this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2026
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And for those who want to get hormones, but are scared of going DIY rather than official: it's in practice just like going the official route, but without the long waiting times and all the gatekeeping.
If you have a GP and endo you trust, and they'd be fine with DIY, it's useful to inform them. Undergo blood tests every three months. Other than that, DIY is just, get the hormones, read the instructions, do.
Guide for what kind of hormone method to use
For the lulz: Is it worth to give a transfem person a paycut of 25% in exchange for paying all HRT and SRS?
Edit: since the first link seems to no longer show the text, see my new comment directly below this one, which posts the text I had in that link.
The links in the meme are very good breakdowns of HRT. Pills are fine, but should be avoided if possible.
Also we have a diy hrt community https://lem.lemmy.blahaj.zone/c/diyhrt and a hrt room on the blåhaj and 196 matrix
Thanks!
Just saw the original post to which I wrote the HRT guide response (with your tips, ty!) is removed a while ago - I still have the text though. Should I put it up on the DIY community and hrt room?
Edit: posted, see above.
Replying so I can repost the guide.
I personally use spray, it's like gel but dries much quickier (2 min dry enough, 1 hr to fully dry). But the 'fully dry' is moreso that in that time you'd best not shower yet, that's it.
Dries in 2 min enough to put clothes over the sprayed spot and do your thing. I have a skin that is drier than the Gobi desert, so that also helps.
You'll need to do it daily, but depending on the person, you can have it 1x a day or twice, and up to three doses per time.
Whether or not you want HRT, it's valid. DIY just means you take the meds without a formal prescription. If your situation allows you to do so safely and swiftly, without problems with doctors and/or governments, I'd recommend the official path. Otherwise, DIY is also perfectly valid. Stay safe and aware! If you do HRT, always keep a few months' worth of supply in stock, just in case.
GUIDE TO CHOOSING YOUR MEDICATION PATH (TL:DR; below)
This guide assumes you already have decided to get HRT. It's not meant to replace official advice from affirming and up-to-date doctors, etc. and all that legal stuff.
The following options consist of injections, pellets, patches, gel, spray, sublingual pills, and oral pills.
If you (wish to) carry a child, you may need to change your HRT regimen temporarily.
The following text in this paragraph only applies if you haven't had orchi-/ovariectomy; except for injections and pellets which can work monotherapically, all methods additionally require the hormone blockers for the hormone you want to reduce.
All of the listed HRT methods are safe and work well, it's mainly subtle nuances between them. Which is best, just depends upon your situation and preferences.
If a method, for whatever reason (costs, laws, insurance, transport..), is unavailable for you, then answer as if negative for that method.
1. Do you dislike needles and scars?
Yes -> See question 2
No -> See question 4
2. Do you have sensitive skin?
Yes -> See question 3
No -> See question 5
3. Do you prefer ease of use (although there may be liver/blood issues), or effectiveness?
Ease of use -> Take pills orally (health risk long-term)
Effectiveness -> See question 6
4. Do you want it to be easily available, or for it to be applied less often?
Easily available -> Injections
Apply less often -> Pellet implant
5. Do you want to hide it more easily, or to apply it less often?
Easier to hide -> Gel/Spray; see question 7
Apply less often -> Patches
6. Do you often encounter flammable situations and/or is your skin damaged at the area where you'd apply the hormone?
Yes -> Take pills sublingually (small health risk)
No -> See question 7
7. Do you prefer it to dry quickly, or for it to possibly yield higher hormone levels?
Dries quickier -> Spray
Higher hormone levels -> Gel
TL:DR; If you still don't know which method to use, or feel indifferent - and it is an option -, then I would recommend injections. WillStealYourUsername below me also has some good explanations.
Why that method?
They're the gold standard for combining safety with effect. Consider the following. If you want pills and consume nicotin, you will have to stop with the latter before starting. Patches are pretty visible and can fall off or cause allergic reactions. Spray/gel has to dry for 2-5 minutes, with a cooldown of one hour before showering.Like spray/gel, it bypasses the risk for the liver (sublingual reduces the risk to an extent).
Though they need to be applied more often than pellet implants (which are only once every 6-12 months), they are more affordable and like patches, are not on a daily, but weekly basis. Their doses can be more easily finetuned, and they can work on their own, without blockers being necessary.
Does it have downsides compared to other methods? They hurt a bit (obviously), your hormone levels will spike and fall more sharply, it takes more preparation, and administering it isn't as easy or convenient. But still, injections are the best widely available method. They're the 'jack of trades, master of some', if you will.
Oral should be the last thing considered on that list right after sublingual.
A better way to determine what HRT to take is this linear list:
Injections can be scary but they are very convenient. With valerate you take injections every five days, with enanthate you take injections every 7 days. Undecylate can be taken once a month.
Most routes require that you take blockers which can come with their own side effects and risks. Injections and implants do not need this, and some can even do HRT without blockers on patches, gel, or spray, but this depends on the individual. I therefore recommend injections as the safer and most comfortable option.
If you do patches I recommend building a stockpile of reserve HRT in case patches are hard to get for a while. This has happened many times and will happen again. You should ideally have a little stockpile for every route, but it's extra smart on patches.
Gel/spray is a great option too, but you do need to apply it once or even multiple times per day. It can be a bit of a hassle.
Most pills can be taken sublingually but not all. If they can be taken sublingually then there's really no reason not to. You might need to take less pills this way too meaning pills become cheaper in practice, or that you can build a stockpile easily if they are prescribed.
All routes are equally effective in terms of results.
Also visible scarring from needles is not much of a thing.
Scarring from implants/pellets can happen, though, but that's very minor.
Yep, that's true
Another question, I realise: how do you know when a method isn't "effective"? That might probably vary a lot by person, but I'm interested for others.
For some like patches it's pretty clear, the skin having an allergic or sensitive reaction. But what with the others?
Low levels on blood tests compared to what is expected. Now gel and spray kinda give very varied results on blood tests, but if you get consistently low levels then likely that means that transdermal might not be that effective for you
honestly just wish it were possible to live measure your estradiol levels, that'd be nice
also just read on the spray for my specific method on that transfem science site, and it says it tends to yield lower estrogen levels, but research is insufficent for three doses a day (which i do).
according to this site, symptoms of low estrogen seem to be problems with sleeping, dry skin, hot flashes.
for high, it'd be anxiety, more tiredness, depression, headache.
seeing as i seem to lack either low and high E symptoms, though i sometimes have headaches and dry skin, i've no idea what i then have. i dont do progs yet, and have been doing anti-androgens for ten months now (started hrt that long ago too).
ironically (a bit nsfw), but ive noticed my libido rising rapidly whenever i take anti-androgens, only for it to subside after a week. So perhaps the body tries to produce more T at first, as a reaction?
Spray has low half life so levels tend to fall quickly. If you're doing three spritzes a day you're avoiding the half life issue at least. Do you have access to blood tests? That's the best way of measuring.
There are these little home test kits you can get so you could do multiple over some stretch of time to see. They're less precise than a proper blood test, but if blood tests are hard to get then this is an option to consider.
Make sure you're measuring at the point when your E levels would be at their lowest (this will be right before you take your next dose), and don't get any spray/gel on the arm or hand you will be taking the test from. It can impact the results from the test.
Edit: I would love a little pressure dial but for estradiol on my arm or my thigh or something :P
Yeah I don't like needles but injections are goat. Anecdotally, it's common to get additional development after switching to injections from pills.
Pellets sound good, but they're often not prescribed.
Also boof your P
People report this all the time regardless of what switch they make. It's indeed very anecdotal
Yeah, the biggest benefit was that sublingual was more of an inconvenience to my daily life than shots
Yup, for me the choice was basically:
1: needles not available (even if they were, I don't like them, and i'd personally feel a bit like a junkie),
2: pellet not available
3: patches wouldn't work on my sensitive ass skin
4: oral seemed so convenient but i decided not to. wanted to avoid the minor risks of either pill method (tbf, the newer ones have neglible risks and you def could do some years with them, but still).
5: that leaves gel and spray. hormone levels are easier to keep constant, and i can vary, so i can simulate a period, feels kinda affirming.
and especially: spray dries quickier, so, that's it!
still pretty convenient. it's also kinda fun, i like to imagine it as a lil' gun you shoot on your skin. pew pew :3
The problem with pellets is that they can release the hormones at uneven rates as they dissolve because they aren't perfectly homogeneous. There's also a chance that your body rejects it and forms a fibrous capsule around it that prevents it from releasing the hormones at all.
Interesting, TIL, didn't know that. How common is it?
It's really hard to pin down because of inconsistencies between manufacturers. I've had patients that got pellets and had no effects whatsoever, and some that got way too much because it dissolved too quickly. It also kind of matters who is implanting them and if they know what they're doing. (Pro tip, chiropractors and naturopaths do not know what the fuck they are doing.)
Really? What about switching from spray to injections?
Boof your P?
No Idea about spray
Rectally administer your progesterone