Hey all,

fate was kind to me: I got to meet a really cool couple who make their own estradiol-enanthate and give it away to everyone who needs it for production cost. So I'll actually be able to try mono after all, something I would've preferred from the start. Pretty excited, got everything ready to go now, but am a bit insecure on how to best make the switch.

Currently on 3mg gel / day and 12.5mg cypro every other day. I'm not sure of current blood levels, had some drawn earlier today and hopefully get results soon. Last actual levels are without blockers and on 1.5mg gel, about 2.5 months ago: E 135 pg/ml and T 1.890 ng/ml. Seems like T already got suppressed some, sadly don't have any bloodwork pre-hrt. Maybe it's been low all my life, idk.

Since enanthate will need some time to build up, would it be best to taper of gel and blockers gradually over maybe 3-4 weeks?? Should I even stop blockers anytime soon? Physician today suggested getting off both at once, as soon as I inject the first dose, but not sure. I'm frightened of T coming up if suppression doesn't happen as hoped. And what would be a good starting dose? Thinking of going for the recommended 5mg / 7 days.

Oh well, would be grateful if anyone could offer some advice or has experience :3

I'm about to begin HRT and since I am not able to get that through my country's public healthcare, it'll have to be either DIY, or something like GenderGP or Imago.

I'm uncomfortable with Imago being a US company, but if it otherwise makes much more sense than GenderGP, that might not be an unsurmountable issue.
There has been talk that neither of those give as much support, or as good quality support, as they once maybe did. For example somebody actually reading the laboratory results and possibly recommending changing a substance or dose if so required would be would be a nice thing. Being middle-aged and having had relatives die at around my age because of blood clots, I know that at least I should choose some other ways than injections for taking the estradiol. An ability to talk with a specialist about this kind of stuff would be appreciated.

So, what's the practical difference between Imago and GenderGP? Also, is there also a third one?

The most important service would of course be the ability to get an EU prescription through them so that I can go to a local pharmacy and buy the hormones and blockers there.

Omggg, girlies get yourselves a Vinted account. It's so worth it! It's like an online thrift store, sorta...

The prices are really manageable, since the clothing isn't brand new, the sizes seem pretty consistent (at least for me) and you can always return anything that you don't like/doesn't fit you.

Omg, I love this outfit so much! It's so casual I could actually wear it in public. Even though it shows my horribly broad shoulders, I don't even care anymore 😭.

Highly recommend Vinted.
Adding a picture from the back for backwards compatibility purposes.

I guess I'm a walking ad now. Oh well...

I used to struggle with injections, like a lot.
Every week, I had a panic attack, tried to stab myself multiple times, blunted my needle in the process and then gave up and let my bf do it for me. And this was only once a week...

After a blood test, my doctor told me to up my dose. In my country, we use a drug called Neofollin. It's estradiol valerate in sunflower seed oil at a 5mg/ml concentration. It comes in a small, glass, single-use ampule of 1ml, so 5mg of EV in a dose.

Neofollin

So, I started at 1 ampule a week. That didn't work (later I found out my E level after 7 days was about 30pg/ml. Jesus).
I was instructed to switch to 2 ampules weekly. Knowing a bit about how EV works, I decided to alternate 3 and 4 days between a shot.

Now at this point, there was a lot of stabbing. I was struggling quite a bit. My fear of needles was now omnipresent in my day-to-day life, fearing my next shot. I knew I couldn't go on like this.

So, I bought a new toy! A tool really. The Union Medico 90 auto-injector, made for intramuscular injections. I'll admit, it was expensive. 120$ for the product plus shipping is a LOT of money. However, I couldn't be happier...

Yes, I had to buy special BD 3ml syringes. Yes, I had to wait for the injector to arrive (took about a week). Yes, I struggled to push the button the first couple of times. I admit it.
But now? The longest part of my whole injection ritual is the drawing part. I don't fear the button press anymore. It's completely painless and every time, I'm surprised how quickly I get it over with.

4 days after a shot of EV, my E levels were at 110pg/ml, which was alright I guess, but I wanted just a bit more. So i switched to every 3 days.
I'm not lying when I say this: without this device, this schedule would have been impossible for me. A 1 1/2 inch needle into my thigh every 3 days? Nu-uh!
But now...I almost look forward to it...
The snap of the ampule, drawing up the oil (pink drawing needle to draw from a pink ampule, lol), switching the needle, readying the device, looking away briefly and just...pressing a button. I actually kinda enjoy it now.

Anyway, this post is already way too long. I just wanted to say, I get all of the benefits of injections (high and kinda stable levels) with almost the same comfort as taking pills. I'm glad I did it this way. If there's anyone out there debating whether to get a device like this for themselves: do it. It will pay off.

This comparison always makes me laugh. It's not even really about the changes from HRT, it's just that a lot of things have happened in 4 years.

16 was probably the worst time of my life. Dysphoria from puberty, suicidal ideation, almost daily SH and a plan to end it all. I looked like I was gonna die, for real. I still carry the scars today.

On my new ID though, things have changed a bit 😂. I let my hair grow, got therapy, a boyfriend who loves me no matter my gender and, of course, HRT. Dad always told me to 'grow a pair'. Not sure if this is exactly what he meant by that, but I'm working on it 😆

I'm doing much better now and I'm glad to be here. Thanks for having me, girlies 🩷

I feel like I started too late. There's no hope for me of ever passing... I'm so freaking dysphoric

Not much has changed, but I have small breasts now, pretty skin, emotions and I look a tiny bit happier. Still need FFS tho

Hi again, I'm kind of doing a lot in one post so feel free to skip parts.

I'm just a little stressed at the moment and don't really have a place to vent, plus I need to ask some questions about DIY. You don't have to read the vent or anything I just feel like I have to put it somewhere.

Questions:

So I can tell diyhrt.wiki is outdated for the sources, but the hrt.coffee listings seem up to date. I'll probably do diy due to the higher costs of private healthcare, I'll also ask my aunt to see what they recommend, but I'm leaning toward injections since they're cheaper and seem to be the most effective.

1. Are homebrew injections a good idea? OtokonokoPharma seems to be reliable (Vanna Pharma is gone unfortunately, and Symphony Labs isn't established enough), but I'm still not sure on the general sentiment, since I want to go through with injections as they're the best method. If so would starting on monotherapy (and measuring my T-levels) be a good idea?

2. The "Mascara and Hope" guide, aside from being overly binary in their advice, recommend starting on a low dose and increasing (as per the NHS) as starting on a high dose leads to "conular (cone-shaped) breasts among various other health risks", but I'm not sure if this is the current advice or even really true?

3. Storing HRT is supposed to be at room temperature, unfortunately it is summer and I'm in the UK, so like it's 30C in my room (35C on a bad day, 25C on a good day) with about 30-40% humidity, am I basically out of options or is this within reason? (OtokonokoPharma vials have enough for a year of use)

4. Should I spend the extra effort to find my minimum required dosage to suppress testosterone (in monotherapy)? I get you should be aiming for it but since injections could be every 1 to 2 weeks and I need to wait for it to build up in my body first, if I can't get blood tests done for free I might just have to settle on what works

femcel ass fit bro 🥀

visibly tired, big hoodie, shorts of negative length, thigh highs, messiest hair I've had so far, and chippy unpainted nails.

I ran out of Tabasco sauce and cba to get dressed or care what ppl in fucking LIDL of all places think

it is extremely comfy tho

gotten 💞

thats all. its fucking great. i love it so much. before i started transitioning i was worried it wouldnt help anything, or that id have to wait years to feel any real gender euphoria, but i didnt even have to wait that long at all. even the small amount of femininity ive gained is so fucking amazing.

i love being a woman

Ii dunno right now I feel down, well to be honest being apathetic too and I think it worsen the ADHD symptoms too (that is not diag yet but, I have too much traits to not think I don't have it). There are some things I known that some things are partially responsible (like relationships - even though it's getting better, living at my parents, my divorce).

I've been feeling this for a bit lately and dysphoria hits hard whenever I feel down and everything. It's becoming hard to do important things for myself. I had a few days ago, I had some bad thoughts which led me at some point to call the local suicide hotline. They did nothing really unless I would plan act on it. (only telling me to find some help trying to redirect getting therapy and a psychiatrist. Which is pointless because finding one fast would lead me with someone unsafe where I live - I had a testimony from another trans person. Competent would require me to go far and last criteria safe for trans people - how about finding a golden egg? Would probably bit easier...)

I know I don't want to act on these thoughts. I'm on my own to find help (requires a freaking lot of efforts even if I told these censored I was having more and more trouble to do things for me.

I hope my GP will give me some SSRI that matches my need. I'll try to explain my situation in 2 days. I had taken an appointment 2 weeks earlier but that's long when you're down.

I pushed myself again these 3 last days to help my love which needed me to escape her abusive husband. It still left me physically and mentally exhausted. It's still easier to help others than myself but still hard.

I don't know what I'm looking for typing this(probably some help, a bit of vent too). Maybe you have practical advice while waiting for medication to get and to work. I'll get through this I know that, always have so far.

Anyway I hope your days are better than mines and I wish you all some happyness.

Just wanted to say hi and introduce myself a little. I had started getting more active under a difference account but decided to start a new one as my old username could potentially be traced back to some defunct pre--transition social media.

You can call me Cily (pronounced like "silly"). I am in my mid thirties and started coming out a little over a year ago. I've been on HRT since December and am excited to be more active on Lemmy and get to know y'all more. I've been so impressed and happy to see a lot of folks sharing photos. I doubt I'll get to the point where I feel safe enough to post my own photos but I still hope that I can share some of my experiences and feel like a part of the community.

Feel free to ask me questions or introduce yourselves! Thank you for having me :)

-Cily

I fell asleep before I could post comfy proof... so this is the proof now in the morning

my hair messy (again) bc I didn't brush it after it dried so it turned into this blob of curls. gotta fix it now...

A user named Nissa, some hours ago, posted the link to this essay as part of a comment, in this very community.

When I read it, it really fucking resonated with me, and I thought that it really deserved to be its own post in this community.

Nissa (or anyone else), do tell me if you, for any reason, want me to take down this post.

and the weather agrees. NYC/Long Island getting hit with some STORMS tonight into tomorrow. just got home, better get cozied up... will post proof later (if I don't forget :P)

I've decided I wanna do that, I saw a service called Undead, but they wanted 2k. Unfortunately I am absolutely broke, so I was wondering if there's like youtube videos or a written guide or something I can use for voice training.

I tried looking into getting a voice therapist but there isn't one in my state and I'm sure my insurance wouldn't cover it anyway.

Thanks in advance.

i kinda want to go to a bar and socialize with strangers, but i have like no idea what im doing. i didnt really before transitioning but now i feel completely lost. if anyone could give me like a basic outline of the social etiquette it would help so much. i realize this is probably the most autistic question i could ask. it gives me so much anxiety even going to a bar, let alone trying to talk to someone.

I used to be so sure I was trans but now I'm so unsure about everything including being trans. I used to be so sure about being trans to the point I had bought estrogen online but my mother found out and threw it out before I could actually take any of it. Instead she called my doctor who put me on the NHS waiting list and referred me to the mental health services. That was like 2-3 years ago, I still don't have estrogen, haven't even met with a gender specialist and everyone in the mental health services keeps telling me what a horrible idea diy hrt is.

I don't even try to be trans anymore. I don't come out to new people even when I know they would be okay with it. I don't try on new clothes even when I'm alone or with people I'm out to. Im no longer having gender dysphoria so bad and painful that I just want to end things but I don't try anymore. It just makes me wonder whether I really was trans, I feel like if I were really trans I would still be trying to get hrt and trying to be more fem but I dont, I just go about my day kinda miserable and don't really think about my future as a trans woman or in general anymore.

I still have little moments where I'll try on makeup and I'll feel good that make me think oh yeah I am trans but then I just go back to normal where I'm just a guy. There are other times where I've tried to lean into being trans by wearing fem clothes and its made me feel so much worse because I feel like I just look like a guy in a dress and my friends are just lying to me about me looking good. I feel like if I were trans it would make me happeir looking more fem. If I were trans I would be making more of an effort to live a life where I would be perceived as a woman.

I ditn know anymore I wish things could just be over I'm so scared I'm going to end up living a miserable life because I'm too scared to be a woman. Or that if I try to be a woman I will never actually be happy with how I look. I'm so scared I'm already too far gone to fix myself to the point I'll actually be happy.

I know it's a dumb question and I should know this by now but it's been a while 😔

I ordered this 400mg one from Symphony Labs:

Estradiol Enanthate (10 mL × 40 mg/mL)

I was planning to use this for a long time by injecting 4mg weekly with 30G insulin syringes but someone here told me it is recommended to trash it after 6 months.

Anyone used until the vial is empty like 2 years?

I'm already on Estradiol monotherapy with sublingual pills. My new dealer wanted to start me on 3mg of Estradiol Cypionate per week. I asked instead for 4mg/week of Estradiol Cypionate which accepted. But per https://transfemscience.org/articles/transfem-intro/ it looks like I should have asked for 5mg of Cypionate weekly to start, and fine tune from there.

Has anybody had success for monotherapy on 4mg/week? The calculators on the website show a mid-slope of 225 pg/mL. For 5mg/week it's 275 pg/mL.

Half joking half serious.

We are in war with %99 of this world. They will vote far-right without thinking twice. They don't care about us.

We all must be mining Monero, and sending them to Trans Rescue, and to buy DIY HRT for trans people who need them.

We have DIY HRT which gave us affordable and higher quality HRT than what cissoids gave us.

We even got DIY electrolysis recently.

We even got DIY orchiectomy.

Why don't we have trans plastic surgeons? We need DIY FFS.

Why don't we have trans ENT surgeons? We need DIY VFS.

We just found out how scammy official healthcare is, can you imagine what can we found with FFS/VFS stuff?

Mexico has surgeons who give better results than westoids for lower price for example.

Also keep that in mind, going stealth and distancing yourself from other trans people is selfish. I will keep helping other trans people even if I pass as cis. I remember how lonely I was when I first found out I'm trans, and there was almost nobody online/IRL to tell me what to do. I had to find out everything by myself by dig deeping for months/years.

If you don't help other trans people, nobody else will.

Imagine leaving new trans people stupid reddit communities as only option...

i think is pretty yummy for dumb ELISA lab(inaccurate at low concentrations) method and progesterone

edit: its 14.37 ng/dL(fck units)