[Lotus]

@ DDs, thanks for the advice hun, I will stay the course (albeit new course), hugs.

@ Pom, the journey is exciting, yes. (thanks)

@ Johnnyboy, I'd like to think anyone can get there. I had plenty of those " I'm done with this stuff " ( aka-close to throwing in the towel ), In the long run, I think it made me more determined to push past those times of self doubt, (i have miles and miles left on all the other things lol). Good luck, you can do this.

@ Mickie thanks, magnificat?, I dunno hun, me thinks obnoxious, what a lovely compliment though, I'm blushing. Oh to be an areola on the wall of anatomy, I'd love to get to the bottom of the what, how and why those things behave as they do huh?.
(thanks again)

@ jannet, maybe 150% over?, A few things put me there, taking E2 sublingual and utilizing enzymes (e.g. CYP3A4 inhibitors) that raise the bioavailability of estrogens and lowers testosterone. In my case, seeing these test results, proves (to me) that it works.

@ squirrel, lol, i dunno bout all that?, but if the spamming (lotus boobs) gets to bad ( lol ) well just let me know lol, I'll put a danger sign out, ( or wet floor sign ) lmao. hugs

Thanks you guys, I appreciate the advice and comments.

[tanysquirrel]

so let me ask you some impertinent questions Lotus( its ok if you do not want to answer, but I am curious):


1. Since your new found mammary magnificence, how have you seen your confidence/self image,

A: slightly Improved,
B: Greatly Improved,
C: no change whatsoever.

2: What sort of response have you received from strangers?
A: Lingering glances at your cleavage,
B: Subconcious attention/talking to your breasts
C: No one seems to take notice

3: Have you had to adjust body posture/body movement to accommodate your boobage? do they get in the way now?

though mine are not as magnificent as yours I find that people are often staring/looking at my chest when they are talkin to me, then again I wear a lot of funny saying t-shirts , though often the cleavage I am getting seems to crease the shirts down the middle , like you, I am more comfortable with basic t-shirt and jeans, not into the whole dress and high heels thing, unless I am going out somewhere special. I prefer the "cute and casual" aspect

[XXYXX]

You've mentioned taking Green Tea tablets, but... What kind of dosage would that be? As in, mg.

(To be honest, I'd like to know the brands and dosages of everything you're taking .-. )

[The First Aria]

Love the new profile pic Lotus! the girls look so full and yummy

Thanks Katana, appreciate that.

Lab update for April:

Total Testosterone (result) 13 ng/dL__________ (ref. range) 250-1100 ng/dL

Testosterone, free (result) 0.8 pg/mL__________ (ref. range) 46-224.0 pg/mL

Bioavailable T (result) 1.6 ng/dL__________ (ref. range) 110-575 ng/dL

SHBG (result) 74 nnmo/L_________ (ref. range 10-50 ng/dL

Prolactin (result) 6.9 ng/mL_________ (ref. range) 2.0-18 ng/mL

Estrogen (result) 862.1 pg/mL __________ (ref.range) 60-190 pg/mL


Compared to 12/15 labs,

my Total T lowered from 27 to 13 ng/dL
Free T went from 1.9 to 0.8 pg/mL

Bioavailable T percentage went from 26.4% to 24.6%

Estrogen went from 841.8 pg/mL to 862.1 pg/mL



As a comparison, this pic was from earlier last year

Isn't the E for you dangerously high?? I mean, you have enough estrogen for like 6 bio women. Isn't your new doctor concerned?

[jannet.duff]

Isn't the E for you dangerously high??  I mean, you have enough estrogen for like 6 bio women.  Isn't your new doctor concerned?

I must admit, that had me wondering too ...

[christmas]

Looks like Lotus is the new Cheryl1989 for everybody to aspire to.
Keep it up!

[Lotus]

Here's an article on some research involving effect of diets high in medium chain fatty acids such as caprylic acid on LDL as compared to diet high in oleic acid.

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/4/564.full

Spanky,

Oddly enough, while I was at looking MCFA's (caprylic acid and others) I stumbled upon that dutasteride contains medium chained fatty acids, (see below).

Dutasteride, a synthetic 4- azasteroid compound, is an antiandrogen with the chemical name (5a, 17β) -N- [2, 5 bis (trifluoromethyl) phenyl] -3- oxo-4-azaandrost -1-ene- 17- carboxamide. Dutasteride is indicated for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) in men with enlarged prostate glands. Dutasteride, a synthetic 4-azasteroid compound is a selective inhibitor of the type 1 and type 2 isoforms of steroid 5a-reductase, an intracellular enzyme that converts testosterone to 5a-dihydrotestosterone. The empirical formula of Dutasteride is C27H30F6N2O2. Dutasteride is a white to off-white colored powder and stable under ordinary conditions. The melting point is 245°C - 245.5°C.

Dutasteride is soluble in ethanol (44 mg/mL), methanol (64 mg/mL), and polyethylene glycol 400 (3 mg/mL), but it is insoluble in water. Dutasteride has a partition coefficient, Log P = 5.609 ± 0.618.

[0003] Commercially available soft gel capsule formulations (e.g., Avodart®, which is produced by Glaxo Smithkline Pharmaceuticals), is a soft gelatin capsule used in the treatment of BPH, which contains 0.5 mg dutasteride dissolved in a mixture of

mono/diglycerides of caprylic/capric acid (Capmul MCM) (349.5mg) and butylated hydroxytoluene (0.035mg). However, the manufacture of soft gel capsules is a slow and burdensome process, and therefore the manufacture of soft gel capsules is cost intensive and inefficient. [0004] Consequently, there is a need for improved hard gel capsule formulations that reduce manufacturing costs, while maintaining the bioavailability and stability of the soft gel dosage forms.

SUMMARY

[0005] According to one embodiment, a liquid-filled hard gel capsule pharmaceutical formulation is provided. The liquid-filled hard gel capsule formulation comprises a non- emulsified mixture disposed in a hard capsule shell, wherein the non-emulsified mixture comprises about 0.1 to about 5% by weight of at least one active pharmaceutical ingredient, about 50 to about 95% by weight medium chain triglycerides, and about 5 to about 25% by weight medium chain mono/diglycerides, wherein the medium chain triglycerides and medium chain mono/diglycerides are present at a ratio by weight of from about 10: 1 to about 5: 1.

[0006] According to another embodiment, another liquid-filled hard gel capsule pharmaceutical formulation is provided. The liquid- filled hard gel capsule pharmaceutical formulation comprises a non-emulsified mixture disposed in a hard capsule shell, wherein the non-emulsified mixture comprises about 0.1 to about 5% by weight of at least one active pharmaceutical ingredient; about 50 to about 95% by weight long chain triglycerides; and about 5 to about 25% by weight medium chain mono/diglycerides, wherein the long chain triglycerides and medium chain mono/diglycerides are present at a ratio by weight of from about 10: 1 to about 5: 1.

http://www.google.com/patents/WO2013074205A1?cl=en

Caprylic Capric Triglycerides
http://www.ingredientstodiefor.com/item/...rides/464/

[Lotus]

Coconut oil inhibits 5 alpha reductase (type 1 and 2) some 80-90% in the liver

Reishi inhibits DHT 80% in the prostate

Linoleic acid (LA) is a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid inhibits 5 AR somewhat less in the liver at 70%


95% of endogenous androgen is produced by the testis, the rest is made up by adrenals. Once within the prostate, testosterone is rapidly and irreversibly converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by the enzyme 5AR. This leads to a five-fold higher concentration of DHT versus testosterone within the intracellular prostate, versus an eleven-fold higher concentration of testosterone within the circulation. DHT then binds to the androgen receptor within the cytosol, is actively transported into the nucleus, and serves as a transcription factor for prostatic gene expression and thus prostatic cellular function. The higher concentration of intracellular DHT, in addition to its higher affinity for the androgen receptor, support the importance of 5AR in normal and pathologic prostate physiology (Partin and Rodriguez 2002).

Considering the potential to block DHT and increase aromatase adding fatty acids makes sense, only don't forget a fitness plan.

Anti-androgenic activity of fatty acids.

In this study, we show that 5alpha-reductase derived from rat fresh liver was inhibited by certain aliphatic free fatty acids. The influences of chain length, unsaturation, oxidation, and esterification on the potency to inhibit 5alpha-reductase activity were studied. Among the fatty acids we tested, inhibitory saturated fatty acids had C12-C16 chains, and the presence of a C==C bond enhanced the inhibitory activity. Esterification and hydroxy compounds were totally inactive. Finally, we tested the prostate cancer cell proliferation effect of free fatty acids. In keeping with the results of the 5alpha-reductase assay, saturated fatty acids with a C12 chain (lauric acid) and unsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid) showed a proliferation inhibitory effect on lymph-node carcinoma of the prostate (LNCaP) cells. At the same time, the testosterone-induced prostate-specific antigen (PSA) mRNA expression was down-regulated. These results suggested that fatty acids with 5alpha-reductase inhibitory activity block the conversion of testosterone to 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and then inhibit the proliferation of prostate cancer cells.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19353546

Green Tea Epigallocatechin-Green tea (camellia)-Reduce's the conversion of free testosterone into DHT and also raises SHBG (sex-hormone-binding-globulin). Also is for breast cancer prevention, reduces visceral fat. 4 cups a day

Spearmint-anti-androgenic properties reduce the level of free testosterone in the blood, while leaving total testosterone and DHEAS unaffected.

The study below is on spearmint, no mention of reducing 5 alpha reductase.

http://endometabol.com/?page=article&article_id=3644

[Lotus]

Inhibition of 5 alpha-reductase activity in human skin by zinc and azelaic acid.
Stamatiadis D, et al. Br J Dermatol. 1988.
Show full citation
Abstract
The effects of zinc sulphate and azelaic acid on 5 alpha-reductase activity in human skin were studied using an in vitro assay with 1,2[3H]-testosterone as substrate. When added at concentrations of 3 or 9 mmol/l, zinc was a potent inhibitor of 5 alpha-reductase activity. At high concentrations, zinc could completely inhibit the enzyme activity. Azelaic acid was also a potent inhibitor of 5 alpha-reductase; inhibition was detectable at concentrations as low as 0.2 mmol/l and was complete at 3 mmol/l. An additive effect of the two inhibitors was observed. Vitamin B6 potentiated the inhibitory effect of zinc, but not of azelaic acid, suggesting that two different mechanisms are involved. When the three substances were added together at very low concentrations which had been shown to be ineffective alone, 90% inhibition of 5 alpha-reductase activity was obtained. If this inhibition is confirmed in vivo, zinc sulphate combined with azelaic acid could be an effective agent in the treatment of androgen related pathology of human skin.

[Lotus]

so let me ask you some impertinent questions Lotus( its ok if you do not want to answer, but I am curious):


1. Since your new found mammary magnificence, how have you seen your confidence/self image,

A: slightly Improved,
B: Greatly Improved,
C: no change whatsoever.

Sheesh squirrel you making think here new parameters (e.g. HrT) , i'd say slightly improved (meaning dysphoria) though ask me in 6-12 months.

2: What sort of response have you received from strangers?
A: Lingering glances at your cleavage,
B: Subconcious attention/talking to your breasts
C: No one seems to take notice

Yes to A (a few not so nice looks lol), B, maybe once or twice?

3: Have you had to adjust body posture/body movement to accommodate your boobage? do they get in the way now?

ah, this is a work in progress atm, (do they get in the way?) @@@ sleeping yes, getting them situated is an unusual process.

though mine are not as magnificent as yours I find that people are often staring/looking at my chest when they are talkin to me, then again I wear a lot of funny saying t-shirts , though often the cleavage I am getting seems to crease the shirts down the middle , like you, I am more comfortable with basic t-shirt and jeans, not into the whole dress and high heels thing, unless I am going out somewhere special. I prefer the "cute and casual" aspect