I stopped the SP a week ago but was taking spearmint capsules instead.

I'll leave it a few days, maybe a week.

I had a change of heart and decided to go back on the PM again but I dropped the spearmint for now. I'm getting even more sensitive so I wanted to keep that going.

It isn't uncommon to have slight shifts in desire day by day, honey. But sticking to a steady program will yield the best results.
Sammie

I'm on a break as of today. I've been feeling a bit down lately and wonder if this is due to the lower testosterone. Maybe this is not the right thing for me.

Very strange as I experienced the same thing on my program the past week and stopped entirely too. Wonder what's up with that.

I'm on a break as of today. I've been feeling a bit down lately and wonder if this is due to the lower testosterone. Maybe this is not the right thing for me.

Very strange as I experienced the same thing on my program the past week and stopped entirely too. Wonder what's up with that.

I've experienced these lows several times since starting on PM. Before taking the herb, I rarely had feelings of depression. Weird, but that's not how my GD manifested itself. As I see it now, estrogen allows me more freedom of emotion. Plus, being somewhere in the middle of the gender spectrum has meant dealing with the sometimes conflicting feelings about who I am -- am I a man or a woman? Over time, my opposite genders have tended to merge into one, and the periods of doubt have come less and less frequently. Bottom line is that you should expect these moments of low spirits, sadness, regret, or however you want to characterize them. No one said that being transgender was all peaches and cream.

Hang in there, girls, it'll pass.

Clara

Thanks again Clara for the insight.

I didn't upload a new picture this month since not a lot has changed visually, although I feel a bit of hardness that wasn't there before.

I have been on a break for a little over a week now. I just felt like I needed it to clear my head but I will be continuing the programme tomorrow.

I think taking breaks is a good idea, especially in the early months of a program, and even long term, depending on your objectives.

Before your hormonal balance shifts decidedly to the estrogen side for an extended period, the effects of years of exposure to testosterone are still very evident in the mind and body. It takes time for those effects to fade and the new estrogen-induced changes to take hold. It's a confusing period in which our emotions jump back and forth between joy and sadness, feeling right and feeling conflicted. I certainly felt those swings throughout my first 6 months on PM. Not so much any more.

Part of what sustained me early in my program was knowing (believing) that I could always revert back to my old self if it became necessary. I reinforced that belief by verifying each month (at my 7-day break) that I still had male sexual function. It also gave my body a rush of testosterone to maintain the male side of my brain which, when deprived of T, tends to fade away. My female brain, on the other hand, in the presence of E was becoming more and more influential in determining my gender expression and emotional state.

I believe that PM's effect on the brain is the source of the 'slippery slope' you may have heard people warn about as one of the risks of pursuing NBE. As the female psyche grows and replaces the once dominant male psyche, one can experience a stronger and stronger need to transition to full female gender expression. If that change brings greater happiness to your life, it's unlikely that you will stop the progression voluntarily. The discipline of taking regular breaks can slow or even stop this progression without foregoing breast development that occurs only when E levels are sufficiently high.

Clara

Just a quick update - I've been on a 2 week break. I had a bit of hypochondriac moment and freaked out a little, but it turned out to be nothing. Libido and urge to crossdress have returned... (it's kind of weird needing to masturbate all the time after months of effective asexuality LOL)

When my capsules run out I'm thinking of switching to the bottled extract, because I worry about the stress on my liver from ingesting PM. Does anyone have any experience with it? I wonder if I can replace the spearmint capsules with an extract too. I was reading that it has some level of toxicity and I am now wary about using it long-term.

I have been growing my hair out for a little while, now it just reaches to the bottom of my neck. I'm not sure if it's my imagination, but my hair seems to have become less smooth/silky since I went on my break - or maybe it's due to the cold weather recently.

Anyway, I'm ending my break as of tomorrow :-)

Another update:

I was previously taking my herbs 3 times a day. I decided to change it to just morning and night for convenience, but I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

Since resuming my program from the last break I'm no longer feeling the tiredness that I was before. I wonder if this is due to the changed I made above or if my body is getting used to the new hormonal balance.

Also, I bought a Noogleberry which I've been using daily for a week or so in addition to my program. I was growing impatient and wanted to try something new...

Just a quick update - I've been on a 2 week break. I had a bit of hypochondriac moment and freaked out a little, but it turned out to be nothing. Libido and urge to crossdress have returned... (it's kind of weird needing to masturbate all the time after months of effective asexuality LOL)

When my capsules run out I'm thinking of switching to the bottled extract, because I worry about the stress on my liver from ingesting PM. Does anyone have any experience with it? I wonder if I can replace the spearmint capsules with an extract too. I was reading that it has some level of toxicity and I am now wary about using it long-term.

Anyway, I'm ending my break as of tomorrow :-)

Hey Josephine, I use the xtract. Had an email conversation with the Ainterol rep. he said 3 drops equals the potency of 1 500mg capsule. A few of the reasons why I decided on the xtract and not caps or pills is due to the same reason you stated. I take heart meds and put enough stress on liver and pancreas. The other reason is that the xtract , according to the U.S. doctor's, the absorbtion rate is between 80-90%, whereas the rate for pills or caps is around 25-40%. So, figuring the cost difference, the xtract would be far more cheaper.

In the 2 months I have used PM xtract, I have went from a small 38B, to a solid 40B and thinking I should try a 40C soon.