What are the effects of microdosing estrogen?
January 28, 2020 6:40 PM Subscribe
I was assigned male at birth (AMAB) and identify as a demiboy or non-binary masculine. (I use he/him pronouns.) I'm curious about microdosing estrogen to achieve slight facial feminization. What effect would microdosing estrogen have on my face and other parts of my body?
On the third hand, low dose estrogen alone is very unlikely to do any harm if you're generally healthy, and very few of the effects of estrogen are permanent, so it couldn't hurt to try.
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:24 AM on January 29, 2020
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:24 AM on January 29, 2020
It intends entirely on how old you are and how much bone growth is still going on. If you are twelve it can potentially mute the usual masculine adolescent bone development while not stopping it much because you are still producing natural male hormones. If you are fifty-seven your bones will require surgery to change, and the effect on your face will probably be invisible.
And if you are microdosing, the visual effect is likely to be non-existent either way. Bio-males already produce between around 10 to 50pg/ml compared to the bio-female level of up to 210pg/ml. The normal level for women is closer to 120 pg/ml. The question is how much you would change that and still consider it a microdose. Do you want to move from about 10 to about 35pg/ml? That will have no effect on your facial appearance at all because that's within the normal range for bio-males. If you want to move from 10 up to say 75 pg/ml, I don't think that counts as a microdose.
If there is any family history of breast cancer or of prostate cancer, I would avoid taking estrogen if I were a bio-male, as elevating levels of estrogen are implicated in the development of prostate cancer. I'm not saying never do it, I am saying that if you decide to go that rate you want to get an endocrinologist and get into the habit of having your PSA level tested.
I wonder if you are looking for the more neotenous appearance that women also prefer - the fine complexion, and small features. If that is the case you should keep in mind that female hormones will decrease the sweet baby face look; preadolescent girls have smaller features than adult women. The increasing estrogen levels of bio-females as they move through adolescence coarsens their features and their complexions. Of course women do take estrogen to try to retain a pretty appearance but they are trying to slow down the appearance of aging and prevent wrinkles and the loss of skin elasticity. It doesn't change the face shape or make the cheeks plumper or anything like that. If a twenty-five year old bio-female takes female hormones it doesn't change the shape of her face or cause much visible difference except possibly causing or mitigating acne.
posted by Jane the Brown at 11:35 AM on January 29, 2020
And if you are microdosing, the visual effect is likely to be non-existent either way. Bio-males already produce between around 10 to 50pg/ml compared to the bio-female level of up to 210pg/ml. The normal level for women is closer to 120 pg/ml. The question is how much you would change that and still consider it a microdose. Do you want to move from about 10 to about 35pg/ml? That will have no effect on your facial appearance at all because that's within the normal range for bio-males. If you want to move from 10 up to say 75 pg/ml, I don't think that counts as a microdose.
If there is any family history of breast cancer or of prostate cancer, I would avoid taking estrogen if I were a bio-male, as elevating levels of estrogen are implicated in the development of prostate cancer. I'm not saying never do it, I am saying that if you decide to go that rate you want to get an endocrinologist and get into the habit of having your PSA level tested.
I wonder if you are looking for the more neotenous appearance that women also prefer - the fine complexion, and small features. If that is the case you should keep in mind that female hormones will decrease the sweet baby face look; preadolescent girls have smaller features than adult women. The increasing estrogen levels of bio-females as they move through adolescence coarsens their features and their complexions. Of course women do take estrogen to try to retain a pretty appearance but they are trying to slow down the appearance of aging and prevent wrinkles and the loss of skin elasticity. It doesn't change the face shape or make the cheeks plumper or anything like that. If a twenty-five year old bio-female takes female hormones it doesn't change the shape of her face or cause much visible difference except possibly causing or mitigating acne.
posted by Jane the Brown at 11:35 AM on January 29, 2020
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posted by nebulawindphone at 5:21 AM on January 29, 2020