this post was submitted on 06 Jan 2026
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DIY HRT
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This community exists for trans people and others to give each other advice and support regarding HRT.
Keep in mind that none of us are doctors. Read up on how to do things properly and double check any advice you are given.
Rules
- Follow the instance rules.
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- Don't make others worry unnecessarily.
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Quick Facts
- Different routes (oral vs injections vs trans-dermal etc) have the same results. Pick whichever option you are most comfortable with.
- If you're doing feminizing hrt your boobs will randomly grow in bursts. Chest pain going away is perfectly normal.
- It's unreliable to estimate your hormone levels based on signs. Take blood tests if they are available to you.
- Remember to eat well, get enough sleep, and exercise! This will help you grow properly and look more masculine on testosterone or more feminine on estradiol.
Check out the pinned posts! They contain lots of useful links and resources.
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I'm using estrogel as a monotherapy, no anti-androgen, and I get good levels no problem. That being said, if you have access to esters for injections (that's not valerate, but rather enanthate or cypionate), then it will probably give you more stable levels, and be less of a pain (you have to wait for estrogel to dry, twice a day).
fwiw I have had success with monotherapy with valerate injections, I just had to inject every 3.5 days ...
Yeah, you have to inject more than once a week, which IMO sucks…
it does suck, but more frequent injections also helped reduce my needle phobia, and I had more psychological distress from injecting when I went back to once a week, ironically...
That's… unfortunate, I hope you will solve that phobia (says the girl who turns her head the other way during blood tests lol).
How long does it takes to dry?
It depends on how much gel you need to apply, the brand of estrogel (if any), and how much you spread it.
In the beginning, when I was applying a much bigger quantity of gel, it took forever to dry. Now, I've found my correct dosage (3 mg/day) and it dries much quicker. I use two commercial brands of estrogel, and I'd say the first dries enough to wear pants within maybe 15 minutes, while the second brand takes longer. If you spread the gel more, it will dry quicker. Some people seem to think of that as a bad practice, but I've yet to see any proof, so…