NSFW just in case.
I started estrogen and anti-androgen about 6 years ago, and it’s worked well. Changes have been slow since I take a low dose to prevent overdosing since I don’t get any blood tests on account of not doing it officially, since I was denied on account of refusing to dress in drag for my disgusting doctor (he saw me as a man), who denied me on account of not proving I’m really a woman. Though at this point I’m pretty far along and mostly pass, if not for my voice (I still sound like a man 😭). Even though it’s largely gone well, I would’ve really preferred to do it officially. Apparently it’s not an option though for me. Anyone else have any experiences with DIY they’d like to share?
Get on the waiting lists just in case to be able to eventually get bottom surgery covered. Even if you don’t want it now, you very well may by the time your turn comes and you can still say no then.
The primary DIY provider for TERF-island is Vanna Pharma who sell gel and injectables. If you want to use gel you will probably need an anti-androgen from a different source, Estradiol monotherapy is generally considered to be less viable with transdermals (with injections it’s usually fine), which you can find on these sites that list well established, trusted sellers:
You probably want Cyproterone Acetate (“Cypro”/“CPA”) in pill form. Don’t exceed 12.5mg (get a pill-cutter!) per day and rather increase E if your T isn’t fully supressed by that.
That was very thorough, thank you. Although everything seems to be out of stock on Vanna Pharma and the Canary thing says a new one was due in July, which suggests I may be out of luck there
Ouch! I’m not in the UK, so I didn’t follow it too closely, but they had some problem with the NHS recently, though it seemed that they got it under control. Maybe that is not the case though. In that case, hrt.cafe says that the following homebrewers also sell to the UK
- voixceleste
- astrovials
- silvermaplelabs
- teahrt
- Otokono Pharmaceuticals (old and trusted, but suffering massive shipping delays due to immense load, last time I checked)
You probably want Estradiol Enanthate which has to be injected weekly. I’d recommend to get a multi-year supply just to be on the safe side. With injections monotherapy is viable! Most people seem to calculate one vial lasting for about one year, give or take depending on your exact dosing.
There is also the option to buy raw estradiol and mix your own spray or gel. The advantage is that a lifetime-supply of E is comparatively affordable this way. Check /r/estrogel on reddit for more info on that.
