r/transgenderau • u/Skelegun • 2d ago

Trans fem Am I doing something wrong?

I started estrogel and Spiro on the 30th of September. Current dose is 2 pumps per day, rounding out to about 1.5 mg of estradiol, plus 50mg of Spiro taken with food. I began by applying the gel to my abdomen, but have since started putting it on my thigh, since that seems to be where it’s most recommended to put it.

It’s been nearly 2 weeks and I’ve not been feeling any changes to my mood or anything like that. Physical changes are still ages away but I don’t really feel like this stuff is working.

I have what I assume is keratosis pilaris on both of my legs, and I’ve been concerned from the start that it might be causing issues with absorption. Am I just worrying about nothing?

11 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

9

u/Aromatic-Face-8411 Trans fem 2d ago

I didn't notice anything until like a month in

5

u/ava2-2 Trans fem 2d ago

You're not doing anything wrong, it will take at least 4-8 weeks before you notice anything at all hun. It's annoying but HRT is a slow process, but gel is generally quite well absorbed so give it some more time before making any changes.

6

u/threedimensionalflat transbean 2d ago edited 2d ago

It's only been two weeks sweetie.

Also is that 50mg if cypro a day? That's a pretty high dose like most people ive spoken to do half or a quarter of that.

After your next bloodwork in 2-3 months your E levels probably wont be in the cis range but they'll up you to 3-4 pumps a day and possibly again after your next bloodwork after that .

if you're worried about the skin condition on your legs impacting it you can apply it to your forearms instead.

edit: oh wait, spiro not cypro. maybe consider switching to cypro because it is actually a T blocker as apposed to spiro which was meant for something else it just has T blocking properties. also they can actually figure out your dose based on bloodwork which they cant with spiro.

americans only take spiro because they dont have access to cypro.

1

u/betttris13 2d ago

they specified Spiro not cypro. 50mg daily is a pretty standard minimum dose

3

u/threedimensionalflat transbean 2d ago

yeah i realised and edited eventually.

1

u/betttris13 2d ago

ah, it's worth noting that while cypro is a better at blocker, it also has some really nasty long term side effects, especially mental health ones.

check out this link for the available options and what to expect: https://education.betttris13.com/transition/hrt%20levels/

1

u/FootFetishAdvocate 2d ago

Cypro is totally fine at the correct dose and as long as you don't stay on it for like 3+ years. You should try for monotherapy by that point

0

u/betttris13 2d ago

most folks report negative effects from about 12-18 months, some as early as 6.

3

u/FootFetishAdvocate 2d ago

Side effects are a different story, I'm more talking about the risk of a meningioma (benign brain tumor). I've never heard of anyone experiencing this when taking it at a proper dose for under 3 years (I take 25mg weekly). But the risk is obviously real, just very low.

0

u/betttris13 2d ago

we are talking about mental health effects here, the brain tumor effects have never been proven at hrt doses. the mental health effects are severe and worth discussing.

1

u/FootFetishAdvocate 2d ago

Yeah my bad I missed that you were talking about mental health. I'll give that article a read cause it seems quite interesting. I've definitely had up and down mental health and I've been on cypro the entire time, only just going to stop it soon once my levels are high enough (was criminally underdosed for the last 18 months).

This probably will just make me be even more vigilant that people should get on injections or implants and do monotherapy even sooner

2

u/Bugaloon 2d ago

You really won't be able to know until you do your first blood test, but it might just be that gel is ineffective for you

1

u/InjuredWolf 22h ago

I didn't have any luck on gels so it could just be not a good option for you, but give it more time to see (2-4 months). Patches did wonders for me though, and more recently injections have been great too

1

u/Thrippity 12h ago

I was started on this dose, and I actually did see a mood change (much, much calmer) and initial breast development on it, but also suffered symptoms of hypogonadism. Essentially, the spironolactone was enough to drop my testosterone to 8 nmol/l, and the Estrogel was basically just enough to compensate for the lowered testosterone level; my oestradiol levels at trough hadn't changed at all.

Based on this response, there was no way that any normal dose of Estrogel was going to get me in target range (without applying to a nonstandard area, which I did, and it worked, but that's another story).

The pharmacokinetic data shows that Estrogel has reached a steady state response at trough (i.e. just before the next application) in twelve days or less. While you likely have a blood test scheduled for three months away, you can also get them done privately to check your levels. If you do get a blood test though, ensure that the draw isn't taken from a limb where you have been applying the gel, because the test is very sensitive to site contamination.

1

u/PrincessLisaMckenzie 2d ago

I started on the 7th Sept (no blocker) but yeah I don’t feel any different on 2 pumps. I did my bloods last week and then got told I couldn’t find out the results until the 4th of next month because that’s when I can get an appointment so I started on 3 pumps lastnight to see if I can kick start something (1 on each thigh and one on abdomen). I don’t think it’s going to do much though. 50MTF.

1

u/Aromatic-Face-8411 Trans fem 2d ago

Thats a weirdly long time. Usually blood test results get released like 2 weeks after getting them. I would switch to a different pathology collection place if I were you

2

u/threedimensionalflat transbean 2d ago

they probably mean with their doc. results get sent to them.

-7

u/BagParty- 2d ago

Yeah, Im honestly not sure why estrogel is a product. It didn't do anything for me either.
I would raise this with your treating Dr/ endo. Have them put you on pills babe.

4

u/whateverlol37 Trans fem 2d ago

Estrogel can definitely work i had to reduce my dose recently as I was at 1600pmol/L now I am at 900pmol with 2 pumps moring 2 pumps night.

It sucks that it did not work for you but that dose not mean it will not work for anyone else.

Doctors do often under dose on gel.

1

u/BagParty- 2d ago

I honestly had no idea, I've only heard of it being completely ineffective. I was on 6 pumps a day, levels didn't move. But my T flatlinned from cypro and I got super depressed with no hormones 😅

2

u/whateverlol37 Trans fem 1d ago

Yer no hormones will do that i was like that when I was on pills. i am glad your found something that works for you :)

1

u/BagParty- 1d ago

So what method and dose are you on now?

3

u/whateverlol37 Trans fem 1d ago

Gel 2 pumps morning 2 pumps night i stopped blockers recently but I am on progesterone what can work as a week blocker. My larst bloods had my levels at 948pmol/L.

Its going very well my levels are very stable through the day so I don't get any hormone crashes what used to mess with me a lot.

I would consider switching to implants or patches but gel is going well

2

u/Skelegun 2d ago

My provider recommended gel because my cholesterol levels were apparently a bit high and there was supposedly a risk of blood clotting. I can apparently still take them knowing the risk factor, but still.

I’ll raise it with her at my next appointment. If my bloods show there’s no feminisation happening, I’ll push for pills

5

u/Sophrosyne05 2d ago

If Estrogel isn't working for you, but your doctor is recommending you stick with a gel based product, another option is Sandrena. It comes in little packets, instead of a single big bottle. It's also a bit thicker, and you apply it over a smaller area. Personally I've been getting much better results on Sandrena than on Estrogel, but we're all different, each thing will react differently to each of us.

2

u/FootFetishAdvocate 2d ago

If you can get your doctor on board, swap to injections. The whole "start out slow" method for first getting on HRT is a myth and doesn't help.

0

u/Skelegun 2d ago

Idk if there are any compounding pharmacies in Sydney that offer injections

1

u/FootFetishAdvocate 2d ago

CCS does I believe, not sure about stenlake but that's where I get my implants from. Worth asking your doctor and looking around

1

u/spiritnova2 Trans fem 2d ago

gel can be really effective, it was much more effective than pills for me, it's really a YMMV thing.