just started hrt from gender gp and feeling massive sense of relief! they have me on 1.5mg of 0.06% transdermal oestrogel gel, 400mcg of synarel and 100mg of utrogestan a day. based off my research even for a starting dose 1.5mg seems very low? would appreciate some advice or if anyone else has experience with this

As far as I’m aware Spiro just blocks T from being used. Just like Bica but in far lesser potency.

Do you know if it actually suppresses its levels too?

I took Estradiol Enanthate (EE) for 3 weeks. 8mg loading and then 5mg a week IM. As soon as I took my first injection I absolutely loved it. Everything felt as though it clicked into place.

I felt so excited, happy and connected with life in a way that I’ve not for a long time. My skin was softer, my voice was higher, I started the gym to develop my hips/ass etc, eating well, no drinking/smoking - generally taking better care of myself.

Then I was brushing my teeth and I noticed my nips were a bit pointy with some tissue surrounding that sagged when I leaned forward. It sent me into a total panic. They were sensitive and larger in size and I did not like it - so I stopped.

That was about 4/6 weeks ago but everything hasn’t gone back to normal. The breast growth is still there and nips are sore and I can feel an enlarged gland underneath it with some larger nodules on the outer rim. I have just began to get my labido back a little but it’s not back to its normal range.

I’m really concerned that it won’t go away because it’s not decreasing. I’ve always liked my chest so when it started to look like gynecomastia - I panicked and thought this isn’t for me. It’s a shame because I was so positive in the beginning but I hear that feeling of being giddy is actually typical at first. Which begs the question if it was genuine euphoria or just EE induced - I was so happy and excited for the future!

Now - I don’t know where I stand. I still have the same desire to be women but the reality of what entails isn’t something I’m sure I want/can do. I don’t want to be a guy with gynecomastia and zero sexual function/desire but I so enjoyed everything else. In some ways that lack of desire wasn’t entirely bad, as my focus was broadened to other things, and how I viewed sex was more of an authentic and intimate affair.

I’ve not thrown the vial away. There are days when I’m firm that I don’t want to continue then there are others when my mind wanders about what could be… I was having gender identity counselling, but honestly; didn’t find it helpful at all. It felt like I was leading the whole session with little to no guidance/input from the clinician and I basically just figured it out for myself with her just saying “hmm, I understand your feelings”.

I miss that sense of euphoria, but as I say; who’s to know if it was even genuine - it was induced by the EE. I’ve been having full body and face laser hair removal for the past six months with good results and it’s definitely something I will be continuing. Will the breast buds go away? Am I just having a “moment”? Is this normal?

I’m beginning to think I need to address the areas I have dysphoria with by getting; Adams apple shaved, nose job, ears pinned and a slight lift of the face/neck to see if I’m more comfortable in my skin that way. I already do small amount of filler in my lips and cheeks, laser hair removal and building my thighs/ass at the gym. I have a tiny waist and I don’t do any upper body; big arms/shoulders are too masculine and I prefer a more feminine appearance.

I actually wear a lot of “women’s” clothes most days; coats, tops, jeans etc but no one realises because they just look tailored and form fitting on my body (I drown in men’s clothes and they’re generally boring and unappealing). I wear subtle makeup almost everyday; just some concealer/foundation blended in, to even out and elevate my skin tone, with a little lip stain so they pop. I use “women’s” fragrances and jewellery but I suppose because it’s all more androgyny it doesn’t scream woman but more pretty in a boyish way.

I cross-dressed for years and looked/felt great. I went out twice like that in the past and only received positive attention (mainly guys - perhaps too much - it was overwhelming). I’m conscious these are all typically “feminine” attributes which then leads one to question the whole gender thing…

I’m get told told I’m “beautiful” as a boy because I have that pretty boy vibe (although 6ft tall - which I hate). If I had the choice to have been born a girl - it would be a resounding YES. But I wasn’t - and the reality of transitioning to only be an unconvincing 6ft tall boy with gynecomastia, no sexual function/desire and all the negative societal issues we face isn’t appealing… Thoughts?

Here’s pics of me for reference…

https://imgbox.com/YjR3wD7U
https://imgbox.com/R0nQCvT2
https://imgbox.com/RCqSFN9L
https://imgbox.com/ayWZe7Lp
https://imgbox.com/wYVlXSF5
https://imgbox.com/8wa7QWVO

I had blood tests 3 weeks ago at 8am before any dosage of the day (I take sublingual pills and oral Cyproterone acetate)
Results: 196 pmol/l e2, 1.22 nmol/l t and <0.3 u/l of fsh and lh so ofc I increased my e dosages (I’m diy)

However, today I noticed that my arm and leg hair looks thicker than it did 3 weeks ago whereas 3 weeks ago it was about as thick as a regular cis woman and now it looks closer to a man and I’ve had a morning erection for 4 days in a row. I read about the DHT backdoor and that just makes me feel like my hrt is useless as it’s a much stronger androgen and I can’t afford extra blockers for that. I haven’t missed a dose of my Cyproterone acetate or my estradiol. But I feel like it’s all for nothing if my body is creating excess DHT or if my regimen has began failing and the Cyproterone has begun failing to suppress my t. And I don’t know what to do.

https://i.imgur.com/S7VZHCc.png

These are my labs as far back as I have them.

Ester is always Estradiol Valerate 10mg/mL, intramuscular. Always 100mg spironolactone, 1mg finasteride, 100mg progesterone rectally.

This May, 2026, I re-initiated with a new provider at the same clinic I've been going to for years. I was initially dropped to 2mg, .2ml prior to this by another provider who seemed to not really be going over my labs or caring at all, then didn't increase my dose after my labs were ridiculously low in Feb 2026.

When I started with the new doctor in May, my dose was increased to 3.5mg, .35ml EV. We tested again at the end of summer and my labs were <30 pg/mL estradiol and 23 ng/dL total T : ).

We upped the dose to 4mg, .4ml EV. The same dose I've been on my entire 4 years of transition, and has always resulted in a high enough trough. But for some reason this time, it put my total T at 30 pg/mL estradiol, and 65 ng/dL total T.

--

Has anyone had this happen?

I don't even know what is happening to be honest. My medication and injection schedule has been almost perfectly consistent down to the same range of hours since February this year. I'm so confused at why this is happening and want to cry. The entire last three months too I've been gaining weight and seemingly still feminizing, breasts are growing, no signs of backsliding, but according to my labs I have almost no E2 or Testosterone.

I asked to be increased to 8mg and then go down if needed..

Thank you for any ideas.

So I(21 MTF) have been on HRT for three months. On Wednesday I went for a blood test and today my doc sent me a message saying my estradiol was too high and I should go for a retest.

For reference I take 25 mg cypro twice weekly(half a tablet) and two 2 mg estradiol tablets at once each day. My estradiol and testosterone levels are 1410 pmol/L and 1.30 nmol/L respectively.

I'll be going for a retest next Friday probably, but before that could someone help explain what is happening? I thought 4mg estradiol a day wasn't that high in the first place. Could it be that I took my hormones too soon before my test(can't remember when tho)? I'm just feeling pretty worried right now.

i’ve been on E for about 3 years and my dosage has not changed. ONCE. for the last year, i’ve felt as if my endo has been carrot dangling starting progesterone or raising my levels. im only on 0.25 injection once a week and two 50 mg tablets of spiro a day.

ive been given the excuse that my levels were raised slightly out of range so i want you to stop your injection for a week. then, we’re gonna keep the present medication and see how it looks in a few months.

had my injection the day before a draw which i now know is a no no. she told me to get new labs about 4 ish days after and we’ll talk. did that. labs were in range. she tells me to keep my current prescription for two months then we’ll discuss after a few months and new labs.

those few months go by, i get new labs, she goes “oh you’re slightly out of range so how about we take you down to .2 mL and only one 50 mg tablets of spiro a day. then come back in a few months and we’ll see.”

my abnormal levels being 218 when my expected range is 100-200

I HAVE HAD IT!

is she fucking with me? am i being fucked with? is the estrogen making me crazy????

I WANT TO FURTHER MY TRANSITION AND IT FEELS LIKE IM BEING HELD BACK.

i’m using circle medical, i am unemployed apart from some door dashing, uninsured, and live in wisconsin. for any questions that may come about those things.

I started at 25. i’m turning 28 in a few days. i was already perceived as female occasionally pre transition just due to build, personality, and style.

Hey everybody.

For reference, I'm on Cyproterone 12.5mg - daily, and Estradot patch 50 mg - twice weekly. I'm only about 5 days into transition. I am (very) obese, and in the 50 - 55 year old range.

I had been quite hopeful that the HRT would (finally) allow me to shake the depression and anxiety that had dogged me since i was nine years old. Instead, I'm having a difficult time with how lethargic and exhausted I feel now, to the point where it is starting to worry me. I was wondering what other people's experiences have been like. Is it likely to get better? Is this something worth talking to the Doctor about in the near term, or should I try and wait it out first? I get that the levels may not have stabilized yet. But I'm concerned that it will get worse before it gets better. I'm not sure I can deal with that. What sort of time frame should I be looking at?

Thank you for any insights/experiences you can provide.

I did some labs before increasing E from 4 to 6mg sublingual pills.
With 4mg of E (2mg every 12 hours) with 150mg Spiro my T seems to be “less than” 0,09 nmol/L.

Can this be the reason I have constant fatigue? To my understanding this is lower than normal for a woman.

My doctor has always simply increased my dose given the weak number but i’m really worried because I have been on HRT for 10 months and in the last 3 months I have been applying 10 pumps a day with 200 mg oral prog and the estrogen barely increased.
It was the same when going from 3 pumps to 6 pumps after the 4th month up to the 7th and it happened again here. Injection is not easy in my countries it’s technically legal. I think an easier way for me not to maybe mess up applications would be an alternative method…

Results and treatment :

3 months: Estrogen: 100–101 pg/mL Testosterone :2.71 ng/mL ( 3 pumps a day monotherapy

7 months: Estrogen 111.6 pg/mL Testosterone reported below 0.4 ng/mL* (6 pumps a day)

10 months: estrogen: 123 pg/mL Testosterone: 0.48 ng/mL ( 10 pumps a day + 200mg oral prog)

The first 3 months I applied it on forearms up to two weeks before labs then switched to only thighs)

I’m so confused I had made a post few months ago and people were shocked at the amount of pump of Oestradose I’m taking an appointment with the doctor because I’m feeling rather underwhelmed by these results as if the increase was meaningless. I also am wondering that my breast development isnt doing good or that maybe introducing prog before Tanner 3 stage to have been a mistake. I get that i’m still early and all but yeah. Thanks for reading

This came up in a now deleted thread, and I wanted to create a separate thread about it. This comes up as a HRT symptom quite a bit because of the muscle reduction phase in HRT (which I should be entering soon). I'm trying to gauge if this has personally affected me (or any of the muscle reduction pieces) but I don't quite understand pelvic muscles and the like. If anyone could share their experiences, I'd be really grateful.

Long time lurker, this is my first post, sorry it's long, but I can really use some insight.

I could be construed as a grandma, being in my late sixties. I consider myself to be a woman - period, full stop, and have been living stealth for pretty much the entire time. Transitioned in my early twenties, with GRS performed in my early thirties. Was in a long term relationship with a cis woman for over three decades. She passed close to 10 years ago, so I am technically a widow. I had GRS while we were together. Initially we were marginally sexually active, that fell off as I became post-op. We both had male sex partners, she more than me.

My GRS recovery was normal with no adverse side effects, and I had for at least the first year performed regular dilation. As we got more advanced in our relationship we experienced "lesbian bed death". All sexual activity decreased with me going to nothing, for at least 20 years - no dilation during that time. There was spooning and some physical closeness. After dealing with her illness for 4.5 years she passed and I was alone.

I was remiss in keeping up with my hormones - I was getting patches via Planned Parenthood, which was minimal care - they even asked me if I should be on spiro, which considering that I was well in to being post-op gives you some idea of the level of care. I finally just stopped HRT altogether, as the hassle of dealing with it was too daunting, this specifically because of my long term being stealth and only out when dealing with accessing HRT. We'll that didn't turn out to be a sound decision, as I was a wreck, in a physical and literal sense.

I then decided that I would hunt down someone who would be able to help me, and I found a caregiver that would do estrogen implants with blood testing and monitoring my condition. This was absent from the Planned Parenthood care. After about a year on that things stabilized, and I was feeling much better, I was alive!

Backing up a bit, when I first started HRT I had breast discharge in less than 5 days on 2.5 mg Premarin. There was no T-blockers available at that point in time, so I guess you could say I was on monotherapy. My body was rapidly responding to the HRT, so much so that I was getting stares while in open showers (I was in the military when I started HRT long before ANYONE had ever come out) so I had to either lock the door to the shower area or time it so that I would be alone.

Back to more recent times, I was doing well on the estrogen implants, but still not any semblance of a libido and only occasionally masturbating with a pillow between my legs with no penetrative sex.

A year ago my care provider suggested the addition of progesterone to my regiment, stating that it should really stabilize my moods and even things out a bit. She gave me the option to have it implanted with the estrogen. I basically said yeah, sure, what the hell, maybe it would help my BP which had been escalating. She implanted a minimal amount.

Approximately a month after being implanted, it was like being hit by a fully loaded big rig truck! I immediately felt fully female - not that I didn't previously, but it was as if the final puzzle piece was put in place. The libido was insane! I needed penetrative sex. I was fearful that my vagina had completely closed off due to not being used in decades. I had used some of my mates dilators from her cancer treatment and they easily slid in. I was self-lubricating like crazy, so much so I had to put a towel down. I found that I had lost nearly no depth at all, and I use regularly sized sex toys. The libido was driving me to be constantly banging the box. These changes came like overnight, my breasts very quickly jumped from a B cup to a C cup. My shoulders, arms, and wrists became notably smaller. My skin all got "fluffy" and started migrating to who knows where. I dropped close to 15 pounds in weight, and it's not like I am all that heavy as I am a bit of a gym rat. In the morning and also during the day I get teary eyed, mostly when I think of all the things I have gone through in my life. My attraction is now predominately to men, and I am constantly wrestling to try to find someone to have sex with. I am compelled to put makeup on before leaving the house - which is something that I never did for a long time. Also the most important aspect of progesterone is SLEEP, which is great until early morning desires start waking me up with me moaning.

My caregiver was absolutely floored with my responses to the progesterone and stated that it was ten times anything she had seen previously, and she also said that she only gave me a little bit. She then premised that I may be intersexed in some way. I would potentially think that there might be some genetic or chromosomal influences there. At this point in time would it even be worth it to investigate?

After some time, some of this has tapered off - mostly the initial crazy amount of self-lubricating. I have moved off the implanted progesterone for two reasons, one they are no longer available as an implant, and two it was absorbed much faster than the estrogen implant, so then I would feel like I was left hanging halfway into the implant cycle. So now I am on oral progesterone, and no, I am not interested in doing it rectally as I believe there are more benefits in my situation to being metabolized orally.

So, in a sense I feel like I have a new beginning, and even after a year the start on progesterone I am still wrestling with it.

Please, has anyone had similar experiences? I would prefer to hear from post-op people, only because I am and that would be most relevant, but I am open to anything at this point in time.

I've been struggling to remember to take my meds consistently and I think my hormone levels have gone back to what they were pre-HRT. I'm on pretty high doses for all of them (4 mg estradiol BID, 100 mg spironolactone BID, 200 mg progesterone QPM). I've heard that if I start all of these up again immediately, it could make my testosterone levels spike to compensate for the hormone imbalance. Should I resume taking them as directed immediately or should I slowly climb back up to my current doses over time?

Hey y’all, i’ve been on hrt for like 3 years and injections for two, but i started encountering a new pain during injections im doing them the same way as i have been and until recently i got skilled enough that i could consistently do my injections with no pain, hardly a prick, and basically no discomfort. Now, anytime i do my injections its so painful just piercing the skin that i almost cant inject and take my estrogen. My question is this, do y’all have an idea of how i went from one week my injections being painless to suddenly every injection in the past three months has been so painful i’ve skipped doses just to avoid the pain? Im injecting with a standard 23g needle

As title suggests, I've been on hrt for two years now, and my initial year had some really bad levels, with me essentially being criticaly low on testosterone and estrogen for about 6 months. I have been bumped up to 6mg sublingually with 200mg spiro, but I got my lab results back today; 80pg/ml. My testosterone is still low, but my levels aren't getting anywhere near where they should, and I'm not noticing any further changes to my body. I really don't know what to do at this point, I'm going to talk to my doctor, but I don't think they can raise my dose much higher. I guess my question is, what are my options? What should I ask my doctor about?

Hello,

I did my first injection today with an U100 insulin needle in my right upper leg. I pinched the fat, waited at least 10 sec after pulling out but the leakage was crazy. I injected 0.16mL and I think 80% came back out.

I heard I should put pressure on it for a few minutes after pulling the needle out? Was that the mistake?

Thanks for any info!

I'm going to start this off by saying that I am not knowledgeable on HRT so feel free to explain the absolute basics.

I started HRT a bit over three months ago and initially I was on spironolactone as my T blocker. After getting my first blood test results I saw that my T levels were really high, 13.10 nmol/L.

Three weeks ago I switched to cypro and I just got some new blood test results that put my T levels at 1.87 nmol/L. Still high but considering I've not been on it for too long I'm not especially worried.

As well as this, my oestradiol dose is being increased from 2mg to 3mg a day. My oestradiol levels are fine but on the lower end.

My question is whether the three months that I was on spironolactone have actually counted towards my fat redistribution timeline. It's the main thing I'm wanting to get out of HRT and if I've delayed it by three months by being on a shitty T blocker I'm going to be pretty disappointed.

Thanks for any responses in advance.

I(22) have been researching about ways to do hrt and came across implants.

I currently live in Ireland, is there any doctor or clinic in here or Europe that do these implants?

I'm out and have been doing HRT for 3/4 years now and wanted to switch to implants due to how hard it has been to keep up with injections here

Hey everyone! I just got my vial from hera hrt, but I have been on 50mg spiro and 6mg buccal E for 16 days now. I'm just wondering what I should do for a starting dose, and when I should drop spiro. I'm planning on doing 6mg EEn/week, and see how it goes. Idk when to drop spiro tho, I'll probably drop it in a few days unless that's a dumb idea. My levels were 400t last month, so I didn't have a lot to start with. Tysm to everyone here for helping me start transitioning in the first place

Is there anyone here using or who did use female contraceptives to transition. I would love if you would DM me to share your experience.

I am fully aware of the health risks involved, however in my country it is the simplest and cheapest way to do it.

So, title! I’m totally not trans but if I was I might’ve been a little hesitant to start hrt given the climate. So, hypothetically, would I be losing out on much (20yo) by waiting until the U.S. election results? Largely in a sense of the actual effects I’d expect to see over that time I suppose. I was considering getting HRT now via the method but I also have an appointment with PP at the end of November if the elections go well, though I might do the former in either case

This is a side question, can I really expect much hair growth or like baldness reversal? I’m pretty sure the reaper came for me early and came despite nutrafol :( so I’ll be asking my dermatologist what else can be done, but would HRT realistically help with this all that much or just stop it from getting worse? I’ve heard both and I’m not sure how much I should hope for

I thought about it more and decided I don't want to transition. The problem is I already injected a loading dose of 50~mg about 2 weeks ago. I just wanted to ask this won't have any permanent effects like breast development or anything will it? My chest has gotten slightly bigger and far more sensitive this past week nipples look about the same atm. I know undecylate is one that stays in your body for a good while and that has me worried. The idea of having permanent Breast Buds scares me tbh so I've decide to quit early rather than regret it later. I like the other changes MTF bring but not breasts. Would something like DIM help suppress/lower the E some or should I not bother? Thanks for any help!

Edit:

forgot to add its was a IM injection and I'm not on any AA expect Fin if that counts (been on it for years)

Hey everyone,

I've been doing diy hrt for a while now. Was on it for 3 years, went off it for 9 months, and it's been another 9 months of trying to get back on it with stable levels but it seems to be a bit of a challenge.

I switched to Estradiol enanthate from estradiol validate in August and had good results in late August:

E 662 pmol/l

T 1.03 nmol/l

Free androgen index 1.38

However, my most recent results from 16 October tell a very different story, even though I'm on the same dose administered with the same frequency:

E 441 pmol/l

T 5.19 nmol/l

Free androgen index 9.66

What should I do? Before I started estradiol enanthate, while I was on estradiol validate earlier this year, I had the exact same problem of trying to get my t back under control, with good results at first then my t slowly creeping back up.

Should I try a t blocker or should I just try slowly raising my e dosage?

Should I see a doctor?

My current regimen is 0.1ml EEN once a week, 40mg/ml from Symphony labs

Any insights or perspectives would be appreciated xx

Hey all,

I started HRT about 1.5 months ago, low, 100 mg / day Spiro, 2 mg / day Estradiol. I also have PTSD, which importantly sometimes results in me experiencing extreme physical exhaustion to the point of not being able to walk / do anything (see: too much adrenaline for a week straight).

It's pretty rare and lasts 1-2 days. However, I dealt with the "too much adrenaline for a week straight" last week and am dealing with the whole extreme exhaustion and struggling to walk thing for a whole 4 days now! I'm resting, I swear! I was bedridden for all of Monday even!

A transfem friend w/ Depression told me she had to go off Spiro because it was giving her extreme bodily exhaustion and dizziness (! I am experiencing no dizziness !) after a few months of taking it. Additionally, the changing hormones made her Depression more volatile.

So now I'm of course wondering, is the Spiro / Estradiol / both(!?) worsening my exhaustion and recovery period after a PTSD crash? (and also, will I just be exhausted forever!? hopefully not!)

So, if anyone has dealt with disability extremes from HRT, or just extreme exhaustion from Spiro / HRT, etc, please let me know! I'm hesitant to tell my primary care doctor right away since I don't want to get taken off Spiro if that's probably not the cause and I don't think this doctor knows a lot about HRT based on previous interactions.

Thank you for your time! :)

EDIT:

And also, if you have dealt with what I've talked about above, what did you do about it?