For me they stopped eventually, but was there constantly for a few days after each injection. I tried three different esters and thought the newest one worked because of different ingredients, but when I tried one of the previous ones again I had no pains. I dunno if it was caused by stress, if me doing more exercise or eating better helped, or really have any good explanation for what happened and why it stopped.

I also did have some random but minor pains when I first started HRT, before I tried injections, but it was very bearable and stopped within a few weeks. To me it seemed like different kinds of pains because my body got new instructions etc, like my ligaments changing, but I don’t really know. All I know is it was just briefly now and then before stopping.

Glad you’re okay in more ways than one!

aaa you’re so pretty <3 I can’t wait for my hair removal sessions

There’s a long list of resources here and the blåhaj matrix has an active HRT room as well!

Best of luck <3

It’s actually not that complicated to do DIY! You don’t need to make the stuff yourself, but if you do it’s really cheap. In either case, gel is simple and easy and you essentially can’t do anything wrong. With injections it’s possible to make some mistakes in terms of dosages and such, but the consequences aren’t really that bad (mostly some discomfort that will pass).

I’m a rather forgetful person and sometimes I will take my injections a day late with no issue. When I took gel I would occasionally be late with my doses then and that was more noticeably uncomfortable.

If you aren’t comfortable with DIY however, then absolutely go look for a legit way of doing HRT. In either case, best of luck! I hope you can find a good way for you.

If you do go with DIY we have an active DIY chat on the matrix server, or you can check out the resources posted in c/diyhrt or make a post

Also check out the resources in the sidebar and this list!

I started in my late twenties and I talk to people who started way later. We are all happier for it. If you want to transition, go for it! Like lady autumn says, it relieves some dysphoria for lots of people, it might make things easier

So a dude here in norway has a trans webshop and the brands I see on there are Nereida and TransMissie/UNTAgG. Unsure what sizes they have available

If you can find a bikini skirt in your size that’s probably a good way to avoid future incidents :P

if I go on hormones and start to have a really bad time, then I guess I know I’m not trans.

Your gender is your own! If you feel like a woman then that’s it, you are a woman. If you take hormones and you don’t like it then you stop taking hormones and nothing else really changes. Maybe it can make you reconsider some things, sure, but plenty of trans people don’t take hormones, or only take them to achieve some goal and then stop. How important HRT is will vary from individual to individual. Yeah, for some people HRT is the difference between life and death, but brains are complicated and varied so you’ll have to feel things out and figure out what it is for you.

Transitioning is about exploring yourself and finding out how to change the way you express yourself to become more comfortable, and nothing more.

Best of luck, and may all your girldreams come true <3

Be sure to keep an eye on your smell as well! That and mental stuff were the first things I noticed

I’m sorry you are going through all this 🫂

There are some links you might want to check out in the sidebar

im glad i did, because i just couldnt do it

Same! I spent an hour stressing myself out and throwing away a couple of full needles before I gave up the first time I tried. Managed to do it the second day, and it was easier and easier with every injection until it became routine.

I’m glad you found something that works for you! I’m working on getting access to legit HRT (harder in my country) so I have an alternative to diy in case stuff happens, but I think I will always prefer diy as een is just so much more practical than what they offer legit imo

I’m sure that explains the cramps, but the pain/discomfort happens within an hour or two after injection and lasts for a couple of days, which is the part that I’m worried about. But they might be connected in some way so taking the advice I’ve been given here seems like the way to go. I’ve bought magnesium, bought some banana smoothies, had some fried creamed spinach with broccoli, and made sure to drink lots. Hopefully there won’t be any issues (or at least milder symptoms) with the next injection. Also gonna go grab some of those electrolyte sports drinks.

Thanks again <3

Edit: Also chocolate contains lots of potassium as well ! Treating myself as we speak

I hope this doesn’t come across as condescending

Not at all! I posted this to hopefully figure out more stuff. I’m not a doctor and I expected to get some things wrong, and I very much appreciate your input <3

What length of needle are you using? Where are you injecting? […] the pain could be related to injection site soreness.

0.33 mm (29 G) x 12.7 mm insulin needles. In my thigh at 45 degrees per the video on the diywiki. I’m not an english speaker so I had to search around, the area that hurts is my calves, so I doubt it’s injection soreness.

deep vein thrombosis

I hope not! As I’m on monotherapy my levels are certainly higher than the levels of cis women, but I figured the risks of clood clots were long term, and I’ve only been on E for like half a year. No smoking or drugs. I’ve been very sedentary up until recently. I started doing a lot of walks and doing some semi-regular exercise, mostly focused on my legs. On average I take a walk a day (less during winter), and I’ve been doing this for a year. I’m unsure when I started exercising? One or two months ago? I suppose the exercise kinda lines up as well.

is anyone checking your estrogen levels? What dose of estrogen are you taking, and how often?

I did my first blood test for hormone levels last wednesday, but I haven’t received the results yet. I was gonna talk to my doctor about all this during the same appointment were I asked for the blood test, but he was away on holidays so I had some other random doctor as a substitute. I was not comfortable coming out to the substitute. I take 4mg every wednesday. I’ve taken 4-5 doses at this point. I took gel before this, but it was a bit of a mess in terms of how much I took and how often which isn’t good, so I figured injections were more my thing.

Estrogen does not dilate blood vessels

I might have been hasty. Found some mentions of weakened veins and leg pains being more common in women, and a reddit thread from a lady experiencing something similar after 4 months of hrt. I’m not sure where I got vasodilation from to be honest, but it got stuck in my brain.

I’m injecting in the thigh, alternating between left and right, with the discomfort being strongest the first two days after injection. I don’t know that the spasms are caused by the injections (I don’t think they are, I think they are related to estrogen, but that they started around the same time as I started injecting so I felt I had to mention it).

I do often wake up dehydrated despite drinking lots of water and might also have a potassium deficiency (I had a slight deficiency a year ago). I actually took a blood test a week ago which among other things checked my creatine levels and they were on the low side as well. I will be looking into this, thank you.

I had something which was probably vasoconstriction when taking ADHD meds prior to starting hrt which was so uncomfortable and painful I had to stop. I tried the medication again after HRT and the side effects had significantly lessened, but this could be for any number of reasons. The side effects from the stims affected both legs, but the left leg was affected more.

I don’t regularly check my blood pressure and doubt I have records of earlier tests to compare to unfortunately.

Estrogen is known to be linked to vascular function and increases the risks of vasodilation or at least to certain vascular issues, per my light skimming of the web at least. This is not to say that it is something most people have to worry about.

My pet theory is that I have some sensitive vasculature or whatever the proper term is in my left leg causing changes from stims and estrogen to be extra noticeable, but if it’s just a diet thing then that would be a huge relief.

I’m doing subq for monotherapy.