Hi all

i will be having my first HRT consult in less than 3 weeks now (yay!!) My friend who has been on HRT for over 3 years, says they almost start everyone off on Oral tablets first, before considering injections.

Is this standard and safer practice? Will my system to too shocked if I start off with injectables?? I feel like I want to ask to start on Injectables first, because of everything I've read about the differences and mainly that Orals have more health risks (liver damage), as well as not being as effective for some people.

If you don't mind me asking, where do you live?

I started on oral tablets, it was an incredibly low dose, and that was slowly upped over three months before I even saw my first needle. And then, once again, they started that on an incredibly low dose. Because I was transitioning to male, and I was on such a low dose at first (damn you tablets!), they also put me through menopause so I wouldn't menstruate. Seeing as though the low doses of testosterone were then the only hormones floating about, I was still surprised to see that things were so slow.

I'm fairly sure the only reason they did this, is because Australia is still fairly new at the whole HRT thing, so they like to be incredibly careful about it. I was 16 when I started, so they probably could have just given me half an adult dose to start with.

I live in the US

I did three years on pill format, then endo recommended trying injectables. Tried it for a year, wasn't a fan of injecting as I get very queasy from needles, first sign of blood...and just general thoughts of sticking things in me.
Went back to pills two years ago.

I have a mtf friend in the US. They started with injections. I would say just ask your doctor.

I want to try injections but I take pills sublingually and they seem to work.

If it ain't broke, why fix anything?

I was asked which one I preferred, but my endo wouldn't offer me pills before trying patches or injections first.
Mariah

Interesting thanks all for the replies. So other than being more difficult to take injections arent really any more Powerful than oral? And there is no clinical reason to have to work up to injections?

I started on patches before deciding I wanted to go to IM and my PCP had no problem with me doing so. It just depends on your provider, really.

I suppose when it comes to estrogen they usually start you off on something that can be stopped if you have an adverse reaction. Can do that with pills, but not an injection because you have a full dose inside you for any number of days. I know it feels like it now but there is no rush to get there, the pills will help to prime your body for the changes to come in the many months ahead. My endo had me on tablets and gels for the first six months before moving onto an implant (my obligatory plug for how awesome implants are) because first and foremost he wanted to make sure my body could handle the drugs and was responding well.

I did 15 months on pills then injections. I asked for injections and he asked why. When I said I do not feel the effects any more he said ok then, lets switch to injections. 

I prefer injectables, its way more consistent. My body just eats up estrogen so I was experiencing lots of highs and lows with pills thus leading to terrible mood swings.