular herbal formulations do work, so well.
Plus, Evanesce has considerable estrogen resources, in addition.

Are there any long-term effects from herbals? Will it cause shrinkage or atrophy of my male parts at all, or impotence? I would like to have function.

This is not about herbs/herbals -- this is about changing your body's overall supplies of the primary sex hormones.

Anything you do to reduce testosterone levels, and anything you do to increase estrogen levels significantly,
will eventually cause atrophy of the penis and testes.

It does not matter if you use drug estrogens, or herbal-based estrogens.
Eventually you will become impotent, and likely sterile. Sterility is permanent.

I've tried to come off of Dutasteride. In a way, I don't know if it's true, but I felt a 'calming' effect with antiandrogens.

Dutasteride, aka Avodart, is NOT an anti-androgen, regardless of what you may read on other TG/TS web sites.
Those other sites are just plain wrong, about this drug.

Dutasteride is a drug developed to block the conversion of testosterone molecules
into di-hydro-testosterone (DHT) molecules.

DHT is a testosterone derivative -- off-shoot -- which is very damaging to the prostate,
and DHT is also the primary cause of male pattern baldness.
Some males have high levels of DHT, some males have virtually no DHT production.

The same is true of finasteride -- which is generally sold as Propecia or Proscar.
Neither of these is an anti-androgen, either.
Go to http://www.drugs.com/avodart.html and especially read the "Important Information" section
(it is below the Google Ads section)

With some of the prescribed estrogens, and true antiandrogens like Androcur and even the diuretic Spironolactone (Aldactone),
> how does that effect and make you feel when you take them, as opposed to how you felt before, as a man?
> What psychological, emotional and other changes happen?
> I can look it up, but to hear it from a real person is so much better.

Androcur is stunningly emotionally destructive to the majority of TG/TSs who use it.
It causes extreme rage, short temper, among other symptoms.
It is also physically very dangerous,
which is why it is not approved -- not legal -- for sale/delivery within the United States.

Spironolactone is a duiretic, a potassium sparing diuretic.
Its effects as an anti-androgen , are listed as a "rare side effect".
But it does have a great ability to create extreme dehydration,
symptoms of which include severe muscle cramps, and at an extreme, dehydration is fatal.

It also can very easily create a condition of potassium overload, which can be fatal.
These outcomes are why this drug is supposed to only used by prescription,
under a doctor's watchful eye and ongoing testing.

Transgender people using any of these drugs in stealth, without anyone knowing,
are at risk of undefinable death; everyone dies eventually, but the cause in these cases will be unknown.

To me, the Proscar/Dutasteride never affected my sex drive. Only they've made me crave sex, but, more than ever, as a woman and now with a man.

Yes -- as before: these drugs only block the conversion of testosterone into DHT,
which thereby increases your overall testosterone levels, which would increase your sex drive.
And which makes feminization of the male body much more difficult.

What do some of the transgenders working in the adult film industry do to feminize but maintain some form of male function?

Mostly they use surgeries.... so as to not disrupt testosterone supplies.

And some of them have bodies which just do not function like the vast majority of human bodies function.
They are in their own unique way, like any super athlete:
their body can do things virtually no other human body can do.

Please go to http://www.myevanesce.com/hormone101.html for additional information.