Libido changes: Estrogen can reduce a person's libido, erectile function, and ejaculation. Medications such as sildenafil (Viagra) and tadalafil (Cialis) may improve a person's ability to have an erection.
Although the male body needs estrogen to function correctly, too much estrogen can cause health problems. Increased levels of estrogen can cause symptoms such as infertility, erectile dysfunction, and depression.
Hormone therapy can help ease symptoms of menopause. But it is associated with a lot of serious risks if used over the long term. Although the treatment lowers the risk of bone fractures, it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (heart and blood vessel problems) and breast cancer.
The production of estrogen in a male body is a completely normal and necessary process. Estrogen is required for the healthy physiologic functions of your brain and other important organs, including: Erectile function and sex interest. Maintenance of bone health.
Feminizing hormone therapy helps male-to-female transgender individuals (transwomen) achieve a more feminine appearance. It uses anti-androgens to block male hormones. Taking estrogen and progestin helps you develop breasts, softer skin, rounder hips and more.
After you begin feminizing hormone therapy, you'll notice the following changes in your body over time: Fewer erections and a decrease in ejaculation. This will begin 1 to 3 months after treatment starts. The full effect will happen within 3 to 6 months.
Sexual changes
Soon after beginning hormone treatment, you will notice a decrease in the number of erections you have; and when you do have one, you may lose the ability to penetrate, because it won't be as firm or last as long. You will, however, still have erotic sensations and be able to orgasm.
Treating menopausal symptoms with estrogen alone is known as estrogen therapy (ET). ET improves the symptoms of menopause, but it increases the risk of cancer of the uterus (endometrial cancer). Because of this, ET is only safe for women who don't have a uterus (such as those who have had a hysterectomy).
Estrogen hormone therapy is a treatment that induces typically feminine physical traits while suppressing typically masculine ones. People undergoing estrogen hormone therapy usually receive the hormone estrogen, and other medication to reduce testosterone.
Classically, estrogens regulate male sexual behavior through effects initiated in the nucleus. However, neuroestrogens, i.e., estrogens locally produced in the brain, can act within minutes via membrane-initiated events. In male quail, rapid changes in brain aromatase activity occur after exposure to sexual stimuli.
This hormone also promotes the growth and repair of neurons and stimulates the production of nerve growth factors. Through these various mechanisms, estrogen has a large influence on emotions, mood, and cognitive function, all of which may be affected during menopause, which is when estrogen levels start to decline.
Dose — "Standard" doses of estrogen given daily, such as 17-beta estradiol (oral 1 mg/day or transdermal 0.05 mg/day) are adequate for symptom relief in the majority of women [3-5].
But taking hormones over time is less about following a set duration and more about developing a course of treatment based on your unique symptoms, needs, history and quality of life, while considering risks and benefits. Research has typically supported an acceptable HRT duration of two to five years.
In postmenopausal women, estrogens, taken with or without a progestin, increase the risk of cancer of the breast/ovaries, stroke, dementia, and serious blood clots. When used along with a progestin, estrogens also increase the risk of heart disease (such as heart attacks).
Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone all affect sexual desire and arousal. Having higher levels of estrogen in the body promotes vaginal lubrication and increases sexual desire. Increases in progesterone can reduce sexual desire. There is some debate around how testosterone levels affect female sex drive.
“High-estradiol women were considered significantly more physically attractive by themselves and others,” Durante and colleagues wrote. The high-estrogen women also reported more sexual behavior -- especially outside of a relationship, although it was not linked to one-night stands.
Many people say that changing estrogen levels affect their weight, particularly around menopause. A fall in estradiol, an estrogen hormone, may lead to weight gain or difficulty losing weight. Some forms of estrogen are linked with how the body controls weight gain.
Accordingly, estrogens seem to modulate sperm maturation (50,129), since spermatozoa express ERα and ERβ, and are responsive to estrogens throughout their journey from the testes to the urethra.
Gender affirming voice care may be helpful in addressing communication style and the rhythm and the way words are stressed (prosody) that allow for more masculine outcomes. Feminizing hormones don't modify the voice for transgender women. Anti-androgens and estrogens have no effect on the voice.
For people taking estrogen as part of their gender transition, breast growth typically begins within three months of starting GAHT. Breast growth or changes in sensation tends to increase dramatically within the first six to twelve months.
Breast development mostly occurred during the first 6 months on Hormone Replacement Therapy. The average increase over the first 3 months being 1.8 cm, and another 1.3 cm over the following 3 months.
Typical dosing for estradiol
Menopausal symptoms: The typical starting dose is 1 mg to 2 mg by mouth daily. You might have to take your medication in cycles (e.g., 3 weeks of taking estradiol, followed by 1 week of not taking estradiol). Low estrogen levels: The typical starting dose is 1 mg to 2 mg by mouth daily.
What's considered “high”? In terms of the Modern Fertility Hormone Test, levels of estradiol (an estrogen) in premenopausal people with ovaries on day 3 of their cycle are “high” if they're above 115 pg/mL. Symptoms of high estrogen levels include: Heavier periods or increased frequency of periods.
A fully grown male usually has an estradiol level of 10-40 picograms per milliliter (pg/ml) and an estrone level of 10-50 pg/ml. Although the male body needs estrogen to function properly, high estrogen levels can cause health problems such as gynecomastia, erectile dysfunction, or infertility.