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?
you can’t really “overdose” on Estrogen (you can overdose on AA’s tho!!), there is technically a limit of “too high” E but its so incredibly high you’ll never get anywhere close on normal dosing. anyway DIY is awesome! fuck the system. we don’t understand why creatures are so adamant on having cishet doctors control their lives… especially when they have proven time and time again they are transphobic bigots who have absolutely no idea what they are doing. you don’t need a doctor to tell you what dosage you need to take… especially since they’ll probably tell you the wrong dosage.
anyway, rant aside. DIY is great, it saves the lives of soooo many trans creatures (including us) and supporting the creatures who make it possible is also great!
there is technically a limit of “too high” E but its so incredibly high you’ll never get anywhere close on normal dosing.
To add to this: The usual joke on /r/transDIY whenever someone manages to miscalculate and do a 10× overdose is “congrats, you are pregnant now”, because E-levels during pregnancy are crazy high. And you don’t exactly see pregnant women dying left and right either, so don’t worry too much.
Started by going through the official system, went diy after they went from treating me bad to horrible. And it honestly gave me a lot of confidence to not feel like I depend on those assholes anymore, even if I go back later. It still broke me a bit that I no longer trust doctors.
Maybe you can get a new assessment with a different doctor, if you still want that?
I’ve been trying from different doctors. I’ve still been denied on the same basis. That I’m not feminine presenting enough for them, I’m probably never going to be enough by their standards I don’t really like dresses and I only wear makeup to conceal blemishes and a few face scars I have.
Uggh, those standards are so bad. I hope you are somewhat comfortable with your current setup.
I started with a doctor, but I’ve basically been DIY for about 2 years now due to a lack of competent providers in my area.
If you can afford it, it’s worth getting your blood checked at a place like Quest Diagnostics or any other non-hospital affiliated lab. Look around and compare prices. it should be a few hundred dollars. It’s not something to do frequently, but you can at least get an idea of what your levels are. The one caveat is that if you’re taking oral medication, it might not even be worth it unless you can time your lab right at the peak dosing time.
You aren’t likely to overdo it to the point of safety unless you’re taking massive doses. WPATH recommends 100-200 for your E range, but I know girls that are under the care of (less informed) doctors, and I’ve seen results closer to 1000s without ill effects. It’s important to stay active and not smoke to prevent blood clots, but that’s about it. It’s good to do some weight training to help with bone strength, in case you lose access to your hormones it can help osteoporosis if you have had any testicular atrophy.
The most important thing - of your seeing results you’re happy with, keep it up! E can be magic, but I’ve found a lot of my passing privilege comes from learning how to frame my face and pick clothes that are flattering for my body type.
Voice training is well worth it if your goal is to pass, but it’s often one of the most difficult things you can do, especially without a teacher. If you’re interested, DM me and I would be happy to help with resources and what not.
Glad to hear some of us are doing well, even without official support. Keep it up!
I still need to properly look into DIY options, I live on TERF Island so going through any official channels feels like a non-starter
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.
It’s great!
Personally I’m using 12.5mg Cypro and six pumps of Felicitas’ gel, though that is probably overkill. (I used to take two, but my E-levels were low-ish and since I too have to pay for my blood tests I just took the “a lot helps a lot”-approach, though in part this may have been due to issues with the bottle I was using since the new one produces much more gel per pump than the old one.)
I have an appointment with the hospital in Rotterdam on Friday, hopefully they will finally give me an official prescription…
