Yes, well I am not an endocrinologist but here is what I have experienced. At first, I was sneaking birth control pills. Couldn't tell much if any difference. Later, I got a Doc to put me on Spiro and Estradial @ 2mg a day, in pill form. Within a couple months of starting Spiro, I had an Orchiectomy so the Spiro was no longer needed.

I would later find out that the Estradial was not very effective with me, and tried to increase the dosage, only to wind up on the psych ward at the local VA Hospital. True, I had a lot going on at the time and I do not know for sure that the increased dosage made me crash. Still, when I resumed the correct dosage, I leveled out. Hmmmm. This happened twice.

It is interesting that during that time, I knew people who said they were taking 10 or even 20 mg of Estradial a day. I seemed to have a really low tolerance for it. I also, got almost no breast development at the time. I was stumped.

So, after I went to Thailand, to have my penis gutted like a dead fish, and then shoved back up in me with a shovel handle, I came back and almost died from ecoli that had somehow gotten from my bowels to my bladder. How could that happen? Duh. This screwing around with what God made is tiger country, AND they just did the operation and did not tell me a thing about feminine hygiene. Gah!

So, after the VA got me on a PICC line and had me inject massive amounts of antibiotics for a month, I was pronounced alive again. The Doc said she was surprised that I came back. She thought I would die. That was a happy thought. After she found that I was alive, she set me up with an endocrinologist, and she took me off the Estrodial, saying it is not a good drug, and lots of people have a negative reaction to it. She also said that in pill form, the intestines destroy most of the estrogen.

So, she put me on Vivelle dot. It is a patch and administers .1 mg a day of Estrogen through the skin, so it does not go through the Gastrointestinal tract. For reasons that are not clear to me, my body just loves it, and within a very short time the girls had popped up on my chest and have grown to the point where I do not use any forms at all, B+ I think.

So, if you are weepy and all that, you may want to look at your dosage.

Much peace

Gwendolyn

It takes a LONG time for estrogen to have a significant effect on your strength... I'm not talking weeks or months here... If you do a consistent amount of work - and don't increase your strengthening exercises we do gradually lose muscle mass, which translates... I think I'd look for a different cause for a lack of strength, to be honest.

As to tears... It takes a good bit of time to get used to these hormones. :-) Irrespective of the dose, it's a while before the dosage moves your estrogen blood count to the level your doc wants... And same with changes in dosage. My doc doesn't check my blood level until about 10 weeks after a change in dose level.

Personally - I do injections every other week. .4 cc of the estroidial solution (I forget the concentration right now, and am not where I can look at the vial.) Once I'd been on the estrogen for about two months, my family noticed I was moodier twice a month. LOL. I also noticed this but not as soon as they did. Guess being inside the head make a difference. (Btw - my doc won't prescribe oral hormones when you're over 40... due to liver issues.)

What I find is it's EASIER for things to kick in physical manifestations of my emotions than it was before. This is only partially a result of the hormones. I also stopped my old "Mr. Spock" front (I don't try to be a rock any more)... But, the hormones do have an effect!!!! I've learned to accept the occasional highs and the happy tears. I've also come to recognize the lows and avoid making significant decisions while in a low... (I don't give up when feeling a failure, as I know it's better than half due to the hormones playing their game. Now, if I'm on a high and feel like a failure... Maybe.)

Good luck.
Anne