How Hormones Work to Feminize the Body
Hormones in general are the triggers — the catalysts — which enable the cells of the human body, to function.
As with all hormones, estrogen molecules are carried throughout the body by the blood stream, looking for cells with estrogen receptors – essentially door locks on each cell – as well as for cellular receptors which are “master keyed”, i.e., receptors — cellular locks — which are designed to accept any hormone molecule.
An estrogen molecule can then attach to a cellular receptor, like a key going into a lock.
Once the “key” – the estrogen molecule – has attached itself into the cell’s “lock”,
the cell is “opened” so that it can receive nutrition and perform whatever function that particular cell is supposed to perform.
When that cell has completed its function/cycle, the “key” is ejected,
and that particular used up estrogen molecule is washed out of the body
via the blood, liver and kidney systems.
For feminization – for breast cells to grow and to multiply, etc.,
- what is important is how many estrogen molecules are available at any given time, and how many estrogen receptors are available at any given time for those molecules.
Cells in the breast area are specifically keyed to accept only estrogen molecules.
Most male bodied people do not have enough estrogen to cause their breast cells to ever function, which is why their breasts do not grow.
This is why starting on female hormones at a low intake level/dosage, rarely accomplishes anything.
Low dosage regimens will just not create enough estrogen, and will leave far too much testosterone.
The body simply cannot change in any significant way on a low initial dosage of any female hormone regimen/program.
In order to feminize, it is critical to first substantially reduce testosterone production, in order to force the cells to prefer estrogen.
And then, it is important to immediately replace that amount of testosterone with estrogen,
so that the body is not starved for overall hormone levels.
The quickest breast growth and other feminizing changes come after testosterone levels are significantly reduced – which is accomplished by the use of testosterone blockers - and then as soon as large amounts of supplemental estrogen are present,
cells in the breast area will begin to function and to multiply because their intake “lock” is designed to accept estrogen.
Those breast area cells will multiply in a 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 pattern. There will never “suddenly” be large breasts, because cells cannot multiply that quickly, even with lethal dosages of estrogen present.
And again, this is why starting slowly, starting on tiny dosages of estrogen, will bring very little or no breast growth, and no other feminization. When very few cells can divide at any given time, there will be little or no growth.
The more estrogen receptors which are available, and the more estrogen molecules which become available after testosterone is no longer overwhelmingly present, the quicker changes will happen.
This is balanced by the fact that overloading the body with estrogen, can and will cause the body to malfunction and to die.
With drug hormones, the body is forced to carry huge amounts of estrogen molecules which may likely never find estrogen receptors… and the good unused estrogen molecules must then be flushed out of the body.
This is in addition to the liver having to extract the estrogen from the drug/pills in the first place.
Forcing the liver to double-process huge amounts of estrogen over an extended period of time can damage the liver and the kidneys irreparably.
This is why usage of drug hormones is supposed to be monitored by a doctor
- and why drugs are prescription items
- to prevent an individual from overdosing and damaging vital organs.