23-02-2013, 18:26
(This post was last modified: 23-02-2013, 19:54 by mochaccino.)
I already mentioned that I'm going to be taking a hormone test next cycle, along with a total NBE break. Because I'll be keeping a close eye on my hormone levels, I've decided not to go the "low and slow" route with my BO dosage. Normally "low and slow" is best, especially when I'm very unsure of dosage, but this time is different. I really want to see what, if any, effect the BO has on the hormone levels shown on my test.
I still have about 4 or 5 days of placenta left, and I'm on the 8th day of my cycle. That means I'll only be taking BO for a little over 2 weeks this cycle. I think that if I take a typical "full" dose of BO, I might have a better chance of seeing a change in my hormone levels. Then again 2 weeks may not be enough time to see a change no matter how much I take. 1000mg seems to be a fairly typical dose of BO, so I think that's what I'll use. Does anyone disagree? Later on I will probably drop my BO dose by half, since I'm already on PM. I'm not sure about that though, because I still don't know what effect it will have on my hormones.
I've also decided to start Noogling again, for about an hour a day. I know that massage plays a big part in Japanese programs, and I still don't know exactly what role prolactin plays in NBE (I don't think anyone knows the exact details). I don't think I can just ignore the potential role prolactin may have played in their programs. Pumping raises prolactin, and one time it even made me lactate a tiny bit. I won't be pumping as hard or as long this time, so I'm not too concerned about accidentally starting to lactate.
I also ran out of SP, and I'm not convinced that it would do anything special in my case, so I won't be buying more. Tibetan and Abidrew were right about SP being estrogenic. Beta-sitosterol is a phytoestrogen, and not just a DHT blocker. In most women, it probably has no antiandrogen effects at all. Unless you produce significant amount of DHT (which Abi says is unlikely in women) than SP is just one of many estrogenic herbs and nothing more. I have low T, and I'm already taking strong sources of estrogen, so there's no point for me to take SP.
Since I've made several changes to my program, I'll post my current program yet again for the sake of clarity in my next post.
*Edit* I forgot to mention that I realized that Mayusakimilk was probably taking much more Dong Quai than I am. I knew that she was taking 5000mg DQ (as part of mixed herbal extract), but I wasn't sure how that product compared to the dry extract I bought. Now I know that dry DQ extract is almost always 10:1 strength in comparison to the FRESH plant. Liquid DQ is 2:1 strength in comparison to the DRY extract. That means that the DQ in her extract is probably half as strong as an equivalent weight of my dry extract. In other words, I think I should be taking 2500mg of DQ extract, not 600 mg. I'm going to start taking 9 DQ pills per day, instead of 2, during luteal phase. That's going to be a lot more expensive if I keep taking pills, so I'll switch to Greenbush's 1:1 liquid extract when I restart my program the cycle after next.
I still have about 4 or 5 days of placenta left, and I'm on the 8th day of my cycle. That means I'll only be taking BO for a little over 2 weeks this cycle. I think that if I take a typical "full" dose of BO, I might have a better chance of seeing a change in my hormone levels. Then again 2 weeks may not be enough time to see a change no matter how much I take. 1000mg seems to be a fairly typical dose of BO, so I think that's what I'll use. Does anyone disagree? Later on I will probably drop my BO dose by half, since I'm already on PM. I'm not sure about that though, because I still don't know what effect it will have on my hormones.
I've also decided to start Noogling again, for about an hour a day. I know that massage plays a big part in Japanese programs, and I still don't know exactly what role prolactin plays in NBE (I don't think anyone knows the exact details). I don't think I can just ignore the potential role prolactin may have played in their programs. Pumping raises prolactin, and one time it even made me lactate a tiny bit. I won't be pumping as hard or as long this time, so I'm not too concerned about accidentally starting to lactate.
I also ran out of SP, and I'm not convinced that it would do anything special in my case, so I won't be buying more. Tibetan and Abidrew were right about SP being estrogenic. Beta-sitosterol is a phytoestrogen, and not just a DHT blocker. In most women, it probably has no antiandrogen effects at all. Unless you produce significant amount of DHT (which Abi says is unlikely in women) than SP is just one of many estrogenic herbs and nothing more. I have low T, and I'm already taking strong sources of estrogen, so there's no point for me to take SP.
Since I've made several changes to my program, I'll post my current program yet again for the sake of clarity in my next post.
*Edit* I forgot to mention that I realized that Mayusakimilk was probably taking much more Dong Quai than I am. I knew that she was taking 5000mg DQ (as part of mixed herbal extract), but I wasn't sure how that product compared to the dry extract I bought. Now I know that dry DQ extract is almost always 10:1 strength in comparison to the FRESH plant. Liquid DQ is 2:1 strength in comparison to the DRY extract. That means that the DQ in her extract is probably half as strong as an equivalent weight of my dry extract. In other words, I think I should be taking 2500mg of DQ extract, not 600 mg. I'm going to start taking 9 DQ pills per day, instead of 2, during luteal phase. That's going to be a lot more expensive if I keep taking pills, so I'll switch to Greenbush's 1:1 liquid extract when I restart my program the cycle after next.