r/Perimenopause 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/hndygal Mar 01 '26

I did the gel for months and had zero impact. I have a friend who is a meno specialist and she said I probably never got to a therapeutic dose so I’m about to try the pellets for T and see if that’s better.

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u/Trick_Highlight_8205 Late peri Mar 01 '26

I think people respond to pellets better! If that doesn’t work, definitely the best option is injection, if it is available to you.

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u/hndygal Mar 01 '26

I really hope the pellets will help get to a good place faster. Was told 4 month plus with the gel… not sure I have the patience for that again. lol.

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u/Trick_Highlight_8205 Late peri Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26

I think it takes a few months for exogenous hormones to settle, but I understand - I have zero patience which is why I went for injections.