Moving from testosterone pellets to inections?

[Grey Spartan]

Interesting. Good to know. My wife was at 20mg of Test C per week. In the last 6 weeks, we have been at 10 mg per week. At 10mg, she dosen't have the drive she use too. She especially feels it in her sex drive, which she has now lost. She want s to go back up, because at 54, she/we were having a blast in the bedroom.

What was the change in blood work?

 

[969C1]

What was the change in blood work?

We are leaving a week ahead of the American Thanksgiving Monday night to visit the inlaws. Once we get back, we are both booking our 6 months bloodwork with Teletest to check. For her, we wanted to give several weeks to let her system adjust and stabilize with the reduction in T before we go for bloodwork.
Again, if everything comes back decent, she will be increasing back to 20 mg per week.

 

[Grey Spartan]

We are leaving a week ahead of the American Thanksgiving Monday night to visit the inlaws. Once we get back, we are both booking our 6 months bloodwork with Teletest to check. For her, we wanted to give several weeks to let her system adjust and stabilize with the reduction in T before we go for bloodwork.
Again, if everything comes back decent, she will be increasing back to 20 mg per week.

Keep us posted. I am really interested what the difference between 10mg and 20mg is on her blood work since it caused such a drastic change in her. I guess it also begs the question, did she start at 20mg or work her way up to 20mg? If she started at 20mg, was it that her body got used to that dose so now less is sub slandered? Sorry for all the questions, I'm trying to accumulate as much data to help my wife navigate the live changing landscape know as menopause.

 

[969C1]

Keep us posted. I am really interested what the difference between 10mg and 20mg is on her blood work since it caused such a drastic change in her. I guess it also begs the question, did she start at 20mg or work her way up to 20mg? If she started at 20mg, was it that her body got used to that dose so now less is sub slandered? Sorry for all the questions, I'm trying to accumulate as much data to help my wife navigate the live changing landscape know as menopause.

We started her off at 10 mg per week and she cruised on that for at least 2-3 months. Each time we upped the dose, we did it in increments of 5 mg per week. So when we went up to 15 per week, we stayed at that for about a month and then finally another 5 mg for a total of 20mg. You are correct that there is a chance the less dose is now sub slandered. So staying at the 10 per week now for a couple of months is probably good. However, her being post menopause, every women hormones could be different. They all do respond differently. There are allot of women who are at 20mg per week for years and are doing great! For my wife, that really seems to be her sweet spot.

 

[Grey Spartan]

We started her off at 10 mg per week and she cruised on that for at least 2-3 months. Each time we upped the dose, we did it in increments of 5 mg per week. So when we went up to 15 per week, we stayed at that for about a month and then finally another 5 mg for a total of 20mg. You are correct that there is a chance the less dose is now sub slandered. So staying at the 10 per week now for a couple of months is probably good. However, her being post menopause, every women hormones could be different. They all do respond differently. There are allot of women who are at 20mg per week for years and are doing great! For my wife, that really seems to be her sweet spot.

Thanks! My wife is loving 10mg at the moment. I am very hesitant to raise the dose but this info has giving me the confidence to bump up the dose if she feels like she needs it. In my research, I found most clinics start at 20mg per week. Not that they would report issues but I have not found anything referencing virilization or any other "negative" side effects at 20mg. I know all ladies are different, and some can have negative side effects on low doses. I just don't want her to experience anything irreversible that she wont psychologically be able to handle. I could care less if she has a deeper voice, larger clit or hairy back but ladies tend to be super self critical no matter how much we tell them they are awesome.

 

[969C1]

Thanks! My wife is loving 10mg at the moment. I am very hesitant to raise the dose but this info has giving me the confidence to bump up the dose if she feels like she needs it. In my research, I found most clinics start at 20mg per week. Not that they would report issues but I have not found anything referencing virilization or any other "negative" side effects at 20mg. I know all ladies are different, and some can have negative side effects on low doses. I just don't want her to experience anything irreversible that she wont psychologically be able to handle. I could care less if she has a deeper voice, larger clit or hairy back but ladies tend to be super self critical no matter how much we tell them they are awesome.

Absolutely! My wife did have minor size change down below, but she loved the benefits from it! The sensitivity was great for her! Each time we did do an increase of 5mg, it would take approx. about 2-3 weeks to notice the change. Believe me, the enhancement and joy of what 20mg did for her, she really would like to push it up to 30mg and see. I just need to be prepared to be able to stay up with her NEEDS! If we do an increase for her, I will probably up my T and Mast! I usually add in 25mg of Proviron for the first 4-6 weeks when I increase. This does seem to help me give her a run for her money.

 

[Nunya]

Thanks! My wife is loving 10mg at the moment. I am very hesitant to raise the dose but this info has giving me the confidence to bump up the dose if she feels like she needs it. In my research, I found most clinics start at 20mg per week. Not that they would report issues but I have not found anything referencing virilization or any other "negative" side effects at 20mg. I know all ladies are different, and some can have negative side effects on low doses. I just don't want her to experience anything irreversible that she wont psychologically be able to handle. I could care less if she has a deeper voice, larger clit or hairy back but ladies tend to be super self critical no matter how much we tell them they are awesome.

As we age our clitoris and vagina tend to atrophy, so a bit of clitoral growth at this stage can be a benefit

Personally, I’ve found that the more active I am, the more testosterone seems to go toward good stuff and not stuff like chin hair, etc. Now that I’m on injections and not pellets, I feel confident about the idea of varying my dose to accommodate activity levels.

I’m looking forward to my next bloodwork. I suspect that it’ll be lower than the highest high on the pellets, but I definitely have more consistent “feels” on Test P ED.

 

[michelledsmith1969]

As we age our clitoris and vagina tend to atrophy, so a bit of clitoral growth at this stage can be a benefit

Personally, I’ve found that the more active I am, the more testosterone seems to go toward good stuff and not stuff like chin hair, etc. Now that I’m on injections and not pellets, I feel confident about the idea of varying my dose to accommodate activity levels.

I’m looking forward to my next bloodwork. I suspect that it’ll be lower than the highest high on the pellets, but I definitely have more consistent “feels” on Test P ED.

May I ask where you found the injections as I seem to be having the hardest time trying to locate injectable Estradiol

 

[Grey Spartan]

May I ask where you found the injections as I seem to be having the hardest time trying to locate injectable Estradiol

Has your Doc refused to give it to you?

 

[michelledsmith1969]

Has your Doc refused to give it to you?

Yes, he has me on Premarin orally and vaginally. I've been on it for about a year and it has done nothing. I cant find another doctor because we are Tricare and he is the only PCM within 2 hours.

 

[969C1]

As we age our clitoris and vagina tend to atrophy, so a bit of clitoral growth at this stage can be a benefit

Personally, I’ve found that the more active I am, the more testosterone seems to go toward good stuff and not stuff like chin hair, etc. Now that I’m on injections and not pellets, I feel confident about the idea of varying my dose to accommodate activity levels.

I’m looking forward to my next bloodwork. I suspect that it’ll be lower than the highest high on the pellets, but I definitely have more consistent “feels” on Test P ED.

Wife and I just got our bloodwork back. Hers is spot on! Her HDL and LDL are even in a perfect range!
WE are going to up her T slightly to 25mg per week and after 4-6 weeks add in a slight dose of Mast.

 

[Nunya]

Wife and I just got our bloodwork back. Hers is spot on! Her HDL and LDL are even in a perfect range!
WE are going to up her T slightly to 25mg per week and after 4-6 weeks add in a slight dose of Mast.

Congrats on those good lipids!

 

[Nunya]

May I ask where you found the injections as I seem to be having the hardest time trying to locate injectable Estradiol

I never found injectable Estradiol at a concentration I cared about, but you can find it pretty readily if you dig in to the mtf trans community on Reddit I chose instead to stock up on raws just in case, and for the moment am using transdermal patches.

 

[Nunya]

Update on where things are now:

- 11.64mg/wk Testosterone Propionate, split in to every day doses. I use an injector pen and inject IM every AM before heading to the gym. The odd number is a result of dosing according to the Jano results of the vial I’m using and a bit of math to get an every day dose.
- 2 iu HGH every morning before I head to the gym
- 4mg Tirz once a week.
- .037mg Estradiol transdermal patch, 2x/wk - prescribed via Midi online
- 100mg progesterone, oral every day, PM before bed - prescribed via Midi online

Clean diet, tracking calories, macros, and working to eat to GAIN at this point, which is still a weird thing for me. It’s much easier for me to eat to lose than to gain, but I’ll get it dialed in at some point.

LABS
Just got labs back from a couple weeks ago:
Did a CBC, not sure why I chose that when I ordered the lab (ordered a bunch when Fitomics had a sale), and did NOT get Albumin/Creatinine.

Free Test (direct): 1.6 pg/mL up from 1.2 in October, but DOWN from a CALCULATED Free Test value of 24.10 in early September, while still on a pellet and coming down from it to get on injections.
Total Test: 304.1 ng/dL
Estradiol Sensitive: 16.6pg/mL (labs done on day 3 of an early menstrual cycle, so low is expected)

SHBG: 63.1 nmol/L
Lipids: All lipids look good except LDL, which shot up to 300 while I was losing fat on Tirz. Now that weight has stabilized, LDL is down to 123 and should continue to drop in the next few months.

IGF-1 w Z Score: 168ng/mL, 0.8 This is a bit lower than last labs after starting HGH, which were at 199/1.4 - same HGH source/order.

FSH/LH: 12.9/40.0 mIU/mL
A1c: 5.0
DHEA: 44.4 ug/dL
THOUGHTS:
Total Test is HIGHER than last labs, which had it at 215ng/dL. Despite that, and maybe because of the addition of Estrogen since last labs (early October), “feels” are better, less chin hair, and the scratchy voice that started this summer on those f*ckin pellets has receded and my lady voice has come back, I can shift over a tricky octave while singing in the car without getting hung up.

These labs also done fasted at 8:30am, and Test P injection was ~2.5 hours prior, so they were done at a peak, and not a trough. Next time I may wait til AFTER labs to inject, just out of curiosity.
For one week in there I bumped up the Test P from 6iu on my insulin pen to 7iu every day. So, from 11.64mg/wk to 13.37mg/wk. My activity level during that week was HIGH, I know I burn through Testosterone when that’s the case, and with Test Prop, I knew I could do that and back down pretty quickly. I did not notice any sides during this time or after. In fact, I’m thinking I may bump it up to 13.37mg/wk for good in a bit; the exogenous estrogen and SHBG and Free Test (direct) values as well as ’the feels’ lead me to think I’ll be a bit happier a bit higher.

TIRZ THOUGHTS: Was at 5, backed off a bit so I could remember to eat more. Not planning on coming off entirely, I’ll stay on it for a lifetime if I can, even if it’s a low dose. Lost what I wanted on 5mg, lowered A1c, recomped my body to the best it’s ever been with diet, macros, Tirz, and the gym. It’s changed my food preferences and taste of smell, forced me to develop healthy coping mechanisms since food doesn’t fill that hole anymore. Some other unexpected mental benefits as well; makes it really pleasurable to chase LONG goals and that satisfaction rather than instant gratification.

OTHER UPDATES:
I have also gotten hooked up with a telehealth clinic (not Defy) who will write a script for Test P, pretty minimal cost, and it’s another set of eyes on the labs who can offer some insight. It’s a provider that clearly works with men and women who use UGL, bodybuild, etc. I wanted an RX for travel, also.

Their suggestion was that the SHBG value was a bit high, and likely responsible for the low Free Test value, and suggested Boron *or* oxandrolone rather than increasing Testosterone dose. Had an interesting discussion. This was an MD who said he was a retired plastic surgeon and they’d used it for burn victims for YEARS at 5-6mg/day without virilization, when I asked if oxandrolone should be cycled or if it could be a ‘forever thing’. I’m a little skeptical. Asked what effect that would have on lipids and was told ‘minimal’ with troches. Still….skeptical. Increasing DHEA was also mentioned. At the end of the day, I have a script for oxandrolone as well.

Meanwhile, I’ve gotten pretty hooked on the gym over the past several months. I get twitchy when I don’t go, even though I hate getting up early to do it. I’m eyeballing trying on a bikini competition for the hell of it when I level up to the next decade. Why not?

 

[969C1]

Update on where things are now:

- 11.64mg/wk Testosterone Propionate, split in to every day doses. I use an injector pen and inject IM every AM before heading to the gym. The odd number is a result of dosing according to the Jano results of the vial I’m using and a bit of math to get an every day dose.
- 2 iu HGH every morning before I head to the gym
- 4mg Tirz once a week.
- .037mg Estradiol transdermal patch, 2x/wk - prescribed via Midi online
- 100mg progesterone, oral every day, PM before bed - prescribed via Midi online

Clean diet, tracking calories, macros, and working to eat to GAIN at this point, which is still a weird thing for me. It’s much easier for me to eat to lose than to gain, but I’ll get it dialed in at some point.

LABS
Just got labs back from a couple weeks ago:
Did a CBC, not sure why I chose that when I ordered the lab (ordered a bunch when Fitomics had a sale), and did NOT get Albumin/Creatinine.

Free Test (direct): 1.6 pg/mL up from 1.2 in October, but DOWN from a CALCULATED Free Test value of 24.10 in early September, while still on a pellet and coming down from it to get on injections.
Total Test: 304.1 ng/dL
Estradiol Sensitive: 16.6pg/mL (labs done on day 3 of an early menstrual cycle, so low is expected)

SHBG: 63.1 nmol/L
Lipids: All lipids look good except LDL, which shot up to 300 while I was losing fat on Tirz. Now that weight has stabilized, LDL is down to 123 and should continue to drop in the next few months.

IGF-1 w Z Score: 168ng/mL, 0.8 This is a bit lower than last labs after starting HGH, which were at 199/1.4 - same HGH source/order.

FSH/LH: 12.9/40.0 mIU/mL
A1c: 5.0
DHEA: 44.4 ug/dL
THOUGHTS:
Total Test is HIGHER than last labs, which had it at 215ng/dL. Despite that, and maybe because of the addition of Estrogen since last labs (early October), “feels” are better, less chin hair, and the scratchy voice that started this summer on those f*ckin pellets has receded and my lady voice has come back, I can shift over a tricky octave while singing in the car without getting hung up.

These labs also done fasted at 8:30am, and Test P injection was ~2.5 hours prior, so they were done at a peak, and not a trough. Next time I may wait til AFTER labs to inject, just out of curiosity.
For one week in there I bumped up the Test P from 6iu on my insulin pen to 7iu every day. So, from 11.64mg/wk to 13.37mg/wk. My activity level during that week was HIGH, I know I burn through Testosterone when that’s the case, and with Test Prop, I knew I could do that and back down pretty quickly. I did not notice any sides during this time or after. In fact, I’m thinking I may bump it up to 13.37mg/wk for good in a bit; the exogenous estrogen and SHBG and Free Test (direct) values as well as ’the feels’ lead me to think I’ll be a bit happier a bit higher.

TIRZ THOUGHTS: Was at 5, backed off a bit so I could remember to eat more. Not planning on coming off entirely, I’ll stay on it for a lifetime if I can, even if it’s a low dose. Lost what I wanted on 5mg, lowered A1c, recomped my body to the best it’s ever been with diet, macros, Tirz, and the gym. It’s changed my food preferences and taste of smell, forced me to develop healthy coping mechanisms since food doesn’t fill that hole anymore. Some other unexpected mental benefits as well; makes it really pleasurable to chase LONG goals and that satisfaction rather than instant gratification.

OTHER UPDATES:
I have also gotten hooked up with a telehealth clinic (not Defy) who will write a script for Test P, pretty minimal cost, and it’s another set of eyes on the labs who can offer some insight. It’s a provider that clearly works with men and women who use UGL, bodybuild, etc. I wanted an RX for travel, also.

Their suggestion was that the SHBG value was a bit high, and likely responsible for the low Free Test value, and suggested Boron *or* oxandrolone rather than increasing Testosterone dose. Had an interesting discussion. This was an MD who said he was a retired plastic surgeon and they’d used it for burn victims for YEARS at 5-6mg/day without virilization, when I asked if oxandrolone should be cycled or if it could be a ‘forever thing’. I’m a little skeptical. Asked what effect that would have on lipids and was told ‘minimal’ with troches. Still….skeptical. Increasing DHEA was also mentioned. At the end of the day, I have a script for oxandrolone as well.

Meanwhile, I’ve gotten pretty hooked on the gym over the past several months. I get twitchy when I don’t go, even though I hate getting up early to do it. I’m eyeballing trying on a bikini competition for the hell of it when I level up to the next decade. Why not?

Great update and thanks for sharing!
Curious, and hopefully not a dumb question because we are still learning, but interested in your opinion, your SHBG is a bit high, so the thought was to add 5mg of oxandrolone, would a very small dose of Proviron be considered to also deal with SHBG?
Just curious because my wife has comment on her sex drive. It is not the same. When she first started, she did 10mg a week of T400 and slowly after bloodwork, bumped it up eventually to 20 mg per week. She felt great and had the best sex drive of her life even in her mid 50s. Several months ago she dropped back to 10 mg per week and has been using Test C. For the last months, she sex drive has disappeared. It is bothering her.
I know in the past for me, when my SHBG was high, I would run 25mg of proviron for 4-6 weeks and my drive would come back. Not sure if it is the same for females?