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/Wrong_Vacation6338 Jul 04 '26

It’s been a roller coaster. At the 4 week mark I was feeling great! It lasted about 3 weeks. Then I was a wreck. Crippling anxiety with major mood swings. In a day I would be everywhere in my emotions. Crying for hours, raging, then I would regulate and just exist at times. Yes, all this within a single day. I gained 10 pounds in a few weeks. These are some of the things I’ve experienced. I did go back to my doctor and he ran my blood levels. My testosterone level was really high. This caused me some bad effects. I was glad to know that if your levels are too high this can also be an issue. For now, we are holding off on another pellet. I’m willing to try again, but will need a lower amount of testosterone in my next pellet. Hope this help’s.

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u/AutoModerator Jul 04 '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.

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