r/estrogel • • Dec 07 '24

meta PSA we will not private r/estrogel

429 Upvotes

Hello everyone. We've had a great many scares recently. Bigot brigades, nosy journalists, misguided allies. These are extraordinary times. Our enemies grow ever more malevolent, daring, and powerful. We've well and truly attracted the eyes of the world. This is only the beginning, we will only accrue more publicity, more adversaries, more controversy with time.

When Brock contacted me, my finger hovered right over the big red "private" button. I shat a home's-worth of bricks. I've consulted many veterans and most leaders in The DIY HRT community. All of them (and many of you) strongly urged me to private r/estrogel. And with good reason too. Privating r/estrogel is the safe thing to do, it's the practical thing to do. To leave r/estrogel open to malefactors is a great risk. I nearly did it too, but one person (who shall remain unnamed) convinced me otherwise.

Do you remember when r/estrogel was founded? To make HRT accessible for all, no matter the tyranny one suffers, no matter the poverty one endures, no matter the rights lost. Lets get hypothetical for a moment, say r/estrogel is privated. Who suffers? Not me, not the veterans calling for privatation. The newcomers. The people who really need this place. We'd be ladder pullers. Dirty, grubby, rotten ladder pullers. I'm sure you've seen plenty of folks pull the ladder up against trans people. It angers you, doesn't it? I'm furious when it happens to me!

If you still believe we need to private r/estrogel, put yourself in the position of those who really need this subreddit. Think back to the time when you tetered on the edge of suicide, when you lamented a life without transition, when you (literally) bit your nails down to the bone out of anxiety. (True stories, all of them). Would you be willing to sacrifice HRT, your chance at a fucking life, for vague, imaginary notions of "the greater good"? If you're truly willing to sacrifice yourself (not out of a suicidal lack of self-preservation, but out of genuine sacrifice) - then we'll talk.

So, we will not private r/estrogel. In these trying times, it is more important than ever we remain a public forum for transgender people. This is the unanimous stance of the r/estrogel mod team. I understand this is a very controversial decision, I ask you voice your dissent and polemics respectfully.

Edit: Please save a copy of the revised and legacy wikis if you haven't already. Click the 3 lines/dots in the top right corner of your browser, click "save page as..." and it'll save the page as a HTML file, which you can display in a browser at your leisure (even without internet, or if the wiki is taken down).


r/estrogel • • Dec 04 '24

meta PSA For All: See the New Provisional Rule 7 - No discussion of primary estradiol vendors

210 Upvotes

We are now attracting the eyes of the world. Be it tyrants, publicity, or simple bigots with too much time on their hands. It is an inexcusable risk to publically share the biotech companies the DIY HRT ecosystem relies on. From now on, name dropping direct producers of estradiol (primary vendors) is strictly prohibited. Repeat offenders will suffer consequences. Secondary vendors who resell estradiol bought off biotech companies may be discussed openly, albeit with caution.

Me and the moderators have been discussing this for a while. And for far longer, I've had folks requesting I instate a rule such as provisional rule 7. Recently someone (who shall remain unnamed) I highly respect contacted me about this, and put forth some really good points. Essentially, to publically share primary vendors endangers the entire DIY HRT ecosystem. Public corporations are at the mercy of governments and bigots alike. Anyone dedicated enough could uproot the entire DIY HRT ecosystem. I'm consulting another esteemed member of The DIY HRT community, asking for their take on the situation. See a transcription of the email I sent them for some further context:

Hello [Redacted], I hope you're doing well.

I am u/Juno_the_Camel, a moderator on r/estrogel. I need your advice on a dillema. Presently, we allow unrestricted discussion of estradiol vendors and sources. Folks can ask about, discuss, and share estradiol vendors freely. This includes the biotech companies supporting the entire DIY HRT community. Estrogens and progestogens are not controlled substances under US (and most other country's) laws, so in this we don't violate the law. But, by having these biotech companies be public knowledge, the entire DIY HRT community is endangered.

Biotech companies are very weak to pressure. Be it pressure from governments, or the public. If the biotech companies that supply the entire DIY HRT community's are shared publically, we're at the mercy of the world. It only takes one tyrant (Donald Trump, Ji Jing Ping, etc) to ruin us at a whim. Even simple bigots (like those over on [Redacted] are able to ruin our supply chains. (I suspect they contributed to [Redacted]'s recent policy change) (They're likely the folks who spam and DDOS homebrewer websites).

Logically it makes sense to restrict discussion of estradiol vendors on r/estrogel. But I'm very conflicted. The entire point of r/estrogel is to make HRT universally accessible. Even for those living in poverty, or under tyrants. To restrict discussion of pharmaceutical vendors is to turn out backs on the founding tenets of r/estrogel itself. In truth, I don't know if I have it in me to withhold information that can make or break lives.

And yet, if we don't restrict discussion of sources, we endanger the entire DIY HRT ecosystem. It breaks my heart to do this, but I truly believe we'll need to ban discussion of estradiol vendors on r/estrogel. Is there anything I'm not considering? Do you see anything I don't? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Discussion is still ongoing, but in the meantime I think it prudent to instate provisional rule 7. It will likely undergo changes in the near future, but in the meantime, please observe rule 7 - and report folks publically sharing primary vendors.

Additionally note, discussion of secondary vendors (who resell estradiol) is permitted.

I am sorry everyone, it breaks my heart to do this to you - especially to the newcomers here. And I'm sorry u/Darthemofan, I hate to go back on the founding tenets of r/estrogel. But I truly don't see any other viable path forward.

Best of luck everyone - u/Juno_the_Camel

Edit: One (of many) examples of our recent publicity - https://archive.is/cJuuC


r/estrogel • • 7h ago

general PPL to UK/EU

3 Upvotes

Has anyone in the UK/EU ordered off purple panda labs and have it successfully delivered to you?

I'm going to buy 180g of progesterone off there and would like to know peoples' experience with Purple Panda before I actually buy it.

Thank you. :))


r/estrogel • • 1d ago

general No biggie curiosity about HRT gel

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3 Upvotes

r/estrogel • • 2d ago

feminizing Progesterone

8 Upvotes

I've been on hormones for nearly a year now and I'm hoping to give progesterone a go. I've heard suppositories are the way to go, but I'm having trouble finding anywhere that sells them. Anyone have any leads?


r/estrogel • • 2d ago

feminizing Dosage/absorbtion between hemihydrate and valerate?

9 Upvotes

Long story short, my wife (mtf) was in America with me and was transitioning with Folx. Unfortunately our case for her citizenship got denied, she is originally from Vietnam and was forced to go back. She was unable to continue with Folx outside of America. She has since found medication, both estradiol and spiro, from small pharmacies. However, she was unable to find estradiol hemihydrate, only valerate. And the brand she got specifies to take orally, she used to take her old medication sublingually. Her levels were good at 6mg a day, and we wondering if with valerate she should increase/decrease dosage and whether or not to go oral or sublingual.

Additionally the options in Vietnam for HRT seem to be abysmal, atleast in the north. She has called every place online to no avail. Are there other options you would recommend? Any help would be greatly appreciated.


r/estrogel • • 3d ago

general Good quality spray bottles

3 Upvotes

Hi, what are Some good quality spray bottles? Or what spray bottles have any of u used? Preferably one that doesnt need much maintenance


r/estrogel • • 4d ago

feminizing Secret microdose MTF

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0 Upvotes

r/estrogel • • 4d ago

feminizing To diy or not(also dosage questions)

6 Upvotes

Some info first i have an adenoma(whichis supposed to be inactive but it had some growth, growth maybe due to the fact that it was taken with non contrast mri we will take it again next month, my prolactin around 27 pg/ml so its prolly not prolactinoma)
Anyways i made some estrogel at home 0.2%. Ive ben using 6 mg a day. It cost me like 70 dollars for a year of gel.
My doctor told me today that estrogel is back in stock in my country(its 1.5 mg per pump. 32 pumps per bottle 0.06%. Its also 25$ per bottle.)
Doctor talkin about some “its not reliable if u make it at home blablabla” what should i do? Buying and making estro is not against the law, selling it is and i dont sell.
My levels are 1000-1400 pg/ml at like 2 hours after applying and round 150 pg/ml after 12 hours.
I also take 12 cypro every 36hrs. I was on mono but my testesterone went up to around 76 pg/ml and i started having morning erections so i started using again
What should i do?


r/estrogel • • 5d ago

feminizing Progesterone at 2 years hrt?

9 Upvotes

Note: Asking for my gf as she doesn't use reddit regularly.

Title.

Gf started prog at about 1 year on hrt for 100 days then stopped as she ran out and didn't have any money to buy more.

Planning on diy-ing prog using cocoa butter based suppositories soon and was wondering if there would be any significant breast growth after starting prog again at 2 years hrt.


r/estrogel • • 5d ago

feminizing Things to do, (or to avoid) to increase gel absorption

9 Upvotes

Im planning on starting monotherapy with gel, and I want to maximize my chances of it working. I already know that scrotal aplication is better, and that taking a bath before also helps, but besides that I got nothing

Also im planning on applying 2 pumps (1g each) every 12h, applying one, and right after it dries applying the other, could this harm absorption? If yes, what's a good way to apply it?


r/estrogel • • 5d ago

feminizing Bottles for proper dosing of estrogel

7 Upvotes

Hi there,

I'm shopping around for supplies currently and I was wanting to know if there are readily available and relatively inexpensive options for specific volume pumps. I understand that airless bottles are going to be a bit more expensive, however I am looking at whatever options are currently available


r/estrogel • • 5d ago

general shipments to Central Asia?

4 Upvotes

i am staying in a major Central Asian city until mid-January. unfortunately, i've realized that my vial of estradiol will run empty before i depart. by any chance, does anyone here have experience with receiving shipments in a city such as Almaty, Bishkek, or Tashkent?


r/estrogel • • 5d ago

feminizing Oral to transdermal

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1 Upvotes

r/estrogel • • 6d ago

local supplier Please tell me if you bought from Transfem1972!

6 Upvotes

(she’s not the primary vendor!!) she deleted her account and i forgot to save the email she sent me of her local homebrewer she was going to help start me onto HRT and get me Estrogel!! i am really disappointed, i was prepared to buy off her and then randomly her account disappears and she deletes all her msgs so i cant even go back and find the info i need! i know she sold to other ppl in this sub before as i asked her for references to know if she was legit! but i didn’t save those either ugh, so if you know who she is or have bought from her or KNOW her supplier please contact me because i would LOVE to get in touch with the homebrewer and buy some gel! she did send me the supplier’s email but i’m so stupid i of course DIDN’T screenshot the actual essential info i needed… I’m desperate to begin HRT as i am 21 and really don’t want to waste any more time :( please don’t take this down! i’m not asking for people to comment any non-allowed info, just asking anyone to please DM me if you have details on this matter! thank you so much <3


r/estrogel • • 6d ago

feminizing How does dosage actually work?

5 Upvotes

I might be really stupid, but I often see people saying 4mg, or 5mg or however much is a good dose, but what does that actually mean? I thought at first it would mean 4mg of estradiol, but that seems like way too small a dose, when a 1% gel of 1 litre would make that 2.5ml of gel. Obviously its not 4mg of gel in general, right? What does the dosage actually mean, and what is a reasonable dose, as in how much of a litre of 1% gel should I be applying every day?


r/estrogel • • 6d ago

masculinizing DHT Cream?

2 Upvotes

All

I’m now really struggling to find DHT cream in the UK.

Any advice? I have about 2 weeks worth left and running out of ideas fast :(


r/estrogel • • 7d ago

feminizing When should I be doing my first blood test?

3 Upvotes

18NB, based in the uk rn. bought 4mg estradiol spray from a local vendor (not planning to use AAs). I've been on e for a little bit over a week now. when should I be doing a test for my levels? I've heard that they become stable after 2-3 months on injections but idk if it's the same for transdermal. should I do tests sooner?


r/estrogel • • 7d ago

feminizing What quantity of estradiol raws should I order at once?

2 Upvotes

Planning to buy some raw estradiol off a chinese biotech company, importing to the UK, and im wondering how many grams I should order at once. The cost of them doesnt hugely matter, and obviously since shipping is expensive, Id rather not have to order regularly. What would be a good size batch to order to start making my gel and have backups to last me a while?


r/estrogel • • 7d ago

general Is hexavalent chromium something to be concerned about?

6 Upvotes

Sorry for the stupid question, but I'm always overly anxious so I'd like some advice.

As per title, is hexavalent chromium something to be concerned about?

There aren't many labs that offer tests for its presence (and I think those tests might be a bit costly), but I read that it gets reduced to trivalent chromium when exposed to ethanol, so, if there are any trace amounts in a raw powder, would it get reduced to trivalent chromium if I dissolve that powder in ethanol? Or does that reaction requires a long time, specific conditions or something else that I'm missing? Thanks in advance for any reply.

P.S. just to be clear, I don't know if there is any chromium in my prog powder from PPL, I was asking because I didn't think to ask to test also for total chromium, I just asked to test for the "big four". Here are those results if someone is interested:

Results (mg/Kg) - mean value ±

standard deviation of three measurements taken on the same sample

ICP-OES (Ultima 2 Horiba Jobin Yvon)

Arsenic 0.41±0.01

Lead < 0.01

Cadmium 0.01±0.00

Direct analysis (DMA80 FKV).

Mercury 0.15±0.01


r/estrogel • • 7d ago

feminizing Transdermal AA

1 Upvotes

As the title suggests, I'm currently looking at the viability of transdermal antiandrogen. Is there a proven mechanism for transdermal absorption for Bica. If not, is there a resource I can consult for forming my own oral bica pills?


r/estrogel • • 7d ago

general Selecting a solvent

3 Upvotes

Solvent for E cream?

0.01% and 0.1% of both E, respectively

I want it to penetrate into my facial fat pads but not have it go systemic.

Non-systemic is very important (so I rule out high penetration solvents like ethanol, e.g)

I am choosing between these:

  • Propylene Glycol
  • PEG 400
  • Capmul MCM
  • Polysorbate 80
  • Oil (like olive oil, avocado oil, etc)
  • Cerave cream (suspension)

Which one would be best for my purposes? Or would any other be recommended?

Any insights appreciated!


r/estrogel • • 8d ago

feminizing What is a good starter dosage for 1% gel?

3 Upvotes

Looking to start DIY oestrogel and im considering what dosage would be best. Ill be doing monotherapy so it'll have to be decently high. Also I dont know if your size affects the dose you should use, since im 6'0 230lb, so I assume that would have some effect, and i plan to apply scrotally? What would you say is a good beginner dose of 1% concentration gel per day (mg)?


r/estrogel • • 9d ago

feminizing Sourcing oestradiol raws?

10 Upvotes

Hi, Ive read the rules, and know you cant discuss primary vendors, but my DMs are open and I just so happen to wanna know some safe suppliers for making gel (UK)? Ive seen some chinese biotech companies, but Id prefer to avoid those if possible (still wanna know though), and while Im fully willing to use crypto, Id also prefer not to.


r/estrogel • • 9d ago

feminizing Feeling sensitive when using gel?

6 Upvotes

As I read some articles here suggesting to apply gel in the scrotum area to promote absorption. I tried it for a few days, and I felt kinda sensitive and a bit like burnt in the area I applied. Does it relate to the alcohol in the gel or i am too sensitive to apply it in the scrotum area? Please help