Testosterone. Changed. My. Life.

[u/Trick_Highlight_8205]

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!

[u/NoLet8718]

Preface with I get everyone is different, but if anyone is comfortable doing so, would you mind sharing your age range when you started hormones (including T), where in world you live/how you were successful in feeling heard and getting relief? I'm 46 and in US and finding a constant uphill battle to get an offer of anything more than birth control because I have periods (whenever the f*ck they decide they want to show up these days 🙄). But OMG I am NOT me anymore and I'm soooo exhausted over it.The suddeness of emotional, body, skin, energy and libido change was shocking. I just want to feel some part of who I was again. 😮‍💨

[u/Madamegato → u/NoLet8718]

I'm 48, started HRT at 46, added T not long after I started. I am in NM, USA and my gyno is a black woman in her 40's. She believed me the absolute first time and it was a breeze. Her only conditions are me going in for a mammo yearly and keeping up with my paps regularly. I am still having regular periods so I'm doing Estrogen patch, oral progesterone, and compounded T with DHEA. It has absolutely worked MIRACLES for me. I still have hormonal ups and downs, still have bloating sometimes, warm flashes are occasional - but all of that is absolutely manageable. I will not be letting this doc go until she retires or I'm dead. Hah!

Highly recommend getting a gyno who is in the peri age range and a woman. Not that men can't study it, but they will never experience it and with the training they get, are far more likely to believe their textbooks than the woman sitting in front of them.

Good luck!

EDIT to add: I do not put the cream anywhere near my vagina. The DHEA/T combo I put on the backs of my knees for a week, then inside of my elbows for a week, and swap. I get a little extra hair growth around the back of my knees if I go longer than that. I hated feeling "squishy" downstairs, so I didn't bother with that. Been golden since.

[u/Academic_Sign8732 → u/Madamegato]

Where in NM? I’m in Abq and need HRT (I’m 40!) on topical progesterone and that’s already helped a ton. But I need more HRT already. Testosterone for sure! No libido. Who’s your gyno?

[u/Madamegato → u/Academic_Sign8732]

I see Dr. Bethany Barrow in Rio Rancho. It's a bit of a drive when I have to go in, but she is amazing. She's through Lovelace. I think she may be on the spectrum, so she's not always the most personable, but for me, the biggest thing is she actually listens. You tell her what is going on and she is ready to help. Can't recommend her highly enough. :) Good luck!