My HRT Experience

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i think my experience with testosterone is a funny one, and i figure other transmascs might be interested in how it's going / how it started. or maybe you're not transmasc, but are just interested in hearing? well, either way, i hope you learn something!

content warnings

this article mentions injections, but i will do my best not to describe the process extensively except in given areas. i refer to my testosterone and its 'accessories'. i use the word syringes. but i dont describe any sensations in detail.

i also mention things like bottom growth by name, but not described extensively.

starting out

i started at planned parenthood, because figuring out an endocrinologist who takes california healthcare was harder than catching a wild bird with both hands. the process was fast and i was prescribed T in the same initial appointment. i was given injection doses.

this was around 2020, so pricing has changed, but when i would pick my stuff up from walgreens, the hormones themselves were like... around 40$ with goodRX and the accessories were between 30-40$. as you might expect, they went up in price after the pandemic started.

switching from PP to an insured provider

i eventually found myself looking to have some of that cost minimized because, my god, at least give me one of these for free. i use california health & wellness, and as you might expect, things are a bit slim pickings when you live in the woods in the middle of nowhere.

that said, i was able to get in with a doctor at UC Davis. i do not particularly recommend this experience to local fat transmascs because of the way she treats me for being fat. but it does cover the testosterone fee if you go there via referral from a primary doctor. the accessories aren't free, though i only have to buy them every few months (i get them in bulk). i do have to invest in some disposal containers. (i keep forgetting to take them to the hospital for disposal...)

anyway, they do checkins frequently during that first year, but afterwards you get checkups around every 6 months. it's honestly not bad. i haven't had my dose messed with at all in the three years (as of writing) i've been on them. some people will need them increased but my dose is fine.

the changes

for full disclosure, i am someone who was born with a natural hormonal imbalance as part of my family's many genetic hand-me-downs. i already had some amount of hirsutism (facial hair and other places) and i had a mood disorder diagnosis at the start. so, some things came faster than others.

the first thing i noticed was my smell. i smelled a lot different. i get very stinky very quickly, so i have to take more frequent showers. it's not bad, i think. but it can be a lot. embrace your new stink...

facial hair growth became faster over time, and started increasing a few months in. like i said, i already had some amount of it, but now the hair grows thicker, darker, and faster. it is kind of annoying to deal with but That's Life.

i had bottom growth fairly early, but i never developed a lot of it. still noticeably different but it's fine. i already didn't have periods, so i didn't notice any change there. i do occasionally feel cramps or pain there but not as much. and, again, i smell different!

my chest actually seemed to 'deflate'. one half of my chest is larger than the other, which gives me plausible deniability in either binary assessment by strangers. baggier shirts help hide it more. that said, my other half is flat enough it could pass as not there. i think it reached its peak around a year in.

and of course, the infamous voice change. 100% honesty. genetics always have a stake in this one. and i unfortunately did not get anything really notable for like. two years. i kept a loose record of my voice changes, seen below.

my voice was able to slip into a deeper register sometime midway but it was not a natural progression of 'oh my talking voice is lower now'. but i did get an 'announcer voice' that i can actually whip out at a moment's notice and it's awesome. my voice generally gets clocked as masc when paired with a face, but on the phone it usually gets gendered femininely. which is fine. i like the variance

also, i mentioned a mood disorder diagnosis before. after hrt, those symptoms completely disappeared. my current psych has even gone on record to say i dont have it, and probably never did have it - it was moods swings brought on by a mix of depression and hormone imbalance. love having some things going strangely with me.

the injection process

i am now a bit over 3 years on T. i have had points where i had to go off for a bit and they really sucked, but generally have been consistent in when and how i do this.

i inject subcutaneously (also known as sub-q). this means i poke my stomach area with it and then i get the juice. i switch sides every other week. i use two doses in a bottle, so the first dose goes in my left side, and my second goes in my right. it works pretty good.

whether it hurts much or not usually depends on stuff like existing scar tissue and location of the thing. but honestly it's not that bad at all. generally stops hurting fairly quickly after and it isnt overwhelming. i try to apply alcohol on my skin beforehand but i dont always. (dont be like me.)

i am not like the regular transmasc in that it only takes me 5 minutes altogether to do this process. dont feel discouraged if it takes you longer. i know guys who take like a half hour, or have to have someone else do it for them. i was just born with a strangeness in me that allows me to do it easily.

after the stuff is done i put the leftover stuff away and the used stuff goes in a sharps container. then i just go about my day. sometimes theres some soreness afterwards in the area i applied the T to but generally it doesnt last that long.

conclusion

tldr transitioning is fun and hormones are fun to use. you dont need hormones to be trans, but if you want them you should get to have them. i hope you enjoy the article and possibly hormone therapy later.