one of the most depressing things to explain to people just starting transition is that there's a 60/40 chance their doctors are either genuinely ignorant about their care needs or else they genuinely want their trans patients to go on a menopause crash-out dose so they go insane from imbalanced hormone levels, think "transitioning is actually making me worse and unhappier," and quit. and both of these doctors will prescribe you 150mg spiro and 1mg oral estradiol and say things like "most transgender women actually prefer to not use progesterone supplements"
It's okay! Here's all I know about progesterone, as dumbed down as possible:
First of all, Progesterone DOES have some side effects like increased libido & drowsiness, so docs usually recommend:
Start with 100mg til you figure out how it affects you
Most tgirls i know move their dose up to 200mg+ eventually
Only use micronized progesterone (the soft gelcaps), NOT progestin (the pressed pills).
Every doctor will prescribe progesterone "FOR ORAL USE ONLY", but it absorbs better if taken rectally.
Side effects are also different between oral & rectal dosing
It's more fun to take rectally imo :p
Progesterone will raise your t levels, so be aware & adjust your E dose accordingly
Hope this helps!
Also shout-out to Transfeminine Science if you're interested in looking at the research yourself:
Articles - Transfeminine Science
