(14-11-2020, 16:01)Nynuk Wrote: Thank you for all your kind replies. To answer a few questions, I'm not skinny. I'm 5'5" and about 187 pounds - part of that was I tried to gain weight (roughly 30 pounds) in hopes it would help increase my bust but unfortunately it did not go quite as planned and while some of it went to the right spots most of it fell on my stomach/thighs - but I am also a little scared of losing the weight and going back to being a small B but only now deflated.
I also do have a hormone imbalance, I was diagnosed with PCOS about 19 years ago but I'm currently on BC to regulate my periods. However, I wanted to retest my hormones since it was almost 20 years ago and medicine and knowledge of PCOS have come a long way. I am planning on getting the "Hormone Check" from QuestDiagnostic. I have recently (last few years) started to see effects of hirsutism and it's only getting worse so something has changed in my body, I'm 37 and am wondering if menopause has something to do with it. The test will check:
Estrogens -Total, Progesterone, Testosterone -Total, Serum, Follicle-stimulating Hormone (FSH) & Luteinizing Hormone (LH), and Thyroxine (T4), Free, Direct, Serum.
However from my test two decades ago my testosterone and progesterone were high and estrogen was low. Based off of that information I've been mostly using Saw Palmetto to help with my high levels of Testosterone, Maca and Fenugreek to help with the estrogen.
as far as my Noogling goes, I massage before I pump with Flaxseed oil and also after I'm done. Sometimes on the longer sessions I will break it up and massage after every hour or so for about 2.5 minutes each side
Thanks again for reading and being so supportive
How many hours have you pumped total? Do you know? Based on what you said it seems like you might have pumped about 16 hours a week for 36 weeks? Is that right? If that’s true, and you’ve pumped for at least 576 hours total, you should have grown about one cup size according to Brava’s studies. Some people in the studies grew at a much faster rate and some grew much slower. I always assumed that most of the slow growers in the Brava studies were very slim and lean compared to the other participants. No method can create fat out of nothing. Unfortunately, since you’re not underweight, I have no clear answer about why pumping isn’t working for you, other than a vague belief that it’s probably due to some sort of hormonal imbalance. I personally believe that if you find a hormonal program that works for you, the pumping will start to work as well. It’s a good thing you’re getting a hormone test, but in the end your program will probably be centered around one or more antiandrogens and a primary source of phytoestrogens, like most other programs.
9 months is more than enough time to determine that a program isn’t working for you, but I see no reason why you should stop taking what you’re already taking if you have supplements left that you want to use up. Everything that you’re using is commonly combined with other programs without causing much issues, as far as I can tell. In general, I think you should try adding “stronger” supplements to your program.
The most estrogenic phytoestrogens are found in PM. The second most estrogenic are found in hops. The third most estrogenic are found in red clover and/or alfalfa. It’s probably best to choose one of these as the primary (or only) source of phytoestrogens in your program.
The strongest source of progesterone is PC cream (other than possibly some forms of progesterone birth control), but it sounds like you may not need it, depending on what you’re test results show. If you do decide to use it, you may want to cycle it during luteal phase, like most people do, but I’ve been experimenting with using it all month long. It’s up to you.
The antiandrogens with the most evidence behind them are reishi and licorice, but licorice is potentially dangerous, so I’d go with reishi instead. Spearmint as an antiandrogen is less well supported, but a lot of people swear by it, and it’s cheap, easily available, and safe, so it could be worth a try. White peony is the least well supported antiandrogen commonly recommended on this board. I started using it based on Lotus’s recommendations, but I will not buy it again once I run out of what I bought.
So to recap, I think it could be worth adding a strong phytoestrogen, a well supported antiandrogen, and possibly some progesterone cream to the program you’re already following, depending on what your test results show.
