The Hierarchy of Evidence
Before you inject research chemicals or take diabetes medication for aesthetic purposes, you need to understand where the information on this site comes from. The protocols listed in the "Roadmap" fall into two distinct buckets:
1. Real Medicine
Estradiol & Bicalutamide.
These are backed by WPATH, the Endocrine Society, and decades of clinical use. We know they work. We know the safety profile. This is the foundation.
2. The "Honscience"
Pioglitazone, MK-677, Progesterone Cycling.
These are backed by "my friend on Discord," theoretical mouse studies, and bodybuilder forums. They are experimental attempts to hack the endocrine system.
The Big Three: A Brutal Critique
1. Pioglitazone ("The Hip Pill")
The Theory: Pioglitazone is a diabetes drug that pushes fat into subcutaneous storage (hips/thighs) and out of visceral storage (gut). Therefore, taking it will make you curvy.
The Reality: You are taking a medication with a Black Box Warning for Congestive Heart Failure to try and get a slightly bigger butt. The evidence for this working in trans women relies almost entirely on one case report from 2009 (Malik et al.) and internet anecdotes.
The Honscience Flaw: Most people who take Pioglitazone just get water retention (edema) and generalized weight gain. They mistake their swollen ankles and bloated stomach for "feminization." When they stop the drug, the fluid sheds, and the "curves" disappear. It is not a magic fat-transfer surgery in a pill.
2. MK-677 ("The Second Puberty")
The Theory: Trans women who transition as adults missed the teenage Growth Hormone (GH) surge. Taking MK-677 boosts GH and IGF-1, restarting breast growth.
The Reality: You are taking an unregulated research chemical sold by "not for human consumption" grey-market sites. While it does raise IGF-1, adult growth plates are closed. You cannot "restart puberty."
The Honscience Flaw: High GH causes insulin resistance (pre-diabetes) and extreme hunger. Most users don't get massive breasts; they get massive appetites, bloated water weight, and high blood sugar. The "growth" they see is often just systemic inflammation and fluid retention, not new glandular tissue.
3. Progesterone ("The Libido & Boob Fix")
The Theory: Cis women have progesterone; therefore, trans women need it for round breasts and mood stability.
The Reality: The scientific jury is still out. The only prospective study (Nolan 2022) showed zero benefit for breast size at 3 months. Progesterone is often converted into other neurosteroids that make you sleepy or drunk-feeling.
The Honscience Flaw: Many people cycle progesterone to "mimic a period." You do not have a uterus. You are shedding the lining of nothing. Cycling hormones simply introduces mood instability for the sake of roleplaying a biological function that isn't happening. Continuous dosing is likely superior for mental stability, yet the community obsesses over cycling based on vibes.
Why do we do it?
If the science is so shaky, why are these protocols on hrt.fm? Because standard
trans healthcare is often deeply conservative and underwhelming. Many doctors are content
with their patients having A-cup breasts and dysphoria, as long as their liver enzymes are
perfect.
"Honscience" exists to fill the gap between "clinically safe" and "actually passing." It represents the community's desperate, intelligent, and risky attempt to force better results out of a body that fought testosterone for decades.
Use these protocols if you want. But do not delude yourself into thinking this is settled science. You are the lab rat. Proceed with caution.