(15-05-2014, 11:24 PM)bobie Wrote: i thought that once the bodys oestrogen level reaches a certain point the testicles stop producing testosterone anyway? and if that happens then theres no testosterone to convert into dht anyway right? so why is sp needed?
You're partially correct. If you take just PM and no anti-androgen (AA), your total testosterone will fall dramatically, but certainly not to zero. Mine dropped to well below the male reference range (normal range for men) just using PM, but that still leaves plenty of T to go around.
The pituitary gland puts out luteinizing hormone (LH) when the amount of free T drops below what a man's body thinks it needs. This tells the testes to produce more T. If your free T level is good, the LH output is reduced, and the testes produce less T.
What's so interesting is that the pituitary gland can't distinguish between free T and estrogen (or the phyto-estrogen miroestrol from PM). That's why PM not only provides the estrogenic effect needed for breast growth, but also drives down your total T as though it were an anti-androgen. Follow so far?
So you're right. You don't need an anti-androgen, like SP, to grow breasts. But, because PM also causes a drop in T production, you are likely to lose your sex drive, spontaneous erections, etc.
Of course, your free T is likely to remain above that of a genetic female when taking PM alone, and some of that T will be converted into the very strong masculinizing form of T called DHT. Think muscles and body hair. Many of us girls HATE body hair with a passion and want no part of it. So we take an anti-androgen to impede the action of the enzyme, five-alpha reductace, which converts free T into DHT.
If you want to feminize your body beyond breast growth, you'll have to lower your DHT much more than PM can all by itself. That means taking an AA like Pygeum, Chinese skull cap, or White Peony which block the action of 5ar.
Many of us have turned away from SP as being comparatively ineffective as an AA, and even counter productive in producing breast growth.
Be sure to read this FAQ post:
Frequently used supplements
Clara