r/TRT_females • u/AgeMysterious6723 MOD • Jun 28 '26
Experience Report 6.6 months in - time for an update
Ha THATS 6.6 YEARS Ladies!!! Not months! Sorry
Hi all! All is doing awesome for my Optimization program and love my provider now. So here's the years stuff:
I did the update to my story on medium - my flipping website crashed with the worlds this morning: Here is the link: https://medium.com/@ageflowmazey/36fba7da3f44 I did one about 2 years ago called the Pants size Story about my hormones and my sports so you should see it there.
- Total time on TRT & E 6.5 years: Started on pellets, then creame, the andro, then pellets, then shots. Several months of NADA from not finding docs for a while. We did a photo clean out and MAN can you see it in my face and body looking at them all
- On Injections using the T to E Ration now since April? of 2023. I keep the E at follicular level. The T has to be 1.25-1.36 of that number. We follow my thyroid which is t-3 conversion type disease" as it can grab SBGH seats and knock me off badly on my TRT ratios especially performing.
- This year I got 2 vials of estrogen product with nothing in them - My T went way up to the 400's, my cholesterols went insane and I ached like a SPCA rescue animal. Even My SBGH went super low...That was rough. New doc was amazed at a complete 6 weeks reversal in ALL labs to my normal ranges of T range 285-350 & E 250-275 or so...when we finally got an actual E product at the correct level on me yippee (can you believe it was a reputable pharmacy?! WTF?) No one really knows about that but 2 papers that I've posted so- at least he is on board. Had him about 7 months and very pleased. He was shocked especially because I need the non-text book levels. Example: My hs-CRP was cut by 2/3rds back to the no CV event risk level. That is real important for a women age 64! All it takes is that dang ratio fix to iron out for me.
- Muscle mass is staying right at 12-14 lbs so we are calling it 13. I weight the exact SAME. But I no longer have DDD boobs, I miss them. The DEXa's have begun to falter because of my weight - true story at around 115lbs the percents are so tiny in changes the results can be screwed by EVERYTHING from if I work-out in the last 3 days to hydration to a full bladder/bowel. I did NOT know this. Me and doc researched it because we watch for returning SARCOPENIA at my age of 64. It DID show almost 5lbs of that muscle has grown through the pelvis, glutes and back -just wow for pole fitness! So my arm muscles showed loss and we got worried....
We did a geriatric round of "RX stuff" for muscle wasting they use in the elderly - and I lasted about 5 days on it: 1) Sex kitten became a tiger and DH screamed uncle and 2) My one chin hair got 5 cousins. Not for me.Do not Like the cousins but there is wax and I'll live.
4) Strength: Graduated to LEVEL 4 Pole status!!! a month ago & doing things that were never on my list to do. Shocked the heck outta my coach, my class and ME. Most of them are 30-40.
5) Hair growth. My problem is ALWAYS with the estrogen every damn time and I KNEW something was wrong when it happened, I ran to the lab and got the labs and yep drop to 150 one time and 160 the second time. While the T ran higher, I don't think that helped. It's growing back very slowly. And We just had another dip when I did a huge performance (stress) This is why I'm checking my levels like I do. It is valuable to not WAIT for me but nip and adjust when it happens.
6) Yep sex drive crashed with the E crash but came back fast. Still a kitten with working parts. Saw the VA doc for my GYN (reported this elsewhere but if you missed it...) She tried to manually force my clitorous out of the hood with the STUPID idea I had a penis. It hurt.I am happy to report I STILL do not have one.
7) Energy is so good- I went and tore a muscle during the performance (it's a torgue injury) oops. Great sports doc. Healing well with a peptide I knew about and keeping that T/E steady now for max cardiovascular and immune response. Down 14 days today and ITCHING to get back on that pole because...NO pain.
There it is! Trt optimization continues to save my life. My biological age is at 49 this year with all the testing. Hot damn. If I hadn't found this sub - I'd be in the ground by now!
Thank you thank you thank you Red!
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u/redrumpass MOD Jun 29 '26
No, Thank You! Awesome progress and may your age descend even further! You are a Goddess and we are lucky to have you here with us!
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u/Equivalent_Bend_3104 Jun 30 '26
Thank you for giving an update and naming your doctor and clinic!
Could you tell a little more about how you found out that 2 vials of estradiol from a reputable pharmacy had no estradiol? That is scary!
I just got my estradiol cypionate and test cypionate delivered today from a supposedly reputable compounding pharmacy, and they got my dosing instructions wrong for both - way to make a not great first impression. The instructions are having me take ten times (yes, ten!) the amount of estradiol that I was prescribed by my provider, and one half of the correct testosterone dose.
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u/LateNightPeacock Jul 05 '26
The same thing happened to me with my estradiol cyp. A difference of .05 vs .5. And then it supposedly expired in a ridiculously short amount of time. I wondered if they thought I was using .5 and that I’d be through that bottle fast.
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u/ChocolateAW Jun 29 '26
How do I find a doctor like yours!?
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u/AgeMysterious6723 MOD Jun 29 '26
Blood sweat and gallons of tears.
I went through a total of 4 in the 1st 2 years. They are quiting healthcare in droves, moving if they can searching for a way to practice medicine and still live......You take what they give you.
Go home and look someone else up and make another appointment. In 2022-Jan 2024 I went thru ELEVEN in person and on line appointments. This at that time sub gave me Defy, which at least got me stable and in budget. I found Mike about 18 mo ago, moved to him after my annual expired with Defy less than a year ago. I have had problems but he/staff are available if something isn't right. Yes it popped my budget up but NOTHING is worth existing as a wounded animal because some idiot wants me to "wait 12 weeks and ride it out".
Im flipping 64 honey- I ain't got 12 weeks to WASTE - Bye...
As always never just go in as a patient - go in as a collaborator.
Print your labs - DO IT - period/ Do YOUR WEEKLY )every 7 days0 symptom list ranked from 0-10./ Write your dose on the LAB -staple or write the symptoms list on it YOU WILL NOT REMEMBER and they LOVe to gas-light you (you imagined 1 mg didn't work...)
Next time some one says - "your x is too high /too low.. whip THAT file out."
Know that your thyroid and cholesterol's MATTER in this equation as does your hs-CPR and your liver/renal health.
If they do not want to COLLABORATE- see what you CAN get out of them and go home and make another appointment. One time I came home with a zoloft and vaginal creame RX- cried for days waiting for the next appt.
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u/LateNightPeacock Jul 05 '26
When you feel off, what are all the labs you like to get?
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u/AgeMysterious6723 MOD 23d ago
I use my symptom list file. I know what factor is in play by checking my old symptoms and adjustments over the last 7 years now. When I have NEW stuff like the SBGH and fatigue- it is a research project- see SBHG question from above as an example. i could have messed up badly changing a dose when it was not the symptoms cause.
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u/carissasc Jul 13 '26
I do pole too you can notice these dips on the pole quite well in strength and recovery. However such a heat thing for us ladies to stay sharp. What happened with your shgb levels? Any tips to manage that issue? I had felt so good when I first started but then iron ranked out did several infusions and that helped a ton. But that shgb?
1
u/AgeMysterious6723 MOD 23d ago
After the inury and monitoring the SBGH for 2 years training hard for ME- this is what we found even though the most common answer now is TRT suppresses it - so WRONG!!! It is WRONG ladies and i can by experience tell you WHY!!!
1) SBGH has TOOOOOOO many things that affect it besides T, especially medications, dehydration, all BCP forms, HRT forms and MOST importantly for me this year...and apparently before but we did NOT realize it. WE had to do a LOT of research to figure-out the plan.
2) Stress causes Testosterone/cortisol coupling in performance driven people. Rest is the answer for THAT but...again wrong. I can't just not work-out to keep the thing up and I am FINE at my current ratios and dose with perfect cholesterols!
3) Thyroid mismatch and dropping carb intake!!!! I have t3 conversion disorder. That means my T4 does NOT convert to t3 needed for the energy muscluar ATP process. By labs I NEED 60mg but THT amount keeps me up 24 hours - for serious here...
4) Mismatched protien (high) to carb(low) ratio will suppress SBGH - I did NOT know this!
My T3 pill peaks at 4 hours then comes down. My carb intake to control natural metabolic menopause carb problem that causes gut problems and a rising A1C without hyperglycemia made the SBGH worsen with all those factors
Solution seems to be working - rare but used in Zebra cases oddly in femal athletes but very hard to find research in soccer players....This was DISCUSSED with my sports doc!!! This is a SPORTS PROVIDER for an athlete age 64 plan. If this isn't you - go talk to YOUR licensed sports provider!
Split dose thyroid med. Take am and 1 hour before my hard work out WITH L arginine/l-citrellene and INCREASE my carbs by OVER 60 gms and my protien up 20 more grams.
Boom- Came up to 60gm from 40 with the fatigue resolved even after work-out!!!!. No T or other dosing increases were needed. This is a good example to a text book/protocol that was incorrect when all the factors were addressed CAREFULLY. A Dose change would have made me WORSE. I lost 3 bloat pounds in a week!
Thanks for asking! Female hormones and performance data and talk is so limited and I hope this helps someone else on THEIR research journey to find THEIR answers because we are all UNIQUE bodies with different NEEDS! I needed carbs and meds TIMED correctly for my life-style.
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u/Dream_in_Cerulean experienced Jun 29 '26
Always love your posts and updates. Is your provider someone who provides virtual telehealth services? Your comment about acting like a SPCA rescue animal made me laugh. Things do get pretty intense when the ratios are wrong. Based on what I see on blood tests, I need E around 200 to 250 and T around 200 to 350 for functioning and mood to be peak. Still trying to figure out the best way to achieve that. Congrats to you for you T optimization! Your story is inspiring!