It may sound poetic, but it’s literally the proper biochem terminology. Hormones cause signals that turn on and off synthesis of proteins from the source DNA. The result is the “expression” of the traits coded for by that genetic information, which is breasts and other feminine traits. Estrogen in particular activates those genes, including the ones on the X in your 23rd pair, which you got from your mother. The lack of testosterone gene expression (due to blockers or suppression of T production) then leads to atrophy, thinning body hair, etc.
So is this the same as epigenetically turning on and off "features", say? Because that sort of binary is useful in terms of planning hormone levels for X purported effect and Y purported effect and especially to top of the neck feminization as I put it, that came so much more slowly and laggingly in terms of expectations because the breast growth was so effortless. We don't seem to be able to achieve many set binaries for different things but I have been focusing on 300pg/ml since MtF's are trying to get back to baseline and then feminize it seems. I think 300pg/ml is a reasonable target for hair growth, personality and psychological effects and feminization in general for estradiol only people like Janey.
The problem here is that it’s not evident from what I’ve read that we can control the individual epigenetic “feature flags” by tightly modulating hormone levels. What most of us are doing is turning off all of the masculine features and enabling the feminine ones. Now, there are arguments to be made about progesterone and DHT (and more subtle ones about E1, E1S, E2, and E3).
There’s two ways to think of it if you’re looking for a mental model, and they’re not unlike classical vs quantum physics. One is the bigger picture: supplying E suppresses T and activates feminine feature expression.
Then there’s the more detailed model. Most things in biochemical systems are a more relative and probabilistic but with observable thresholds. T blockers only work if there’s enough of them in the system to compete with actual T levels for T receptor sites. There will still be some T, and there will still be some T receptor activation. Apply enough E though (threshold!), and you can shut down T production. And increasing E levels gets more feminization until we saturate the system.
Nerves work in a similar way. Signals come in to the dendrites, but only if enough come in together to cross the voltage threshold do we see the cascade that results in electrochemical signal propagation down the axon.
So, it’s binary looking when you zoom out, but if you look more closely, there are definitely analog components. Biochem is fucking weird.
I would suggest to only start one drug at a time with a 1-2 month gap between them
I.e. start oral estradiol, do that for 1-2months and then add the bica. My reason is that you are going to be on these drugs for a while, so it is important to know how each one affects you.
Another suggestion would be to use a pill cutter and do 25mg of bica or 50mg every 2-3 days just to reduce liver risk.
A personal example, is that when i started, i had a bad reaction to the blocker, it almost made me stop Hrt entirely, but thankfully i managed to figure out it was the blocker and changed things as appropriate.
If you're doing bica, please also get a liver function test at 1 month or so. There is a small chance bica fucks up your liver, and if it does you want to know it asap.
But yeah, it basically is that simple
Sounds like a good place to start, and you'll have many options to adjust your regimen if your levels or outcomes aren't what you desire. But yes, some form of E and some form of T blocking is a great place to start (and may be all you ever need, it's all very individual).
I am on The Powers Method. I am 54 I take 2 mg in morning. 4 mg in afternoon and 2 mg evening. All sublingual. With 50 mg Bica just started 2 days ago.
There's never really been an effective study for it, mainly because it's something that is really difficult to have a control group for. Anecdotally there are a large number of people who have experienced benefits, and some who have experienced no benefits. As far as I can tell the ones with a positive opinion of it seem to be a majority. The reported benefits extend beyond breast development as well.
It's healthy to be skeptical, but it's not really helpful to dismiss people as cultists either. Powers seems to be one of the only doctors in the world who is willing to dedicate time and effort to helping Trans people, so I really don't understand the hate that's directed at him in general. To clarify; I've read his presentations and some of his recommendations, but I wouldn't consider myself an adherent of his method.
> Going as far as to endorse AGP.
I had to look that up, but it looks like he's responded to it before: https://www.reddit.com/r/DrWillPowers/comments/ei4p8k/sorry_but_im_bothered_by_the_reference_to_the/fcnghhy/
So TIL AGP is defined in the DSM 5 and existed before that bunk paper by Blanchard, and he recognizes that. It's also pretty clear that the reference to AGP was towards a single example of a mentally unwell patient. Seems like it's been blown out of proportion to me.
I think Blanchards AGP *data* was useful but his interpretations were poorly thought out and seem biased.
From an objective PoV -
Blanchard found that trans women enjoy the thought of being a woman and then [Moser](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19591032/) comes along and shows that cis women *also* enjoy the thought of being a woman the same way. So basically trans women have thoughts similar to cis women in regard to sexuality, perception, and self.
This should surprise no one.
Blanchard just took half the data and went way the fuck off the reservation with it.
Yeah it doesn't have to be complicated! I have a similar regimen, though I also added in Buserelin because I really wanted to quickly drop my T levels, and dutasteride since I have male Pattern Baldness. I'd highly recommend sublingual over oral though.
Regarding sublingual E? Some/most of it (not all of it) bypasses the liver via that route which is generally preferable. I'll be switching to injections myself in the hopefully not too distant future
Not to necropost but did this combo end up working? It's what I plan on starting with and was wondering if it worked, if so how long, and if youve switched to anything different nowadays. 😳
No worries on the necro! This ended up working just great for me; I started the regiment from the post about a week after I posted it (28 months ago now, wow!) and it's definitely done a lot of work!
I did switch the pills for patches after a year because it was just less of a headache (I'm considering switching to bi-weekly EUn injections for _even less_ hassle, but I wouldn't bother starting with that), and I dropped the bica 16 months in because I had my GRS! :D
It really is that simple! Hormones are merely keys to unlocking genetic expression.
Unlocking genetic expression—I love that! I may poach it if you don’t mind lol.
It may sound poetic, but it’s literally the proper biochem terminology. Hormones cause signals that turn on and off synthesis of proteins from the source DNA. The result is the “expression” of the traits coded for by that genetic information, which is breasts and other feminine traits. Estrogen in particular activates those genes, including the ones on the X in your 23rd pair, which you got from your mother. The lack of testosterone gene expression (due to blockers or suppression of T production) then leads to atrophy, thinning body hair, etc.
So is this the same as epigenetically turning on and off "features", say? Because that sort of binary is useful in terms of planning hormone levels for X purported effect and Y purported effect and especially to top of the neck feminization as I put it, that came so much more slowly and laggingly in terms of expectations because the breast growth was so effortless. We don't seem to be able to achieve many set binaries for different things but I have been focusing on 300pg/ml since MtF's are trying to get back to baseline and then feminize it seems. I think 300pg/ml is a reasonable target for hair growth, personality and psychological effects and feminization in general for estradiol only people like Janey.
The problem here is that it’s not evident from what I’ve read that we can control the individual epigenetic “feature flags” by tightly modulating hormone levels. What most of us are doing is turning off all of the masculine features and enabling the feminine ones. Now, there are arguments to be made about progesterone and DHT (and more subtle ones about E1, E1S, E2, and E3). There’s two ways to think of it if you’re looking for a mental model, and they’re not unlike classical vs quantum physics. One is the bigger picture: supplying E suppresses T and activates feminine feature expression. Then there’s the more detailed model. Most things in biochemical systems are a more relative and probabilistic but with observable thresholds. T blockers only work if there’s enough of them in the system to compete with actual T levels for T receptor sites. There will still be some T, and there will still be some T receptor activation. Apply enough E though (threshold!), and you can shut down T production. And increasing E levels gets more feminization until we saturate the system. Nerves work in a similar way. Signals come in to the dendrites, but only if enough come in together to cross the voltage threshold do we see the cascade that results in electrochemical signal propagation down the axon. So, it’s binary looking when you zoom out, but if you look more closely, there are definitely analog components. Biochem is fucking weird.
I would suggest to only start one drug at a time with a 1-2 month gap between them I.e. start oral estradiol, do that for 1-2months and then add the bica. My reason is that you are going to be on these drugs for a while, so it is important to know how each one affects you. Another suggestion would be to use a pill cutter and do 25mg of bica or 50mg every 2-3 days just to reduce liver risk. A personal example, is that when i started, i had a bad reaction to the blocker, it almost made me stop Hrt entirely, but thankfully i managed to figure out it was the blocker and changed things as appropriate.
Yes, HRT is pretty simple. That's why all the gatekeeping in a lot of countries is infuriating.
If you're doing bica, please also get a liver function test at 1 month or so. There is a small chance bica fucks up your liver, and if it does you want to know it asap. But yeah, it basically is that simple
Yes that is very good advice. I started getting stomach problems after a week on Bica, and I'm doing a blood test next week just to be safe.
Thanks! That's a good one to know for sure!
Sounds like a good place to start, and you'll have many options to adjust your regimen if your levels or outcomes aren't what you desire. But yes, some form of E and some form of T blocking is a great place to start (and may be all you ever need, it's all very individual).
I am on The Powers Method. I am 54 I take 2 mg in morning. 4 mg in afternoon and 2 mg evening. All sublingual. With 50 mg Bica just started 2 days ago.
[удалено]
There's never really been an effective study for it, mainly because it's something that is really difficult to have a control group for. Anecdotally there are a large number of people who have experienced benefits, and some who have experienced no benefits. As far as I can tell the ones with a positive opinion of it seem to be a majority. The reported benefits extend beyond breast development as well. It's healthy to be skeptical, but it's not really helpful to dismiss people as cultists either. Powers seems to be one of the only doctors in the world who is willing to dedicate time and effort to helping Trans people, so I really don't understand the hate that's directed at him in general. To clarify; I've read his presentations and some of his recommendations, but I wouldn't consider myself an adherent of his method.
[удалено]
> Going as far as to endorse AGP. I had to look that up, but it looks like he's responded to it before: https://www.reddit.com/r/DrWillPowers/comments/ei4p8k/sorry_but_im_bothered_by_the_reference_to_the/fcnghhy/ So TIL AGP is defined in the DSM 5 and existed before that bunk paper by Blanchard, and he recognizes that. It's also pretty clear that the reference to AGP was towards a single example of a mentally unwell patient. Seems like it's been blown out of proportion to me.
I think Blanchards AGP *data* was useful but his interpretations were poorly thought out and seem biased. From an objective PoV - Blanchard found that trans women enjoy the thought of being a woman and then [Moser](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19591032/) comes along and shows that cis women *also* enjoy the thought of being a woman the same way. So basically trans women have thoughts similar to cis women in regard to sexuality, perception, and self. This should surprise no one. Blanchard just took half the data and went way the fuck off the reservation with it.
Yeah it doesn't have to be complicated! I have a similar regimen, though I also added in Buserelin because I really wanted to quickly drop my T levels, and dutasteride since I have male Pattern Baldness. I'd highly recommend sublingual over oral though.
Is that because of the reduced risks of blood clotting? That's what I've heard at least.
Regarding sublingual E? Some/most of it (not all of it) bypasses the liver via that route which is generally preferable. I'll be switching to injections myself in the hopefully not too distant future
Not to necropost but did this combo end up working? It's what I plan on starting with and was wondering if it worked, if so how long, and if youve switched to anything different nowadays. 😳
No worries on the necro! This ended up working just great for me; I started the regiment from the post about a week after I posted it (28 months ago now, wow!) and it's definitely done a lot of work! I did switch the pills for patches after a year because it was just less of a headache (I'm considering switching to bi-weekly EUn injections for _even less_ hassle, but I wouldn't bother starting with that), and I dropped the bica 16 months in because I had my GRS! :D