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men of lemmy, if you've ever taken estrogen, what was it like? (lemmy.blahaj.zone)

submitted 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) by dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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Just wondering what the experience is like for cis men who have experienced estrogen dominance...

I've read that there are accounts of side effects in men who take estrogen for prostate cancer and who experience depression.

There are also the famous cases of Alan Turing and David Reimer. Was hoping for more first hand accounts of what the cis male experience is like on estrogen.

Just wondering if anyone has experiences they're willing to share. Thanks!

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[+] Prime@lemmy.sdf.org -11 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Does that not give you cancer?

[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 24 points 4 days ago (2 children)

no, and it's a treatment for prostate cancer in cis men, actually!

as already mentioned, the growth of breast buds and a lifelong application of estrogen does increase risks of breast cancer, but estrogen doesn't directly cause cancer, and cis men usually don't continue to take estrogen for the rest of their lives, it's usually a short term treatment (in the case of Alan Turing it was a state punishment for being a homosexual, but these days it's just a treatment for prostate cancer).

[–] Prime@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 4 days ago

I did not know. Thanks

[–] stiephelando@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

They did what to Alan Turin???

[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 4 days ago

On 23 January, Turing's house in Wilmslow was burgled. Murray told Turing that he and the burglar were acquainted, and Turing reported the crime to the police. During the investigation, he acknowledged a sexual relationship with Murray. Homosexual acts were criminal offences in the United Kingdom at that time,[167] and both men were charged with "gross indecency" under Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885.

Turing was convicted and given a choice between imprisonment and probation. His probation would be conditional on his agreement to undergo hormonal physical changes designed to reduce libido, known as "chemical castration".[172] He accepted the option of injections of what was then called stilboestrol (now known as diethylstilbestrol or DES), a synthetic oestrogen; this feminization of his body was continued for the course of one year. The treatment rendered Turing impotent and caused breast tissue to form.[173] In a letter, Turing wrote that "no doubt I shall emerge from it all a different man, but quite who I've not found out".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_turing#Homosexuality_and_indecency_conviction

[–] svcg@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It makes it more likely that you'd get breast cancer - since you would start to grow breasts - but otherwise, no.

[–] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 4 days ago

Men can technically get breast cancer even if they haven’t taken estrogen. Estrogen causes more breast tissue to form, but men have a small amount of breast tissue to begin with. It’s statistically unlikely to happen, since there’s less tissue. But it does happen occasionally. It’s all just a numbers game; More breast tissue means more potential cancer cells.

[–] meekah@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago

Why would it? Every man has estrogen, just not as much as a woman does.