Testosterone dose

[leehancha]

Hello

I think first I should say that I'm part of a (400 members now) ftm group in China, and that most of the guys there, are all on the same T dose. In China we don't have any other way to get on T, other than to DIY. Many people are against DIY and I do understand why, but we simply have no other choice. Many of us do self harm and starting T has helped them a lot.
We get our T from the US, there are different kinds, but most of us either take Testosterone Enanthate (TE) oder Testosterone Cypionate (TC). Both come in a 10mL bottle or 10 1mL bottles. The T itself is real and nothing fake, not 'made in china'.

The thing is, China blocks most of the internet, so resources are very limited. I myself have access to the 'open' internet, so I can do a lot of research and I can actually use this forum and others to find more information.

I really need some advice/help. I also want to help my friends in the group because most of them just do as they're told because they don't know better. They just might ignore negative side effects because we're all just so happy to finally be able to get on T. We can't go to a doctor and discuss this, because being trans isn't really legal.

We all do go to the hospital almost every month to get our levels checked, but for most those levels don't make much sense. I just started a week ago and so I'm trying to get as much info as I can so I can also share it with my friends.

I hope you can help me and them, so we can stay safe and healthy.

(I also apologize for any mistakes, English isn't my first language)

cheers,
Lee

Mod Edit:Dosage

[Dena]

Welcome to Susan's Place. Unfortunately the big problem with DIY treatment is that there isn't a standard dosage. From one person to the next the dosage can vary a good deal so what may be safe for one person is high for another and low for still another. If the dosage is high, it will convert to Estradiol which is counter productive. If the dosage is low, it's not as effective as you would desire it to be. My understanding from something I saw in the past is that there is a treatment program in China. I don't know the details of it but I will see what I can find and post it to this thread. There are some questions I can ask that might help you but I can't promise anything.

In short the best solution to the problem is if you can get lab test run checking your testosterone levels and then have the dosage adjusted according to the test results. We can provide target levels for the test.

We issue to all new members the following links so you will best be able to use the web site.

Things that you should read

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[Dena]

I understand that you may still not have the searching ability I have due to internet restrictions and some of the links I am posting may not work due to internet restriction. There are treatment programs but they are somewhat limited and may not be available in your area. If these link don't work, let me know and I will find some more.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/Transgender-in-China-Secrets-and-surgery/articleshow/49720496.cms

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_in_China

http://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/08/from-the-shadows-chinas-growing-tolerance-of-transgender-rights/278540/

https://www.outrightinternational.org/content/china-legal-position-and-status-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-people-people's

http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2013/11/crossing-the-gender-lines/

[leehancha]

Hey,
I do apologize for breaking the rules about discussing dosage, I think I misunderstood it when reading about it in the rules. Just to be sure, I read the rules again, thank you for linking me directly to them.

Also thank you for all those other links, I couldn't read all of them, but most.

I'm not sure what I can do. Currently there aren't any programs known to us, and everyone who is on T here, does not have a prescription, because as you can read in the articles, it's not really legal.
Yes, top surgery is legal and there is a hospital in Shanghai where you can get it for about 15-17k (rmb) but that's about it.

If there are 'safe' levels of T or average levels of T one should have, then I think it would be helpful for me to know those. So I can check at my next doctors appointment if everything is okay. I would also like to share those with my friends so we can all make sure our T levels are in safe range.

Thank you for your time and help, and again, I'm sorry about breaking the rules.

Lee

[Dena]

When you have your blood test, liver function is critical as that will be one of the first signs that you have a dangerously high level. You should have a general check as well because other problems can develop from the switch from estrogen to testosterone. Male levels vary between 270 - 1100 ng/dl or 2.4 - 12 ng/ml but being at the high end of the level isn't desirable as the risks of complications increase as the levels increase. Because of the large range that males may experience, you may find that you are comfortable at a lower dosage. This tread suggest some of the ranges that are used by member of the site and levels that are well above normal.

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,194842.0.html

[Dena]

The link will take you to the following information.

http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat11/sub76/entry-4488.html

TRANSGENDER PEOPLE AND TRANSSEXUALS IN CHINA

Jess Macy Yu of the New York Times wrote: "Cross-dressing and sex-change procedures are not illegal in China, but the Chinese Society of Psychiatry classifies individuals seeking to change their gender as suffering from a mental illness — a judgment many rights advocates seek to change. Rights advocates acknowledge that China has made progress in its treatment of transgender individuals. In 2009, the Health Ministry issued clinical standards for gender reassignment surgery, and several hospitals now offer hormone treatment. [Source: Jess Macy Yu, New York Times, January 27, 2015]

No statistics have been made public on the number of sex change operation performed in China. However, there are enough of them that the Beijing Medical University publishes guidelines for people who want to undergo the surgery, including psychological counseling, hormone treatments and a five year waiting period.

The first sex change operation was reportedly performed in secret in 1983. A doctor at the Beijing Medical University said 26 such operations had been done there as of 1999. Jin Xing, China's first open transsexual, is a big nightclub star in Beijing. She is a former army colonel, prize-winning dancer and choreographer and founder of China's first independent dance troupe. She had her sex change operation in 1995 and became famous in 1996 when her dance troupe was praised for it original pieces exploring love and identity.

[leehancha]

Dena, I really want to thank you for being so patient with me and for helping me and my friends with all this detailed information.

Even though we know about a lot of the stuff happening in China and the rest of the world doesn't, there are things that happen in China and we can't get any information about it, because it gets blocked and deleted and searching for it makes you a target and nobody wants that.
So thank you for helping us out with all this, thank you for helping me.

lee

[FTMax]

If you have access to Facebook, I would see if there are any international FTM groups you could join that would be able to get you the answers you're looking for. That would probably be the best method for getting the information you are looking for. YouTube may also have some videos that could help, but I can't think of any off the top of my head.

You could also consider contacting doctors in other countries who provider trans HRT and see if they would be willing to Skype with you and tell you what you need to know. I don't know how realistic it is, but it's worth a shot.

What I would be sure to steer clear of is non-trans discussions of testosterone use. The way bodybuilders or people in the fitness community who are cisgender use testosterone is very different, and not applicable to our situation.