Testosterone

I am amazed by how strongly hormones influence the human body. I am grateful for what testosterone has brought to my life, and often wonder if I would still be here today if it wasn’t for T.

On April 29th, 2005, I called and scheduled an appointment with a doctor for my testosterone prescription. The office scheduled me for May 10th, 2005. The hour-long consult led me to scheduling my T start date on May 26th, or at least I thought that was going to be the start date.

When the 26th arrived, I was called by the doctor’s office and informed that there were concerns expressed by my doctor. One, my prolactin level was way too high (due to surgery, stress, and the fact that I didn’t have breast anymore.) Two, my doctor was concerned about starting me on T because of my age (I was 25 and wrapped up from chest surgery so I didn’t buy this one).

After talking with my doctor for forty-five minutes, I finally got my first shot scheduled for June 3rd. To do this, I had to go in and have another prolactin test (this one came back normal) and have my therapist send the doctor a letter stating that I had proper therapy. Six years of therapy and being evaluated by two therapists did the trick (this is not how health care providers should treat clients).

On June 3rd, I picked up my compounded prescription from a pharmacy where I lived. For $60.00, I received 5 ml (which lasted 5 weeks) and 5 needles/gauges for those injections. A nurse injected my first two shots, after that, it was all up to me. After my first vial ran out, I switched to Strohecker’s Pharmacy in Portland, Oregon. I received double the dose for the same price, so the switch was a no brainer. Sadly, due to an unregulated Nebraska state policy, Strohecker’s will not ship to Nebraska, but they will ship it to a friend or family member in a state that doesn’t have regulations on mail-order prescriptions. Another option is to use APS Pharmacy out of Florida, or contact your Walgreen’s Pharmacy and see if you can receive a discount card (I now use Walgreen’s).

When I began my transition, I thought it would be helpful to start a monthly log noting my changes. This log had entries from 2005 to 2008. I stopped recording entries in 2008 because the drastic changes had stopped by this time. Due to the change in format of my site, I no longer have this log up.

Testosterone use is cumulative. Changes take time.

Some people believe that once you hit your six-month mark, or your one-year mark, your changes are done or that all subsequent changes will not be noticeable. This is a misconception I’ve frequently come across. It’s simply not true. Although changes after the six-month to one-year mark may be less drastic, there are still changes.

I think it’s important for all trans people who are physically transitioning through hormone therapy to be aware that it is a slow process. Remembering that helped me when I was feeling dysphoric, even after a year on T, because even though I looked completely male I didn’t look like a man my age or I felt my jawline or facial hair wasn’t defined enough (when comparing myself to other guys).

Being wary of the slowness, made it easier for me to deal with any dysphoria.