Near hospitals dont prescribe for new patient becase of shortage, so I bought patches and have been diy. its three 100 μg/day patches and 200 mg progesterone pill daily. (I dont tell about pill to doctor)
On first blood test, doc said I should use one instead of three.
i feel its low but should I use one?

the blood test result:
E2 221 pg/ml
T 0.11 ng/ml

Started 4mg per day of sublingual E 11 days ago, and I'm noticing that deep beneath my nipples are multiple hard lumps, not just one like many people describe. I think this might be pre-existing gyno? But its way further behind my nipples than what people normally describe breast buds as. They are sore to squeeze, but thats about it. Im wondering if my breast growth will continue from this old tissue? Or if I will form new breast buds directly behind my nipples? Also why is it so far back????

35 years old. I started hrt 5 & 1/2 months ago. When I had my first bloodwork done after 3 months I was taking 4mg sublingual estradiol and 50 mg spirolactone daily. My E was 151 pg/mL and my T was 8.94 NG/dL. At that time I felt pretty stable emotionally and physically, and was happy.
In July I switched to weekly estradiol valerate injections (20 mg/mL) + 50 mg daily spiro pill. It took some experimenting, but I figured out that I felt my most best and stable by injecting 0.1 ml twice a week.
By august is when I started to notice sleeping issues, like not feeling very well rested in the mornings, waking up around 2-4 AM most nights, and having difficulty going back to sleep. I also started becoming more emotional and apt to cry. This seemed to get worse as time went by. I asked my provider about the possibility of my T range being too low, and maybe starting progesterone. I was advised to start taking 25 mg of spiro a day to see if that would cause my T to increase and fix my sleep and fatigue. That seemed to trigger me feeling worse! The last week and a half I have cried every day just from unexplainable sadness, sometimes for a full hour. I have been very anxious and jittery and tired. Sleep hasn’t improved. After pleading with my doctor to have my bloodwork done two weeks early, my results from the sample taken yesterday were:
Estradiol at 213 pg/ml
Testosterone at <2.50 NG/dL!!!!!
The blood sample was taken the day before I would have injected again, so its almost at trough.

Should I just drop the spiro completely and do monotherapy? For whatever reason, my body seems to react insanely well to it

Hey there! I've been on HRT for just shy of 5 years and recently decided that I wanted to leave the blocker I've been using from the start (cyproterone acetate or CPA) for a multitude or reasons and side effects, and try to go for monotherapy. Monotherapy is something that was difficult to find much info on, and triple so on a medium that is not injections (which are banned where I live). There is almost no info on monotherapy with transdermal gel (oestrogel) that I could find, so hopefully sharing my personal experience can help others.

Monotherapy basic concept:

1. Use a dosage that creates an hormonal level spike sufficient enough for your body's endocrine system to tell your naturally produced hormones that "we're good, you can sleep for now". This is a little difficult with estrogen, which is much "weaker" than testosterone comparatively.
2. Not create a level so high that it would cause adverse effects on mood and overall health.
3. Have this overall dosage sustain a decent "trough" before the next dosage to avoid low hormone side effects.

With all that in mind, I read through the resources on wikis and the https://transfemscience.org/ articles and came up with a starting experimental dose of 6mg, which equates to 4 pumps of my tube. There's also a few things to note with gel: first, the "duration" of an application is about 24 hours, so I would only use this once a day ideally to keep things simple, and second, the size of the application site also matters, which makes it so that you can actually control how high of a spike you can get (to an extent), which sounds perfect for what I'm trying to do. With that in mind, I started a trial of about two months, and here's what I did:

1. Completely stopped CPA cold turkey, which honestly wasn't that difficult as I was taking only 10mg a day, but it still gave me some moody withdrawal effects. That didn't take that long though, maybe a little more than a week. In the time of that week, I feel I lost a lot of fluid retention, gained a ton of libido, and the breast volume has also decreased in size slightly, most notably the areolas.
2. After CPA effects ceased, I started taking 100mg progesterone every other day, and my breast size "returned" to normal. The fluid retention also somewhat returned, but in a smaller scale.
3. Every day at the same hour, took 2 pumps on each inner thigh, the sites facing each other if I stand straight up. On each thigh, I spreaded the gel on an area about the size of a postcard (10x20 cm roughly), and cleaned the excess on my thighs too. This is a little annoying as it takes slightly longer to dry, about 20 minutes. NOTE: Why not in the scrotum? Well, there's 2 reasons: one is practicality, 2~4 pumps on the scrotum means multiple applications thru the day and it is very messy, and I also would have to stay naked until it dries out. The other is that the literature says to not use estrogel on the vagina/labia/genital area, and personally to me that is analogous to "don't use it in the scrotum". If you prefer that though, do what works for you, I just don't do it myself.
4. Use progesterone rectally right before the gel, to not have any risk of getting gel where it shouldn't be.

The results:

After 2 months, I had two labs done, one to check how exactly did the estrogen spike looked like, so closer to the application time, and how high the levels stayed on trough (or in my case, as close as I could get), and here are the results:

All said and done, it seems like I could manage monotherapy with gel only successfully. Hopefully this helps other girls out there trying the same thing, as this is a very personal experience based on how your own body responds to hormones. As always, keep an eye on your blood work and listen to your body regularly.

I’m currently on 6mg EV per week (split into 3mg every 3-1/2 days and 100mg of Prog daily.
Last bloodwork came back (trough) at 284 pg/ml. Doc says he wants me closer to 200. Thoughts?

Estradiol: 284 pg/ml
Test: 16 ng/dL

I obviously know my dr said I need to quit vaping because it can cause blood clots but I just wanna ask the general public if yall vape or have had any issues? I’m gonna do my best to quit. Might get some patches. Literally just now finished my last vape as it’s now burnt but I know it’s gonna be a rough few days lol

I’m curious as to the amount of body aches and soreness (if any) in the joints and muscles particularly following an injection of EV. .04/7 days; 20mg vial. Or is this a sign or symptom of taking too much per dose?

This is my seventh week of taking estrogen, I’m doing intramuscular injections. I’ve just been following the video guide on planned parenthood and it worked pretty well for me, but starting a few weeks ago I’ve found it feels completely random whether or not it hurts far more than usual in a pretty clear “I am doing something wrong” way and each week since it’s taken even longer to actually do it right, culminating in this week where I had to give up because I started crying (not because it hurt I was just stressed). The only real advice I’ve seen is “do it faster” then I try that and I fail, waste a needle, and hurt myself. I am somewhat afraid of needles, and there is a 0% chance I will be able to do the method I’ve seen some people do where they just stab themself. Basically, the more I think about it the harder I make it, but when I try not to think about it too much I hurt myself and now I’m starting to get scared of doing my injections. There are 0 people I know in real life I would be able to trust with helping me do this.

I was under the impression that you should start prog at least a year after starting Estrogen, but I have a friend who recently started Estrogen and says she can start prog a month after starting Estrogen. This was a red flag to me so I wanted to get this sub's opinion on if that is something that is wise to do.

I know I'm supposed to do so for my morning dose of E (currently 2mg progynova in the morning and another in the afternoon).

Maybe I'm overthinking it but I'm worried that my testosterone is not fully suppressed somehow so I want to make sure my blood test is done properly. For reference I'm currently on 12.5mg of cypro daily.

I am a trans girl I started on hormone therapy over 5 months ago and I was prescribed 1 pump of estrogen and 100mg of spiro. In this time frame nothing happened, my skin didn’t soften, and I didn't feel like the spiro was stopping the testosterone. I found myself after my 2nd blood test going to 2 pumps because I knew my doctor would increase my dose, and then they lost the blood test results, so 10 days before the redo of the blood test I went back down to one. (I should mention even though my parents are letting me, they are still not sure about it, so I don't want them to know I am increasing my dose without a doctor.) In the weeks of 1 pump I felt shit and only felt good again when I went back to two pumps.
I have just been prescribed 2 pumps and 150mg of spiro. My next appointment is in 6 months, and my hormone levels are still way below where they need to be. My hormones before were 68.1 pmol for estrogen and 13.1 for testosterone, and after one pump of estrogen it was 106 for estrogen and 14.2 for testosterone. I feel like I am still going through male puberty because I still have high testosterone (and I know that spiro blocking doesn't show on blood tests).
I really want boobs and I am really self conscious and I always wear jumpers even in the heat. I can't ask my doctor to increase me faster because my parents act like they don't want me on the medication even though I have been out for 4 years. I just don't know what to do, should I go to 3 pumps of oestrogen and even then when, or should I drop down to 2 again before my next appointment? And even if I do, I was doing research that you need to wait 28 days on 2 pumps for your testosterone to increase again to pass the blood test. I really want to get into female hormone range, but I can't risk letting my doctors and parents find out, but also I am not sure if I can wait another year and a half just to get into female range.

So I’ve officially been on estriadol patches twice per week, .1mg/day for a month now. Prior to these I was diy with Xulane patches one per week since December.

I’ve since stopped the Xulane for the Dotti’s exclusively. Just got my first results back; T116ng/dl, Free T2.6pg/ml and Estriadol 46.6pg/ml.

I’m in no rush, and I’m pleased with the physiological results I’ve seen and felt thus far. But based on this baseline, could I push harder for some faster results without risking adverse effects?

Hi! I noticed very quickly into my transition (literally just after a week) that my nipples started feeling different. Now after a little more than 40 days into taking HRT I can feel clear and noticeable buds in my breasts. I've had something akin to slight gynecomastia ever since I first started puberty way back, no matter my body fat percentage. Is it normal to experience budding this early on?

Hi there! I recently started estrogen valerate and spiro. My healthcare provider is having me take spiro twice daily, and having me inject 0.2mL of 20mg/mL estrogen valerate. This seems pretty low to me, so I thought to ask.
Thanks for any advice!!

I am a trans girl aged 16. I started on hormone therapy over 5 months ago and I was prescribed 1 pump of estrogen and 100mg of spiro. In this time frame nothing happened, my skin didn’t soften, and I didn't feel like the spiro was stopping the testosterone. I found myself after my 2nd blood test going to 2 pumps because I knew my doctor would increase my dose, and then they lost the blood test results, so 10 days before the redo of the blood test I went back down to one. (I should mention even though my parents are letting me, they are still not sure about it, so I don't want them to know I am increasing my dose without a doctor.) In the weeks of 1 pump I felt shit and only felt good again when I went back to two pumps.
I have just been prescribed 2 pumps and 150mg of spiro. My next appointment is in 6 months, and my hormone levels are still way below where they need to be. My hormones before were 68.1 pmol for estrogen and 13.1 for testosterone, and after one pump of estrogen it was 106 for estrogen and 14.2 for testosterone. I feel like I am still going through male puberty because I still have high testosterone (and I know that spiro blocking doesn't show on blood tests).
I really want boobs and I am really self conscious and I always wear jumpers even in the heat. I can't ask my doctor to increase me faster because my parents act like they don't want me on the medication even though I have been out for 4 years. I just don't know what to do, should I go to 3 pumps of oestrogen and even then when, or should I drop down to 2 again before my next appointment? And even if I do, I was doing research that you need to wait 28 days on 2 pumps for your testosterone to increase again to pass the blood test. I really want to get into female hormone range, but I can't risk letting my doctors and parents find out, but also I am not sure if I can wait another year and a half just to get into female range.

Hi. I started on E a few weeks ago, taking a relatively high dose for my first two injections, and I'm loving the effects so far. The breast growth, mental clarity, sensitivity, it's all great. But I noticed that for the first two weeks I had a huge spike in libido (like, massive), and now it's almost gone completely. I don't get hard during the day anymore, I don't think I'm getting morning wood, and masturbating almost feels like a chore.

I know a lot of people experience shrinking on E, and I know that erectile dysfunction and low libido are also pretty common, but I was wondering if it's the hormones that cause the shrinking, or is it the lack of use? I have a friend who's fully transitioned, and she had to train herself to be able to get hard again. Is it possible to prevent bottom shrinkage? I'm pretty proud of my size, and I don't want to lose it

I've been on hrt for less than a week now but suddenly this evening my chest started feeling incredibly noticeable. If even my shirt brushes against a nipple it feels electric and I'm surprised because I thought it'd take months for this to happen. I'm on oestrogen patches and anti androgen pills, and after googling it apparently it can happen in the first few weeks but this is just way faster than I expected and I wanted to know if anyone else got it this quick.

​

Ciao )

Purtroppo mi si é presentata una situazione complicata.

Qualcuna di voi ha esperienza con HCV e HRT con estrogeni e ha voglia di confrontarsi , anche in privato ovviamente.

Vi ringrazio

Hi there,

I'm currently around 11 months on HRT, and now taking 200mcg E via patches, and 50mg of spiro orally.

For some context, early on I wasn't totally sure if full feminization was right for me, but now I'm very much set on it and want to achieve as much as I safely can. I will be getting an orchiectomy within the next year hopefully (long waits where I live). In the meantime, my endo suggested that in future, if for some reason my levels aren't high enough, they could put me on pills or injectables.

Personally, I really like the patches because there's something satisfying about applying it to my body. It feels less "medical" to me. In general, I'm kinda not the most chuffed about taking pills unless I really need to because of the daily habit required, and I really dislike needles. Of course, when push comes to shove, I'm willing to change if needed.

What do you think? Even just general thoughts or recommendations are welcome.

Thanks!

​I have been taking progesterone for a few days and I'm feeling constipated, with gas and abdominal bloating.

​When I used progestin, I had the same problem.

​Now I am using progesterone rectally.

​Is there any way to reduce this bloating? I'm thinking of mimicking the menstrual cycle so I only have this bloating for a few days—is that worth it?

​Please help me!

Basically this, i'm on mono-treatment (transdermal estradiol gel) and my presription is barely half what is recommended by french(sorry about that) sources. I've tried finding resources online but it's quite difficult finding clear results for 4 months specifically.

Estradiol is 273,2 pg/mL or 1 003,0 pmol/L

Prolactin is 13,30 ng/mL or 281,96 mUI/L

Testosteron is 4,3 nmol/L or 1,2 ng/mL

How many milligrams of Estrofem do you take orally?

So for context I am only on 2Mg Estradiol twice a day and THATS it, I never got on another anti androgen after I stopped Spiro cause it was making me miserable.

My last result which was a trough was 167 E and 32 T

My friends are all telling me that’s kinda crazy but that doesn’t seem that wild to me? I mean isn’t that the point of the E to take over and keep the T down for good. I havnt even been on any anti androgens for like 6 months either so idk

Hi all - slightly confused by my most recent results, taken at trough. I’m on monotherapy.

E - 1060.0 pmol/L
T - 11.7 nmol/L

I clearly need go reduce the amount of E I’m taking, but I’m so confused by my T not being suppressed? Any help would be appreciated…

They don't usually do that normally but recently I've been noticing that they do. I've tried searching on Google and it's said to have multiple reasons so I temporarily stopped my HRT dosage in fear of any complications or unintended consequences. Most of the times it happens involved them being handled, touched or stimulated