Much better feminization on injections than on patches or pills

[ElissaMtF]

Like the title says already : I experience amazing results on injections. After having plateaud on pills and patches, my feminization got kickstarted again on Estradiol Valerate in injectable form.

I love the convenience of the injections as well.

This is my 3rd year on HRT.

 

my blood levels are on the high side every time though. My doctor is surprised at how long and how effective an injection lasts me.

I inject a low dose of Estradiol Valerate once weekly and the day before injecting again my Estradiol is at 237 pg/ml. Which is great. 

My testosterone is always in the low female range too. Without taking an anti-androgen. I am pre-op, so that is remarkable. 

 

I’m surprised that I’m blooming so well in my 3rd year on HRT. I thought I had seen all my changes in year 1 and 2. My doctor thought that too and told me that after 2 years changes are maxed out. She was surprised to see how much I’m still changing.

I’m a tanner stage V, 34 C-cup.

I also tried progesterone for a short while but it didn’t do much for me and I didn’t like how groggy it made me feel.

seems like injectable Estradiol is the elixir of life for me ?

No more rashes or sweating from keeping patches attached to my skin.

No more worrying for my liver as with pills.

 

Really satisfied about low-dose Estradiol Valerate injections.

 

 

Anyone else who also noticed a huge difference between injections and patches / pills, even though both gave you good serum hormone levels?

 

Would love to hear others’ experiences. 

 

Much love,

Elissa

 

Edited July 12, 2018 by Carolyn Marie
Deleted Rx brand name out of an abundance of caution.

[Kirsten]

I hear this same thing over and over from so many people. Is there a reason they seem to start people on patches or pills? I have no issues with needles, and a once a week would be so much better for me. I forget my pills all the time and end up having to take them after work and then before bed instead of at breakfast and dinner like I usually do. 

I am getting good results with the pills but I would love to do injections. I may talk to my dr when I go back. 

Thanks for the info 

 

[Carolyn Marie]

The method of delivery for estradiol is dependent on many factors, including other medications being taken, other medical conditions, allergies to patches, the presence of liver or kidney disease, and, if the patient is insured, whether one method or another is covered by that insurance carrier.

 

I caution readers to be guided by their doctor's advice.  It's great that Elissa is getting such good results, and I'm happy for her.  But what is good for one person may be ill advised for someone else.

 

Carolyn Marie 

 

 

[VickySGV]

I have NEVER used injections and have had results that put me in with my female ancestors and descendants who are not obese very well.  This my ninth year except for a 7 month period during which a blood clot was dissolving in a leg that had been subject to too much time in an aircraft seat.  I say the last since all HRT is the first thing thought of when we got blood clots, but my doctors looked at everything and decided was not the cause.   We know I have boobs since I had a mammogram find a suspicious piece of stuff in one 5 years ago.  We  are all  different.

 

I am happy for Elissa and her progress.

[Marbabar]

Like Carolyn Marie mentioned, insurance. For me, the plan will cover oral tablets only. So even though my doc says she wishes she could move me to injections, is just not in the cards for me! I’m so happy for you Elissa! 

[VickySGV]

Yesterday was my first return visit in 6 months, with my Endo who manages both my HRT and my diabetes and since I was her last patient of the day, and one of her Trans patients, she took a few extra minutes (about 30) to chat about Trans issues.  She just got back to seeing patients after being out for a hip replacement surgery herself, but had spent part of her down time catching up on medical journal articles involving Cross Gender HRT studies.  There is a lot more study being done than we really hear about these days, but it is adding up.  She had looked at my history which was lower dose pills and now patches since my DVT and my recorded development by my prior Endo who saw me for several years before they retired. I was right in the largest part of study subjects who had received ANY or all of the delivery methods the study had looked at in the subjects Dr.K had read about.  The method of administration of the hormones was not nearly as important as some claim, as clinical observation showed ( yeah, I was a subject in one study).  There was no real added benefit in doses over a fairly low level either from what my Endo had affirmed in her study.  Every Trans woman or man is different and maybe a few find what they think is better for them, but all of us are in such a hurry that we are not the best judges of what we are doing.  Yes, I trust my medical team.  

 

My point is simply, do not panic if your doctor uses a method that is deemed "slower and less effective" than someone else who is not an M.D. comes up with.  You will get where you are going and be as happy as you allow yourself to be.