Tangy wrote:What will happen if a man takes estrogen?
Estrogen stimulates the cease of vertical growth, decreases the growth of muscle mass, stimulates growth of breasts, heightens voice, etc.
A balance of both these hormones, as well as all other hormones, is necessary not only for sex related reasons but also for overall health and well-being of body and mind. These two hormones "cancel" each other out so to speak. The body produces estrogen to reverse the effects of too much testosterone and vice versa.
To More Specifically Answer Your Question:
A man who takes estrogen supplementation would experience some or all, but not limited to the following:
-Increased breast size and darker nipple color, and loss or slowed growth of body hair.
-Higher voice, reduction of "Adam's apple", decrease in muscle mass, and generally more feminine type features.
-Decreased facial hair growth, slowed alopecia (balding or hair loss).
-Decrease in testicle size (not penis size)
-Decreased aggression and sex drive.
-Changes in personality - this is the most unpredictable of side-effects. Everyone is effected mentally in different ways. Sex hormones play a big role in mood and personality. :o
Very simply - a man who takes estrogen would gain more feminine features and lose some of his manly features. For the most part, testosterone is what makes men men and estrogen is what makes women women.
Okay, I've been on hormones for 8.5 years. Here's some clarifications on the above quote:
- Increased breast size and darker nipple color? I've heard this varies widely for different people based on genetics, however, my growth has been probably half of what any female in my family has. I'd be lucky to be classified as an A cup. However, that's why God gave us pushup bras. I have not ruled out breast augmentation surgery, but that's only if money miraculously starts to fall from the sky. "Hey Sugar Daddy...?" My nipples definitely did grow in size significantly, and maybe
slightly darkened.
- I have heard of decreased facial and body hair growth, but for me it has been incredibly subtle. I would consider myself to have been a moderately to slightly hairy man. Now my hair grows slightly finer and less coarse, but the frequency of growth hasn't really changed much. I really need to get on that electrolysis so I don't have to shave so much...
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Men taking estrogen do not have any voice change from the hormones. It simply doesn't happen. Women taking testosterone can experience a deepening of the voice, but it doesn't work the other way around. Vocal chords don't shrink, but they can grow bigger with more testosterone. Vocal changes for male to female transitions is 100% upon the effort of the individual transitioning.
- Slowed balding and hair loss. This is definitely true. My genetics were taking me in a bad direction, and it had begun by the time I started hormones. I probably lost a half inch, but it's more at a gradient. The hormones stopped alopecia in its tracks and even recuperated what could be recuperated. However, I wouldn't rule out a minor hair restoration surgery to clean up the front of my hair. Since I'm an artisty Bohemian type, I wear a lot of bandanas over my hair to cover up the front.
- Decreased testicle size. Yep definitely. Penis size (only when flaccid) changes slightly too. It's slight, but I'd say there's been a change. Then again, that might come from tucking for years...? Full size is still full size, but see the next thing.
- Decrease in aggression and sex drive. Definitely sex drive has decreased, and it is in direct relationship with spironolactone, the testosterone blocker (aka anti-androgen) I take. I take a daily oral supplement, unlike so many people who use monthly needles or patches. I feel it keeps me more regular, rather than becoming a bitch at the end of a monthly cycle. When asked if I wanted to do something monthly or daily, I owed it to every woman in society to say, "Given the opportunity to NOT have a period or PMS, I fucking took it." So anyway, if I miss a daily dose of spironolactone (regardless of estrogen), I turn into a bitch, AND I get horny. Testosterone drives libido (even in women). Guys, if you want to get a woman horny, feed her tilapia, as they are aquaculture grown with testosterone to make them all male (bigger than the females). Testosterone also makes us more aggressive. So when I get angry, I often think back to make sure I took my hormones. Often, I haven't. In the mornings I also get horny, because it's been 24 hours since my last dose. Hormones really DO make you into a different personality.
- "Testosterone makes men men and estrogen makes women women." I'd augment that to say that higher testosterone and lower estrogen makes men men, and higher estrogen and lower testosterone makes women women. It's a combination of all of those. However, even then there's more to it than that. There are men who have uncharacteristically low testosterone, but they are not transgender, and there are women who have uncharacteristically high testosterone, but they are not transgender. But there is a high likelihood that a woman with unusually high testosterone might date a lot of different men, be in the porn industry, and/or be a sexually active lesbian. Whereas a man with low testosterone might call himself asexual, bisexual, or marry a woman with unusually low testosterone (even for a woman). I know two people in both these categories (though the guy with low testosterone dates a woman with average testosterone and libido, so they have issues in bed from the sound of things).