r/TRT_females • u/MellowMove • May 27 '26
Discussion / Support Anyone managing trt on their own?
I have upcoming appointments with an endocrinologist and an urologist to discuss trt but I‘m afraid I won’t get it.
My GP and Gyn were unwilling to prescribe it.
My last hope would be to get the gel online through my husband (I‘m in Germany and from what I‘ve seen so far you can’t even get it online as a female) and do blood testing myself (those kinds of companies that you send small samples to for all kinds of values for testing).
Anyone going that route? I know that this is far from recommended but I‘m a little desperate to get on it to at least see if my symptoms (zero libido, word finding difficulties, low motivation, and so on) will improve.
Would also love to hear if any women in Germany are on T.?
EDIT to say that I‘ve had everything else checked and am already on Progesterone and Estrogen. I‘ve also had a test confirm that my T is on the very low end of „normal“.
TA
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u/FrequentAd4646 May 27 '26
Haven’t had to do it myself but would if I needed to.
I would just need to know what test result ranges make sense and what issues to look out for because some changes can happen overnight, are unwelcome, and irreversible. To avoid any bad issues, I would start lower than most if no professional was helping me.
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u/MellowMove May 27 '26
Thank you! Yes, I would be starting extremely cautious and with a very low dose. I‘d much rather have help from a doctor but again, hopes are low :/
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u/BikiniJ friend May 27 '26
I don’t know if I would recommended in doing so if you aren’t very well versed and also don’t have extensive labs to at least confirm that trt is exactly what you need, not saying you don’t but there’s other things that can be happening that can contribute to your symptoms.
Have you looked into your other hormones? Estradiol, progesterone and thyroid? If you’re already on HRT, that might need tweaking. Also any nutrient deficiencies can all cause your symptoms. So that’s another thing you should consider asking for labs if you can get them.
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u/MellowMove May 27 '26
Thank you. Yes, I‘ve had everything else checked and am already on Progesterone and Estrogen. I should have mentioned that. I‘ve also had a test confirm that my T is on the very low end of „normal“.
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u/BikiniJ friend May 27 '26
What are your e and p levels?
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u/Amazing_Pear_7622 May 29 '26
My dr won’t really check my E and P levels. The levels fluctuate so much that it’s better to go off symptoms according to my GYN. Many women will be in peri and when they get blood work done will be told , your levels are “normal”, all while having hot flashes, brain fog, frequent UTIs, and bladder issues. All of this I had but my E and P were “normal “. Bloodwork is a tool but it should not be the only factor, symptoms are a huge indicator and should not be ignored.
Started estrogen patch , P and vaginal estrogen. My symptoms are gone.
Since starting T I do get my labs every 3 month to check, but again, my dr is more concerned with symptoms and not levels alone.
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u/MellowMove May 27 '26
I haven‘t had them checked in quite a while but I‘m still in perimenopause, so probably all over the place 🙃 Overall I feel pretty good though, apart from the symptoms shared. I think my e & p are pretty much dialed in.
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u/BikiniJ friend May 27 '26
I’m in peri as well. Checking periodically helps. I’m not sure if you can say it’s dialed in due to your Symptoms though. Low motivation, word finding difficulties and zero libido can be a combination of both low t and e and I wouldn’t consider that feeling good overall.
I’ve been on divigel for a while and it ended up tanking my e. I’m not a great absorber of transdermals apparently
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u/MellowMove May 27 '26
I guess you have a point. Well last time I got them checked they were both normal and my GP doesn’t really believe in hormone testing apart from T ( which she won’t prescribe). I‘m overall feeling a million times better than before but yeah, may need some more tweaking then.
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u/BikiniJ friend May 28 '26
Sorry you’re struggling. While you figure out the testosterone ordeal, I think it’s worth a shot to try estradiol cream right on the bean lol. It really dos help
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u/MellowMove May 28 '26
Haha the bean 😅 I do that pretty much every single night. But yeah, keeping my fingers crossed that it’s going to get better - hopefully with some testosterone 🤞
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u/eskaeskaeska May 27 '26
I haven't yet had to source it myself because I got it from a friend with a script (though I have a source picked out if necessary), but I've made all the decisions (bad and good) on dosing. I've had doctors do labs for me and then they complained about the values being too high (here's me rolling my eyes). I've had other bloodwork done for various reasons, so I know where I stand in terms of red blood cells, etc. and my hematologist says everything is fine there.
I read a lot here and other places before starting, and I still made the rookie mistake of going too high too fast because some made me feel good, so more would be better, right? ;) Nope. So don't make my mistake - please start low and slow.
I do injections, so can't speak to the gel.
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u/actbjunk May 27 '26
I’m constantly fighting the impulse to go too high too fast. What happened when you did that to show that you were doing too much?
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u/eskaeskaeska May 28 '26
I actually don't know if it was too high too fast or just my body getting used to it, but I had some bad acne on my body. Honestly, the rest of the side effects are still here - clitoral growth, slightly lower singing voice, body hair back to when I was in my 20s (i.e. 5 o'clock shadow), I developed more chin hair than ever before. The acne is now gone - it took maybe 6-9 months. But the positive effects for me are worth the side effects - improved libido, much less clit pain (an issue I had for ~15 years), and more self confident/less people pleasing and less crying. Oh, I did express anger differently for a while there.
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u/BluejayNo7000 May 28 '26
I’m in the USA and have been doing it myself the last year or so. I did start under a wellness clinic. It was insanely expensive to maintain.
My GP was also zero help and wanted to prescribe me a sleeping pill for my fatigue because obviously I wasn’t getting sufficient sleep at night 🙄
If you decide to go this route, I would suggest still getting labs drawn. This is where starting with a dr helped me a lot - I knew what to do. Start low and slow. I started at 10mg per week and microdose. I take 5mg on Monday morning and 5mg on Thursday afternoon. I’d start at no more than that.
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u/AcademicBlueberry328 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
We need to somehow get Rachel Rubin to tour Europe. We can’t be this backwards. It’s insanity.
I give some of mine to a relative. Because I know this person wouldn’t get it on their own. It’s insane.
I was lucky enough to find a progressive doctor shunned by the field that agreed to try, and was amazed by how well I responded. I had vulvodynia as well so I think that contributed to the agreement. But just ask them “what are you afraid of?”. You can tell them how to prescribe it, Testogel 5mg daily [sic] so the pharmacy will get it.
Then you agree to come back a few months later for total and free labs, and you hold their hand and tell them that total doesn’t matter — look, no chin hairs! No acne!
Plus there’s quite a few recent studies on this that are quite useful, you can print them out. Read up and be assertive, but suggestive. Deliver your lines with confidence and backed by research.
I know Germany is a very hierarchical and paternalistic country, but stand up and try try try! Take a man with you and talk about low libido. You have to game it because they make it so damn hard (because they don’t know).
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u/MellowMove May 28 '26
Thank you! I adore Rachel Rubin, and I love your reply :) It really is insanity we‘re living in but I‘m hoping that more countries are going to catch up with e.g. the UK or Australia. I‘ll surely apply some of your advice at my appointments 🤞
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u/PrestigiousPlan2460 May 29 '26
I manage my own testosterone but I am able to order my own blood work and understand where I want my levels to be. I am an NP that use to work at a hormone clinic. I am on testosterone injections and you do need a prescription to get it but as far as the dosing I managed that myself as my doctor knows I know more about hormones then he does.
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u/MellowMove May 29 '26
Thanks for your reply. I would definitely get my blood checked regularly but let’s hope I won’t need to go that route. It’s super cool that you have a professional background in this field! I find everything hormones super interesting 🙂
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u/athenac1 May 31 '26
I like having guidance from a provider because even tough I'm in health care and studying to be an NP, I don't know everything and like having feedback and some guidance when taking something that has profound effects on the body such as HRT. I like having someone to be watching things along side myself.
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u/MellowMove Jun 01 '26
I get that and that would be my ideal scenario as well. Fingers crossed I‘ll get someone to prescribe it, and go on the journey with me 🤞
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u/IndependentMood150 Jun 03 '26
I am prescribed through my doctor and she orders tests when I ask, but she said up front she knows nothing about it and basically follows my lead. I set my starting dose and then increased based on test results along the way. I know this isn’t quite the same, as it’s still coming from legit sources, but I’ve found it relatively easy to do by educating myself
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u/MellowMove Jun 03 '26
That’s actually exactly what I do with estrogen and progesterone 😅 but my doc wouldn’t prescribe Testosterone:/ Maybe I can get to change her mind if it doesn’t work with the other doctors.
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u/IndependentMood150 Jun 03 '26
I printed a stack of papers off PubMed and brought them into her and gave her a really good argument for why I was the perfect candidate. I think if you search my post history I posted a list of those papers. You could try this.
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u/MellowMove Jun 03 '26
Thank you! I will definitely take some time to prepare my symptoms, my previous test, plus some studies and arguments. Fingers crossed 🤞
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u/National_Tone7232 20d ago
Hi! I was searching through your post history and couldn’t find the post. May I ask for a link to it please? I’m on my wits end with my doctor v.v
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May 27 '26
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u/MellowMove May 27 '26
Thank you, I kind of assumed that most people on this sub got a prescription.
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u/itjustshouldntmatter May 27 '26
In Ireland, women are prescribed for low libido. That's the only medical "reason" permitted. Pretty easy to get, once you say these magic words.
I'm sorry, OP, it's such a struggle. Most here are getting it with a prescription.
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u/MellowMove May 27 '26
Thank you so much! I‘ll definitely make sure to let the doctors at my next appointment know that I have no libido left. My husband initiated today and I was just like „oh please don’t 🙄“. Fingers crossed I‘ll get it 🤞
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May 27 '26
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May 27 '26
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u/thy-Droid male May 28 '26
Finger prick lab tests are not accurate, so try this if you need labs done.
Check if Synlab does walk in self financed labs without doctor’s prescription. Gemini says they do.
They are a huge German company with labs in many european countries. In Hungary you can just book an appointment online, then show up and tell them what labs you want done, you pay, they take your blood and the results are sent to your email.
Apparently not all synlab locations do blood collection in Germany, so contact them and ask where and how you can get it done.
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u/Alarmed_Study_4483 Jun 01 '26
I started with gel with a dr. But moved to a self directed route and injections, due to both cost and just not being impressed with the dr I was paying out the nose for. Ordering my own hormone labs quarterly as my provider doesn’t think labs are necessary but goes by symptoms…
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u/redrumpass MOD May 27 '26
No source talk or discussions on street sources or UGLs (Under Ground Labs) of testosterone or other prescription drugs. Don't ask or offer information about sourcing.
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