I feel pretty, oh so pretty
I feel pretty, and witty, and GAY
So yesterday I got my biopsy (they scrapped my cervix and poked into my uterus, yowch!), gave four vials of blood (I just had my period! Seriously!), was paid for my time and given four months of the contraceptive Levora.
First, some summarizing of my first day on hormones. I took them at 11am yesterday morning and have felt slightly different since. Today, I feel pretty. And talkative.
I love interacting with my professors during class, sometimes too much, but today fortunately in Media Ethics we had a discussion about different marketing moral issues, such as guerrilla marketing tactics and behavioral research on consumers, voluntary and otherwise. I was rockin' the show with my side commentary about each one. By the time I got home I was more talkative than my roommates and bugged them from outside their rooms while they were busy doing things. All day I had the tendency to be attracted to my reflection, noticing how round my face is and enjoying the shape of my ass. I then promptly went to bed since I have been getting up and going to bed at ridiculous hours for the past five days. Since then the pretty feeling has worn off, just a bit.
As fun as it is to attribute all of these characteristics to this newfound hormone therapy, I still firmly believe the things you think, feel, and do will always be inside of you. Similar to how people will say things they didn't mean when they are angry, they still feel that way inside, they just don't always have the appropriate context with which to express them. And so, yes I sometimes do feel pretty, probably on days associated with high hormonal levels, and other times I do feel talkative, usually when I have a lot of interesting things going on.
But in the spirit of taking a hormone induced journey of self discovery, I was thinking of letting myself go for a while and blaming it on the hormones. After all, it might cause a lot of unnecessary trouble that I may be able to myself out of (sarcasm). I look forward to the next few months.
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AND NOW, an analysis of the hormones coursing through my female body.
The contraceptives I was given are Levora, a daily oral birth control method; 0.15mg levonorgestrel and 0.03mg ethinyl estrodiol.
Progestogens, estrogens, androgens, mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids are the five major steroid hormone groups that occur in every human body naturally.
Levonorgestrel: A progestogen substitute for progesterone, used to inhibit androgen receptors (like testosterone) and ovulation.
Progesterone: naturally occurring in healthy female bodied people, declining levels of progesterone triggers menstruation.
Ethinyl estradiol: An estrogen substitute for estradiol, effectiveness peaks at two hours and peaks again several hours later. Increases blood clotting, and strengthens bones, and is easily inactivated by the liver.
Estradiol: naturally occurring in healthy female bodied people, is the most potent estrogen, predominant during the reproductive years of a woman's life. Estradiol is responsible for puberty and body changes in females, such as breast development, skin composition, bone and joint settling, and fat redistribution. Estradiol also maintains the female reproductive system including the lining of the vagina, cervical glands, endometrium, lining of the fallopian tubes, and the oocytes in the ovaries. Also triggers ovulation.
Levora side effects: Use often leads to spotting because of the daily adjustments of progesterone levels. Inhibition of ovulation means disruption of the menstrual cycle, which means extra blood that is not shed is still in the body, which leads to a higher risk of blood clotting and high blood pressure. Other side effects may include sudden numbness or weakness, tiredness, dizziness, headaches and nausea, changes in weight or appetite, problems with vision, speech, or balance, chest pain or pressure, decrease in sex drive and mood changes.
Side commentary about pregnancy: progestogens and estrogens are produced naturally at steadily increasing levels to maintain pregnancy. Normally within the monthly cycle relatively high levels of progesterone are maintained. However once a month when no eggs are fertilized, progesterone levels drop and the uterine lining is shed. If the egg is fertilized the levels of progesterone (and estrogen) are maintained and the uterine lining is kept, and a zygote can develop.
Taking both a progesterone and estrogen replacement inhibits the natural production of these hormones in my body, which may have an interesting effect all by itself when I am done with this study.
In a woman's natural monthly cycle, estradiol levels average 50pg/mL and peak at 200pg/mL.
And now for a chart!
Fun fact 1: Levonorgestrel used at dosages of 1.5mg is an effective post-conception birth control method up to three days after unprotected sex, called Plan B.
Fun fact 2: Ethinyl estradiol was created in 1938, approved by the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) in 1943, and marketed as Estinyl until 2004.
Fun fact 3: The naturally occurring estradiol levels of men (14-55 pg/mL) and postmenopausal women (35 pg/mL) are about the same.
Fun fact 4: Both levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol are just some of many hormones choices that can be used for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in both older women going through menopause and for transexual women (in higher doses if not used with antiandrogens).
Fun fact 5: Estriol is the most important estrogen in pregnant women while estrone is the most important in postmenopausal women.
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