r/TRT_females • u/PotentialPrune2830 • 1d ago
Does Anyone Else? What am I doing wrong!?
I’ve been on HRT/ TRT over a year tried patches, injections, T gels, creams and still suffering with C and V atrophy and no libido. I have tried 10mg -20mg split twice per week on T no androgen effects and no libido or improvement on C atrophy either. My E levels recently was at 3.7mg split every 3 days valerate 268 E levels , P at 200 vaginally 10.1 level, shbg at a low 47 , Total T 308 and free T 30.0 pg/ml. I have had a lot of lower Free T levels and much lower E levels on patches. I’m so tired trying different doses being as low as 2.8mg Valerate and tried cypionate at 3.0 and 3.5mg split doses. Tried all Patch levels .0375 to 2 - .1 patches. I just dropped my T dose to 15mg and probably just go to 12mg soon as well and just work my way down. Is there hope of finding the right balance between E and T ?? Any success stories, thoughts, experiences to share need some encouragement. I even tried optimizing my thyroid and still can’t feel good. What doses are you on and feel your best I’m curious.
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u/AdministrativeBee624 21h ago edited 21h ago
Sorry for the long background info I’m about to give but I feel like I could have written this to some degree 😂.
I’ve had fleeting spikes in libido but nothing that ever sticks for too long. I have found that progesterone dampens my libido significantly so doing it cyclically instead of continuously is the better option for me. The 2 times in the past few months that I can remember a significant (but temporary) spike in libido was
- When I first started estrogen.
Total T was around 275. Free T 29. I
- had only been on T and P prior to that and doc then prescribed the .05mg patch. Within 24 hours, my orgasm and libido came roaring back. Then they disappeared after 2 weeks. We tried going up to .075. No change.
- When I started experimenting on my own and cutting and combining patches.
(Total T was around 200. Free T around 20)
- At one point my estradiol spiked to 657 and WOW did I have a RABID sex drive. I explained to my doc why my estradiol might’ve spiked so high and told her about my experiments. She said it could’ve been that. Could’ve also been a normal perimenopausal fluctuation or a bit of both. To stabilize me, she asked that I keep my estrogen dose steady and take 100mg progesterone continuously instead of 200mg cyclically. I tried that for many weeks and sex drive tanked again. Came off the P and E recently to reestablish my normal menstrual cycle so I could restart cyclical progesterone then add back in estrogen. Just the act of stopping the P brought back libido to a comfortable level.
As far as the clitoral atrophy, have you tried E and T cream to apply directly to your vulva? The T could help bring the bean out a bit and estrogen is supposed to help with overall vaginal atrophy.
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u/Be_K1nd 18h ago
Vaginal Estradiol is what stops the atrophy…
Cream or vaginal tablets will get you sorted…
Rx will say twice a week is enough, I find that daily is what is required to halt the atrophy & rebuild tissue integrity & quality…
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u/Famous_Blueberry6 15h ago
This☝️
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u/whatever-oops 14h ago
Agreed! I tried generic Etrace cream and was allergic to it. They tried Yuvafem. 1. It didn’t help anything on the outside and 2. After 2 months, I became allergic to that, too.
Now trying a compounded vag E cream in a versabase (hypoallergenic). I have to use it every other day. The way they wrote the script was 1-2 clicks, 2 to 3 times a week.
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u/Lilpikka friend 21h ago
If my total T was that high, I wouldn’t feel good. I have felt good with it anywhere between 100-190. Too high of testosterone felt a lot like too low of testosterone for me personally (irritated & no libido). My reaction is to tell you to get your testosterone below 200 and see how you feel, but I see women say they feel good with it high like yours, however, so it does seem to be highly personal.
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u/AdministrativeBee624 21h ago
Definitely personal. Mine was at 287 and I felt good. Doc said she would prefer to see it under 200. At one point we got it down to 200ish was ok and 123 felt like trash. It’s frustrating how much it varies from person to person because it makes it tough to give advice. It’s like we’re all playing our own personal game of hormone chess. 🫤
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u/Lilpikka friend 20h ago
It’s even been different within myself. I used to only be able to tolerate lower amounts, but once I got my estrogen levels higher, my testosterone got higher and I didn’t know and had no problems with it!
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u/Obvious-Session4388 11h ago
I’m wondering if I should lower mine. I’m at 10mg a week it’s been 2 months and I feel nothing but irritability. I’m in E which is a great dose at .075 for me.
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u/PotentialPrune2830 8h ago
What does your E levels look like at .075? When I was on .075 and .1 I couldn’t get past 94.
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u/PotentialPrune2830 8h ago
Yes I’m dropping to 12 and will stick around this dose for a while. It just saddens me I have been on so many doses of both E and T and can’t find that balance between levels to feel good.
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u/Significant-Aide-226 19h ago
It might be a good idea to pick one hormone to move around at a time and try to stay with the changes for a few weeks. Give your body time to rest into these changes- its a lot for the brain to manage. I have found that transdermal estrogen isnt the easiest as it is very wavy for me. I haven't tried injecting as I don't think my body would like the spike and fall. I'm more of a daily user for that steady state estradiol moment. Love my T! But if my E isn't high enough for my .5g of men's gel, I dont feel well and the libido gets wonky. I feel like doctors dont really explain that part about T. If you are increasing and moving that around, if you dont have the estrogen in place, the libido thing doesn't work well. Upping and upping the T, and leaving the E low is a recipe for meh in bed. Only my opinion! Been on transdermal T for 3.5 years.
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u/nerissathebest 20h ago edited 20h ago
I think it’s going to be very hard to figure out your T needs when you’re simultaneously trying to figure out your E needs and P needs. You might need more (of everything) than most other people or you might be too high, but juggling all the symptom changes while adjusting three hormones is going to be near impossible, so try to sort out your E and P first based on symptoms. You might do better off with oral E. Patches and gels didn’t help me. 100 progesterone cycling or daily didn’t help, 200 daily oral micronized made a big difference. For E I tried every patch and gel and pellet dose with no help. Premarin solved it (oral E) I’m on .625x2 per day because my pharmacy doesn’t have the higher dose pill. For T I started on pellet then gel but nothing through the skin works for me (except topical E), I worked my way up to 40mg/week split in injections every 4th morning. It took six months to get to that level with no sides. For topical E I need it more frequently than the recommended dose of twice a week. I’m more like every day or every other day.
Note: Unless you’re a strict no honey no silk vegan please STFU about Premarin already. Women are suffering terribly stop gatekeeping access to helpful medicine with your hypocritical cyber bullying.
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u/SecretMiddle1234 16h ago edited 16h ago
I’m considering switching to Premarin. I feel that estradiol doesn’t seem to last long enough. I split it in two doses (2mg tab) and by the end of the night I feel it drop off. Curious if Premarin would be better for me. I’m not against taking it.
Edit: patches did not work. Gel did nothing. Pills stopped my tendon and joint pain but they don’t last long enough. If I don’t have adequate estrogen I feel like I’m dying. I can’t even walk. Never tried injections. My provider draws level and I went from 25 on patches to 63 on pills. I believe I need more.
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u/nerissathebest 16h ago
I just kept increasing the Premarin until the hot flashes stopped and I felt better. I actually forgot until just now that my fingers used to hurt also. I know some women are on E injections but so far the E pills are a huge help. (Sorry that note at the bottom of my post wasn’t to you!! It was just in general. Every time I mention Premarin other women swarm in to say “ITS BAD IT SHOULD BE OUTLAWED” it’s so selfish)
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u/SecretMiddle1234 15h ago
Same.All my joints hurt. My hands, shoulders and elbows were the worst. Plus I had tennis and golfer’s elbow. My frozen shoulder went away once my levels were high enough. I had multiple treatments for frozen shoulder too and it was low E all along.
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u/nerissathebest 14h ago
Oh yeah I forgot about frozen shoulder too!! I did PT and eventually got a shot for it. What a nightmare this whole thing is when we’re untreated or undetreated.
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u/SecretMiddle1234 13h ago
I had shots, PT, acupuncture, shockwave therapy and massage. Lots of out of pocket costs $$$$. When a $3 bottle of estrogen pills could have saved me.
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u/Replica72 21h ago
Have you tried high dose E vag cream?
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u/PotentialPrune2830 8h ago
Yes for almost a year 2g 2-3 times a week. Going to ask Dr for some T cream maybe it will help as well topical.
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u/satanzhand trusted advice 4h ago
Iron, ferritin, vit D, folic acid, cholesterol, heart health / fitness how are those numbers?
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