Question before taking T

[makipu]

Hi everyone, I am in need of some help regarding testosterone.  I am only looking for transitioning partially and am looking to take the lowest dose possible so I at least have some control over of how it changes me so that's why I decided to go with taking the gel method.  Before I start the hormones though, would I need to have any type of blood work done?   

[Alexthecat]

Yeah you should for your own safety. Here's a dude that does a low dose. http://neutrois.me/

[Arch]

Hi, Makipu. Feel free to post an introduction in the introduction thread.

Hudson's FTM Guide (google it) has recommendations for blood work. However, if you make an appointment with a doctor specifically so that you can get T, the doc will usually order labs for you. If you are seeing a specialist (I was thinking an endo), then you might want to call the office and find out what blood work is needed. Sometimes you can speed things up by getting blood drawn at your regular doctor's office a week or two before you see the endo.

Even at a low dose, you won't really have control over what changes you get--but you do have some control over how fast things go. If you are looking to take T for a little while and then stop when you get the changes you want, be aware that to get the desirable changes, you might have to put up with some undesirable ones. Still, the low dose should allow you to stop before the unwanted changes become a problem.

What kinds of changes are you looking for? What do you absolutely not want to happen?

(Wish I could speed things up. I would kill for more body hair NOW.)

[overdrive]

I'm not sure how long the esters are in androgel so if you stop taking, how long before its out of your system. However, test propionate is completely out if your system within 2 weeks and has a half life of 3.5 days which means its relatively easy to stop changes, though you have to inject test propianate every other day.

Also keep in mind that some changes will reverse if you stop taking T (such as body composition). Others are unlikely to reverse such as hair growth, male pattern baldness, deeper voice, and everyone varies when each happens. If you're looking only for certain changes just like body composition just keep in mind you may get undesirables that are permanent and your body composition will reverse after stopping.

[aleon515]

I'm not sure how long the esters are in androgel so if you stop taking, how long before its out of your system. However, test propionate is completely out if your system within 2 weeks and has a half life of 3.5 days which means its relatively easy to stop changes, though you have to inject test propianate every other day.

Also keep in mind that some changes will reverse if you stop taking T (such as body composition). Others are unlikely to reverse such as hair growth, male pattern baldness, deeper voice, and everyone varies when each happens. If you're looking only for certain changes just like body composition just keep in mind you may get undesirables that are permanent and your body composition will reverse after stopping.

Micah talks about reversible vs irreversible effects in their blog (http://neutrois.me/), which was mentioned above.


--Jay

[Sona~TS]

x2 on getting the blood work. I think it's very important to know what is already happening in your body.
Do your research. Have you found a doctor to assist you with your HRT yet?

[makipu]

Thank you for all your informative replies.
I definitely want a stopping menstruation,lower voice, fat redistribution/muscle but definitely don't want body/facial hair and baldness.
By the way, in the blood work what things in particular should be checked for?

[Arch]

Well, if your dose is too small, the bleeding won't stop--and if you stop T, the bleeding should kick in again if it did stop. You can take care of body and facial hair through electrolysis if you feel that strongly about not being hairy. Baldness is a tough nut, though. Your hair should achieve a male pattern, but you will have limited options if you start losing your hair beyond that. Maybe you will get lucky...but you might have to make some tough decisions down the road.

[aleon515]

More or less permanent: junk growth, hair growth esp on the face (ask the gals), voice, hair growth on the body but to a much lesser extent, baldness (if you have this in your family).

Temporary: muscle mass, period, shifting of body fat, emotional changes.

Of course if you are on a low dose all this is slower. I think Micah does quite a bit on all this. They sound like a young boy or teen, I think, so I think their voice is in the low alto range. Hard to say as I didn't see them pre-T.

--Jay