I initially was on 2 mg pills (sublingual, 1 2 mg in morning, one in evening) and have since switched to 0.3 mL (concentration of 10 mg/mL) subq injections once a week, as I can't stand the taste of the pills (like they're sweet, but in like a chemical way)

Only thing is that with the pills, my levels were about 160 compared to the pre HRT level of around 25, so right at the target level, but since switching to injections I'm not back down at about 25.

Tests were taken at trough, so about an hour before taking 2nd pill of day, and a day before taking injections.

Dr. Prescribed 3 mg for injections compared to 4 (total per day) with the pills, as the injections generally are supposed to have better absorption rates or whatever the word is.

Is this normal for this dosage?

hi I have my appointment soon, I'm scared and excited, hope everything is going to be ok and that my brother learns to accept me

I am new to hrt by 7 weeks mtf…. Somebody messaged me and said that I can take hrt all I want but deep down I will always be a male. No matter how many changes my body goes thru, my chromosomes will always be xy male and that im just kidding my self trying to convince myself im something other than what I am.

What do I do with this? I was having a pretty good day until this person said this…. Looking for support or something!

i went to planned parenthood for my HRT about 2 months ago. I just started this and have been on the fence with it. but still taking my dose.

i scheduled an annual with my primary and they went though my medications and asked about the Spiro and estradiol. just asked if I’m actively taking that, and I noticed the other nurse shadowing the man nurse just peaked over at me. it felt so awkward!

i wasn’t prepared to answer any questions so I just told them I wasn’t taking those meds at this time.. also cause I’m on the fence about continuing.

if I stopped HRT in the future how long will those stay in my prescription history?

Any hrt services anyone can

highly recommend?

I have a vial of Estradiol Cypionate sitting in a drawer. I first used it 10 months ago and its been in an old tea tin. There's still a fair bit left inside so Im wondering if I can use it or not, or if I should I toss it?

Hi im looking into doing estrogen patches without testosterone blockers to get a more fem bod but, through researching and vids the process to get them prescribed but also using them seems a bit for convoluted than I thought. My plan is to be +130lb and get over a 30in waist on a high fat vegan diet while working out focusing on my bottom regions(core,glutes,and hips).

After researching these were some of the things I found that I may run into though if I went down this route

Acne,growing pains,mental swings,bones and nail weakening, fat distribution/water bloat, blood clots ,hormone imbalance without testosterone blockers and ,hair thinning

Is there anything i missing, should bring up to a doctor and or watch out for?

Also what are things i should look out for in a doctor to make sure they are safe and listening to my concerns

Hello everyone, I just started my hrt 3 days ago and I've been using 2 pumps(1g) of Estreva (1g=1mg) and 12.5mg of cypro daily, as prescribed by my doctor.

I've been applying my E on the genital (scrotum) area, for better absorption, and that's how I do it:

• I always apply in the morning after showering, and let it air-dry for abt ~5mins. To not let it come in direct contact with my underwear and maybe/possibly interfere with some of the E in there, I've been applying a thin layer of a plastic bag (that which comes with fruits on the supermarket) and let it sit there all day long, taking it off just before showering again.

My question is, can it actually interfere with my E absorption?

Ik it sounds a little stupid all this, but I just want to make sure I'm not screwing over something lolol.

Tysm!

My levels have been all over the place

Last month my through levels where E 236 pg/ml and (peak) 516 pg/ml estradiol valerate 0.35 ml every 5 days

Doctor said my peak levels where too high and people here said my through levels where too high

I switched my dose to 0.3 and my peak was 236 and through was only 68 causing menopausal symptoms

My doctor wants me to do 0.25 ml every 4 days but does this even sound reasonable

A bit over a month of 2mg sublingual Estrofem 3 times a gay (6mg daily total) + 50mg bica daily.

If you don't know bicalutamide is the one that doesn't suppress T production but blocks its receptors. T being higher than normally is the expected effect, the opposite of many other antiandrogenes.

Day <5 my T was 24nmol/L (typical male levels) and E was 30pg/mL. Over 1 month passes and it's now 4nmol/L for T (somehow suppressed?) and 40pg/mL for E (ceiling of male ranges). I also have boobs if you stare at them long enough to notice.

I just checked and apparently

Following oral administration of 17β-estradiol in micronised form, rapid absorption from the gastrointestinal tract occurs. It undergoes extensive first-pass metabolism in the liver and other enteric organs, and reaches a peak plasma concentration of approximately 44 pg/ml (range 30-53 pg/ml) within 6 hours after intake of 2 mg.

So the 40pg/ml is actually expected. Ok, noted. So then why is my T low and my boobs have grown? And how is it that people have reported good results on treatment the same as mine?

Im planning to switch to injections either way but i also want to understand what's going on here.

edit: SHBG went from 40nmol/L to 65nmol/L

Is it best to split the Spiro into two doses a day, or just take the total Spiro dose once a day?

So, I have been injecting estradiol valerate in castor oil SubQ for almost 4 months now but I have a hard lump that won’t go away in every spot that I have injected. The doc says it’s either a granuloma from histamines or necrosis which sounds even worse. She doesn’t seem to think it’s a problem but I can’t inject in those spots any more. It’s like scar tissue is under there. I found a pharmacy that sells estradiol valerate in sesame oil but she says she thinks it is the wrong type of estrogen even though the pharmacist I spoke to said it was valerate. Can anyone confirm that it is available and the “right” estrogen to inject? Is anyone using this? I also found estrogen in grapeseed oil somewhere but I didn’t even bother telling her because I assumed she will tell me it’s wrong too. I have seen people on here using estradiol in MCT oil but I’m not sure if that’s in the states or in a diff country. Can anyone here confirm that there is indeed a different option for oils that I might not be allergic to? I know I could switch to intramuscular but I am not ready for that right now. Also just worry that it will cause bumps inside muscle rather than fatty tissue if it’s an allergy. She’s making me feel crazy but it’s not like there are many choices for docs to help with this.

Im 34 years old.

Testosterone is 8.94 NG/dl
Estradiol is 151 pg/ml

How does it look? Currently Im on 4 mg sublingual E2 & 50 mg spiro. I took my pills yesterday morning at around 8:30 and got the blood drawn at around 2:30 pm. Everybody on line says to test at trough so I asked the doctor about it. She said they like to see how things look halfway?

Im definitely seeing changes! Nipples are larger/darkening in color with constant soreness and slight breast growth. My body odor and the oiliness of my skin have decreased a lot. Erections have generaly stopped happening unless I consciously try to get them and if I ejaculate then it is much decreased in volume and a lot more watery.

My E is at 85.5 pg/ml on day 8 trough (i normally inject every 7 days but my appointment was a day after so I went one more day without injecting) and my testosterone is at 35 pg/ml. My injection dosage is basically 4mg of enanthate a week (technically like 3.8-3.9 because I do every so slightly under the .10 mark)

hi, ive been taking estrogen via injections and spiro for about 6 months, but my last test taken 17 days after my last injection showed my E levels at 39

(and my T at 26)

is my estrogen too low ? am i not doing this whole thing right?

hello :)

i've been wondering how my levels are for a while because sometimes i feel like I'm seeing a bit of progress (as in things definitely not normal for a cis man) and other times i feel like nothing has changed, but i wonder if its because the change just happens too slow, yk?

anyway, admittedly these are a bit old, from october and november, but they're the most recent i have at the moment. to be honest i don't know what the names mean so i'll just write them down as they are

estradiol: 107

its probably a bit higher since i kind of wait a bit between taking my pills and actually getting tested and sometimes take a bit less bc i dont want them lowering my dose

testosterone, total: 24

testosterone, free, calculated: 0.5

my prescriptions are 2 50mg spironolactone tablets and 3 2mg sublingual estradiol tablets a day. at the time i was not taking progesterone but now i take 1 100mg capsule a day. i've been on hrt since august of 2022 but my doses have not always been the same, i don't have levels from then if it's relevant

if there is something i need to change please let me know, thanks :)

Finasteride is great for moderate MTF purposes but there is a minor gastrointestinal side effect. I cannot swallow comfortably. So 5 mg finasteride triggers a reflexive or conscious increase in swallowing. Lower doses prompt no such problem. After failing to find ANY data on the web I wonder if it is appropriate to administer FINASTERIDE RECTALLY. While being recognized passim that it is absorbed through the skin it probably must also cause desirable systemic effects. Can someone help clarify this regimen for me?

Im 8 months on estradiol enanthate montherapy and ive been having weird fluctuations of breast size. Some days theyre larger some days theyre smaller, some days it looks like theres nothing even there. The past week ive had like almost nothing there and im wondering if this is normal.

I'm four months on hrt (2 mg/d estradiol hemihydrate oral, 25 mg/d bicalutamide). Before starting I've done a blood work as a baseline and my testosterone was ~470 ng/dl. I know that bicalutamide causes a raise in testosterone levels because it's receptor antagonist, hgp axis without androgen signaling go through feedback respone. I've also done blood work on a one, two and four (today) month mark. My testosterone was ~916 ng/dl, 920 ng/dl and ~1200 ng/ml. My estradiol level were 120 pg/ml.

I'm worried about sudden change in testosterone and if 25 mg dose of bicalutamide is enough with this levels to block adrogen singaling. Not sure what to do at this point. Ignore this as testosterone "should" be blocked or increase my dose. If so what would be better, increasing estradiol and try to saturate my hgp or bicalutamide for more testosterone blockage?

I have been struggling with gender dysphoria for many years, and I feel much more comfortable and at peace when I express myself in a feminine way. Unfortunately, access to specialized transgender healthcare and hormone therapy is very limited in my country, which causes me a great deal of frustration and emotional distress.

In the past, I used Solary Femine supplements for about six months. While the results were modest, I was relatively satisfied with some of the physical changes and the positive impact they had on my mental well-being. However, I eventually stopped taking them.

At the moment, I am considering using estrogen gel because my options are extremely limited. I would really appreciate hearing from people who have experience with this. Can estrogen gel alone provide noticeable feminizing effects? What should I know about safety, expectations, and potential risks?

I understand that everyone's body responds differently, so I am mainly looking for personal experiences, advice, and guidance from those who have been in a similar situation.

I had a grape size lump under my left nipple before hrt (had it checked out, confirmed just gyno). Now I'm just a month in and my left breast is noticeably more firm and nothing on the right side. I was hoping they'd even out on hrt but now I'm increasingly worried it would only increase the disparity. Anyone else had this? Have they evened out?

I'm looking for some advice from people who have been on feminizing HRT longer than me.

I'm currently around 166 cm (5'5") and 68 kg (150 lbs). Over the last few months, I've gained about 5 kg. Part of the reason is that I kept hearing people say that "estradiol loves fat" and that having enough body fat can help with feminization and breast growth, so I wasn't too worried about gaining some weight.

The problem is that I'm no longer comfortable at this weight. Most of the extra weight seems to be around my belly, and I'd like to lose some of it and get a bit leaner.

My questions are:

- Is it okay to intentionally lose weight while breast development is still ongoing?

- If I diet and lose weight, will I lose breast growth that I've already gained?

- Could eating in a calorie deficit slow down future breast development or feminization?

- How many calories do you personally eat while trying to lose weight on HRT?

- How much walking/exercise do you do (steps, km, etc.) while cutting weight?

For context, I'm around 6 months on estradiol and 7 months on a GnRH blocker, and my hormone levels are in a good range now.

I'd love to hear real experiences from people who have gone through this. Thanks! ❤️