Differences between estrogen administration?

[whowhatwhen]

I've heard some transwomen swear that injections/patches are better at feminization than pills but I don't fully understand why or how that would be.
Like, once your E blood levels are at a certain point does it matter the route the estrogen takes?

For example, I take pills and at last check my estradiol was 335 pmol/l.
Would switching the method of administration have any real effect the estrogen has on my body?

I'm not thinking about switching at the moment but I'm genuinely curious as to whether or not it's true or how it's different.

[Joan_CD]

Due to my age my endo recommended patches because they are easier on your liver. I seem to be doing ok with them. I assume your endo took all the variables into consideration and decided on the route you are using.

[Eryn]

335 would inspire panic in my endo! Did they draw blood right after you took your E?

Patches give more constant E levels than pills. They also eliminate the "first pass" effect that can contribute to liver toxicity. The downside is that they are expensive and a bit of a pain to wear. They don't make them in MTF dosages so we end up wearing two or three at a time.

I'll put up with that to lessen the possibility of some major health problems that can be caused by oral E in my age group.

[Donnagirl]

Lots of differences out there but that's what a good endo is for... Mine is happily around 500 on oral E alone, which does not induce any panic at all....

[whowhatwhen]

335 would inspire panic in my endo! Did they draw blood right after you took your E?

He wasn't concerned, but then maybe I took my E before getting tested.
I actually can't remember but I never considered it to be an issue.

But my question really is how some transwomen claim to have more feminization on injections vs pills vs patches.
Is that at all possible?

[PaulaQ]

There are also creams.

The reason one thing would work better than another is that each form of administration for Estradiol is processed by your body differently. Different people will have different results from the same medication / method of administration. For most of us, I would think it wouldn't make a lot of difference, but it obviously does for some of us, I've heard too many anecdotes from people I know and trust to believe otherwise.

[Kris Avery]

I'll personally say that oral worked well but for me, injections are more convenient.

I hated melting pills under the tongue for 40 min a day.
My wife always got the last word and social situations were awkward since I can't talk then...she loved it..,hahah

Injections...my levels are bouncing a lot more like an ebb and flow. Way more effective in my case as far as results.

We are talking about an inch and a half long 23ga needle girls.. Wow

[Daisy41]

Personally, I've been on an estradiol/progesterone cream for 5 months and am getting good results. It definitely changes from person to person, but I like the cream as I can apply it at night and it by passes the liver.