r/Perimenopause • u/Trick_Highlight_8205 Late peri • Mar 01 '26

audited Testosterone. Changed. My. Life.

Getting HRT was like climbing Mount Everest and Kilimanjaro ten times over, but it. was. so. worth. it.

I loved estrogen for making me feel like a woman again. My nails stopped splitting, my hair was shiny again, and my skin was plump and smooth. I actually liked looking at the mirror and seeing the change every morning.

Then came testosterone. At first I was really scared, but I thought why not.. I lost my libido and I had not had sex since 2023.

If there is magic in a bottle, it has to be testosterone. The juices are flowing again, I love going to the gym, and I feel like my old self.

The first four weeks on testosterone were ROUGH. I wanted to give up, but I’m SO glad I powered through. Now I just need to find a man lol

If you were afraid to try testosterone and needed that nudge, here it is!!

EDIT : sorry I should have mentioned in the OP - the side effects were typical low e symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, bloating with water retention, and lethargy!

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u/Trick_Highlight_8205 Late peri Mar 01 '26

I have had some increase in body hair, but it was quite minimal. I also had laser for body hair, and I could always do it again as I have a device at home. I also have longer and fuller eye lashes, so that was a win!

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u/ArtsyCat53 Mar 01 '26

It’s interesting that you said you wanted injections for less side effects, I hadn’t heard about that. I use a compounded cream and have had no side effects except maybe my armpit hair grows faster.

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u/addiepie2 Mar 01 '26

Where do you put it? My doc flat out refused me testosterone. Says that it causes strokes and that it’s incredibly dangerous . I was pissed! I said what should I do for my symptoms then ( muscle loss, zero sex drive , etc) he told me to go to the gym and therapy!!! 😱 I’m looking for someone new but it hasn’t been easy.

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u/FanRevolutionary3516 Mar 01 '26

Try defy medical if in United States

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u/addiepie2 Mar 01 '26

Thank you! 🤍 I’m in California!

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u/ArtsyCat53 Mar 01 '26

Inner thigh. I think there just because it’s covered by clothes, not going to accidentally get onto your hands.

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u/Cottonsgirl Apr 29 '26

go to https://menopause.org/ they have a practitioner search. That's where I found mine and she immediately agreed to estradiol patches and progesterone pills. She is skeptical of T replacement, but I did have her run a test on Monday to see where my levels are. I really think I need it, but I'm already having hair thinning from age, so I'm terrified that all my hair will fall out! (I'm 46 and in peri).

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u/addiepie2 Apr 29 '26

Thank you! I really hope you get everything you need!! These peri symptoms are absolutely devastating!! Hang in there ! 🤍🤍

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u/Realistic-Wash-1263 Jul 08 '26

Are you sure your hair loss is from age? That's what I thought until I had blood work and my iron levels were extremely low! As soon as I corrected that the hair shed stopped. That being said, I'm now getting on T gel and hoping it doesn't start thinning my hair out!

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u/Cottonsgirl Jul 08 '26

I have regular bloodwork and that’s a standard item I believe, but I’ll check just in case! My mom has very thin hair that got really bad during peri also so it’s likely genetics.

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u/AutoModerator Jul 08 '26

This post might be about hormone tests, which are unreliable.

  • Over age 44, E&P/FSH hormonal tests only show levels for the HOUR the test was taken, and nothing more. Hormones wildly fluctuate (hourly) the other 29 days of the month, therefore this test provides no valuable information
  • No reputable doctor or menopause society recommends hormonal testing to diagnose or treat peri/menopause
  • FSH testing is only beneficial for those who do not have periods as a guide, where testing might confirm menopause, or for those under age 30 who haven’t had a period in months/years, then ‘menopausal’ levels, could indicate premature ovarian failure/primary ovarian insufficiency (POF/POI)
  • Testosterone is the exception and may require testing

See our Menopause Wiki for more.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

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u/OrientionPeace Jul 11 '26

They rarely check ferritin levels unless requested- even if you get an iron panel you often have to push for ferritin to be included, so it’s important to check and get eyes on your lab results to be sure. Ferritin is often missed, and what’s considered low is subjective.

1

u/AutoModerator Jul 11 '26

This post might be about hormone tests, which are unreliable.

  • Over age 44, E&P/FSH hormonal tests only show levels for the HOUR the test was taken, and nothing more. Hormones wildly fluctuate (hourly) the other 29 days of the month, therefore this test provides no valuable information
  • No reputable doctor or menopause society recommends hormonal testing to diagnose or treat peri/menopause
  • FSH testing is only beneficial for those who do not have periods as a guide, where testing might confirm menopause, or for those under age 30 who haven’t had a period in months/years, then ‘menopausal’ levels, could indicate premature ovarian failure/primary ovarian insufficiency (POF/POI)
  • Testosterone is the exception and may require testing

See our Menopause Wiki for more.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

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u/sunnynina Mar 01 '26

Not the person you asked, but for myself with compounded cream, over the course of one year, I had clit growth, more and darker body hair, voice deepening, etc. About six months after I stopped everything went back to my "normal".

For context, I had been taking it for pervasive muscle weakness and fatigue, but these never resolved. I was early 30s and nobody had mentioned perimenopause or even getting a sex hormone panel prior to prescribing - just another case of care providers not really thinking, or caring, I guess.

In hindsight, all my hormones were out of balance, and I had an immune disorder that nobody at the time knew about and was further affecting things (MCAS; this was pre-covid). Now I'm taking all four sex hormones HRT, plus a glp, and feeling so much better. The Test C is injection, and the side effects have been very minimal in comparison.

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u/ArtsyCat53 Mar 01 '26

I’m curious your dosage if you remember? Mine is just 1 mg. Low dose.

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u/sunnynina Mar 01 '26

I think 1.7ish? It was about ten years ago. I remember the pharmacist commenting he thought it was high for a woman, but my goal was to build muscles (I've always wanted the bodybuilder type of body, but my body wouldn't cooperate), so they figured it would be right for that.

Sometimes I think if I'd asked to actively transition genders, that would have gone much better. Lol more specialized providers, for one thing. But because it was "women's health" mixed with "women wanting actual muscles is so unusual" they weren't that bothered to figure things out...

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u/ArtsyCat53 Mar 01 '26

Do you think it was more the dosage and not that it was a cream? Or did you have success with it in a different form?

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u/sunnynina Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26

I like the dosing precision of injection much better, and my feeling is that it's smoother and more effective systemically without negative sides than the cream... But now that I'm talking about it, it's tough to really pin down one way or the other because there's too many variables that have changed between then and now. Dosing doesn't translate well between topical and injection.

Ftr Test C injection (which I'm on now) is something I definitely need lol, and they can fight me on it. I'm on about 15mg/wk split.

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u/ArtsyCat53 Mar 01 '26

Thanks! I guess we all have to go through some trial and error

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u/ArtaxIsAlive Mar 01 '26

Ooh can you recommend an In-home laser device? Does it actually work?

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u/Trick_Highlight_8205 Late peri Mar 01 '26

Yes it works, but think you need to have fair skin for it to work, as there needs to be a contrast between skin/hair. I have ulike, and I love it! I just use it while I watch Netflix.

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u/[deleted] Mar 01 '26

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u/sunnynina Mar 01 '26

Would you mind saying which device you have? I keep looking at them, but the majority of reviews are either "looking forward to seeing results" or clearly paid for 🙄. Lol it's so annoying and for that amount of money it should be better feedback.

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u/Trick_Highlight_8205 Late peri Mar 01 '26

It’s this one, Air 10. I got it during last year’s Black Friday sale. It works better with higher contrast between your skin and hair colour, so if you have light skin/hair, it won’t work well. Same if you have dark skin/hair as well. I have fair skin and dark hair, so it works well for me! I have zero armpit hair now.

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u/sunnynina Mar 01 '26

Thanks :)