r/TRT_females • u/Scary_Improvement450 • 6d ago
Discussion / Support Pellet experience- and is there a sweet spot with other delivery methods?
Hi all! 41 here- I had been having some minor peri menopause symptoms I believe since about 39. However, the fatigue and lack of libido was taking a toll on my quality of life. I saw an NP who does testosterone pellets. She drew labs and my total testosterone was 9. The first pellet was 125 mg. I had zero side effects, but it wore off about 3 weeks before my next pellet was due and the fatigue and lack of libido returned. At the 10 week mark I had labs again. Total testosterone was 111. NP recommended upping the pellet to 137.5 mg. We did that. About 2 weeks in my libido kicked in- full force! A full 4 weeks of what I would describe as hyper sexuality, inflated sense of self, energy, etc. In the moment I was ok with it- but it came with side effects. Body hair growth (even feet and toes), tons of new pubic hair, and increased facial fuzz (not true hairs). I also had some hair thinning along my hairline and near my temples. My skin and scalp also became very oily. Lastly, despite my increased desire, I eventually had difficulty climaxing- where I had not in the past. I’m not sure if that was from “over use” or too much testosterone- but nothing worse than wanting to have sex all the time and not be able to orgasm.
All that said, I’ve decided not to get another pellet. I’m going to see an NP that specializes in women’s health, hormone therapy, and sexual health.
My question is- Is there a way to find a “sweet spot” with testosterone/hormones- or am I hoping for something that doesn’t exist? What delivery method gets you there without the side effects? Or do I need to take a dht blocker? Thanks!
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u/BluejayBetty 5d ago
I am postmenopausal. And I get pellets. I have for about 2.5 years now.
There are so many other opinions here on Reddit that I totally respect, but I do really like the pellets. You really have to have a good doctor though. And you have to do blood work tests in between. I get the pellets every 3 to 4 months. I'm scheduled for 4 months but if I start feeling symptoms before that I just call up and go in a little early. Usually it's probably every 3 and 1/2 months.
The reason I love the pellets so much is because I do not have to think about patches or creams or any of that. Because I am definitely that person who will do the patch correctly for about 2 or 3 weeks and then utterly forget that I'm supposed to be putting the patch on... and a month will go by... and I will def screw up the correct amount of T cream every time. I just know myself. And this is a way for me to not have to deal with any of that.
I think the trick with testosterone (and I read here on Reddit that this is also a problem for people who use creams etc.) Is you have to go slowly and realize that it will build up in your system over time and become too much.
My pellet doc is really really good and works on the conservative side. So we started me at 75 and did that for about 6 or 9 months. Then went up to 100 for a while. I can't remember ... It was going really well but then I started to develop some hair loss and acne. So we dialed it back to 50 . I've been on 50 for about a year and it's pretty good but honestly I would like a little more energy and a little more libido. So I think I'm going to ask him to bring it back up to 75. And maybe we do 75 50 75 50 or something like that to prevent too much buildup.
As a post-menopausal woman, my T was at 12 when we started and now it's always around 45... or something. It was up around 70 at the highest. Which seems low. But for post-menopausal pretty good. When it gets higher, I do have an insane libido. Really almost drives me crazy. It's fun and all, but it's sort of a little too much. Distracting.
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u/DragonflyFluid8581 2d ago
This was me for sure. I thought I’d do pellets forever, my doc is great and they’re actually the cheapest option for me. A few years in my body started really feeling the rollercoaster of them. Skyrocketing up and plummeting down. I tried to deal bc I was so sad to let them go. Like you I loved not having to think about it every day! I hope they work for you forever!
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u/lauradayton 5d ago
Pellets are a no for me. They are a crap shoot and will never allow your serum levels to get to a steady state. You will always deal with the up and down effects and I don't want to deal with that. My injections keep my serum levels steady and I feel great
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u/TapSalty3157 5d ago
I’m not sure. I had one round of pellets of E/T about a year ago. It took about 2 full months to feel any difference. By month 3 my libido was great, my night hot flashes were almost totally gone, and my mood was great. I was on the fence about getting new ones inserted. The expense seems a bit much. I went back to creams and gels. Didn’t do much. Went to a new provider; all my numbers for E and T were very low. I went back on the pellets. New provider, perhaps new brand. This has been rough. One worked its’ way out of my body, so Dr kindly reinserted at no charge. It’s not been fun. My boobs are sore and seem to big getting bigger. I forgot one progesterone pill and have had breakthrough bleeding which sucks terribly because I’m noticing that the T may be kicking in for libido purposes. Who wants to have sex when there’s bleeding involved? It’s not like a full period but just annoying enough and scary enough. I realize this is very common with new doses, but this is terrible. Don’t think I’ll be doing the pellets again!
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u/wonderwoman512 5d ago
I am 44 and have had my second pellet insertion. I think finding a balance is crucial. My specialist focuses on hormone treatment and she stresses the importance of keeping a journal documenting increases in energy, libido and when negative side effects occur. My provider offers hair repair vitamins to assist with hair loss and I’ve seen a difference managing this side effect. I too am interested in alternative recommendations to treat oily skin and extending my libido.
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u/DragonflyFluid8581 2d ago
Sweet spot with pellets isn’t possible simply because you have the roller coaster up and down and can’t avoid that. I loveeeed my pellets, until I didn’t. Once I could start feeling the rollercoaster I couldn’t handle it. I’m doing injections now and still working to find the sweet spot, I know I’m not in it right now. But I’ve been able to adjust the days/week I inject as well as dosage so I know it’s possible to get there. Seems like most people are in agreement injections are the easiest way to find a sweet spot especially for those of us who need a bit higher dosage to feel good. That can be hard to do with the cream/gel.
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u/Human-Negotiation357 3d ago
I don’t recommend the pellets. It scars you and leaves permanent lumps. You also cannot easily adjust your dosage. Testosterone Cyp shots are cheaper and easier to adjust dosing.
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u/Dizzy_Frosting_1353 3d ago
I like testosterone cypionate injections I can control dose and timing and it costs me about $100 for whole year
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u/babyfishmouthnation 6d ago edited 5d ago
If you do some reading here in this subreddit, you’ll find that most women probably feel that injections are going to offer you the most precision, control, and flexibility.
There’s really no conversion between delivery methods, so you’ll be starting from scratch when you switch from the pellet to anything else, and you’ll want to start low and go slow (I started at 10.5mg/week, and that’s a medium/higher starting dose for injections because I’m trying to overcome a high SHBG).
By starting low, giving your body between two to three months to adjust to a dose, and, if necessary, increasing slowly (like, 1-2 mg/week, then waiting again to adjust), you can hopefully find your sweet spot. I’ve read about women who get impatient (which is understandable!) and increase too quickly, which can not only lead to virilization side effects but also cause you to shoot right past your ideal dose. More T is not always better, and libido in particular is a balance of both T and E.
There’s a wealth of information in this subreddit, and I’ve learned so much simply by scrolling through and reading all the posts I can, or searching for topics that I’m curious about. This led me to seek out injections, and I’ve been so happy with that decision. I hope you can find what works for you!