Today we’re going to be talking about estradiol patches and estradiol pills.
The majority of estrogen users prefer patches over pills for multiple reasons, and we’ll discuss why. Consider this article to be the PROS and CONS of Estradiol Pills VS Patch.
As many of you know, transitioning starts with estrogen booster (progynova) often used in smaller, more frequent dosages and with the aid of testosterone blocker, which may vary from Natural T-blocker to Rx T-blocker such as Spironolactone.
Estrogen patches, at first, doesn’t make sense to people. I get emails all the time saying, ” So all I have to do is put on this band-aid looking patch, and it will provide me with all the estrogen I need?”
The reason why you should try and switch from Pill to patches is that estradiol pills can be quite hard on your stomach and liver. This is the first downside. *(This is generally true for any form of hard medication/ not just estradiol)*
Due to the nature of how estrogen is absorbed in your body, it can be quite hard on your stomach and or liver, which is why estrogen pills aren’t recommended to people with reduced liver functions.
Estrogen patches slowly release estrogen through your skin and into your bloodstream. This method of administration makes it a lot more stable and safer for you if you have reduced liver functions or if you have to rely on other medications daily such as aspirin and other OTC pills. TransformationsLabs does a great job of providing Natural Testosterone Blockers and Estrogen Boosters that can be absorbed through your bloodstream.
Patches are a lot less stressful on your body. There are also some not so high points about estradiol patches. Some of the downsides of estrogen patches are, placement is around the groin, upper thing, lower abdominal area.
This means that if you exercise frequently and produce a lot of sweat, this can get quite unpleasant. They collect dirt and debris just as easy as a band-aid would.
Estrogen patches can cause skin irritations because of its side-effect of drying out the skin, but it’s healthy and doesn’t have to be concerned.
Another benefit of estradiol pills, not many people realize is how convenient they are. If you work at a job where you’re always surrounded by people, taking a tablet can be a sligh way of getting your daily dose of estrogen without anyone suspecting anything. (you can’t just pull your shirt up/pants down in public and stick a patch on.)
One huge benefit that estradiol patches have over pills is no more peaking. Usually, when you take a tablet, the first 2 hours or so afterward, your hormones and emotions go insane, whereas, on the patches, you don’t get that.
With the patches, there’s no more crying after dinner, no more random pill-induced anxiety episodes, and all the other emotional factors usually in play.
Here’s my final point, and it goes to patches. Patches (depending on the dosage) only need to be replaced twice a week/ every 3.5 days. Whereas you take your dosage of pills every day, it’s a lot easier for people to remember to change a patch twice weekly VS taking a pill at the same time every day.
Be aware that switching from pills to patches will have intense side-effects for the first couple of days as you would with any typical medication.